The Eternal Union of Christ and the Church

The Eternal Union of Christ and the Church

John 14:20

“At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you.”

Believers are the body of Christ, so say the scriptures, and therefore, thus saith the Holy Ghost: who is the author of the scriptures, (II Timothy 3:16; II Peter 1:21). Consider the following passages of holy writ: “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.” (Ephesians 1:22-23). “And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets;   and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ;” (Ephesians 4: 11-12). “So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members of another.” (Romans 12:5). “Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular.” (I Corinthians 12:27). “Who now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his body’s sake, which is the church:” (Colossians 1:24). And not holding the Head, from which all the body by joints and bands having nourishment ministered, and knit together, increaseth with the increase of God. (Colossians 2:19). “And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the first born from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence.” (Colossians 1:18). “For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the savior of the body.” (Ephesians 5:23). All these scripture verses bear witness to the scriptural truth of the opening statement; that believers are the body of Christ. Now since Christ Jesus is “the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.” (Hebrews 13:8), He has the same body as ever He had. And since the church was chosen in Christ before the foundation of the world or without beginning, then the union of the Head, Jesus Christ, and the body, the church, is without beginning or it is an eternal union.

The union of Christ and the church being eternal, and without beginning presents to His members this most beautiful and comforting truth, that all the church in Christ was before the fall in Adam, that is, what the church in Christ, as chosen in Christ, was in Christ, such she is now, and such she will be to all eternity, for “this is the name where-with she shall be called, The Lord our righteousness.” (Jeremiah 33:16). The church having union in “THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS” (Jeremiah 23:6); is, “made the righteousness of God in Him.”(II Corinthians 5:21). “For thy maker is thine husband; the Lord of hosts is his name; and thy Redeemer the Holy One of Israel; The God of the whole earth shall he be called.” (Isaiah 54:5). “For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church for we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones. For this cause shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh. This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church. (Ephesians 5:29-32). Therefore the church, in union, in Christ may be called the mystical body of Christ; (the body kept secret in God from the foundation of the world but is now revealed in the gospel) for she is His body which was hidden in that wonderful mystery “That the Gentiles should be fellow heirs, and of the same body, and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel:” (Ephesians 3:6). “And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God. Who created all things by Jesus Christ: to the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God, according to the eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord: in whom we have boldness and access with confidence by the faith of him.” (Ephesians 3:9-12).   A.J. Ison  See the writers blog at: www.hebrews 915.blogspot.com.

      

The Effectual Working Of His Power

The Effectual Working of His Power

Ephesians 3:7

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.

            According to the doctrine of free-will God loves all men and wants to save all men without exception. We find, however, that all men are not saved. So that we must ask this question: is God disappointed and is His purpose frustrated, in what He has accomplished as compared to what He wants to perform? To this question the scriptures answer, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure:” (Isaiah 46:10) again in the book of Job “But he is of one mind, and who can turn him? and what his soul desireth, even that  he doeth.” (Job 23:13). In the Psalms it is written “But our God is in the heavens: he hath done whatsoever he hath pleased.” (Psalm 115:3) and “Whatsoever the Lord pleased, that did he in heaven, and in earth, in the seas, and all deep places.” (Psalm 135:6): “the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand.” (Isaiah 53:10), “The Lord of hosts hath sworn, saying, Surely as I have thought, so shall it come to pass; and as I have purposed so shall it stand:” (Isaiah 14:24).

Now let us look at the testimony of the New Testament: “all that the Father giveth me shall come to me;” (John 6:37); “Every man therefore that hath heard, and hath learned of the Father, cometh unto me.” (John 6:45); “as many as were ordained to eternal life believed” (Acts 13:48); “the Son quickeneth Whom he will” (John 5:21). Speaking of being born of the Spirit the scripture record is “Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.” (John 1:13); “Therefore hath he mercy on whom he will have mercy and whom he will he hardeneth.” (Romans 9:18); “Israel hath not obtained that which he seeketh for; but the election hath obtained it, and the rest were blinded (according as it is written, God hath given them the spirit of slumber, eyes that they should not see, and ears that they should not hear;) unto this day.” (Romans 11:7-8). The Testimony of the Holy Ghost in the scriptures is that the will of God is absolutely effectual. Whatsoever is the Lords desire; that is precisely what is accomplished, if it were other wise, how could he predestinate to salvation before the foundation of the world? The following scriptures declare the electing love of God, and His predestinating mercy; (Ephesians 1:3-5, 11; II Thessalonians 2:13; II Timothy 1:9; Romans 8:29; 9:11) with many other passages of scripture.

Now since these things are without a doubt scriptural, what must be said about the inward workings of the Holy Ghost in the hearts of men to put therein the law of God. Thus saith God “I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them:” (Hebrews 10:16). This is the unconditional declaration of God Almighty, and if you ask, by what power He will do this; the answer is at hand, for it is by the effectual working of His power. It is the power of All Mighty God The Holy Ghost that makes men willing in the day of His power, for He saith, “Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power,” (Psalm 110:3). “So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth,  but of God that sheweth mercy.” (Romans 9:16). This verse may be paraphrased in this way: So then salvation is not by the will of man, nor by the efforts of man, but by the will of God who shows mercy.

The Apostle says, in the subject verse, that he was “made a minister, according to the gift of the grace of God” the gift of the grace of God was given to all who possess it before the world began; for it is written, “Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner: but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God; who hath saved us, and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began,” (II Timothy 1: 8-9). So that Paul was not made a minister by his own choice but by the appointment of God before the world began, and so it is with all the children of God; they are called with a holy calling not according to their works, but according the purpose and grace of God which was given them in Christ Jesus before the world began. Paul received the grace of God, before he had being in himself, in his own experience of that being, Paul; received the grace of God when his only existence was in the mind, will, and purpose of God, for God knew him in His purpose and grace, and with an everlasting love in Christ Jesus, from everlasting; as it is said of the Prophet Jeremiah “Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.” (Jeremiah 1:5).

Grace in every child of God was given before the foundation of the world; it is the covenant gift of God the Father because of His everlasting love to them in Christ Jesus.  And it is purchased by the shed blood of Jesus Christ according to Hs everlasting love of the many sons He was given of His Father. That grace which is the gift of God is effectually put in hearts of the children of the covenant “by the effectual working of his power” the Holy Ghost effectually works in the hearts of the children of the covenant to put His grace there. “For this cause also thank we God without ceasing, because, when ye received the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe.” (I Thessalonians 2:13).

Now in closing it is the hope of the writer that those who read these lines will be made aware that the power that effectually worketh in the believing children of God is not the power of their own will, which like every other part of their old nature is polluted by sin, and so can be no motive to approach the living God. But the power that worketh in them is the power of the living God that effectually worketh in the heirs of the everlasting covenant of grace according to the united love of the most glorious Three Persons of Jehovah. See the writer’s blog at: (www. hebrews915.blogspot.com)  A.J.Ison.