Ecclesiology

Lesson XI

A Basic Text

1 Corinthians 10:32

January 11, 2007

 

 

I  1 Corinthians 10:32 is a basic text for the study of ecclesiology.

 

1 Corinthians 10:32

(32) Give none offence, neither to the Jews, nor to the Gentiles, nor to the church of God:

 

It is a revelation from God given to the Apostle Paul by divine Inspiration.

Questions are in order:

Was this verse written before or after the cross?

Was it written before or after Pentecost?

Was it written for our day and age or some other age?

The answers are obvious.

Paul, the minister to the Church, acknowledges three classes of people in the world to this day.

 

And Paul places each in a different but definite position:

 

§  Jews

§  Gentiles and

§  the Church of God

 

Is Paul not telling us that the Gentiles and the Jews are both to be distinguished as not being the Church? 

Furthermore, are the Jews to this moment not making history distinct, apart from the history being made by the Gentiles and the Church? 

No one Scripture verse destroys the idea of replacement theology (the Church has replaced Israel) as does this verse.

 

II  2 Timothy 2:15  another key verse

 

2 Timothy 2:15

(15) Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

 

We are to rightly divide the Word of Truth. And here is an example of what that includes.

We must divide the truth of the Church from that given to Jews or Gentiles. 

 

In Ephesians 2:11, Paul writing to the Church says, remember ye were Gentiles.

(11) Wherefore remember, that ye [being] in time past Gentiles in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by that which is called the Circumcision in the flesh made by hands;

 

III  This division is also found in 1 Corinthians 1:22-24

 

1 Corinthians 1:22-24

(22) For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom:

(23) But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock, and unto the Greeks foolishness;

(24) But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God.

 

Notice verse 22:  The Jews, the Greeks or Gentiles

            verse 23:  But we – the Church.

 

We want to see clearly that during this age certain Scriptural facts are there for Gentiles or Nations.  Certain other facts are directed only to the Jews, and other scriptures are directed only to the Church.

 

There is such a thing as “Church Truth” in Scripture.  These divisions are basic to pre-millennial theology.

That there were saved people long before the Church appeared in history, there is no doubt.  We name a few: Adam, Eve, Abel, Enoch, Noah.  To my knowledge, no one refers to these people named as being “the Israel of God.”  These must be identified as saved Gentiles.

 

We must remember that the first man to be identified as an Israelite was Jacob.

Genesis 32:28.  “Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel…”

2 Kings 17:34  the Lord commanded the children of Jacob , whom He called Israel.”  That name “Israel” came from God.  Remember that!

 

So the men of faith before Jacob were saved but they were never named Israelites or Jews.

Jews in days now past, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, David, were men of faith, therefore saved people, and could rightly be called “the Israel of God.”

In our age, only people of faith in Christ are saved and a part of the true Church.

Thus, there were saved Gentiles before our time.  There were saved Jews before our time. But they were not the Church of Jesus Christ.

 

So in making the distinction in our text between Jews, Gentiles and the Church, the doctrine of salvation is not the question.  We are dealing with the matter of position before God.

 

All who ever were saved or ever will be saved, were and are saved by grace apart from human works.  We state this because some have taught that there is a different way of salvation since the cross than before the cross. But see it this way.

Old Testament saints were saved by looking forward to the work of the cross by their sacrifices; New Testament saints are saved by looking backward to the cross and prove it by keeping the Lord’s Supper.

 

Romans 4:1-8 lays out the foundation of salvation by grace. 

Romans 4:1-8

(1) What shall we say then that Abraham our father, as pertaining to the flesh, hath found?

(2) For if Abraham were justified by works, he hath [whereof] to glory; but not before God.

(3) For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness.

(4) Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt.

(5) But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.

(6) Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works,

(7) [Saying], Blessed [are] they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered.

(8) Blessed [is] the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin.

 

And we insert, Paul could speak of “Abraham our father” because he was of the stock of Israel. 

Philippians 3:5

(5) Circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, [of] the tribe of Benjamin, an Hebrew of the Hebrews; as touching the law, a Pharisee;

 

In Romans 4:1-5, we note that Abraham believed God (Genesis 15:6) and was thereby made righteous. Not to one who works, because that involves debt.  Grace cannot have any debt!  This righteousness is only offered to him that worketh not.

Romans 4:6-8 speaks of David: Blessed is the man to whom God imputes righteousness without works.  Grace does not impute sin to the believer.

Ephesians 2:8-9 states that we are saved by grace through faith plus nothing.

From John 1:29, Jesus is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.  Thus all are saved by the same Saviour. 

 

John 4:42

(42) And said unto the woman, Now we believe, not because of thy saying: for we have heard [him] ourselves, and know that this is indeed the Christ, the Saviour of the world.

Hebrews 13:5  Jesus says to all saved people, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”

Never leave!  One day hearing of a couple who had separated, I asked my wife if she had ever thought that I might leave her.  Her reply:  “I have never thought you would leave me any more than my Dad would leave me.”

 

IV  We repeat some facts we must understand.

 

1.  To take Paul’s epistles out of the Bible, we will not find much Church truth left in the Bible.

2.  Paul’s message is not a message given by a Christ on earth, but by a Christ risen and in Heaven. 

2 Corinthians 5:16  … though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet, now henceforth know we [him] no more.”

3.  Paul’s message came from a resurrected, glorified Christ from Heaven for heavenly people.

Hebrews 1:1  God spake by prophets; God has spoken by His Son.

Hebrews 12:25  See that ye refuse not Him that speaketh … from Heaven.”  We repeat, to a Heavenly people He speaks from heaven.  We are citizens of heaven Philippians 3:20  Earth for the Church, is like a Hotel.  It is a stopping place until we get home!

 

4. While Christ was on earth, before his death he was a minister of the circumcision, an earthly people.  Remember Romans 15:8.

Romans 15:8

(8) Now I say that Jesus Christ was a minister of the circumcision for the truth of God, to confirm the promises [made] unto the fathers:

 

John 1:11  He came unto His own and His own received him not.

Matthew 15:24  Jesus said he was sent to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.

Matthew chapters 5,6,7  The so called “sermon on the mount” was preached to a Jewish audience.  It was an earthly message for an earthly people.  It can only be fulfilled when the Great King is here and the Kingdom comes. 

Matthew 5:35

(35) Nor by the earth; for it is his footstool: neither by Jerusalem; for it is the city of the great King.

 

Matthew 6:13

(13) And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.

 

We observe two verses to show the need for “rightly dividing the word of truth”.  Matthew 6:14-15 is not Church truth. 

Matthew 6:14-15

(14) For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you:

(15) But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

 

Compare Ephesians 4:32

Ephesians 4:32

(32) And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.

 

We forgive because we have been forgiven for Christ’s sake, not because we forgive others.

 

V  The Chart- “The Biblical History of Peoples” is an overview of the Bible (in 8 slides). 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  1. Genesis Chapter 1 through Chapter 11:

Pertain to the beginning of the human race and the beginning of the Gentile Nations.

Genesis 10:5

(5) By these were the isles of the Gentiles divided in their lands; every one after his tongue, after their families, in their nations.

 

At the very beginning a Seed was promised to Eve

Genesis 3:15

(15) And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.

This seed would be a Redeemer, a Saviour who would come through Noah’s son, Shem. 

Genesis 9:26

(26) And he said, Blessed [be] the LORD God of Shem; and Canaan shall be his servant.

 

  1. Genesis Chapter 12 through Malachi Chapter 4:

Pertain primarily to the Jews of the Nation of Israel.  Throughout these chapters there are promises of a Messiah, a Christ, who would also be the King of the Jews.

 

  1. In Matthew through to John, we are introduced to this Promised One.  This Messiah, this Saviour who literally appeared in history.   Telling us where He was born and who he was. 

Matthew 16:18

(18) And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

 

It was Jesus who introduced the Church and said He would be the builder.

 

  1. The Book of Acts is where the history of this Church begins.   It originated at Jerusalem and the history is given of its spread to Rome.  It did not originate at Rome.

 

  1. The Epistles and letters through to the book of Jude, primarily, all pertain to this Church.

 

  1. The Book of Revelation is an outline of the consummation:  first for the Church, then for the Jews and finally for the Gentiles.

 

We are persuaded that this general outline of the Bible makes sense.

 

We quote another:

“If the Church is only the fulfillment of Old Testament promises made to Israel, then a-millennialism is correct.    However, if the Church does not fulfill Old Testament promises made to Israel, then pre-millennialism is correct.”

 

Therefore the study of ecclesiology is very important, and it is here the major division comes between these two positions.

 

The Question is:  Is Israel of the Bible the same Israel as today?

 

As we see it, the Church is being built on this side of the tomb, the resurrection side.  It was the resurrection that changed “grave-yards” into “cemeteries” which means “sleeping places.”

 

It is clearly stated in Scripture that it was after His death, His resurrection and His ascension to Heaven that Christ became head of the Church.

 

See the following scriptures:   Ephesians 1:19-23, Ephesians 4:8-12, and Colossians 1:18.

 

Ephesians 1:19-23

(19) And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power

(20) Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set [him] at his own right hand in the heavenly [places],

(21) Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come:

(22) And hath put all [things] under his feet, and gave him [to be] the head over all [things] to the church,

(23) Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all.

 

Ephesians 4:8-12

(8) Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men

(9) (Now that he ascended, what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth?

(10) He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things

(11) And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;

(12) For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:

 

Colossians 1:18

(18) And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all [things] he might have the preeminence.