PAUL’S GOSPEL - LOST AND FOUND
Let us look for a moment at the history of some of the Apostle Paul’s major doctrines. When Paul finished preaching in Asia he said in:
Acts 19:10
…all they which dwelt in Asia heard the word of the Lord Jesus, both Jews and Greeks.
Some ten years later, however, he had to say in
2 Timothy 1:15
…all they which are in Asia be turned away from me.
Early Church history shows that with the rejection of Paul went the doctrines he had taught them. Notice the order of rejection:
1. THE MYSTERY
The first truth to be lost was the doctrine of the Mystery of the Church, the Body of Christ. Under this Mystery Gospel, believing Jews and Gentiles, without distinction, were baptized by the Holy Spirit into the Body of Christ. They were united together with Christ in his death, burial and resurrection:
1 Corinthians 12:12
For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.
I Corinthians 12:27
Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular.
Not only were they in Christ but Christ was also in them:
Colossians 1:25-28
...I am made a minister, according to the dispensation of God which is given to me for you, to fulfil the word of God; Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints; To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory; Whom we preach, warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom; that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus.
Through this revelation of the Mystery we learn that we are not only perfect in Christ but we are also sealed by the Holy Spirit:
Ephesians 1:13-14
In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, Which is the earnest (guarantee) of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.
We also learn that we are complete in Christ:
Colossians 2:9, 10
For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily. And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power.
2. THE RAPTURE OF THE CHURCH
The second truth to be lost was the doctrine of the Rapture of the Church, the Body of Christ and the resurrection of believers before the prophesied time of the Great Tribulation:
1 Corinthians 15:51, 52
Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
Philippians 3:13, 14
…forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high (upward) calling of God (Rapture) in Christ Jesus.
3. JUSTIFICATION BY FAITH
The third truth to be lost was the doctrine of Justification by Faith. It was by God’s grace and totally without the works of man:
Romans 1:16, 17
For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith as it is written (Habakkuk 2:4), the just shall live by faith.
Romans 3:24
Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.
Romans 3:28
Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law.
THE DARK AGES
The period of time between the loss and recovery of these truths down through history has been appropriately called the dark ages. Strangely, the order of recovery of the lost doctrines is in reverse order of their being lost.
1. JUSTIFICATION BY FAITH
The first truth to be recovered was the doctrine of Justification by Faith by Martin Luther in 1517. One of his favorite verses of Scripture was:
Galatians, 3:11
But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith.
Other Scriptures expressing the same thought are:
Romans 5:1
Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Galatians 2: 16
Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, even we have believed in Jesus Christ that we might be justified by the faith of Christ and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.
Titus 3:7
…being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.
2. THE RAPTURE OF THE CHURCH
The second truth to be recovered was the doctrine of the Rapture of the Church and the resurrection of believers before the Great Tribulation. The Plymouth Brethren minister, John Darby, began that recovery in 1827. His favorite verses were:
1 Thessalonians 4:16-18
For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
Wherefore comfort one another with these words.
3. THE MYSTERY
The third truth to be recovered was the doctrine of the Mystery of the Church, the Body of Christ. Probably the greatest influence in bringing back the doctrine of the Mystery was the publication of the Scofield Reference Bible in 1909 by Dr. C. I. Scofield. In his footnotes on Ephesians chapter 3 he states:
“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 and in which the earthly distinction of Jew and Gentile disappears. The revelation of this mystery…was committed to Paul. In his writings alone we find the doctrine, position, walk, and destiny of the church.”
The next great influence in the recognition of the Mystery was the publication in 1947 of Dr. Lewis Sperry Chafer’s Systematic Theology. Dr. Chafer was the president of Dallas Theological Seminary and wrote as follows:
“Chapter 3 of Ephesians defines the Church as a sacred secret, hitherto unrevealed, which provides for the forming of a new Body by making Gentiles fellow heirs, and of the same body, and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel. According to verse 5, this Pauline revelation is the unfolding of a mystery, or sacred secret, which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit.
“What then is the mystery? It is stated in verse 6 here in the simplest of terms: that the Gentiles should be fellowheirs, and of the same body, and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel. The mystery is of a present uniting of Jews and Gentiles into one Body…”
Charles F. Baker was a student of Dr. Chafer. He graduated from Dallas Theological Seminary and became President of the Grace Bible College. His comments on the Mystery follow:
“When Paul describes the mystery in Ephesians 3:6 he uses three terms, all expressing joint relationship: That the Gentiles should be fellowheirs (joint-heirs), and of the same body (a joint-body), and partakers (joint-partakers) of his promise in Christ by the gospel. By thus being in Christ the believer is made to share in the whole history of Christ’s passion, burial, resurrection, ascension, and glorification. He is said to have been jointly crucified with Christ…to have been jointly buried with Christ… to have been jointly raised with Christ… to be jointly seated with Christ at present in heavenly places…and in the future to be jointly glorified with Christ.”
To this list we might add the following blessings:
I Corinthians 1:30
But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption.
II Corinthians 5:17, 18
Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature (creation)…And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ…
And to top it off we read in:
Colossians 1:28
…teaching every man in all wisdom; that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus.
Again we read in:
Colossians 2:10
And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power.
Thus through the revelation of the Mystery we learn that upon believing in Christ as our Savior, we are sealed by the Holy Spirit into the Body of Christ. Being in Christ we have the following standing before God. We are:
Identified with Christ in His death, burial and resurrection.
Baptized by the Holy Spirit into the Body of Christ.
Sealed by the Holy Spirit unto the day of redemption.
Seated with Christ in the heavenlies.
Given His wisdom, righteousness, sanctification and redemption.
Considered a new creation and reconciled to God.
Presented perfect in Christ and are complete in Him.
Soon to be glorified with Him.
What more could we possibly ask for? Happy is the Christian who believes God’s revelation of the Mystery for this present dispensation of the grace of God.