THE CHURCH THEN AND NOW.
By Elder J. P. Henderson
BY ELDER J. P. HENDERSON. MANY theologians attempt to prove, and many people are led to believe, that the church of Jesus Christ had no existence previous to his incarnation. With such the idea becomes prevalent that we as Gentiles have no part with the Jewish economy; that the Old Testament, with all its adherents, existed separately, as having no place with the New. These ideas are further advanced as the claims of the fourth commandment are brought to bear. The popular mind is led to believe that the Jews were greatly inferior to the Christians, and that the latter will have preëminence in the future life. Thus caste is introduced into the household of God, in which one race of people are to become subservient to another. Such theology, however, has no place in the mind of God. The church of Jesus Christ is one church, and while the change of dispensation from the old to the new may have brought out some additional features, the church had a prior existence just the same. From Stephen's testimony (Acts 7:38) we learn that "this is He, that was in the church in the wilderness," etc.—a positive affirmation that Christ had a church at that time, and that he was in that church. This, too, leads to the thought of what constitutes the church of God and its membership. Here again we have answer that it is those who are "builded together for a habitation of God through the Spirit." Eph. 2:22. In this same connection the Gentiles are spoken of as "no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow-citizens with the saints, and of the household of God." Verse 19. This implies that the Israelites were the household of God before the "middle wall of partition" was "broken down" (verse 14), and only admits the Gentiles as partakers of the blessing which previously came only through the house of Israel. The Gentiles were the "outcast" and "uncircumcised," and at that time were "without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world." Eph. 2:12. In a figure, the Gentiles are admitted only as partakers with the Israelites of the promises of God, and every article of nourishment they receive is drawn from the breasts of Israel. The Gentiles are represented also as a "wild olive tree" (Rom. 11:17), and can only partake of the "root and fatness of the tame olive tree" by being grafted in. This grafting, too, is said to be "contrary to nature." Verse 24. Nature allows the scion to bear the fruit of the tree from which it is taken, while it may be receiving nourishment from another, but, "contrary to nature," causes the ingrafted branch to lose its identity, as it not only partakes of the "root and fatness of the tame olive tree," but must bear the same fruit. Where is boasting, then? "Thou bearest not the root, but the root thee. Thou wilt say then, The branches were broken off, that I might be graffed in. Well; because of unbelief they were broken off, and thou standest by faith. Be not high-minded, but fear; for if God spared not the natural branches, take heed lest he also spare not thee." Rom. 11:18-21. It is plainly to be understood in the above scriptures that the Gentiles are only an adopted people, and have nothing of themselves. Like adopted children in a family, they lose their previous identity, and become in custom and habit partakers of whatever pertains to the family into which they are adopted. But the family of Israel sprang from Abraham. It was this lineage that especially distinguished them as a separate and distinct people. And the fact that all the promises of God were given in and through Abraham made his literal descendants feel that they and they only were his heirs. "He received the sign of circumcision, . . . that he might be the father of all them that believe" (Rom. 4:11), and it was "to Abraham and his seed" that the promise was made (Gal. 3:16); hence there can be no legal inheritance except to those who in some proper way become members of that family. As the promises were made to his Seed, "which is Christ" (verse 16, last part), it follows that "if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise" (Gal. 3:29). There are two ways of parentage recognized by law; one is in actual birthright, the other by adoption, and in no other way can the Gentiles be heirs of the Abrahamic blessings than by the latter. Having received the spirit of adoption, "we cry, Abba, Father." "And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint heirs with Christ." Rom. 8:15, 17. All the above prove the prior existence of the church, as the church is the body of Christ, of which he himself is given to be its head. Eph. 1:22; Col. 1:18. So it only remains to be proved that he was the head of the "church in the wilderness," and that all constituting his body were partakers with him by faith, or, in other words, that they constituted the same as now, a building, with whom "ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit." Eph. 2:22. The word "also" implies that they were previously builded, and had been, and were at that time, a habitation of God through the Spirit, so that in no way could the Gentiles have preëminence. By turning to 1 Cor. 10:1-4 we find that they "did all eat the same spiritual meat; and did all drink the same spiritual drink; for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them; and that Rock was Christ." The prophets of those days had the Spirit of Christ, which "testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow." 1 Peter 1:11. But space forbids us in this short article to bring forth the evidence that their hearts were purified by faith, even as ours, and that it was through faith and not works that righteousness was imputed to them. See Hebrews, the eleventh chapter. It is also by faith that we become the children of Abraham and are blessed with him. Gal. 3:7, 9. So that, while in preëminence the Jews have the first rank, we are thankful that there is no distinction, "for as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female; for ye are all one in Christ Jesus." Gal. 3:27, 28.