WHEN DID THE BODY OF CHRIST START?
WHEN DID THE BODY OF CHRIST START?
Bullinger says the body of Christ started at Acts 28; O'Hair says Acts 18 and Stam says Acts 9 and I say it started at the cross which incorporates the resurrection and below are the reasons. My comments are in […..]
Rom 16:7 Salute Andronicus and Junia, my kinsmen, [Jews] and my fellowprisoners, who are of note among the apostles, who also were ***in Christ*** before me. [these people were in Christ before Acts 9. the phrase ***in Christ*** is referring to being in the body of Christ:] Rom 12:5 So we, being many, are one body ***in Christ,*** and every one members one of another. Also Gal 1:13 For ye have heard of my conversation in time past in the Jews' religion, how that beyond measure I persecuted the ***church of God,*** and wasted it: [The body was present before Paul was saved. Paul persecuted the ***church of God*** before he was saved and in 1 Cor 10:32, it says, “Give none offence, neither to the Jews, nor to the Gentiles, nor to the ***church of God***” and the ***church of God*** is the body of Christ, 1 Cor 12:13 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.]
"The church", "disciples of Christ" and being "in Christ" all refer to the "body of Christ". If you are still not convinced, let's look at what happened at the time Paul was saved.
When Stephen was stoned, Paul, who was called Saul then (Acts 13:9) was consenting to Stephen's death (Acts 8:1) and then went around persecuting the church; Acts 8:3 As for Saul, he made havock of the church, entering into every house, and haling men and women committed them to prison. Also, the term "made havock of the church" included killing some the disciples of the Lord, note the word "slaughter" in Acts 9:1; Acts 9:1 And Saul, yet breathing out threatenings and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord ...
Note the words in verse 2, "this way": Acts 9:2 And desired of him letters to Damascus to the synagogues, that if he found any of this way, whether they were men or women, he might bring them bound unto Jerusalem. The people of "this way" was plainly "disciples of the Lord", which made them part of the church or in other words, part of the body of Jesus Christ. Colossians 1:24 Who now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his body's sake, which is the church:
Saul was on the road to Damascus to arrest some more "disciples of the Lord", when the Lord suddenly appeared to him and he fell to the ground. Then the Lord ask him in verse 4; ... Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? Then in Acts 9:6 he was saved and asked,"Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?
OK, this is what I want you to see from Acts 9:
1. Saul, the persecuter of the church or body
of Christ is the same man as the apostle Paul who was saved on the road
to Damascus.
2. The "disciples of the Lord", "the church" and
"the body of Christ" are terms that mean the same. the only difference
is the term "church" can also mean a local congregation of people.
3. The phrase, Saul, Saul, why persecutest
thou me? was used three times. Acts 9:4; 22:7 and 26:14. The last two
times Paul was telling his conversion story. Each time Jesus said that
Paul was persecuting Him, but Paul was really just threatening, killing
and making havock of the church or the disciples of Christ. Now how was
Paul persecuting Jesus Christ, since He was up in the third Heaven? Answer:
Those people were part of His body and that means His body
was there before Paul was saved. After Paul was saved, the
mystery was revealed to him that the Jew and the Gentile are in the same
body.
Alright now we’ll go verse by verse in Eph. 2:12-3:11
Eph 2:12-22 That at that time ye [Gentiles]
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:
13 But now in Christ Jesus ye [Gentiles]
who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.
14 For he [Christ] is our peace, who
hath made both one, [Jew and Gentile in one body] and hath broken
down the middle wall of partition between us;
15 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, [the body of Christ] so making peace;
16 And that he might reconcile both unto God
[Jew
and Gentile] in one body by the cross, [Jesus Christ's death was
"by the cross", but in order for His death to do any good, there had to
be His burial and His resurrection, so the body had to begin at the resurrection]
having slain the enmity thereby: ["enmity"=mutual hatred, in this case
between the Jews and the Gentiles]
17 And came and preached peace to you which
were afar off, and to them that were nigh.
18 For through him [Jesus Christ] we
both [Jew and Gentile] have access by one Spirit unto the Father.
19 Now therefore ye are no more strangers and
foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of
God;
20 And are built upon the foundation of the
apostles [Peter, James and John, etc.] and prophets, Jesus Christ
himself being the chief corner stone;
21 In whom all the building fitly framed together
groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord:
22 In whom ye [Gentiles] also are builded
together [with Jews] for an habitation of God through the Spirit.
Eph 3:1-11 For this cause [what cause? Eph
2:12-22 what we just read] I Paul, the prisoner of Jesus Christ for
you Gentiles,
2 If ye have heard of the dispensation of the
grace of God which is given me to you-ward: [notice it didn’t say it
was given “to me”, like God gave Paul a special dispensation, it said,
“given me to you-ward”, God dispensed “grace” to Paul so he could give
the “mystery” in verse 6]
3 How that by revelation he made known [it
was already there, but wasn't made known] unto me the mystery; [What
is the mystery, verse 6] (as I wrote afore in few words,
4 Whereby, when ye read, ye may understand
my knowledge in the mystery of Christ)
5 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; [Here comes the definition of the "mystery", verse 6]
6 That the Gentiles should be fellowheirs,
and of the same body, and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel:
[the
mystery revealed to Paul is Jew and Gentile in the same body]
7 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.
8 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;
9 And to make all men [Jew and Gentile]
see what is the fellowship of the mystery, [verse 6] which from
the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things
by Jesus Christ:
10 To the intent that now unto the principalities
and powers in heavenly places might be known by the church the manifold
wisdom of God,
11 According to the eternal purpose which he
purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord:
CONCLUSION
1. How does a person get into the body of Christ?
We're baptized in the body by the Holy Spirit, 1 Cor 12:13 For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, … then the Holy Spirit is the one that puts us in Christ. Rom 8:9 But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his. According to the above verses, there is ***one body*** and the way to get in that body is to be baptized by the Holy Spirit, so no one is in the body of Christ unless the Holy Spirit is inside his body.
2. How many bodies are they?
Eph 2:16 And that he might reconcile both unto God into one body by the cross, [Eph. 4:4 says there is ONE BODY and the cross is the beginning of body of Christ, however no one was in the body but the the Apostles in Jn 20:22 and the rest that were in the room, Lk 24:33, until Pentecost] having slain the enmity thereby: [ Definition - enmity = “Deep-seated, often mutual hatred between the Jews and Gentiles”; but they were put together in one body by the cross Eph 2:12 and 3:6] In John 20:22 And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost: [At this time they received the Holy Ghost, Rom. 8:9 for salvation and SERVICE] Jn 20:23 Whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained.. [That “SERVICE” was applied at Pentecost and 3000 were saved.]
[Let’s compare Acts 11:16 with 1 Cor 12:13. Acts
11:16] Acts 11:16 Then remembered I the word of the Lord, how
that he [Jesus] said, John indeed baptized with water; but ye shall
be baptized with the Holy Ghost.
1 Cor. 12:13 17 Forasmuch then as God gave
them [Cornelius and those with him] the like gift as he did unto
us, [Peter and the disciples on the day of Pentecost spoke in tongues]
who
believed on the Lord Jesus Christ; what was I, that I could withstand God?
[He's not saying that on the day of Pentecost WAS when he received the
Holy Spirit, that was in Jn 20:22, but that was when he got the "like gift".
Cornelius and those with him spoke in tongues in Acts 10]
This had to be at Pentecost, because that is when Peter and the rest of the disciples spoke in tongues when the Holy Spirit came fulfilling the promise in Luke 24:46-49 and Acts 1:4.
So in view of the above, I believe the “Body of
Christ” started at the Cross, which included the burial and resurrection
of Jesus Christ. If Christ hadn’t risen from the dead, there wouldn’t have
been a body.
Heb. 9:16,17 For where a testament is, there
must also of necessity be the death of the testator. 17 For a testament
is of force after men are dead: otherwise it is of no strength at all while
the testator liveth.
The body of Christ was
there in John 20:22, but it wasn’t REVEALED until
God gave it to the Apostle
Paul after Acts 9.
