The Bible describes the Church in many ways: the Body of Christ, the Bride of Christ, God’s family, a flock, a temple, and a royal priesthood.
Which of these pictures resonates with you the most, and why?
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I would actually begin by challenging the premise that most of these are metaphors at all.
For example, the Church isn’t metaphorically the Body of Christ. The Church is mystically the Body of Christ. The term “mystical” here doesn’t mean esoteric or oogey-boogey-something-or-other; but speaks of the Church as revealed in union to Christ–the Mystical Union of Christians to Christ and, in Christ, are united together to each other. Not merely like a body (mere simile) or a metaphor, but as a deep spiritual reality of the unity of Christ and His Church as a spiritual organism, with Christ as Head, and the Church as His Body. Christ moves and speaks and acts through His Church, when the Gospel is proclaimed and preached, it is not your or my word, but God’s word, it is the very word of Christ (Romans 10:17). When we come together at the Lord’s Supper, and receive the bread and wine, we receive not mere bread and wine from human institution–we receive from Christ the free gift of Himself, of His flesh and blood, and the gift of is own sacrifice which He accomplished once and for all of which we are partakers (see 1 Corinthians 10:16-18).
Likewise, when we are called a royal priesthood, this is not a metaphor. We are kings and priests in the Messiah who is both King of kings and Great High Priest.
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I hear you, and I know what you mean when you state:
Your noble insistence that “The body of Christ” is literal, is of course correct, and understood. I personally think the literal body of Christ is spoken of (explained) metaphorically in scripture, specifically when it is described as having similar characteristics as a human body having “hands”, “ears”, “eyes” (1 Cor 12:15-16) etc. Likewise, The Apostle describes the body of Christ metaphorically when he writes:
Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief corner stone, in whom the whole building, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit. (Ephesians 2:19-22)
The body of Christ is literal, but is metaphorically said to be “built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets”, Jesus metaphorically being like a stone.
As to @Ellenvera‘s question; I can’t say one “speaks to me” more than another, as each description of the miraculous gathering of born-from-above saints into one representative body of Jesus brings its own richness and depth to our understanding. What we know and understand of The Body of Christ would be less complete if we lacked any of these metaphorical descriptions (IMHO)
KP