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Eschatology and Ecclesiology

Eschatology and Ecclesiology. The Inauguration of the Church. Some Inaccurate Suggestions. The Church began with Adam

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Eschatology and Ecclesiology

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  1. Eschatology and Ecclesiology The Inauguration of the Church

  2. Some Inaccurate Suggestions • The Church began with Adam • “As New Testament saints are saved through faith in the Christ of history, so Old Testament saints were saved through faith in the Christ of prophecy. . . . And so Isaiah, David, Abraham, Abel and a host of others were members of the one body of Christ, His church. And if we assume, as undoubtedly we may, that Adam and Eve believed the promise of God [Gen. 3:15]. . . then it may be asserted that they constituted the first Christian church” (R. B. Kuiper, The Glorious Body of Christ, pp. 21-22). • The Church began with Abraham • “The church under the new dispensation is identical with that under the old. It is not a new Church, but one and the same. It is the same olive tree (Rom. 11:16,17). It is founded on the same covenant, the covenant made with Abraham” (Hodge, Systematic Theology, 3:549).

  3. Some Inaccurate Suggestions • The Church began with Christ’s earthly ministry • “The church, therefore, was established in the days of Jesus’ sojourn in the flesh and the work of its construction was begun with the material prepared by John the Baptist, later the twelve apostles of our Lord” (R.V. Clearwaters, The Local Church in the New Testament, p. 26). • The Church began with Paul (Ultradispensationalism) • “Perhaps the most evident distinction. . . is the fact that the church of Matthew and of Pentecost is one which was prophesied or predicted by the Old Testament prophets, whereas the church of Paul’s epistle is specifically declared to be part of a great body of truth which in former ages had been hidden in God and never before revealed to the sons of men” (Charles Baker, Bible Truth – What We Believe and Why We Believe It, p. 69).

  4. Bible Truth: The Church Began at Pentecost • Proved by the baptism of the Spirit (Acts 1:8; 2:1-4; 11:15; 1 Cor 12:13). • Proved by the Church as a mystery, i.e. that which was previously unknown but now revealed (Eph 3:2-6; Col 1:24-26). • The context of the mystery: Gentile alienation from God (Eph 2:11-22). • The content of the mystery: Jew and Gentile as fellow heirs in the Body (Eph 3:1-6)...a distinct entity from Israel! • Proved by Christ’s promise (Matt 16:18) • Future tense indicates a future event.

  5. Contextual Flow of Matthew’s Gospel • Matthew 1-10 show the Lord’s credentials as King: birth, baptism, temptation, His teachings on the spirituality of the Law, His supernatural power. • Matthew 11-12 are transitional chapters and emphasize the official opposition to and rejection of Christ. “Mysteries of the kingdom” (Matt 13) born out of this rejection. • After further opposition in Matthew 14-16, and Peter’s correct identification (Matt 16:16), Christ announces His promise to build His “assembly,” those that would believe in and follow Him.

  6. Next Week: The Organization of the Church Syllabus pp. 133-142 Saucy pp. 98-126

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