Faith Without Answers • Apr 27, 2026
One New Species • Jul 01st 1996
Rochester Conference Part 2: What Is the Body of Christ? (One New Humanity Explained)
What is the Body of Christ—really?
Most believers have heard the phrase. Many assume it simply refers to a group of individuals who believe in Jesus. But the New Testament presents something far more profound, far more radical.
In this message, we explore the biblical meaning of the Body of Christ through the lens of Ephesians 2 and related passages. What emerges is not a loose association of Christians, but a completely new reality—what Scripture calls “one new man,” a new humanity brought forth in Christ.
This teaching challenges the deeply ingrained idea that Christianity is primarily individual. Instead, it reveals that believers are brought together into something organic, shared, and inseparable. Not many individuals—but one corporate life.
The message unpacks how Christ, through the cross, did not simply bring people together—He created something entirely new. A new kind of being. A new species, wholly distinct from what existed before. No longer Jew or Gentile, divided or separate, but one body, one household, one citizenship.
This understanding reshapes how we see the church. The church is not an organization, a meeting, or a weekly event. It is a living reality—a people being built together into a dwelling place for God.
There is also a deeply practical side to this truth. Many believers feel disconnected, frustrated, or unsatisfied with modern expressions of church life. This message speaks directly into that tension, suggesting that the longing many feel is not accidental—it is rooted in something God has placed within us.
To be part of the Body of Christ is not simply to attend—it is to belong, to function, and to share life in a way that reflects something eternal.
If you have ever asked:
- What is the true church?
- Why does church sometimes feel incomplete?
- What does the Bible really say about unity?
This message offers a perspective that goes beyond surface answers and invites you to reconsider what it means to be part of Christ’s Body.
Do you know who created you? A Christian created you. That’s who created you. And when He created you, He created you being a Christian to do things that Christians do. And you know what Christians do? They herd. They gaggle; they flock. They pack or whatever. And they get together like the Father, the Son, the Holy Spirit, and twelve apostles, and then a bunch of people on Pentecost, the day of Pentecost.
It is almost a curse that…follow me here for a minute, would you? You are being driven by biological urges you don’t understand. And it’s true, and you’re trying to satisfy them in a building with stained glass windows and rituals, and you’re being driven hungry for something else because a Christian who’s in love with the church created you, and she is His eternal purpose. And you’re trying to flow against the universe itself.
Brothers and sisters, wake up. You’re doomed. It’s either…and I’ll interrupt myself with an illustration. In Guam, there’s a place where you can get your car repaired, and you can also get it coated because there’s so much salt in the air. And they have a big sign that says, “It’s Rust or us.” And we could put that over the house of God. “It’s us or rust.”
The Holy Spirit is daily driving you to her. The longings in you, as you longed for Christ because you were created by a Christian God, you were driven to Him in your longing. You are just as much driven to the Ekklesia by the God who happens to see the church as part of Himself. And you’re driven toward her, you’re driven toward that assembly, to the ekklesia, to the body, the bottom half of Christ, just as you are driven to the top half. Would it be nice if we could hold great stadium-wide rallies of 15,000 and 20,000 people and invite people to complete their salvation to fulfill the longing? Half of the longing has been satisfied; the other half is not.
(Singing) Praise the name of Jesus. Praise the name of Jesus. You’re my rock. You’re my fortress. You’re my Deliverer in you, I trust. Praise your name, Lord Jesus.
More from the archives
The Mystery of God • Apr 21, 2026
Jesus’ First 12 Years
Return to the Beginning • Apr 13, 2026