Art connoisseurs can establish which artist produced a certain piece of art, even without an identifying signature or label. They do this simply by discerning the painting’s style and physical attributes.
The same is true of music aficionados, who can determine who composed a musical piece by scrutinizing the thread of characteristics running throughout the arrangement.
In my new book “Fingerprint of God” I label these threads the “fingerprint” of an artist on his or her work.
God is also a creator of masterpieces. He alone created all living things. So it comes as no surprise we can find characteristics shared by all living bodies. In other words, we can discover God’s “fingerprint” on His creation.
In addition to the plants and animals we see living around us, God created the Church to be a living body too. In 1 Corinthians 12:27 Paul writes, “Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.” And in Romans 12:5 he proclaims, “so in Christ we, though many, form one body and each member belongs to all the others.”
So, can we find a thread of characteristics the Church shares with the living bodies of plants and animals? Indeed we can! And by examining God’s fingerprint on living things around us we can discover a lot about the true nature of the Church. If I am created to be a member of a living body, then my role as a believer becomes clearer as I compare the church with other living things.
The Bible records simple stories, or parables, that Jesus told in order to teach spiritual lessons. The illustrations often involve physical objects we experience in everyday life. The parables are clear and effective because the Creator’s fingerprint is on the things He creates, whether seen or unseen. We can visualize and better understand unseen spiritual things if we study the characteristics shared with physical objects familiar to us. By examining the attributes of life found in living things, we can see how these same features are woven into God’s plan for relationships in the body of Christ. Scientifically speaking, things that have these traits are alive; things that do not are non-living.
God intends for the body of Christ to be a living spiritual organism and have the attributes of life. Only when we live our lives as members of this body will we fulfill our purpose. If we run the church as a business rather than a living body we will not reflect the nature of the Creator and will not bring glory to Him.