“And He put all things in subjection under His feet, and gave him as head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.” (Eph. 1:22, 23) NASBU

Every time I read these verses from Ephesians I have pause to wonder what people mean when they say, “The church isn’t important,” or “I don’t need the church?” This question always pops up in my mind; “How is it that you don’t need Jesus?” Or, to put it in a different way; “Why do you say Jesus isn’t important?”

To say that you need Jesus but you don’t need the church is strange talk. To make that work you would have to have a Jesus without a head or body. Jesus is the head of the church (as Paul points out in 5:23) which is his body. No church, no Jesus. If you can be saved out of the church then you can be saved without Jesus and the book from God says that can’t happen.

Grace came by Jesus. Faith comes by Jesus. Forgiveness comes by Jesus. Salvation comes by Jesus. All those he saves by faith and grace are placed in his body. You can’t be saved without the church which is the body of Christ.

True, the head is in heaven but he is coming back for his body. If we are not in the body he will not take us with him to live with him and his Father forever.

Listen to what Paul is saying about this body. Read again what he calls the body. He says it is the fullness of Jesus. Why would someone say they don’t need the body when the book from God says that the body is the fullness of the one who fills.

To be in Christ is to be in his body and to be in the body is to be in Christ. The body is that which is subject to its head. Christians are to follow their head who is Christ the Lord but Christians, faithful saints, realize that they are not the head but the body. The use of any concordance or index will show over and over that this term body when referenced to the church is a reference to Christ and when referenced to Christ is a reference to the church.

Please don’t misunderstand me. The church is not our savior. Jesus is our savior. When he saves us he places us in his body to keep us saved. Jesus will save his body and those who want to be saved must be added to the body, the church by Christ.

Yes, my friends, the church is important and you do need it. Because you need Jesus.