I Corinthians 12:12
"For as the body (or human body) is one, and has many members. (now, what does that speak of? Our hands, fingers, toes, ears, eyes, all of these things make up our body.) and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ." Or the spiritual body of Christ is made up of many members. Do you see that?
I Corinthians 12:13a
"For by one Spirit (by the work of the Holy Spirit) are we all. (not just some of the elite. Not just some who have had a particular experience, but every believer is) baptized (or placed into) one body, (which Ephesians calls the body of Christ.)
That composition of believers from wherever they are, whatever their station in life, at redemption they are brought in and become part and parcel of the Body of Christ. Now some of us may be a little toe. Some of us may be nothing more than an ear or an eye or something like that, but we are members of the one body, and we all have a function. That’s why it behooves every believer to be used of God in whatever particular purpose He has. This is what the gifts of the Spirit is all about and how they are to be properly applied or used. Alright, so here we are placed into the body by the work of the Holy Spirit, the Holy spirit is the Gift of God for us all now to live in dependency of:
I Corinthians 12:13b
"…whether we be Jew or Gentile, whether we be bond or free; and we have been all made to drink (or partake) into one Spirit."
The human body as well as the body of Christ is not one member but many. The whole analogy of the rest of this chapter is that God is building the body of Christ, individual by individual, placing them where He wants them. Just like, and we have used this analogy over and over, like the little baby in the mother’s womb. My, that doesn’t just form all at once, but over nine months those cells are going to their rightful place. The cells that compose the fingernails go to the fingernail. The cells that compose the eye go to the eye. And all through that nine-month period, that little body is finally brought to a completion. Every cell had gone to where it has to be to make that little creature function. Alright, so is the body of Christ. And like all seeds it has to pass through the veil of death in order for it to be birthed and yes even the mother passes through death in child birthing. We by God's Will have to pass through His death in order to be re-birthed or born again. Then we begin a process over of growth unto maturity or perfection which is to bring us to salvation. We're not to remain a young child or infant for ever. As with our growth and development there are no less than two stages so there is in our birthing into God's Kingdom.
Now for 2000 and some years God has been bringing them into the body one at a time.
Alright, so is the body of Christ. We’ve never lost our individuality. And God knows every one of us as an individual and yet the composite is the one body of Christ and will one day be complete. And, that is why we're proponents of the departure. We have to be taken out. We will not fit in the tribulation economy. That’s the best word we can find. Because the tribulation or Jacobs troubles are for the Hebrew, and for the rest of the unbelieving world. The tribulation isn’t for the believers! Those within the spiritual Body of Christ, as it has to be taken out, and it will be. We're adamant on that!
Because Paul alone, tells us about the forming of the Body of Christ. Paul alone tells us how the Body is to function in this world. Paul alone is going to give us the end of the Body on earth and it’s deliverance. See that? So, here we have then, as we find coming out of Hebrews, let’s go back there again. That the Body of Christ is being formed because as we became receiving believers of the Gospel of Grace, we became partakers or companions of Christ by virtue of the fact that the Holy Spirit has placed us into the One Body. What a unique position, and the number of its members is limited in number, to be a member of Christ Himself requires obedience to God's revealed Will. We are not just subjects of a King. Oh, He is going to be King of Kings don’t think for a minute He won’t be, but we are not the subjects of a King. We are members of the One Body of Christ. Alright, back to Hebrews:
Hebrews 3:14a
"For we are made partakers of Christ, (and there is that big word I made mention of earlier.) if"…"
The word "if" here is not a matter of these Hebrews having been saved and losing it, because they have not totally entered in. They’re on the fence. They are considering it. If we have been enlightened. It doesn’t say it is impossible if they have been saved. But, they’ve only been enlightened. They have tasted, they have stepped in with one foot. Just as the many do even in our day and time, they began the process but as Paul warns they stopped short. And, then what did they do? They turned around and went back into Judaism. He warned the Galatians of falling backward into they're paganism or under the spell of Judaism.
Now, we've all had the same problem, especially with people in cults, or religionists and legalists as we called them. We're not going to name them, but there are more than one. This happened for us back under the tent in Ocala, Florida in early 1985. And, they have the same problem. Oh, it is so hard to break with that cult or religions brainwashing that they have been under for maybe 30, 50 or 60 years. It isn’t that they are going to be saved and lost. It’s because they can’t truly come in and experience a real rebirth into salvation. So, that is what we are dealing with here in Hebrews. Don’t ever get the idea that we are talking about Hebrews who were saved and lost. Or that IF they can hang on they will still be saved. No, the "IF" is, have you really been saved? This is where we're probably shaking a few people up. We don’t want to make people miserable and doubt their salvation if they have truly been saved. Not at all. But, listen we’ve got millions NO billions of people out there that think they are saved, and they have never had a salvation experience. Those are the people that we have to warn. Yes, this if is a big "IF" for you if you have never been truly saved. Our first look at it is found with Peter when he replied to Jesus' question, “who do men say that I am?” It was not the response that counts but rather the way he received the inspiration that is the key. For it is upon this key that all of scripture is based from there now out into infinity. Why? Because as the son of man Jesus said, "upon this rock I will build My Church", not the Old Testament which runs up through Acts chapter 11. But upon the illumination which the called out and appointed Apostle Paul was given by the risen LORD personally.
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