5 Marks of Biblical Commitment to the Visible Body of Christ

In contrast to the sin of individualism, Christians are to be biblically committed to Christ’s divine oversight which includes the directives and regulations he has laid down concerning his visible body in the world. Under this theological doctrine of covenanting, we find the need for understanding what the visible body of Christ actually is, how Gospel unity contributes to its health, what need there is for unified public prayer, how one is to support the church financially, what worship in the church contributes to the health of the church, and how membership to a local body is an important element to the overall well-being of church polity and governance. C. Matthew McMahon, Ph.D., Th.D., is a Reformed theologian, and pastor of Grace Chapel in Crossville, TN. He is the founder and chairman of A Puritan's Mind, Puritan Publications, and a managing partner at Reformed.org and the Center for Reformed Theology and Apologetics.