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When you open up the Bible and read what God says about the church, you find yourself staring at one big mixed metaphor. We read that the church is like a body, a flock of sheep, branches of a vine, a bride, a temple, God’s building, a people, exiles, a holy nation, a royal priesthood, salt of the earth, the Israel of God, the elect lady, and on and on.
Nov 28, 2021 · The Bible writers and Jesus often mixed metaphors and the OP has listed a prime example. Here is another example from the writing of Paul in 1 Cor 3 - V1, 2 - Paul uses the metaphor of infants drinking milk; V3 - metaphor of a walk compared to the Christian life; V6, 7 - church compared to a plants in a farm being watered and harvested
- Body. A metaphor illustrating the unity and universality of the church is the word body. As the head has authority over the physical body and gives direction to it, so Christ as the head of the church, has authority over it and gives it direction (Eph.
- Bride. The picture of the church as the bride of Christ is seen in Ephesians 5:23 where an analogy is drawn that compares the husband and wife relationship in marriage to Christ and His bride, the church.
- Building. Paul has emphasized that Jews and Gentiles alike are one in Christ because God abolished the wall that separated Jew and Gentile (Eph. 2:11–18).
- Priesthood. In 1 Peter 2:5 the apostle combines the figures of a building and a priesthood, stating, “You also, as living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood.”
Sep 4, 2024 · This metaphor communicates both unity of life and diversity of service (cf. Rom. 12:6–8). When used of the church, the word body is always singular, never plural. Paul several times emphasizes the unity of the church with the phrase “one body.” 25 The body of Christ is one in “the unity of the Spirit” (Eph. 4:3).
Sep 5, 2024 · The Bible uses metaphors heavily, especially when talking about Christ. A metaphor claims that one thing is another thing. (This is a little different from a simile, which is an explicit comparison using the word like or as.) However, it’s understood that, when metaphor is employed, the two entities are not literally the same.
Such a metaphor tells us that the disciples' life is not static. It also implies a sense of connectedness, even a sense of extension. In this manner, Jesus' disciples do not do works of their own power; instead, they must receive strength and ability from the source. The metaphor also suggests an extension of appearance: the vine and its ...
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May 7, 2019 · A Christian is like a hand, a foot, a toe, an artery, an adrenal gland, or any other body part—we’re only healthy and useful if we’re in the body. This metaphor is fertile for application. It dignifies every church member. Every body part is necessary, so there’s no excuse for self-pity (1 Cor. 12:15–20) or pride (1 Cor. 12:21–26).
