The Church, The Body of Christ part 3

The Body of Christ, the One New Man

Part 3

This is the Part 3 of my note on The Body Of Christ, the One New Man. https://www.facebook.com/notes/marthy-c-austria/the-body-of-christ-the-one-new-man-part-2/615465088468162

Beyond Fulfillment: the Seventh Day

After the fulfillment of prophecies in 70 A.D. when Christ came/arrived according to his promise, and created finally the new heavens and the new earth, God rested. It is now the seventh day, the Sabbath of God. It means “ALL THINGS FULFILLED”. All things were accomplished by Christ. I call it F.A.C.T.S which stands for:

F – Fulfilled

A – Accomplished

C – Completed

T – Truth of

S – Scriptures

Now the Body of Christ is in “FULNESS” of God’s grace. It is called “FULL GRACE”. We are in the period of “PURE” GRACE and “FULL” GRACE. We are presently in what Apostle Paul calls “The dispensation of THE GRACE OF GOD” and “The dispensation of THE FULNESS OF TIMES”. We are in “THE AGES TO COME” when “he might shew the exceeding RICHES OF HIS GRACE in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus” (Ephesians 2:7)

Today is that “AGES TO COME” and today God is showing HIS FULL GRACE toward us. And that’s TODAY! Alleluia!

Full Grace

Why Full Grace?  Because it is finished! Is grace finished? No! Redemption is finished. And God has shown the fullness of his grace. Today God will no more redeem, but today God will continuously show his grace always toward us as the result of that finished redemption.

This grace of God now is in its fullness and greatly exceeding. This grace knows no end. This grace is for ever. No time limit. It is not a parenthesis. It is not parenthetical. Grace is eternal.

The dispensation of the grace of God given through the apostle Paul is not a parenthesis. It is neither a temporary thing nor a plan b of God. This grace will never end, because this grace is fore ever in “the world without end” (Ephesians 3:21).

The Characteristics of the New Man or the New Creature

Oneness and equality. No more Jew or Gentile.

Even there was already the body of Christ during the Acts period (Acts 1 to 28), it is still evident that there was a difference or distinction between Jews and Gentiles. But because God destroyed the apostate Jewish nation in 70 A.D. legally and physically, today there is no more a Jewish nation as God’s “CHOSEN NATION”. God’s chosen people today is not any nation in the world, such as the State of Israel, neither the United States of America, nor the Great Britain, but it is THE CHURCH OF GOD, THE BODY OF CHRIST, THE NEW MAN “where there is neither Greek, nor Jew, circumcision, nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free, but Christ is all and in all” (Colossians 3:11).

Today God is neither looking on a physical token of his covenant such as circumcision, nor on the bloodline of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. But today God looks on the circumcision of the heart and on the faith of the elect. Race, blood, tongue, circumcision don’t matter to God. They were part of things in the past. Today we are THE CIRCUMCISION, which worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh. (Philippians 3:3).

So what is the significance of having Jewish people today? None. They are not special people. God was done with the Jews and with Israel. It is not true that Israel was set aside temporarily and gave way for the church to be God’s people temporarily, and after the “rapture”, God will come back to his unfinished business and unfulfilled prophecies to Israel. No, that is a misinterpretation of the Scriptures. God was done and finished with Israel. God already fulfilled his promises and prophecies to Israel. PROPHECY FULFILLED.

Washing by the word. No more water baptism.

During the Acts period there was water baptism as commanded by Christ to the apostles (Matthew 28:20). They had to observe it until “the end of the world [age]”. That world was ended on 70 A.D. Water baptism then ended on 70 A.D. Yes, Paul baptized in water also and was water baptized. But because of Christ’s progressive revelation, he said “Christ sent me not to baptize” (1 Corinthians 1:17). And to him was revealed the truth of “ONE BAPTISM” (Ephesians 4:5) “made without hands” (Colossians 2:11). So before the close of the Acts period, Paul stopped water baptizing.

And now, after 70 A.D. water baptism is no more significant and required. Water baptism has no more place during this age of pure and full grace. We are washed by the Word of God and not by water.

Christ’s presence. No more Lord’s Supper.

During the Acts period, the apostles observed the Lord’s Supper which was to be practiced until Christ’s coming (1 Corinthians 11:26). After his coming, no more need of the Lord’s Supper to be observed. Why should we still observe that supper, if Christ is very present with us. Wasn’t it observed only during his absence? Today he is not absent but very present.

You may say that Christ was present during the Acts period. Yes, he was, but only through the Holy Ghost and the manifestations of the Spirit. But today, it is no more through the Holy Ghost but through Christ himself being present.

Immortality. No more death for believers.

From Adam’s time up to Christ’s coming, the saints who died slept in their graves [hell]. But after that time, all believers in Christ automatically, effective since that day and hour, received their “IMMORTAL” bodies. Therefore, today, every believer who dies, putting off the earthly mortal body, continues to live and exist in the heavenly immortal body with Christ in the heavens.

But death continues with unbelievers. As the wages of sin is death, so all unbelievers who die, remain dead and will not be resurrected. They are “TOTALLY DESTROYED” unto nothing. They return to “DUST” of the ground.

Total forgiveness. No more sin to confess.

Today is “TOTAL FORGIVENESS” of sins. No need to confess sins. Even unbelievers do not need to confess their sins in order to be forgiven and to be saved. Yes, they have to “ADMIT” their sinfulness but forgiveness is based on their “FAITH” in the shed blood of Christ.

Pure grace. No more law of Moses.

Christ ended the law of Moses. And so also sin is ended. Sin is the “transgression of the law’ (1 John 3:4). “For by the law is the knowledge of sin” (Romans 3:20). CHRIST IS THE END OF THE LAW (Romans 10:4).

At his coming, Christ finally fulfilled the law (Matthew 5:17).

At the cross, and by the cross, Christ abolished the law of commandments contained in ordinances (Ephesians 2:15) and blotted out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross” (Colossians 2:14)

At the cross, he put away sin by the sacrifice of himself (Hebrews 9:26).

There is no law, no sin. They were ended. Therefore, no sin to confess. We are not under the law but under grace (Romans 6:14).

Finished redemption.  No more sealing of the Spirit.

During the Acts period, the Body of Christ was “SEALED” with “THE HOLY SPIRIT OF PROMISE” (Ephesians 1:13) “UNTO THE DAY OF REDEMPTION” (Ephesians 4:30). That redemption is the “REDEMPTION OF THE BODY” (Romans 8:23) which was already accomplished and fulfilled when Christ came back.

From that day onwards, believers in Christ don’t need the sealing of the Spirit. Yes, because that sealing was only as the earnest or down payment of the inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession (Ephesians 1:4). Now it is already purchased in full.

Completed Scriptures. No more spiritual gifts.

During the Acts period, the Body of Christ was filled with the Holy Ghost and they were gifted with spiritual gifts (1 Corinthians 12:1-31; Romans 12:3-8 and Ephesians 4:8-13). Those gifts as a package ended when the completion of revelation and when Christ, the perfect came (1 Corinthians 1:7).

Those gifts were “TEMPORARY” gifts only. Therefore the ministry of the Holy Ghost was also temporary.  The Holy Ghost is not the third person of the Holy trinity. But instead, the Holy Ghost was God’s manifestation of himself during the Acts period. A temporary manifestation. Remember that there is ONE GOD who REVEALED HIMSELF in Biblical History in THREE MANIFESTATIONS: As Father, as Son and as the Holy Ghost. God did and could manifest himself simultaneously in these manifestations, such as what happened in Christ’s baptism (Matthew 3).  Traditional Christendom calls it three persons in One God, but it is more accurate to call it three manifestations of One God. God is a God of purpose and surely there is a divine reason why he revealed himself in three manifestations. These manifestations were only temporary. Today GOD IS ALL IN ALL. CHRIST IS ALL AND IN ALL.

Today, we have “THE COMPLETED SCRIPTURES” to perfect us. Today, we are “COMPLETE IN CHRIST”. Today, CHRIST IS IN US/WITH US/AMONG US. Emmanuel: GOD WITH US. Today, Christ doesn’t dwell in us through the Holy Ghost with signs and wonders, and with divers miracles, and gifts of the Holy Ghost (Hebrews 2:4). Christ himself, his very person dwells in and with us. Christ is GOD IN ALL (Colossians 3:11; 1 Corinthians 15:28).

-To be continued