October, 1934
T H E K I N G ' S B U S I N E S S
345
y As a People Predestinated in Christ—C alling (1 :4 ). ( God’s purpose began before the foundation of the world, and the people of that purpose were chosen in Christ at that time. 2. As a People Sealed in Christ—S ecurity (1:13). The guarantee of the consummation of God’s purpose for His people is the seal of God by the Holy Spirit where with every true and regenerate believer has been sealed. 3. A s a People Seat ed in Christ— S t a t u s ( 2 : 6 ). This is the spiritual
church (5 :23-32). Please note particularly verse 32. In connection with this subject, we are confronted with a teaching which has arisen in comparatively recent years, based upon 2 Timothy 2:15, a teaching which is more novel than Scriptural and which, instead of rightly dividing the Word of truth, is wrongly dividing the body of believers. This novel teaching, which originated in England, maintains that Acts 28—and not Acts 2—marks the dis- pensational boundary of this age, and that the church com
menced, not with Pente cost, but with the Jews’ rejection of the gospel in Acts 28. There is already extreme confusion in the ranks of the adherents of this view, among whom there is a mixture of teaching that the dead are unconscious in a soul sleep; that the bride of Christ is Israel and not the church; t h a t th e Lord’s Supper and like w ise w a te r b a p tism ceased as legitimate ordi nances at Acts 28. In the teaching as it is expressed from vari ous sources, we find our selves with many church es instead of one church. We have the “church in the w ild e rn e s s ” (Acts 7 :38). We have the Jew ish church dating from Pentecost. We have the Gentile c h u rc h dating from Acts 10 and 11. Then we have the “body” church dating from Acts 28. We further find our selves struggling with fif
elevation of God’s peo ple, who, so far as their standing is concerned, are considered as being seated in heavenly places in Christ. 4. ed upon Christ—S ta bility (2:20-22), The composite, collec tive people of God’s pur pose are united in one great spiritual structure, each unit of redeemed h um a n ity becoming a unit of building material for this divine cathedral —“a habitation of God through the Spirit.” 5. As a P eop le Growing into Christ — P erfection (4:15, 16). The composite, collec tive people of God’s pur pose compose a divine organism. They form the parts K a body, each unit of redeemed humanity becoming a unit of body
As a People Build-
Photograph by Adalbert Bartlett
# "All one in Christ"— young men and women from many lands meet at the Bible Institute of Los Angeles for study of the Word of God and for Christian fellowship. Here they find a practical demonstration of the truth that in the body of Christ there are neither national nor social distinctions. The young people in the picture represent seven nationalities: (seated) John Ganiatsos, Greek; Amy Talas, Hopi Indian; Sophie Witter, Canadian; Ruth Takamune, Japanese from Hawaii; and Frank Fung, Chinese; (standing) Martha Schindler, American; and Harry Deutchman, Jew born in Poland.
structure and organism. Christ Himself is the Head. 6. As a People Espoused to Christ—E ngagement (5:23-32). The most sacred, most romantic, most happy relation ship in life is the relationship of love in which one party, in love, is affianced to another party, in love. This is the relationship which the composite, collective church in this age bears to Christ, she being His espoused bride. 7. As a People Separated unto Christ—P ractice (5:5-11), The composite, collective people of God’s purpose are -—by the very nature of their calling, their character, and their name—a people not to be identified as a part of this world system, but as separate from it. The church is an ecclesia, or a company of “called out” people. Now of these seven characteristics of the people of God’s purpose, three specifically identify them with God’s instrument of the age—the church. And when we speak of the church, we are not speaking of an institution, but of a people. The institutions we know as churches were formed by creeds. But the people who are the church were formed by Christ. This people, as the church, exist as such in a threefold character. One body. This one body is the church.—the one true church ( 1 :22, 23 ; cf. 4:4; cf. 4 :15, 16). One building. This one building is the church—the one true church (2:20-22). One bride. This one bride is the church—the one true
teen dispensations. We also find ourselves with fences built by human minds around various sections of the Scripture,' saying, “You cannot read this; it is for the Jew,” and so on ad infinitum. Only those letters written by Paul in prison are left to us. Romans is thrown out, Galatians is out, the Epistles of John are out, and so are the Revelation and many other books. The largest contribution of this teaching is division, and on that basis it is disqualified. There is but one church. That one church could only become one church by the baptism of the Holy Spirit into one body as seen in Ep'hesians 4 :4. That one body does not exist in many churches, some Jewish and some Gentile, for, “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus” (Gal. 3:28). In speaking of the bride and Bridegroom, it is plainly stated: “This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church.” It is not Christ and Israel, but “Christ and the church.” If Israel is the bride of Christ, then Israel must be the people caught up before the Great Tribulation to be made ready for the marriage of the Lamb. Furthermore, in Revelation 22:17, the Word de clares : “The Spirit and the bride say, Come.” This is the last invitation of the Scripture, and it is for this age. The Spirit is the Holy Spirit, and the bride is the church, for we know very well that Israel is not the agent of God’s invitation in this dispensation. To the church alone is committed “the ministry of reconciliation.”
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