The church is referred to as “the body of Christ,” “the bride of Christ,” “the people of God,” “a chosen race,” “a holy nation,” a “new creation,” a “new humanity,” the “household of God,” and even “the fullness of God.” These New Testament images reveal that God participates in human history through the church, even as the church participates in a dynamic way in the life of the Triune God. The church does not stand on its own in some autonomous way. It is not self-centered, does not exist for itself, does not speak for itself, does not act for itself. It is the family of God on earth called to envision community in the divine life of God and to act now in the world in the name of God’s vision for the world. — Robert Webber, The Divine Embrace: Recovering the Passionate Spiritual Life (Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 2006), 162-163.