July 5, 2026  |  Our Spiritual Assets

Lesson 17 – Related to God the Son in Seven Analogies

We are permanently related to Jesus Christ at salvation, which is illustrated in the Bible by the use of analogies.

Head and Body

The analogy of “the Head and the Body” is a reference to Christ being the head of the Church, which is called “the Body of Christ.” The Church is made up of all believers in the Church Age from the Day of Pentecost to the Rapture. (Ephesians 4:12–16; 5:23–30)

As part of the body of Christ, all believers are to function as individual members of the body, using the spiritual gift given to them at salvation by the Holy Spirit. It is only as believers use their gift that the body of Christ functions properly. The unity of this body is also very important. This means that we are to follow the leadership of Christ and put away all mental attitude sinning, such as bitterness, hatred, gossip, etc., and instead exhibit the character of Christ. (I Corinthians 12:12–31; Ephesians 2:14–18; Galatians 5:22–23)

Shepherd and Sheep

Jesus Christ is our Shepherd and He gave His life for His “sheep.” (John 10:9–11) Jesus Christ is the Great Shepherd, Who was raised from the dead, and the Chief Shepherd, Who will come again. (Hebrews 13:20–21; I Peter 5:4) Christ is our Shepherd and we are His sheep. As sheep we have certain needs that must be provided for us by the Shepherd:

• Sheep cannot guide themselves (John 16:13)
• Sheep cannot clean themselves (I John 1:9)
• Sheep are helpless when injured (Psalms 9:9; 46:1)
• Sheep are defenseless (John 14:27)
• Sheep cannot find food or water (John 14:26)
• Sheep are easily frightened (John 14:16)
• Sheep produce wool that belongs to the shepherd (John 15:4–5)

Our Shepherd provides guidance, cleansing, help, protection, spiritual food and drink, freedom from fear, and all that we have belongs to Him.

Vine and Branches

In this analogy, Christ is the vine and believers are the branches. The branch takes its life from the vine. The branch must periodically be “pruned,” so that it will continue to produce a maximum amount of fruit. In the same manner, when we abide in Christ (continue in fellowship), we are able to produce maximum divine good.

Just as a branch will wither and die when separated from the vine, believers will experience temporal death (temporary loss of their spiritual life in time) by staying out of fellowship with God for a prolonged period of time. Failure to abide in Christ and to allow His Word to abide in us results in the failure to live the Christian Way of Life.

Abiding in Christ means that you understand God’s recovery system from personal sin. It also means that you use it to spend a maximum amount of time in fellowship with God and filled with the Holy Spirit. Abiding in Christ also means that His Word is stored in your soul, which is the means by which the Holy Spirit guides and teaches you. (John 15:1–14)

Cornerstone and Stones

A cornerstone in biblical times was much more than a mere symbolic stone placed in the corner of a building with the names of builders, architects, founding members, etc. In biblical times, a cornerstone was a load-bearing stone that connected and held together two walls of a structure. It is with this in mind that Peter and Paul used the cornerstone as a type of Christ and smaller stones to represent believers. Both are necessary to the overall building, but it is the Chief Cornerstone (Jesus Christ) that we rely upon to “bear the load” and to “connect us” together with God and other believers.

Paul, for example, used the analogy to show that believing Jews and Gentiles were united in the body of Christ. (Ephesians 2:20) Peter used the analogy to refer to believers (living stones) and the spiritual house that they are building. (I Peter 2:1–8)

High Priest and Priests

Jesus Christ is our royal High Priest. (Hebrews 5:6, 10) In order to become our High Priest, Christ had to become a human being. Jesus Christ represented us before God first on the “altar of the Cross” and now represents us in Heaven before the throne of God. By becoming our High Priest, Jesus Christ became our Mediator with God. (I Timothy 2:5–6) As believers, we belong to His Royal Priesthood. This priesthood is far superior to any that existed in the past. (Hebrews 7) As our High Priest, Christ won the victory over Satan in the Angelic Conflict. (Hebrews 4:14–16; 6:17–20)

The priesthood of Christ is the reality of those priesthoods that previously existed in the Old Testament. Just as the rituals and the sacrifices were representatives of the real things which were to come in the future, the Royal Priesthood of Christ is the realization of those representatives. (Hebrews 8)

Bridegroom and Bride

During the Church Age, God is forming a bride for the Bridegroom, Jesus Christ. It is the body of Christ (the Church) that will become the “Bride of Christ” in eternity. This analogy refers to the fact that we are uniquely united to Christ at salvation. We are placed into union with Him in the same manner as a bride and a bridegroom “become one” in marriage. (I Corinthians 12:13; Ephesians 5:23–32; Revelation 21:9) As the Bride of Christ we will participate in the marriage feast, which will be a time of joy and celebration. As the Bride of Christ, Church Age believers will be “dressed in fine white linen,” which is a reference to God’s righteousness. (Revelation 19:7–9)

King and Royal Family

The fact that God has a kingdom means that there must be a king. We have seen that Jesus Christ will be the king on earth during the Millennium, but who is the king of the Kingdom of God? Remember that the Kingdom of God is a spiritual kingdom. Therefore, the king of this kingdom must be a spiritual being. The king of this kingdom is also Jesus Christ. He is perfect humanity and perfect deity in one Person. Jesus Christ is uniquely qualified to be both the earthly ruler, as part of the royal line of David, and to be the spiritual ruler, as the Second Person of the Godhead.

Becoming spiritual royalty is dependent upon a relationship with someone of royalty. For believers, it is their relationship with Jesus Christ that makes them royalty. Christ actually has a number of royal titles and also has a royal family:

• As the Son of God, His royal family is God the Father and God the Holy Spirit.
• As the Son of David, His royal family is the descendants of King David.
• As the King of kings and Lord of lords, His royal family is the Church.

It is this unique church family that we have the privilege of being part of as Christians.

God interrupted the Age of Israel in order to send His Son as our Savior and to establish a royal family for the King of kings and Lord of lords. Every person during the Church Age who believes in Christ as their Savior immediately becomes Royal Family of God. While Christ was on earth during the Hypostatic Union, He also set up and lived a way of life, as an example for us to follow.

For thirty-three years Christ tested and proved this unique life. Operating by the power of God the Holy Spirit, He was able not to sin and fulfilled His royal destiny by going to the Cross in a state of sinless perfection. His utilization of this system proves to us that all believers have the potential of glorifying God by fulfilling God’s plan.