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Note what Dr. C. I. Scofield wrote in his Reference Bible (his footnote), concerning the Joint-Body of Ephesians 3:6:
“That the Gentiles were to be saved was no mystery (Romans 9:24 to 33; Romans 10:19 to 21). The mystery “hid in God” was the divine purpose to make of Jew and Gentile a wholly new thing—“the church, which is His (Christ’s) Body,” formed by the baptism with the Holy Spirit (I Corinthians 12:12, 13) and in which the earthly distinction of Jew and Gentile disappears (Ephesians 2:14, 15; Colossians 3:10, 11). The revelation of this mystery, which was foretold, but not explained by Christ (Matthew 16:18), was committed to Paul. In his writings alone we find the doctrine, position, walk, and destiny of the Church.”
Note what Mr. Wm. R. Newell has written in his book on Romans
“And again it pleased Him to choose Paul to be the great proclaimer and revealer of just what the gospel is for this dispensation. You can judge any man’s preaching or teaching by this rule-Is he Pauline? Does his doctrine start and end according to those statements of Christian doctrine uttered by the Apostle Paul? No matter how wonderful a man may seem to be in his gifts and apparent consecration, if his gospel is not Pauline, it is not the gospel, and we might as well get our minds settled at once on that point.” Page 339.
“Paul calls down the anathema, that is the curse of God Himself upon any one who preaches any other gospel than that which he declared. Galatians 1.
“For instance, if you were to take Paul’s Epistles out of the Bible, you cannot find anything about the Church, the Body of Christ, for no other apostle mentions the Body of Christ.” Page 340.
“But unto none of these twelve apostles did God reveal the great body of doctrine for this age
“Finally, Paul is the unfolder of that great company of God’s elect, called the Church, the Body of Christ, which is also the Bride, the individuals of which, are called members of the Body of Christ-members of Christ Himself.” Page 338.
“Would that we had grace to defend just as vigorously this great message today, for it has many enemies and even real friends who do not yet see it clearly; and there are others, who like Peter (Galatians 2), through fear of others, are ready to compromise and tone down the gospel of God.” Page 344.
Note what Dr. H. A. Ironside has written concerning the Church of the Mystery
“The mystery of the Church as the Body of Christ was never made known in Old Testament times, nor yet in the days when our Lord was on the earth. We are told distinctly it had been “hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifested to the saints.” The Divine method of making it known was by a special revelation to the apostle Paul, as he tells us in Ephesians 3. But this revelation was not for him only. It was a ministry committed to him to pass on to the saints.”
“But this doctrine of the one body is never referred to by any other apostle than Paul. He calls it “the dispensation of the mystery” which he has especially been entrusted with.”
“It was the secret purpose of His heart only to be revealed after the rejection of His Son.” “To the Epistles of Paul alone do we turn for the revelation of this mystery. He was the special vessel chosen to make known the heavenly calling.”
“The mystery formed no part of the revelation of the previous dispensations. Had it been otherwise, Paul could not rightly have written that it was “kept secret since the world began.”
“The mystery was not something of difficult, mysterious character, but a sacred secret never known to mankind until in due time opened up by the Holy Spirit through the Apostle Paul.”
“It was a special revelation given, not to the twelve, but to him as the apostle of the new dispensation.”
“That a doctrine so clearly revealed in the Scriptures could have become so utterly lost is only to be accounted for by the Judaizing of the Church, and the consequent minding of earthly things that beclouded the heavenly ones.”
“Now if the mystery be for those who have faith to obey, it is certainly of vast importance that every child of God be instructed as to its true character.” (The above quotations copied from Dr. Ironside’s writings.)
This is what I believe and teach concerning the Church of the Mystery, the Body of Christ. But the Church to which Peter belonged on the day of Pentecost was not the Church of the Mystery, for the Divine movement which Peter presented in connection with the gospel of the circumcision, unlike the. Joint-Body of Ephesians 3:6, was prophesied.
We learn in II Peter 3:15 and 16 that Peter acknowledged that some things in all of Paul’s Epistles were hard to be understood. It was not hard for Peter to understand Acts 15:13 to 18: “And after they had held their peace, James answered, saying, Men and brethren, hearken unto me: Simeon hath declared how God at the first did visit the Gentiles to take out of them a people for His name. And to this agree the words of the prophets; as it is written, After this I will return, and will build again the tabernacle of David, which is fallen down; and I will build again the ruins thereof, and I will set it up, That the residue of men might seek after the Lord, and all the Gentiles, upon whom my name is called, saith the Lord, Who doeth all these things. Known unto God are all His works from the beginning of the world.”
Peter and the Eleven understood this program of God, for it was a prophesied program. But they had to learn from Paul concerning the gospel of the uncircumcision. Galatians 2:2 to 9. Paul had to explain to them the truth of Ephesians 3:6 to 11, God’s eternal purpose, the unsearchable (unprophesied) riches of Christ for Gentiles, the dispensation of the mystery, the Joint-Body unknown to Israel’s prophets. Peter preached a prophesied message and presented a prophesied spiritual program. Paul, in addition to a prophesied message, proclaimed unprophesied truth concerning the One New Man of Ephesians 2:15, the Perfect Man of Ephesians 4:13.
Dr. Scofield versus Dr. Bullinger. Dr. C. I. Scofield, of the United States, was the editor of the Scofield Reference Bible. Dr. E. W. Bullinger, of England, was the editor of the Companion Bible. Both of these men were positive and aggressive evangelical and evangelistic Christians. They both beli
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