A Head without the Body
Please picture the following scenario momentarily if you would…
You walk down to the curb to get your day’s mail from your mailbox and notice your next door neighbor doing the same. You decide to take a few minutes to visit and strike up a friendly conversation. After the obligatory, introductory topics of the day’s local weather and sports are addressed, the subject of their spouse – whom you haven’t seen around for a few weeks – comes up. As they turn with a satisfied smile and step towards their car parked there by the curb, they say, “Oh yeah, I got sick and tired of the way their body didn’t seem to want to cuddle and embrace me anymore, but they’re still here and I still love them – just not their body. Don’t worry though, they’re still with me,” they say, as they open their car door and pull out only the bloody, now-severed head of their once-beloved spouse.
One cannot live without body and head.
A macabre murder mystery you say? A deranged, serial killer crime scene from some new “blood and guts” movie? No. How about a very apt physical illustration, of a deadly and widespread spiritual illusion, suffered by many once-faithful saints of today instead? Because that’s exactly what it is.
This deadly and devastating, soul-destroying delusion is suffered by those who claim they only want and/or have Jesus, but want nothing whatsoever to do with His church. The fatal symptoms of this epidemic spiritual disease are also clearly seen in the statements of many who claim to want nothing to do with “organized religion” but just want Jesus, or say something to the effect of, “Give me Jesus – just not the church!” It is suffered by those once faithful saints who have now walked away and severed themselves from His church, but still claim to have a good and loving relationship with Jesus. Those suffering from such a serious and insidious delusion need to understand that such is simply not even possible – and here’s why: Jesus is the Head, of His body, which is His church (See: 1 Cor. 12:12-28; Eph. 1:22-23, 5:23; as well as Col. 1:18, 24)! What happens when one seeks to sever the head from a physical body so they can then carry it around with them, while leaving the rest of the body behind? Is there life between them and the head? Is their relationship with the head still a healthy and vibrant one without the rest of the body? Of course not! Plus the fact that they have committed a gruesome crime and will therefore most likely wind up in prison for a very long time!
And the exact same thing is certainly true in the spiritual realm as well. When any member of the church/body of Christ, severs or amputates themselves from the assembly/fellowship/worship of the saints because they are unhappy with the way they perceive that a few of the rest of the body/church members have supposedly treated them, they need to understand that severed limbs have no life in them, nor can they sever and take the Head with them and leave the rest of the church/body behind when they self-amputate (See: Jn. 15:1-17). It doesn’t work that way. The Head (Jesus), and His body (Jesus’ church) are totally inseparable (Jn. 17:17-26).
We initially come to God, Christ, salvation and Christ’s church as a complete and total, divinely-inseparable package deal (See/hear the audio sermon “It’s a Package Deal” here: https://soundcloud.com/user-640047687/467-3-8-15-am-its-a-package-deal). It’s all of them, or none of them, but surely it’s not just some of them (Acts 2:37-47; Hebs. 12:22-24). And one therefore must logically leave in the exact same way – not selectively severing and taking the Head, Christ, with them, while leaving the work, worship, fellowship and relationships of the Lord’s church, or body, behind in the dirt (Eph. 2 + 3; Titus 2:11-14). And to continually commit such an ugly, ungodly, and gruesome atrocity in the eyes of God, is to set one’s self up for an eternal life sentence that far surpasses any earthly agony when we all appear before the Great and Almighty Judge on Judgment Day… the very Judge whose body (church) some will have deceived themselves into believing they have gotten away with decapitating and leaving behind, while removing and taking the Head (Jesus) with them. Hence, the heavenly warning of Hebrews 10:23-31:
Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful. And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching. For if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a certain fearful expectation of judgment, and fiery indignation which will devour the adversaries. Anyone who has rejected Moses’ law dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. Of how much worse punishment, do you suppose, will he be thought worthy who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, counted the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified a common thing, and insulted the Spirit of grace? For we know Him who said, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord. And again, “The Lord will judge His people.” It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
Please, we beg of you, if you have been infected by this deadly delusion, the Great Physician can still heal you! Please come back to the Head, and body/church of Christ – still intact and inseparably and forever together – and get re-attached to them while you still can (Ro. 11:17-22)!