The Church The Body

by Toms, A. F. | Category: Christ In Genesis | Mar 1988

The Scriptures are full of Christ, and when we love our Lord Jesus it is exciting to find Him on every page of our Bibles. "Ye search the Scriptures" He said to the Jews who did not believe on Him, "because ye think that in them ye have eternal life; and these are they which bear witness of Me". They failed to find Him in the Scriptures because their hearts were darkened by sin, but when the eyes of our hearts are enlightened Christ shines on every page!

In Genesis chapter 2 there is an arresting word. "The LORD God said, it is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him". Everything else in His creation was good and each day He pronounced it so. On the final day "God saw everything that He had made, and behold, it was very good". But one thing was not good: that man should be alone. He needed a help answering to him. And it says,

the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and he slept; and He took one of his ribs and closed up the flesh instead thereof:

and the rib, which the LORD God had taken from the man, made He a woman, and brought her unto the man.

That was the first marriage, beautiful in its simplicity, and God officiated at it. When Adam woke from his sleep, God presented him with his bride, beautiful, perfect from the hand of God. And Adam said, "This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man".

She belonged to him because she was part of him. She had been taken out of his side. She was literally a member of his body. And so are we who belong to the Lord Jesus. "We are members of His body" says the apostle in Ephesians chapter 5. "Christ also loved the Church, and gave Himself up for it". He passed through the deep sleep of death that He might have us to be with Him for ever. "This mystery is great" said the apostle, "but I speak in regard of Christ and of the Church". It is indeed a great mystery. I am sure the full wonder of it will only be understood when we reach the glory. But this much we can grasp and enjoy right now, that we belong to Christ as surely as Eve belonged to Adam. We have been given to Him by His Father, joined to Him as members of His Body. And we shall be with Him for ever, "the fulness of Him that filleth all in all".

Toms, A. F. | Mar 1988
Christ In Genesis