The Place Of The “Body Of Christ” In Interpretation
Ellen White also reaffirms the principle that Christ established. No one person should consider himself the owner of truth, or become a private interpreter of the prophecies:VOTS 99.1
God has not passed His people by and chosen one solitary man here and another there as the only ones worthy to be entrusted with His truth. He does not give one man new light contrary to the established faith of the body... Let none be self-confident, as though God had given them special light above their brethren. VOTS 99.2
A new ingredient is added in this statement: the people of God, or Christ’s body. In the thought expressed, priority for corporate interpretation is given to the people of God, not the private interpretation of solitary individuals here and there. What role does the church, as the body of Christ, play in the interpretation of doctrine?VOTS 99.3
From the first chapter of this book, the church has been referred to as the body of Christ. The acceptance of this biblical concept carries with it the responsibility of accepting the analogous concept that Christ is the head of the church. This divine-human relationship makes the church, in spite of being made up of imperfect and feeble individuals, a tower of truth and a rampart against error. It is not the church that makes itself into a bulwark. It is the Head who makes it worthy.VOTS 100.1
The prophetic Scriptures use virtually sublime terms in speaking of the church of God. “The church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of the truth” (1 Timothy 3:15). Referring to the church as Christ’s body, the apostle uses even more sublime expressions: “which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way” (Ephesians 1:20-23).VOTS 100.2
Those of us who are members of God’s church know ourselves very well, and we recognize our weaknesses and imperfections. As a result, we tend to use less sublime terms to refer to the church. Some even spend their time criticizing and reviling it, probably without realizing that they are reviling and criticizing themselves because they are part of the church of God. Nevertheless, the biblical concept is clear—the church is Christ’s body. It is the human expression of “the fullness of him who fills everything in every way,” and is, in addition, the object of God’s supreme regard:VOTS 100.3
I testify to my brethren and sisters that the church of Christ, enfeebled and defective as it may be, is the only object on earth on which He bestows His supreme regard. While He extends to all the world His invitation to come to Him and be saved, He commissions His angels to render divine help to every soul that cometh to Him in repentance and contrition, and He comes personally by His Holy Spirit into the midst of His church. VOTS 101.1