that divinely given sign naturally required a new revelation of the scope and character of the new

divine purpose. Apparently the Jewish system was being set aside.



The conclusion of this first council is recorded thus:



"And after they had held their peace, James answered, saying, Men and brethren, hearken

unto me: Simeon hath declared how God at the first did visit the Gentiles, to take out of

them a people for his name. And to this agree the words of the prophets; as it is written,

After this I will return, and will build again the tabernacle of David, which is fallen down;

and I will build again the ruins thereof, and I will set it up: that the residue of men might

seek after the Lord, and all the Gentiles, upon whom my name is called, saith the Lord,

who doeth all these things. Known unto God are all his works from the beginning of the

world (ages)."



There is no more important prophetic Scripture than this because of the arresting fact that it

states the present-age purpose of GOD in relation to the future purposes, and places these in an

exact order.



The answer to the question of these Jewish Christians as to what was superseding Judaism (the

new order having set aside its last distinction, circumcision), is given by James, the pastor of the

church in Jerusalem. In this concluding discourse of the council he first states the divine purpose

in the new age: "God at the first (in the house of Cornelius, as Peter had just stated) did visit

the Gentiles, to take out of them a people for his name" (vs. 14, 15). The realization of the

purpose to gather out a people is to be followed by a "return" of the divine Person to the earth

and the reestablishment of the Davidic order, and with this the long awaited world-wide blessing.



The meaning of the word "church " is the "called out ones," and this, it will be seen, is identical

with the present-age purpose "to take out a people for his name."



The word "church" appears for the first time in the Bible at Mat_16:18, and here JESUS

speaks of it as a then future thing: "On this rock I will build my church."



An entirely new word is used, it would seem, that there should be no confusion of what this word

represents with any Old Testament revelation. The general use of the word in the Scriptures is of

a collection, or assembly, of people. Thus Israel, separated and called out of Egypt, is termed by

Stephen as "the church in the wilderness" (Act_7:38), and Luke uses the same word in

mentioning the assembly of people in the town meeting at Ephesus (Act_19:29).



When the word is now used to denote a company of professing Christians, or united worshippers,

the reference is to an organization of people of one generation united by human ties, and not all,

necessarily, saved ones. The deeper and more important use of the word, however, is the

designation of the born-again ones of all generations since Pentecost as "baptized into one body

and made to drink into one Spirit," each one so perfectly in the saving and transforming power

of GOD that be will rightfully appear in glory in the exact likeness of CHRIST; and the whole

company, finally perfected, "without spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing" will be His Bride

and His Body, "the fullness of him that filleth all in all."

Such a perfect organism, with its heavenly destiny and glory, could hardly be confused with

Israel in the wilderness, called out and separated from Egypt, or the ungovernable assembly of

the town meeting at Ephesus, called out for the time being from their homes. The latter are

merely incidental: the former is no less than the primary purpose of GOD in this age of grace.



Little would be known of the out-called heavenly body from the teachings of JESUS, and

nothing could be known from any portion of the Old Testament, where it is not once directly

mentioned. As recorded, JESUS spoke of the church but three times, and then as something yet

to be realized by virtue of His own power; for He said, "I will build my church." That this was

a reference to His own Body and Bride, rather than any local assembly, is evident from His

following sentence: "And the gates of hell shall not prevail against it." How woefully they

have prevailed against the professing, visible church! Not so, however, against His Body and

Bride.



The fuller revelation of "the church which is his body" (Eph_1:22-23) was committed to

the Apostle Paul.



Her formation, being and destiny is the theme of the prison revelation and forms the basis of the

prison epistles, especially Ephesians and Colossians. The Apostle, writing of this special

revelation given to him concerning the purpose of GOD in this dispensation of grace, records

that there was a mystery, or a sacred secret, not made known to other ages, but revealed to

himself and the other Apostles that Gentiles were to become fellow heirs with the Jews in one

body. A Gentile blessing had been a foreview of the Old Testament and was associated with the

earthly Kingdom glories of Israel; but Paul's revelation is of a new formation, into a new body, a

new creation, "partakers of his promises in Christ by the Gospel," which is not found in the

Old Testament.



The whole passage is as follows:



"For this cause I Paul, the prisoner of Jesus Christ for you Gentiles, if ye have heard of the

dispensation of the grace of GOD which is given me to you-ward: how that by revelation he

made known unto me the mystery; which in other ages was not made known unto the sons

of men, as it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit; that the

Gentiles should he fellow-heirs, and of the same body, and partakers of his promise in

Christ by the Gospel: whereof I was made a minister, according to the gift of the grace of

God given unto me by the effectual working of his power. Unto me, who am less than the

least of all saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the

unsearchable riches of Christ; and to make all men see what is the fellowship of the

mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all

things by Jesus Christ: to the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in

heavenly places might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God, according to

the eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Eph_3:1-11).



From this passage it may be seen that the mystery, or sacred secret, concerning this age was the

forming of a new body out of both Jews and Gentiles. This was the "eternal purpose which he

purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord."

Preceding this passage, the Apostle has, in Eph_2:11-18, not only defined the state of the

Gentiles before GOD, but has made clear that, during this age, all hindrances that might arise

from such distinctions have been put away that He might of the two, Jews and Gentiles, make

one "new man." "Reconciling both unto God in one body by the cross."



The two elements of this body, then, are Jews and Gentiles,- Gentiles that were "far off," "made

nigh by the blood of Christ," and Jews that, by covenant, were "nigh," with Gentiles,

"reconciled unto God in one body by the cross":



"'Wherefore remember, that ye being in times past Gentiles in the flesh, who are called

Uncircumcision by that which is called the Circumcision in the flesh made with hands; that

at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and

strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world:

but now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of

Christ. For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle

wall of partition between us; having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of

commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so

making peace; and that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having

slain the enmity thereby: and came and preached peace to you which were afar off, and to

them that were nigh. For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father"

(Eph_2:11-18).



The risen and ascended CHRIST is "head over all things to the church which is his body."

And they in turn are "the fullness of him that filleth all in all."



This is revealed in Eph_1:18-23 :



"The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of

his calling, and the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, and what is the

exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his

mighty power, which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him

at his own right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality, and power, and

might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that

which is to come: and hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be head over all

things to the church, which is his body, the fullness of him that filleth all in all."



The accomplishment of this age purpose Paul also mentioned in connection with its time relation

to the Kingdom covenanted to Israel in Rom_11:25-27 :



"For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be

wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fullness of

the Gentiles be come in. And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come

out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob: for this is my

covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins."



All this, it will be seen, is in complete accord with the conclusions of the council at Jerusalem:

"God at the first did visit Gentiles, to take out of them a people for his name. And to this

agree the words of the prophets; as it is written, After this I will return, and will build

again the tabernacle of David, which is fallen down; and I will build again the ruins

thereof, and I will set it up: that the residue of men might seek after the Lord, and all the

Gentiles, upon whom my name is called, saith the Lord, who doeth all these things" (

Act_15:14-17 ).



This heavenly body is being formed by a process:



It had a distinct time of beginning.



- it could not have existed before the Cross; for it must be reconciled unto GOD by that Cross.

- it could not have existed before His resurrection; for its members must partake of His

resurrection life.

-it could not have existed before His ascension; for it would have been a body without its Head

(Eph_1:22-23).

- it could not have existed before Pentecost; for until then there could have been no organic

union by the baptism of the Spirit into one body (1Co_12:13).

"The church which is his body" began to be formed at Pentecost through the new ministries of

the Spirit. Believers, at that time and through the baptism of the Spirit, became an organism by

virtue of a divine life indwelling all, and that life was CHRIST. This is fitly illustrated in

Scripture by the figures of the vine and the branches and the head and the body. One life

animates every branch of the vine and every member of the body:



"For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body,

being many are one body: so also is Christ. For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one

body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made

to drink into one Spirit. For the body is not one member, but many" (1Co_12:12-14).





"So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another"

(Rom_12:5).



"For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones" (Eph_5:30).



Thus the formation of the body began at Pentecost and since that time "the Lord has added

unto the church daily such as should be saved." It remains to be seen, then, that since the Lord

is adding to this body, it is growing, or increasing, unto its perfection during the course of this

age. Special ministry gifts, unknown in other ages, are bestowed in this age to serve at divine

appointments and in divine power for a limited time, or "until" the body is completed:



"But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ.

Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts

unto men . . . And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and

some, pastors and teachers; for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry,

and for the edifying of the body of Christ: till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of

the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the

fullness of Christ" (Eph_4:7-13).



This, it should be noted, is not the individual perfection of many; but rather the perfection of one

body by the adding of many individuals until there is formed "the full measure of the stature of

Christ."



The Apostle continues with regard to the growing of this body:



"But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even

Christ: From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which

every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part,

maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love" (Eph_4:15-16).



So, again, the church is said to be a growing temple eventually to reach its completion, according

to another passage in the same Epistle:



"Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints,

and of the household of God; and are built (lit. are being built) upon the foundation of the

apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone; in whom all the

building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord: in whom ye also

are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit" (Eph_2:19-22). "On

this rock I will build my church."



The outward visible church is not equivalent to "the church which is his body."



To that imperfect organization these revelations concerning organic union with CHRIST and

perfection in CHRIST could hardly be applied.



~ end of chapter 7 ~





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