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THINGS THAT DIFFER

In my discussions with others who study God’s word I have discovered that there is a failure on the part of many, to see that sometimes the Bible speaks of God in His relation to a nation or a church, and other times it speaks of God in His relation to individuals. When we fail to make that distinction, confusion reigns. For example, we know that Israel was put aside as God’s chosen nation when they refused their risen Messiah. But those individuals of Israel who believed in Christ were not put aside; they were God’s children. We have then two separate and distinct issues. One concerns God’s nation, which was put aside, and the other concerns individual believers of that nation, who certainly were not put aside. The nation became lo-ammi but believers remained “in Christ”.

We read in II Chronicles 36:17-21 of the destruction of Jerusalem. Hosea tells us that Israel became lo-ammi, “not My people” (Hosea 1:9) during that 70 year period. Daniel as an Israelite was put aside with his nation, but Daniel as an individual was not put aside. Daniel was faithful to God. Even though he was in a strange land he continued to observe God’s law. And God used him mightily as an individual, in spite of the fact that as an Israelite, he was not God’s. The same could be said of all the other faithful of Israel during their lo-ammi period. Here too, we must distinguish between God’s relationship to His chosen nation and His relationship to those individuals that were His because of their faith in Him..

Ezekiel 16 is a picture of God’s care of Israel and of Her unfaithfulness. In this chapter it is so very clear that it is the nation that is being spoken of, not individuals. Note for example verse 3, “…..thus saith the Lord unto Jerusalem, ‘Thy birth and thy nativity is of the land of Canaan; thy father was an Amorite, and thy mother an Hittite’ “.

Verse 4, “And as for thy nativity, in the day thou was born thy navel was not cut, neither wast thou washed in water to supple thee; thou wast not salted at all, not swaddled at all”

Verse 6, “And when I passed my thee, and saw thee polluted in thine own blood, I said unto thee when thou wast in thy blood, ‘Live’; yea, I said unto thee when thou wast in the blood, ‘Live’ “.

The point is that we must take this as referring to the nation, not to individuals. Where other scriptural passages may not be so obvious, the precedence is set for the importance of interpreting some passages with the nation in mind, and others with individuals in mind.

In Matthew 25:31-46 we read of the judgment of nations at the second coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. This judgment is made on the basis of how those nations treated Israel (verse 40). It is not every individual of the nations that are being judged. It is the rulers, those that speak and act on behalf of their people that are being judged.

In Eph. 3:10 we read, “His intent was that now through the church, the manifold wisdom of God would be made known to the principalities and authorities in heavenly places”. Surely it is not through individual believers that God’s wisdom is made known. It is clear from the context that it is through the church, which is His body that His wisdom is made known.

My point in all that has been said so far, is that we must understand when the Bible is speaking of those things which have to do with a group, whether it be a nation or a church, and when they have to do with individuals. This study will address three areas that, if not understood correctly, leads to great confusion.

This study will address the following topics:

I. The kingdom of Heaven and the kingdom of God.

II. The mystery of Christ and the dispensation of the mystery.

III. The church which is His body and the one body

THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN AND THE KINGDOM OF GOD

THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN

It is clear from such passages as Psalms 2 that Jesus Christ will one day rule as the King of the nation of Israel. Verse 6 of Psalm 2 reads, “Yet have I set My King upon My holy hill of Zion”. Verse 8 reads, “Ask of me and I shall give Thee the heathen for Thine inheritance. And the uttermost parts of the earth for Thy possession”. And verse 9, “Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron, Thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel”. That rule will be a time of unheard of blessing for the nation of Israel. At the time of Christ’s birth Israel was waiting for their Messiah to issue in that blessed reign. Consider Simeon’s response to his having seen the baby Jesus, “Lord, now lettest Thou Thy servant depart in peace, according to Thy word; for mine eyes have seen Thy salvation, Which Thou hast prepared before the face of all people; a light to ligthen the Gentiles, and the glory of Thy people Israel” (Luke 2:29-32). That “glory” is spoken of by the Old Testament prophets. Consider for example Is.60:10-14, “And the sons of strangers shall build up they walls, and their kings shall minister unto thee…..for the nation that shall not serve thee shall perish; yea those nations shall be utterly wasted. ……..and all they that despised thee shall bow themselves down at the soles of thy feet, and they shall call thee, The city of the Lord…”. So Israel looked forward to the Messiah’s reign to issue in Her national blessings.

We must understand that although salvation unto eternal life is certainly one of the reasons Christ came to earth, it was not the only reason. Another reason was to issue in the period promised to Israel of Christ’s reign, in which Israel would enjoy national blessings. Individual Israelites looked forward to salvation unto eternal life, but as a nation, Israel looked forward to the blessings promised Her in such passages as Isaiah 60, quoted above. So when John the Baptist preached “Repent, for the kingdom of Heaven is at hand” Israel correctly understood that he was referring to the fact that Jesus Christ, Israel’s Messiah, was the God appointed King upon Whom their hopes of national blessings rested.

Each Gospel writer presented Christ in a different aspect.(For the scriptural evidence of that statement, please see the paper on this web-site, The Kingdom Of Heaven.) What is important to understand for this study, is that Matthew’s Gospel presents Christ as the King of Israel. And Matthew was the only Gospel writer to use the phrase “kingdom of Heaven”. This is not coincidental. The Holy Spirit was using Matthew to tell us that Christ is the long awaited and looked for King of Israel. Therefore, the phrase “kingdom of Heaven” is connected by the Holy Spirit to Christ as King of Israel. I believe that this is just one indication that the kingdom of Heaven is the reign of Christ over the nation of Israel, which will begin at His second coming.While it is true that Christ will reign over all the nations of the earth in His millennial reign, the term “kingdom of Heaven” is limited to the Land of Israel. How do we know that? We know that from the parables that reveal the mysteries of the kingdom of Heaven.

In Matthew 13:10-11 we read, “And the disciples came, and said unto Him, ‘Why speakest Thou unto them in parables’? He answered and said unto them, ‘Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of Heaven but to them it is not given”. Our Lord’s statement makes it clear that the parables concern the kingdom of Heaven. Therefore, we may learn a great deal about the kingdom of Heaven from them.

Matt. 13:24-30 records the telling of the parable of the weeds. The explanation of the parable is given in verses 37-39.  “The one who sowed the good seed is the Son of Man.  The field is the world, and the good seed stands for the sons of the kingdom.  The weeds are the sons of the evil one, and the enemy who sows them is the devil.  The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are the angels”. In the following passage, (verses 40-43) the parable is alluded to, but describes what will actually take place. “As the weeds are pulled up and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the age.  The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will weed out of his kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil.  They will throw them into the fiery furnace where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.  Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father, He who has ears, let him hear”.

There are several things about this parable that we should keep in mind as we continue our study of the kingdom of Heaven. The good seed stands for the sons of the kingdom (13:38).  Who are the “sons of the kingdom”?  That question is answered in Matt. 8:5-13.  A centurion came to our Lord and asked Him to heal his servant.  When Christ said that He would go and heal him, the centurion replied, “Lord, I do not deserve to have you come under my roof.  But just say the word, and my servant will be healed.   When Jesus heard this, he was astonished and said to those following him, ‘I tell you the truth, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith.  I say to you that many will come from the east and the west, and will take their places at the feast with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of Heaven.  But the children of the kingdom will be thrown outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth”.

Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, who are all present at the feast at the kingdom of Heaven, are the fathers of the nation of Israel. In this passage the faith of the centurion is contrasted with those of Israel. The children of the kingdom then, are believing Israelites.  The unfaithful of Israel will be “thrown outside, into the darkness. We learn from this that the kingdom of Heaven is limited geographically, otherwise no one could be thrown outside of it. And we also learn that the kingdom of Heaven is limited to believers of Israel. Therefore, we may conclude that the kingdom of Heaven is the Land of Israel where a nation of believers will dwell during the millennial reign of Christ..

 However, although the children of the kingdom of Heaven are Israelites, it is clear that faithful Gentiles will also be allowed into the kingdom as well. Is. 56:6-8  reads, “And foreigners who bind themselves to the Lord to serve him, to love the name of the Lord, and to worship Him, all who keep the Sabbath without desecrating it and who hold fast to my covenant, these I will bring to My holy mountain and give them joy in My house of prayer.  Their burnt offerings and sacrifices will be accepted on My altar; for My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations.  The Sovereign Lord declares –  He who gathers the exiles of Israel; I will gather still others to them besides those already gathered”.

None of the parables about the kingdom of Heaven have to do with individual salvation. They have to do with the reign of Christ over a particular country with certain geographical limits. (For scriptural evidence of that statement, please see the paper on this web-site, The Kingdom Of Heaven.

It is clear that the “kingdom of Heaven” is the term that refers to Israel as a nation, not individual believers. Let us go on and discover what the Word teaches us about the kingdom of God.

THE KINGDOM OF GOD

As we begin our discussion of the kingdom of God, I should point out that where Matthew uses the phrase “kingdom of Heaven”, the other Gospel writers use the phrase “kingdom of God”. While on earth, our Lord spoke in Aramaic.  When Matthew translated the Aramaic into Greek he used the figure of speech, Metonymy. But when the other Gospel writers translated the Aramaic they translated the phrase literally. Dr. Bullinger writes in his Appendix number 114 in the Companion Bible, “Now heaven is frequently used by the Figure Metonymy (of the subject) for God Himself, Whose dwelling is there”.  Examples of the use of this figure of speech are found several times in the Old Testament. Daniel 4:26 for example reads, “The command to leave the stump of the tree with its roots means that your kingdom will be restored to you when you acknowledge that Heaven rules”.  It is clear that Heaven is put for God, Who rules.  And in the New Testament we read in the parable of the prodigal son, “The son said to him, Father, I have sinned against Heaven and against you.  …..” (Luke 15:21).  He sinned, not against a place, but against a Person, God.

In the New Testament the phrase “kingdom of God” is used in two different ways. It is used of Christ’s reign of the nation of Israel. And it is used of Christ’s reign of individual believers. Let us look at the scriptures which speak of the two ways in which the phrase “kingdom of God” is used.

1) It is used of Christ’s reign of the nation of Israel.

As we compare Matthew 4:17 with Mark 1:15 we shall see that both Gospel writers are recording the same event. But where Matthew uses the phrase “kingdom of Heaven” Mark uses the phrase “kingdom of God”.

Matthew 4:17, “From that time on Jesus began to preach, and to say, ‘repent: for the kingdom of Heaven is at hand”. Mark 1:15, “…The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel”. Matthew translates the words of Christ figuratively as the “kingdom of Heaven”, but Mark translates the same discourse given at the same time as the “kingdom of God”. Obviously, in this passage, the kingdom of God is used in the same sense as the kingdom of Heaven, i.e. Christ’s reign over the nation, as opposed to individuals. .

Compare also Matthew 13:11with Luke 8:10 . Matthew 13:11, “…it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of Heaven, but to them it is not given”. Luke 8:10, “….. unto you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God: but to others in parables…’. Again, Matthew translates the words of Christ figuratively as the “kingdom of Heaven”, but Luke translates the same discourse given at the same time as the “kingdom of God”. Obviously, in this passage also, the kingdom of God is the same as the kingdom of Heaven, i.e. Christ’s reign over the nation, as opposed to individuals. ..

It is clear therefore, that because the phrase “kingdom of God” is sometimes used in the same way as is the phrase “kingdom of Heaven”, that “the kingdom of God” is sometimes used of Christ’s rule over Israel (as a nation as opposed to individual believers). Let us examine a few other passages which use the phrase “kingdom of God” as referring to God’s reign over the nation of Israel, i.e. the kingdom of Heaven.

In Matthew 5:3 we read “Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of Heaven“. This verse comes at the beginning of Christ’s sermon on the mount. In Luke 6 our Lord gives a very similar sermon, but this time He is not on the mount, but on a plain (see verse 17). In this sermon we read in verse 20, “…blessed be ye poor: for yours is the kingdom of God“. I believe that, even though this is not the exact same sermon as given in Matthew, we may conclude that our Lord had the same aspect of the kingdom in mind, i.e. His reign of the nation of Israel.

In Matthew 13 we read of the parables of the kingdom of Heaven. Verse 31, “….The kingdom of Heaven is like to a grain of mustard seed.…”. and in Luke 13: 18-19 we read, “Then He said, ‘Unto what is the kingdom of God like? and whereunto shall I resemble it? It is like a grain of mustard seed, which a man took and cast into his garden….”. Again, I believe that the same aspect of the kingdom was in the mind of our Lord when He compared it to a mustard seed, i.e. the kingdom in which Christ will reign over His nation, Israel.

Luke 19:11, “…..He added unto them a parable…..because they thought that the kingdom of God should immediately appear”. I believe that if they were expecting something to appear it must refer to the fact that Israel was expecting their Messiah to set up His reign of Israel at that time.

Luke 21:30-31, “So likewise ye, when ye see these things come to pass, know ye that the kingdom of God is nigh at hand”. Here again, there will be visible signs which will be seen that tells those who see it that the kingdom is near. Therefore, I believe that our Lord is referring to His reign over the nation of Israel, as opposed to individual believers.

2) The phrase “Kingdom of God” is also used of God’s reign, not of a nation, but of individual believers.

In John 3:3 for example, it is clear that what was intended was that only believers as individuals (as opposed to a nation) can see the kingdom of God. “….unless a man is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God”. The phrase is used in the same way in John 3:5, “…unless a man is born of spirit and water, he cannot see the kingdom of God. These verses obviously have to do with individual salvation unto eternal life. Salvation is an individual matter of faith, not a national matter of blessings. Therefore, when we read of the kingdom of God in relation to salvation, we are reading of His reign over individuals, not His reign over a nation. Let us examine other scriptures which speak of the kingdom of God as His reign of individual believers as opposed to a nation.

Mark 10:14-15, “….He said to them, ‘Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it”. The kingdom of God is not a kingdom of national boundaries. It is entered into by faith and having entered into this kingdom, one is ruled by God.

Mark 10:23. In verse 17 we read of the man who asked of our Lord, “What shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?” It is clear from that question, that he was asking as an individual. Our Lord answered, in part “…sell whatever thou hast and give to the poor…”. And when he could not agree to that, Christ said, in verses 23, “….How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God?”.

Luke 12:31, “But seek the kingdom of God and all these things shall be added unto you”.

Acts 8:12 is an important verse because we find the two aspects of the kingdom of God, i.e. national and individual. “But when they believed Philip as he preached the good news of the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized…”.I believe that Philip preached The kingdom of God as the reign of the nation of Israel, i.e. the kingdom of Heaven. But Philip also preached the individual aspect of the kingdom of God.. That is, when he spoke of “the name of Jesus Christ” he was preaching the message of salvation, the acceptance of which allows one entrance into the kingdom of God in its individual aspect.

Romans 14:17, “For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit”.

Gal. 5:21, “those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God”.

I Cor. 6:9-10, “….the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God….nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God”.

I Cor. 15:50, “…..flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God”.

II Thess. 1:5, “….that ye may be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which ye also suffer”. Verse 4 makes it clear that Paul is addressing individual believers, not the nation of Israel. “…because that your faith growing exceedingly…”.

We have then, the following uses for the phrase “kingdom of God”. It is used: 1) of the reign of Christ over the nation of Israel. And it is used: 2)of the reign of individual believers, apart from where or when this reign will exist.

We come now to Acts 28:23 and 28:31. We read in both these verses that Paul preached concerning the kingdom of God. Was what he preached concerning the kingdom of God before Acts 28:28 the same thing he preached after Acts 28:28? We are not told specifically what he preached, but I believe that the context will help us to answer that question.

We read in Acts 28:17, “Three days later (after Paul had arrived in Rome-verse 16) he (Paul) called together the leaders of the Jews. We read in verse 20 that it was “for the hope of Israel” that Paul was bound. There are two things to note in this context.1) It was the leaders of Israel that Paul called together. The fact that Paul spoke with the leaders of Israel indicates that it was not the kingdom of God in its individual aspect that was his message to them. That is to say, he did not preach to them concerning their salvation. Their salvation was no more important to Paul then the salvation of any other person. What was important for the leaders of Israel to understand, was that they must accept their risen Messiah in order for the times of refreshing to come (see Acts 3:19).

The second thing of importance is that Paul explained to these leaders that it was for the hope of Israel that he had been bound. That gives us a clue as to what he wanted to talk to them about. The hope of Israel was the return of Christ so that He might reign as the King of Israel in the kingdom of Heaven.

When we combine these two clues I believe that it is clear that Paul was preaching the message of the kingdom of Heaven. May I remind the reader that the term “kingdom of God” is often used in the sense of the Kingdom of Heaven, i.e. the reign of Christ over Israel.

Now let us try to determine what Paul was preaching when, as it is said in verse 31, he preached the kingdom of God. Again, there are two clues in the context. One, Israel was set aside at Acts 28:28. (For the Scriptural proof of that statement please see the paper on this web-site When Did The Church Begin?.) We know that the kingdom of Heaven centered on Israel and is to have Christ as Her King. Therefore the kingdom of Heaven was no longer an appropriate message after Israel was set aside at Acts 28:28.

The second clue was that Paul “taught them about the Lord Jesus Christ”. Because he was not preaching the message of Christ’s reign over Israel, I believe that Paul was preaching Jesus Christ as the savior. That is to say, he was preaching the kingdom of God in its individual aspect, not in its national one..

As was mentioned above, Acts 8:12 also speaks of the two messages of the two aspects of the kingdom of God, so this, in my opinion, sets a precedence for the dual nature of the preaching of the kingdom of God in the same context.

In my opinion, the context will simply not allow the conclusion that Paul preached the same message after verse 28 as he did before verse 28. Not only does the immediate context not allow for the same message being preached, but the broader context will also not allow it.

THE MYSTERY OF CHRIST AND THE DISPENSATION OF THE MYSTERY

THE TWO MYSTERIES OF EPHESIANS THREE

In discussing this topic once again it would be easier to differentiate between the two mysteries if we consider the differences between them. One had been made known through the apostles and prophets, but the other had been hid in God. One had been revealed to some extent, the other had not. I hope to show in this section, that the two mysteries of Eph. 3 were sufficiently different, and differed in such a way as to not allow the conclusion that the dispensation of the mystery was part of the mystery of Christ.

The dispensation of the mystery has to do with that dispensation in which the church which is His body is being called out. That church is analogous to the nation of Israel in the dispensation of Law in that, while it is certainly made up of individuals, it is a group, i.e. a group of believers. The mystery of Christ, on the other hand, has to do with Christ’s death and resurrection. Christ’s death and resurrection has to do with an individual’s salvation. That is to say, when the individual believes God’s truth concerning the death and resurrection of Christ, he will then receive the promise of eternal salvation. The former has to do with a church, i.e. a group of believers, the latter with individual salvation. Let us examine the passage which speaks of both the dispensation of the mystery and the mystery of Christ.

We read in Eph. 3:2-9, (2) “If ye have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which is given me to you-ward; (3) How that by revelation He made known unto me the mystery; 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; (6) That the Gentiles should be fellowheirs, and of the same body, and partakers of His promise in Christ by the gospel; (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 see what is the fellowship (dispensation – same word as in verse 2) of the mystery, which hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ”.

Let us turn our attention to verses 4-5.  In verse 4 we read of the “mystery of Christ”.  In verse 5 we are told that this mystery “was not made known to men in other generations as it has now been revealed by the spirit to God’s holy apostles and prophets“.  There are three things in these verses that are very important to note.

1. The Greek word translated “as” in the phrase “as it has now been revealed” is “hos” and is used as a comparison. It is used in I Cor.13:11, “When I was a child I spoke as a child…”. To make this verse easier to understand let us add an ellipsis taken from the context. “When I was a child I spoke as a child rather than as a man, I understood as a child rather than as a man, I thought as a child would think rather than as man. It is clear that Paul is making a comparison in these phrases between himself as a child and himself as a man. So too, in Eph. 3:5 the comparison is being made as to the extent that the mystery of Christ had been revealed. That is to say that the mystery of Christ had been revealed to some extent, but not to the extent that it has “now been revealed”. This is an extremely important fact to note about the mystery of Christ, because, as we read in verse 9, the dispensation of the mystery had been hid in God and therefore had obviously not been revealed to any extent.
2. The mystery of Christ was revealed to “apostles and prophets”, note the plural.
3. The Greek word translated “revealed” in the phrase, “as it is has now been revealed” is “apokalupto”,
   and it is the verb form of the same word used in verse 3 where we read of “the mystery made known to me (Paul) by  revelation“. This tells us that the revelation of the mystery given to Paul was given to the apostles and prophets in the same way, i.e. not by the teaching of man, but by revelation from God.

What can we learn of the “mystery of Christ”?  The phrase, “mystery of Christ” occurs also in Col. 4:3, “…praying also for us, that God would open unto us a door of utterance, to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am also in bonds“. Paul was in bonds for preaching the mystery of Christ. By determining the specific reasons for Paul’s bonds, we can then determine what the mystery of Christ is.

We read in Acts chapters 21-25 of Paul’s experiences that resulted in his being put in bonds. In Acts 21:27-28 we read of the first step in Paul’s imprisonment. “And when the seven days were almost ended, the Jews which were of Asia, when they saw him (Paul) in the temple, stirred up all the people, and laid hands on him, crying out: ‘Men of Israel, help: This is the man that teacheth all men everywhere against the people, and the law, and this place and further, brought Greeks also into the temple, and hath polluted this holy place“. So then, the first step that led to Paul’s imprisonment was the false accusation that he had taught things contrary to the law and had polluted the temple by bringing Greeks into it.

In Acts 22:21 we read the close of Paul’s arguments to the Jews. “And He said unto me, ‘Depart: for I will send thee far hence unto the Gentiles“. And verse 22 describes their reaction to that statement. “And they gave him audience unto this word, and then lifted up their voices and said, ‘Away with such a fellow from the earth for it is not fit that he should live”. Here again, we learn that the reason for Paul’s bonds was that he preached to the Gentiles. (We should point out that preaching to Gentiles was not a mystery hid in God, as was the dispensation of the mystery- Eph. 3:9. That Christ would be preached to the Gentiles was very clearly stated by Isaiah in chapter 49 verse 6, “……I will also give thee for a light to the Gentiles, that Thou mayest be My Salvation unto the end of the earth”.)

In Acts 23 we read of Paul’s discourse to the council of Jews. Verse 6, “But when Paul perceived that the one part were Sadducees, and the other Pharisees, he cried out in the council, ‘Men and brethren, I am a Pharisee, the son of a Pharisee: of the hope and resurrection of the dead I am called in question”.

In Acts 23:29 we read of the letter written by a soldier to Felix about Paul’s being sent to Felix, which reads in part, “Whom (Paul) I perceived to be accused of questions of their law….”.

We learn from the Scriptures quoted above that Paul was placed in bonds because he was being falsely accused of teaching things contrary to the Law of Moses: and because he had supposedly polluted the temple by bringing Greeks into that part of the temple which they were not supposed to be. Another reason for his bonds was that he was preaching the resurrection of the dead.

Let us continue our study of the mystery of Christ by considering other passages in which Paul speaks of his bonds. In Phil 1:12-18 we read of Paul’s account of how his being in bonds has led to the “furtherance of the gospel” (1:13). To which gospel was Paul referring? In verses 14 and 15 Paul writes of those who “preach Christ” (verse 15) some for honest reasons and others out of contention. In verse 18 he sums up the two and writes, “..…whether in pretense, or in truth, Christ is preached“.

We learn from this passage in Philippians, chapter one, that Paul’s imprisonment led others to “preach Christ”. The subject of this entire passage is the preaching of Christ. We must conclude then, that the reason Paul was in prison was not because of the gospel of the dispensation of the mystery, but because of the preaching of Christ.

We read in Eph. 6:19-20, “….that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in bonds….”. Again, we must ask, for which gospel was Paul in bonds? That answer is found in II Tim. 2:8-9, “Remember that Jesus Christ of the seed of David, was raised from the dead according to my gospel, wherein I suffer trouble as an evil doer, even unto bonds…”. The only gospel that we are told Paul was in bonds for, was “my gospel”. “My gospel” was the preaching of Christ as the Son of David and the preaching of the resurrection of the dead. Paul also writes of “my gospel in Romans 2:16, “In the day when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ according to my gospel”. He also mentions it Romans 16:25, “Now to Him that is of power to stablish you according to my gospel, and (should be “even”) the preaching of Jesus Christ ….”. So the phrase “my gospel” includes resurrection and judgment.

Let us try to pull together what we have learned. The mystery of Christ is the reason Paul was in bonds. Why was Paul in bonds? Paul was in bonds because he preached Christ and His salvation to the Gentiles (which was certainly not a secret hid in God): because he preached the resurrection of the dead, because he preached the judgment by Christ: and because he preached about Christ, the Son of David. In short, Paul was not imprisoned because he preached the gospel of the dispensation of the mystery. Paul was imprisoned because he preached the mystery of Christ. Because the mystery of Christ had absolutely nothing to do with the dispensation of the mystery, we must conclude that the two are different mysteries.

 Let us search the Scriptures to find other passages that will tell us more about the mystery of Christ. A mystery is something that is concealed, or it can also be something that is revealed to a few, as in the case of the mysteries of the kingdom of Heaven. “Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given” (Matt. 13:11).

We must bear in mind that the mystery of Christ was: a) revealed to some extent in the Old Testament, b) but “now” made known to apostles and prophets (plural), c) revealed to them by the Spirit by revelation, not by the teaching of man (Eph. 3:4-5).  Let us look at Luke 18:31-34 to see if what we find there will fit the criteria of the “mystery of Christ”.   “Then He took unto him the twelve, and said unto them, ‘Behold, we go up to Jerusalem, and all things that are written by the prophets concerning the Son of Man shall be accomplished.  For He shall be delivered unto the Gentiles, and shall be mocked, and spitefully intreated, and spit on; And they shall scourge Him and put Him to death; and the third day He shall rise again’.  And they understood none of these things: and this saying was hid from them, neither knew they the things which were spoken”.

The disciples did not understand any of the prophecies concerning the death, burial and resurrection of Christ.  I believe that those events constitute the mystery of Christ.  We have read that it was concealed from the 12, that makes it a mystery.  We also see that it was the topic of some prophecy, that satisfies the criteria of it being revealed to some extent  (see Is. 53, crucifixion; Luke 11:30, burial; and Lev. 16:8-10, resurrection – by type).  And we know, of course, that eventually Christ’s death, burial and resurrection were revealed fully, which satisfies the criteria of being unfolded more completely in Paul’s time.  I believe therefore, that the mystery of Christ spoken of in Eph. 3:4-5, is His death, burial and resurrection.

Eph. 3:6, on the other hand, is the mystery that was revealed to Paul, i.e., the dispensation of the mystery.   Note, it was revealed to Paul alone, not to the apostles and prophets (plural).  We learn in verse 9 that this mystery was “hid in God” (not revealed in any degree to other generations).  That mystery is that “the nations should be together heirs, together bodies and together partakers in the promise in Christ” (Eph. 3:6). (Please see the paper on this web-siteWhat Exactly Is The Secret That Had Been Hid In God? for the scriptural evidence for this translation.)

There are two mysteries in Eph. 3.  One is the mystery of Christ, which was known to some degree in past generations, and the other was the mystery, hid in God, i.e. not known in past generations to any degree.  The mystery of Christ was not understood, but it was written about in the Old Testament.  The dispensation of the mystery, on the other hand, was not written about in the Old Testament.  The mystery of Christ was revealed to apostles and prophets (plural) but the mystery hid in God was revealed to Paul, and Paul only. We have in Ephesians 3, two separate mysteries.

In the interest of clarifying a very complex passage, I would like to suggest adding a parenthesis in Eph. 3.  So that passage would read, “Surely you have heard about the administration (dispensation) of God’s grace that was given to me for you, that is, the mystery made known to me by revelation, as I have already written briefly.  (In reading this then, you will be able to understand my insight into the mystery of Christ, which was not made known to men in other generations as it has now been revealed by the spirit to God’s holy apostles and prophets)  This mystery is that the nations should be together heirs, together bodies and together partakers in the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel”.

It is clear then, that the dispensation of the mystery is that dispensation wherein the church which is His body is being called. The church is obviously, a group. On the other hand, the mystery of Christ is the mystery of His death and resurrection and must be accepted as God’s truth by individuals in order to receive the gift of salvation.

Why is the differentiation of these two mysteries so important?  The reason is, that if one understands the dispensation of the mystery as being part of the mystery of Christ, i.e. one mystery, one may come to the conclusion that the dispensation of the mystery began when Paul began to preach the death, burial and resurrection of Christ.

Let me put that another way. The preaching of the gospel of the death, burial and resurrection of Christ (i.e. the mystery of Christ) by Paul constituted the revealing of the mystery of Christ.  That preaching began during the Acts period.  If one understands only one mystery in Ephesians 3, one is led to the conclusion that the dispensation of the mystery began during the Acts period, with the preaching of the mystery of Christ. This leads to erroneous conclusions and confusions.

THE CHURCH WHICH IS HIS BODY AND THE ONE BODY

When considering the differences between the church and the one body we must once again be sure that we recognize when the Bible speaks of individuals and when it speaks of a corporeal body. In this case the church which is His body is the corporeal body and the one body expresses the relationship of individuals. Without understanding confusion reigns.

THE CHURCH WHICH IS HIS BODY

Eph. 1:22-23, “And hath put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be the Head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fulness of Him That filleth all in all.” The church, which is His body is the out-calling of all believers of the dispensation of the mystery.

What else can we learn of the church, which is His body? In Eph. 5:23 we read that “Christ is the head of the church and He is the Savior of the body”. And in Col. 1:18 we read again that “He is the Head of the body, the church”.

In Eph. 3:10 we learn of God’s eternal purpose for the church which is His body, “To the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be know by the church the manifold wisdom of God, according to the eternal purpose which He purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord”. Just as Israel was to be a witness to the nations of the earth (see I Peter 2:9) so the church which is His body will be a witness to beings in heavenly places.

In Eph. 1:22-23 we learn that the church is the” fulness of Him Who filleth all in all”.

The phrase “the church which is His body” is obviously a metaphor, as Christ has His own body. As with all figures of speech, this metaphor is used to express and enhance a truth. That truth expresses, in my opinion, the relationship of the Head to the body. Just as in our natural bodies we can do nothing without the head (brain), so too the church relies entirely on Christ.

THE ONE BODY/THE ONE NEW MAN

“For He is our peace who 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” (Eph. 2:15-16).

We have in this passage two different metaphors, but they both obviously refer to the same thing. “One body” is a metaphor which enhances the idea of equality of believers to other believers. “One new man” is a metaphor emphasizing the newness of this equality. Note that neither metaphors have to do with the relationship of believers to Christ, as does the metaphor of the church which is His body.

Note also when this one body began. It began as a result of the middle wall being abolished “in His flesh“. Note also that the one body began by the cross. While it is true that most see this one body as the same as the church, they obviously cannot be the same. They began at different times. They began as a result of different events. The metaphors emphasize different relationships. For the scriptural evidence that proves that the one body is not the same as the church please see the paper on this web-site The One Body Of Ephesians Two Is Not The Church Which Is His Body.

CONCLUSION

The main theme of this paper is to point out that sometimes the Bible speaks of things that pertain to the individual and sometimes of things that pertain to a group.

In the case of the kingdom of God and the kingdom Heaven, the kingdom of God, at times, depending on the context, refers to the reign of Christ over individual believers while the kingdom of Heaven refers to Christ’s reign over the nation of Israel.

In the case of the two mysteries of Ephesians, the mystery of Christ has to do with individual salvation while the dispensation of the mystery speaks of a church being called during the dispensation of the mystery. This church, the church which is His body, is the group that is being used of God to witness of His wisdom to principalities and powers in heavenly places. It is not individual who are witnessing of His wisdom, it is the church as a unit.

In the case of “one body” and the church which is His body, the “one body” refers to individual believers relationship to each other in Christ. The church which is His body refers to the believers relationship with Christ.

To the extent that we fail to understand the difference, is the extent that we fail to understand God’s Word.

This paper was written by Joyce Pollard, I would love to hear your thoughts on this subject. Please e-mail at :[email protected]