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THE KING'S BUSINESS
A New Testament Mystery* C. I. SCOFIELD
m ans. W e a re m em b e rs o f H is body . W e w ere G entiles, a n d Jew ish believers w e re Jew s, b u t in H im th e re is n e ith e r Jew n o r Gentile, b o n d n o r free, b u t w e all a re one in C hrist Jesus. It is a new creation, old th ing s a re p assed away, all th ing s a re b e com e new , a n d th e new b irth is re ck o n ed w ith, an d th e old differences a n d distinction s fall away. C losely co n n e c ted w ith this m y s te ry o f th e C hu rch as th e b o d y a n d B ride o f Christ, is th e g re a t m ystery disclosed in th e fifteen th c h a p te r of F irst Corinthians, th e 15 th verse, "B eho ld , I show you a m ystery. W e shall n o t all sleep, b u t w e shall all b e ch ang ed , in a m om en t, in th e tw inkling o f an eye, a t th e last trum p, fo r th e trum p e t shall sou n d a n d th e d e a d shall b e raised, incorruptible, a n d w e shall b e changed . F o r this co rru p tib le m u st p u t on incorruption, a n d this m o rta l m u st p u t on imm o r tality, so w hen this c o rru p tib le shall h av e p u t on inco rrup tion , an d this m o rta l shall h av e p u t on im m o rta l ity, th e n shall b e b ro u g h t to pass th e saying th a t is w ritten , d e a th is sw allow ed up in v ic to ry .” N ot m erely w h en th e d e a d rise, th e rig h t eous d e ad , b u t w h en th e m y stery is accom plished, "w e shall n o t all d ie ,” th a t is th e m ystery, th e do c trin e of resu rrection w as no m ystery. A t d if fe ren t tim es ou r L o rd h a d d e c la red g re a t th ing s concern ing th e re su rrec tion, an d it b re a th e s th ro u g h th e O ld T e stam en t expectation , striking an occasional no te a t first b u t ev e r ris ing a n d swelling until it tak e s a p a rt o f th e O ld T e stam en t rev e la tion as well as o f th e New, a n d th e L o rd Jesu s m a d e it a v e ry p rom in en t th ing in H is teaching, n o t on ly a s co n c e rn ing H is own resurrection, buF a s con-
"1X7”E con tinue th e g en eral them e, ’ * "T h e M ysteries o f th e New T e stam e n t.” W e h av e a lre a d y seen how these re la te to a certain p e rio d o f hum an history, nam ely, from th e tim e o f th e re je c tio n of Jesu s C h rist b y th e Jew ish p eo p le on in to our tim e, a n d un til H is com ing again to this earth . L a st night w e w ere look ing a t th e M ystery of th e C hu rch as th e B ride o f C h rist in a c co rd an ce w ith th e Eve type, ju st as Eve w as n o t a n in d e p e n d e n t c re atio n b u t w as c re a ted o u t of an d from A d am , ju st so th e Church, th e B ride o f Christ, is tak en from H is w o u n d e d side a s it w ere, an d as A d am said, "T h is is now b o n e o f m y b o n e an d flesh o f m y flesh," so it is said o f C h rist an d th e C hurch in Ephesians 5, an d th a t is ca lled th e g re a t m ystery, so th a t th e Church, which is H is body , is also H is B ride which H e is to p re sen t to H im self w ithou t spot, o r blem ish, o r w rinkle, o r an y such thing, ab so lu te ly p e r fect. A n o th e r S c rip tu re which I d id n o t re ad last nigh t sp eak s o f th a t as “ th e tim e o f H is exceed ing jo y .” I now ta k e up a n o th e r o f th e New T e stam e n t m ysteries, nam ely, th e M ystery o f th e C hu rch as th e B ody of Christ, m ad e of Jew a n d G entile, ind e ed , a b o d y in which these d is tinction s d isap p e a r, so th a t th ey a re sp o k en o f in th e p a s t tense. You a n d I, m o st o f us, w ere G entiles, b u t in th e D ivine th ink ing w e a re no t G entiles now , an d n e ith e r a re we Israelites. T h a t is one o f th e false glosses of th eo logy u p o n a m istaken passage in th e n in th c h a p te r o f R o-
•Delivered a t the Bible In stitu te W inter Conference, Jan. 24. Stenographic report, u reY issd by the author.
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