COME CLEAN.... WHEN did the BODY OF CHRIST BEGIN and WHO was the FIRST MEMBER?
If you will go back to post #594 on this thread I have already answered. I said that Israel was temporarily cast aside at Acts 7 at the stoning of Stephen and at that time all of the Jewish believers were made members of the Body of Christ. And Paul's following words prove that the believing Jews were made members of the Body of Christ:
"But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ. For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and 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.2:13-16).
Here Paul speaks of two different groups of believers--the believing Jews and the believing Gentiles. Despite that fact you say that the Twelve weren't included in the group of Jews. But you haven't given any evidence which supports your assertion. I have already addressed Paul's words where he spoke of others being in Christ before he was at the Mid Acts Theology Club but you have not answered what I said there. So I wll repeat what I said in the hope that you will respond to it:
Let us look at the following verse which the MAD's on this forum have not made a response on this thread:
"Salute Andronicus and Junia, my kinsmen, and my fellowprisoners, who are of note among the apostles, who also were in Christ before me" (Ro.16:7).
Paul Sadler, the past President of the Berean Bible Society, says that the words "in Christ" in that verse means redeemed "in Christ.":
https://www.godtube.com/watch/?v=JFM2FMNU
The problem wit this is no one is "redeemed" in Christ because the Scriptures reveal that people are redeemed "through" His blood:
"In whom we have redemption through (dia) his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace" (Eph.1:7).
The Greek word
dia means:
"of the Means or Instrument by which anything is effected; because what is done by means of a person or thing seems to pass as it were 'through' the same" (
Thayer's Greek English Lexicon).
Now let us look at the following verse again:
"Salute Andronicus and Junia, my kinsmen, and my fellowprisoners, who are of note among the apostles, who also were in (en) Christ before me" (Ro.16:7).
The primary meaning of the Greek word
en is
"in the interior of some whole" (
Thayer's Greek English Lexicon).
That matches perfectly with the idea of being in the Body of Christ, being "in Christ." It does not express the idea of anyone being redeemed through the blood of Christ Jesus.
At another place, Paul makes it plain that when the words "in Christ" are used it is in regard to the Body of Christ:
"So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another" (Ro.12:5).
Now it is your time to tell us exactly what the words "in Christ" in the following verse mean:
"Salute Andronicus and Junia, my kinsmen, and my fellowprisoners, who are of note among the apostles, who also were in Christ before me" (Ro.16:7).