1
The Church is Christ’s own Body,
The Father’s dwelling-place,
The gathering of the called ones,
God blended with man’s race;
Elect before creation,
Redeemed by Calv’ry’s death,
Her character and standing
Of heaven, not of earth.
The Father’s dwelling-place,
The gathering of the called ones,
God blended with man’s race;
Elect before creation,
Redeemed by Calv’ry’s death,
Her character and standing
Of heaven, not of earth.
2
New man of new creation,
Born through her risen Lord,
Baptized in God the Spirit,
Made holy by His Word;
Christ is her life and content,
Himself her glorious Head;
She has ascended with Him
O’er all her foes to tread.
Born through her risen Lord,
Baptized in God the Spirit,
Made holy by His Word;
Christ is her life and content,
Himself her glorious Head;
She has ascended with Him
O’er all her foes to tread.
3
Christ is her one foundation,
None other man may lay;
All that she has, as Christ, is
Divine in every way;
Her members through the Spirit
Their death on Calv’ry own;
They’re built in resurrection—
Gold, silver, precious stone.
None other man may lay;
All that she has, as Christ, is
Divine in every way;
Her members through the Spirit
Their death on Calv’ry own;
They’re built in resurrection—
Gold, silver, precious stone.
4
One God, one Lord, one Spirit—
Her elements all one—
One faith, one hope, one baptism,
One Body in the Son;
The triune God is in her,
One Body members own,
By faith they are united,
In hope of glory shown.
Her elements all one—
One faith, one hope, one baptism,
One Body in the Son;
The triune God is in her,
One Body members own,
By faith they are united,
In hope of glory shown.
5
From every tribe and nation
Do all the members come,
Regardless of their classes
United to be one.
No high there is, nor lowly,
No Jew, nor Gentile clan,
No free, nor slave, nor master,
But Christ, the “one new man.”
Do all the members come,
Regardless of their classes
United to be one.
No high there is, nor lowly,
No Jew, nor Gentile clan,
No free, nor slave, nor master,
But Christ, the “one new man.”
6
One Body universal,
One in each place expressed;
Locality of dwelling
Her only ground possessed;
Administration local,
Each answ’ring to the Lord;
Communion universal,
Upheld in one accord.
One in each place expressed;
Locality of dwelling
Her only ground possessed;
Administration local,
Each answ’ring to the Lord;
Communion universal,
Upheld in one accord.
7
Her local gatherings model
The New Jerusalem;
Its aspects and its details
Must show in all of them.
Christ is the Lamp that shineth,
With God within, the Light;
They are the lampstands bearing
His glorious Image bright.
The New Jerusalem;
Its aspects and its details
Must show in all of them.
Christ is the Lamp that shineth,
With God within, the Light;
They are the lampstands bearing
His glorious Image bright.
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Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
What a rich blessing this hymn is. Our Friday evening program to conclude a Week of Prayer at our Adventist church in Brisbane, will be richly blessed by its use to emphasise that the church is a living organism, with Jesus Christ as its living head. It is a community that is the result of a living connection with Jesus. Through this connection we find our identity in Him. The church per se is a place where believers should find new meaning in life, a sense of belonging like no other, and a place to grow.
May God richly bless your lyric writing.
Atlanta, GA, United States
I first remember this hymn as we sang it at the first Lord's table meeting in Athens, GA I think in 2005. There were several thousand saints gathered on the UGA campus. As the Bread and Wine were passed around and we sang this hymn, I saw the Body of Christ as a reality. This is one of if not the greatest hymn on the church every written.
North Little Rock, AR, United States
I LOVE this hymn. It has refreshed me many times!! It describes the church which is God's great enterprise! May every true believer partake of its richness!!
Mississauga, ON, Canada
This hymn describes what the "church" is, not a physical location where the saints meet, but "Christ's own Body" which are the saints. In verse one, it says, "The gathering of the called ones, God blended with man's race". What a revelation that we are one with God, in one spirit with the saints.
Praise the Lord! That also through the process He has undergone, we have inherited the Spirit of God, the life of God and the position of God, as His sons. Thank you, Lord!