The Body of Christ: Join or Die. Flag and Mission (Bonus Article)

John 3:14-16 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

If you are friends with my wife on Facebook, you’ve probably seen the brand new “The Body of Christ: Join or Die.” flag. Many on and off Facebook have wondered, “Where did the design come from? What does it mean? How can I get a flag at my house or church?” So, I decided to do a mid-week article to give you the details. Keep in mind I will still be posting a regular article on Monday.

The Body of Christ: Join or Die. logo is based on Ben Franklin’s political cartoon from 1754. At that time, the colonies, which would eventually become the United States, were attacked by the French. Ben Franklin used the image and an article to encourage the colonies to join together or face destruction from the enemy. If you’d like to learn more, you can click here for an article.

Ben Franklin’s snake is such an iconic image in the United States, and a good portion of the population easily picks up on its meaning. Moreover, it is beautiful in its simplicity in conveying the dire need for people to work together or face destruction. That message was a key message I wanted to convey, and so it made Ben Franklin’s cartoon the perfect fit (as long as those concepts matched scripture).

In reality, matching the symbol to Biblical concepts was easy. After all, the idea of us being a part of the Body of Christ is widely taught. In fact, the idea that we must be connected to Christ is repeated time and time again in the New Testament. For example, the vine and the branch (John 15:4-6), the cultivated and wild olive tree (Romans 11:16-24), and the human body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:12-26). Those illustrations also made knowing where to put Christ on the body simple. He is the head, and everyone else is the rest of the body. He leads, and we follow or perish (Ephesians 5:23-24). Quite literally, we all join to Him, or else we die. To learn more about the need for the churches to join each other, read my first article here.

That being said, the remaining placements of the various denominations were solely based on spacing and what looked good. I intentionally did that so no one could legitimately say I placed one particular denomination closer to the head of Christ because I believed they were closer to Him than others. Moreover, I chose the passage from Romans 12:3-5 to emphasize that point. In that passage, the focus is on humility and realizing that we all have our separate functions. Having visited many different denominations, I’ve seen that reality firsthand. I’ve seen how different congregations and denominations, through their culture and doctrine, are simply better able to reach a different audience than mine.

My only real hang-up about using Benjamin Franklin’s cartoon was that it used a snake. After all, the Bible typically equates the snake with Satan. However, I remembered the bronze serpent in the desert (Numbers 21:4-9). There, the Israelites (i.e., God’s people) began to grumble and complain against God. They were tired of wandering around and complained about the food, again (see Numbers 11). This time, God sent poisonous serpents among the people. They could only be saved by looking at a bronze serpent that Moses erected on a pole as God commanded. Remarkably, Jesus tells us that that serpent was a symbol of Himself in John 3:14-16. So, when designing the logo, I had the bronze snake symbolizing Jesus in mind.

In the end, the logo looks awesome, and its useful in reminding the Christian church of its unity, the need for unity, the need to work together, and finally, our dependence on Christ for life. That is why I fly the flag outside my house. It will remind you, too. You just have to decide, “Do I want one that is 2ft x 3ft or 3ft x 5ft? Should I hang it up on a wall? Or should I fly it outside my house, church, business, or mission?” Either way, Anley manufactures the flag, it has a 3-month manufacturer’s warranty, and is touted by them as rip-proof. Purchase yours at ChristianBibleScholars.com.

Scripture taken from the New King James Version®.
Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson.
Used by permission.
All rights reserved.

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© Copyright 2023 Peter Kucenski