Over-zealous
Bible dividers hang their case for starting the body of Christ with Paul on the
difference between these two words – WITH and BY.
So-called
Hebrew kingdom saints were baptised WITH the Holy Spirit, BY Jesus and the
Father, and supposedly never became members of Christ’s body. They became
members of what the over-zealous Bible dividers call “believing
“Now this I say, that every one of you saith, I am of Paul; and I of Apollos; and I of Cephas; and I
of Christ. Is Christ
divided? was Paul crucified for you? or were ye baptized in the name of Paul?” (1 Corinthians
1:12-13 AV)
According
to their scheme of things, PETER would qualify as a so-called Hebrew kingdom
saint and PAUL would qualify as a member of the body of Christ. Why then in the
above passage does Paul include Peter (Cephas) as a
member of the undivided Christ?
Even
the words of the glorified Lord are not enough to convince over-zealous Bible
dividers that he had a BODY on earth prior to Paul’s salvation.
“And when we were all fallen to the earth, I heard a voice
speaking unto me, and saying in the Hebrew tongue, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?
it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks. And I
said, Who art thou, Lord? And he said, I
am Jesus whom thou persecutest.” (Acts 26:14-15 AV)
As
far as Paul (Saul) was concerned, he was persecuting a bunch of fellow Hebrews
with blasphemous doctrines. But this bunch of Hebrews had all received the Holy
Spirit of promise. As far as the Lord in heaven was concerned, Paul was
persecuting HIM.
How
do we know that Peter’s little flock received the Holy Spirit of PROMISE? We
know because Peter used the synonymous term “the PROMISE of the Holy Ghost” way
back in Acts 2:33.
“Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted, and having
received of the Father the
promise of the Holy Ghost, he hath shed forth this, which ye
now see and hear.” (Acts
They
go on to say that those saved by believing Paul’s gospel were and are baptised
BY the Holy Spirit into the Church, the body of Christ. In their scheme of
things the Father and the Lord Jesus are seemingly not involved in the process
in this present dispensation.
The
Holy Spirit acts alone, puts them into the body of Christ but NEVER MAKES HIS
PRESENCE FELT WITHIN THEM. How on earth can they “walk after the Spirit” if
they are not baptised WITH the Holy Spirit?
“There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in
Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.” (Romans 8:1
AV)
How
do they distinguish Church members from the rest of the world if not by the PRESENCE
of the Spirit in each member – the Spirit that Paul also called the Spirit of
God and the Spirit of Christ?
“But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the
Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if
any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of
his.” (Romans 8:9 AV)
Seemingly by the presence of a particular view of the
scriptures – the view that starts the body of Christ with Paul and excludes the
Jewish saints who first received that same Holy Spirit of promise prior to
Paul’s salvation.
But
the presence of a particular brand of doctrine within a body of people does not
define the Church. THE PRESENCE OF CHRIST HIMSELF DEFINES HIS BODY.
“I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me:
and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of
God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.” (Galatians
Are
we not sealed WITH that Holy Spirit of promise?
“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,” (Ephesians
And
are we not members of his body BY that Spirit?
“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.” (1 Corinthians
Over-zealous
Bible dividers are really getting desperate by claiming a difference between
being baptised WITH the Holy Spirit and being baptised BY the Holy Spirit.
·
My father and mother clothed me WITH my first school
uniform when I started high school.
BY that school uniform I was
identifiable as a pupil of my high school.
·
After prayer to the Father (by established Christians) in
the name of Jesus, through the longsuffering of our Lord and his mediation with
the Father, I was ‘clothed’ (sealed) WITH that Holy Spirit of promise the
moment I first truly believed. (The seal remains WITH a jar of preserved jam
until it is opened. The seal doesn’t ‘seal and run’.)
BY that Holy Spirit of promise I
am identified with (baptised into) the Lord’s death, burial and resurrection
and BY that Holy Spirit of promise I am a member of the Church, the body of
Christ.
“But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the
Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not
the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.” (Romans 8:9 AV)
“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.” (1 Corinthians
I
submit that it is the PRESENCE (or not) of the Holy Spirit of promise which
makes one a member of the body of Christ (or not). The Holy Spirit does not put
us into something else. HIS PRESENCE alone makes us part of something – the
Church the body of Christ. Therefore his presence IN ANYONE AT ANY TIME joins
that person’s spirit to his Spirit thereby making their flesh and bones his
flesh and bones – they are members of the church, the body of Christ BY HIS
SPIRIT.
“But he that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit.” (1
Corinthians
“For we
are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones.” (Ephesians
Paul
specifically refers to this Spirit as THAT Holy Spirit of PROMISE – the Spirit
that Jesus called the “PROMISE of my Father” - the Spirit that he and the
Father would send from heaven.
“And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in
the city of
“ And, being assembled together with them, commanded them that they
should not depart from
Peter
called him THE PROMISE OF THE HOLY GHOST. Paul called him THAT HOLY SPIRIT OF
PROMISE. Isn’t it obvious that they are both referring to the Spirit that the
Lord called THE PROMISE OF MY FATHER?
PETER’S WORDS - “Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted,
and having received of the Father the
promise of the Holy Ghost, he hath shed forth this, which ye
now see and hear.” (Acts
PAUL’S WORDS - “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,”
(Ephesians
It
was at the house of Cornelius that the body of Christ took its first Gentiles
on board and it was also at the house of Cornelius that the Holy Spirit started
coming upon people by BELIEF ALONE that Christ is risen – with no repentance or
water baptism required prior to the arrival of the Spirit.
It
was PETER that did the preaching at the house of Cornelius – the apostle with
the keys of the kingdom.
“And I say also unto thee, That thou art
Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall
not prevail against it. And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of
heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and
whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” (Matthew
16:18-19 AV)
With
his keys, Peter opened the door, on earth and in heaven, to the Gentiles
receiving the Holy Spirit - the Spirit whose presence made them members of the
Church, the body of Christ.
“While Peter yet spake these words, the Holy Ghost fell on all
them which heard the word. And they of the circumcision which believed were
astonished, as many as came with Peter, because that on the Gentiles also was poured out
the gift of the Holy Ghost.” (Acts
10:44-45 AV)
The
door was opened by Peter who was following orders from the Lord and was
somewhat bewildered by what was going on. The revelation of what was going on,
the revelation of the mystery, was later given to
Paul.
The
one MEDIATOR between God and man, the Lord Jesus Christ, with GREAT
LONGSUFFERING on his part, sealed me WITH that Holy Spirit of promise (from he
and the Father) – the moment I first believed that he continues to minister
from heaven.
It
is the LONGSUFFERING of the Lord that is salvation today. This is testified to
by BOTH PAUL
“Howbeit for this cause I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might shew forth all
longsuffering, for a pattern to them which should hereafter
believe on him to life everlasting.” (1 Timothy
“And account that the
longsuffering of our Lord is salvation;
even as our beloved brother Paul also according to the wisdom given unto him
hath written unto you;” (2 Peter 3:15 AV)
Neither
of them knew or understood what was going on at the time of the events of Acts
9 and 10. BOTH of them knew and understood what was going on by the time of
Acts 28 or thereabouts.
The
new spiritual creature (later to become and be known as the Church the body of
Christ), BEGAN when the Holy Spirit of promise was first sent to the earthly
Lord’s Jewish disciples on the day of Pentecost.
At this time the disciples were not aware of the mystery (later revealed to
Paul) and thought that the great tribulation and
The mystery (previously
hidden) dispensation of his grace and longsuffering toward ignorant and
unbelieving sinners, began with the salvation of Paul - the “me first” pattern
of his longsuffering and grace.
“Howbeit for this cause I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might shew
forth all longsuffering, for a pattern to them
which should hereafter
believe on him to life everlasting.” (1 Timothy
The
revelation of the mystery, the revelation of what God (Father, Son and Holy
Spirit) were doing, was given to Paul, over time, from Acts 9 onward.
The
new spiritual creature started taking Gentiles on board, with totally equal
membership, from Acts 10 onwards. This was revealed to his holy apostles and
prophets by the Spirit himself.
“While Peter thought on the vision, the Spirit said unto him, Behold, three men seek thee. Arise therefore, and get
thee down, and go with them, doubting nothing: for I have sent them.” (Acts 10:19-20 AV)
“While Peter yet spake these words, the
Holy Ghost fell on all them which heard the word. And they of the circumcision
which believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because that on the
Gentiles also was poured out the gift of the Holy Ghost.” (Acts 10:44-45 AV)
“For this
cause I Paul, the prisoner of Jesus Christ for you Gentiles, If ye have heard
of the dispensation of the grace of God which is given me to you-ward: How that
by revelation he made known unto me the mystery; (as I wrote afore in few
words, Whereby, when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery of
Christ) 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; That the Gentiles should be
fellowheirs, and of the same body, and partakers of his promise in Christ by
the gospel:” (Ephesians 3:1-6 AV)
The
new spiritual creature, with a growing Gentile membership, gets its name in the
large and bustling Gentile city of
“Then departed Barnabas to
The
membership at the time of Acts 11 included many that present day, over-zealous
Bible dividers would call “Hebrew kingdom saints” (baptised WITH the Holy
Spirit according to them) and many “Gentile grace saints” that were baptised BY
the Holy Spirit (according to them).
Strange that the holy apostles and prophets never
mentioned this pivotal division of Christ. This is because it never existed
and is a present day theory applied to people who are not around TO ANSWER
BACK.
“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.” (1 Corinthians
The
Holy Spirit of promise sent Paul on his first missionary journey to more
distant Gentile lands - accompanied by Barnabas.
“Now there were in the church that was at Antioch certain prophets
and teachers; as Barnabas, and Simeon that was called Niger, and Lucius of Cyrene, and Manaen, which had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch,
and Saul. As they ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Ghost said,
Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them.” (Acts
13:1-2 AV)
The
over-zealous Bible dividers would have you to understand that Barnabas was a
Hebrew kingdom saint, a member of ‘believing
“And Joses, who by the apostles was
surnamed Barnabas, (which is, being interpreted, The
son of consolation,) a Levite, and of the country of
They
would also have you believe that Paul was a grace-age saint, baptised BY the Holy
Spirit into the body of Christ.
They
are right about Paul but they are WRONG about Barnabas. Barnabas was baptised
WITH the Holy Spirit of promise at the time of Acts 4, and BY that Holy Spirit
of promise he was a member of Christ’s body as it existed at the time – a
persecuted remnant of
The
mystery revelations were given to Paul and the Jews saved prior to Paul either
kept up with the unfolding revelation of the mystery (through Paul) or they
went back to the old and familiar security blanket of