As individual members of the body of Christ, let us relate to one another and to this needy world in ways that fully reflect the thoughts and interests of our Head. Here the church is likened to a building under construction. The foundation has already been laid. Thus membership in a local church is not what makes a person a part of the building. Life in Christ is essential for living stones.
Organic union is necessary.
The church is an organism and not an organization. The church with all her faults and failings is even now the dwelling place of God on earth in the Person of the Holy Spirit. We are not yet the glorious temple that God intends us to be forever, but already we are the home of the Spirit of God. This tremendous spiritual truth should be worked out practically in our Christian living. We should not think, for example, of any man-made building with stained glass windows as the residence of God.