(Continued from page 102.)

The Body of Christ

This blessed truth, with which the apostle's conversion was connected, was his unique testimony. What a revelation-what a discovery for this man of Jewish prejudice whose zeal carried him into a whirl of hatred to " the Name," supposing that zeal for Judaism-was service to, and approved of God.

His life was revolutionized by the revelation of Christian glory; his whole course was exposed by it, and he learned that the feeble few he had so recently persecuted were actually linked with a glorified Christ! "Saul! Saul! why persecutes! thou Me f" Those despised, afflicted ones were "bone of His bones and flesh of His flesh," and in touching them, this self confessed enemy of the Lord persecuted Him. It gives an impetus to our Christian life when we learn that not only has the Lord Jesus died to deliver us from the just consequences of our sins, but to "gather together in one the children of God that were scattered abroad" (John 11:50-52).

"By one Spirit are we all baptized into one Body."

Not only has the believer on the Lord Jesus been sealed by the Holy Spirit (God thus marking him out as His own), but by the same blessed Spirit he is joined to, and is made a member of the Body of Christ. The knowledge of this blessed fact must necessarily affect us, both in practical conduct toward our fellow-members, and in our ecclesiastical associations. These two aspects are plainly indicated in the following scriptures :

"We being many, are one Body in Christ, and every one members one of another" (Rom. 12:5).

"The Head from which all the Body by bands arid joints having nourishment ministered increaseth with the increase of God" (Col. 2 :19). It is well to keep these two aspects distinct:failure to do so must result in confusion.

The first scripture quoted is the divine regulator of conduct, and leads us to care for one another; giving to each his or her place, and all this flowing out of the knowledge of God's grace. Headship is not the subject here, but the fact that we are members of "one Body." But we must not stop here, where in fact many do stop; consequently, while conduct toward fellow-believers maybe exemplary,
there is little or no sense of Christ's Headship over us. It leads to independency, to the exercise of self-will in the assembly of God, and the soul is in danger of being beguiled by philosophy and vain deceit (Col. 2 :18-23).

As the head of the natural body directs every member, so it was destined that the spiritual Body be directed by Christ, the living Head, and deriving all from Him, should, by nourishment ministered, increase with the increase of God.

This blessed work is carried on through the gifts which Christ has given, as unfolded in the fourth chapter of the epistle to the Ephesians. Having ascended on high, after coming down into the enemy's domain, and having led captivity captive, Christ received gifts for those who were once the enemy's spoil. These He has bestowed upon His servants for the edification and upbuilding of His own, and the deliverance of others who are still captives.

What a triumph of grace, that here, where Satan succeeded in seducing man from dependence upon and allegiance to God, this exalted and glorious Person should communicate gifts for the gathering out of those who shall be His companions in glory, and who in the day of display shall be manifested with Him in that glory, to the confusion of all the adverse powers.

Let it be noted that the gifts here in Eph., chap. 4, are not as in i Cor., chap. 12, spoken of as coming from the Spirit, severally divided; neither are sign-gifts mentioned. They are brought before us in Corinthians as tokens of power, destined to affect the unconverted, but here as endowments from
Christ, that all may be effected according to the mind of God, and the Body edified.

In i Cor., chap. 12, the Spirit's work is especially in view, distributing gifts as He wills, but all exercised under the direction of the Head. No natural ability may be present, and it is not independent, voluntary power – servants remain servants, and must acknowledge the Lordship of Christ alone, He directing the exercise of gifts according to His perfect knowledge and grace. In the early history of the Church we see this blessedly manifested; each exercised his divinely-given gifts in responsibility to the Lord for the benefit of the whole Church.

Alas, what confusion has arisen and what loss has ensued from ignoring these blessed truths ! Christendom, broadly speaking, has entirely lost sight of them. Consequently schism (condemned by Scripture, i Cor. 12 :25) has become virtuous, and the various sects are justified as helping the spread of truth. The old adage, "Unity is strength" is a truism ; and the strength of the Church's testimony has departed through sectarianism and world-conformity.

How much modern day usages are at variance with what was established at the beginning, the reader can judge. True, apostles are no more, and sign-gifts (as in Corinthians) are not with us- but the gifts spoken of in the epistle to the Ephesians remain, and the Spirit still distributes as in i Cor., chap. 12. Our responsibility, therefore, is to return to first principles and refuse absolutely all that militates against these blessed truths. J. W. H. N.

(To be continued.)