Two ideas are contained in this symbol:
a) The Relation of the Church to Christ, Who Is Its Head.
Eph. 1:22, 23; Col. 1:18; 2:19. The Church is an organism, not
an organization. There is a vital relation between Christ and the
Church, both partaking of the same life, just as there is between
the physical head and the body. We cannot join the Church as we
would a lodge or any mere human organization. We must be partakers
by faith of Christ's life before we can become members of Christ's
Church, in the true sense. As the Head of the Church Christ is
its Guardian and Director (Eph. 5:23, 24); the Source of its life,
filling it with His fulness (Eph. 1:23); the Centre of its Unity
and the Cause of its growth (Eph. 4:15; Col. 2:19).
b) The Relation of the Members One to Another.