For many years the giants of Mid Acts dispensationalism, including Sir Robert Anderson and J.C. O'Hair, taught that the doctrine contained in the Jewish epistles (Hebrews thrugh Jude) applies to the Body of Christ. However, today in the Mid Acts movement there are many sincere believers who teach that the doctrine contained in those epistle do not apply to the Body. One such person who teaches that they do not apply to the Body of Christ is Paul M. Sadler, the President of the Berean Bible Society.

He teaches that there are two distinct and separate "plans" of God, one which applies to the "earthly" sphere and another which applies to the "heavenly" sphere:

"God would have us understand that He is the Creator of heaven and the Creator of earth, which strongly implies that He has a different 'plan' and 'purpose' for each" (Sadler, Exploring the Unsearchable Riches of Christ [Stephens Point, WI: Worzalla Publishing, 1993], p.26).

In regard to the Lord's "earthly" plan he writes that "those who were saved under this program, such as Abraham, Moses, David, Isaiah, Peter, Stephen, and the saved of the future tribulation period all have or had an 'earthly' hope" (Ibid., p.30).

Then he writes the following in regard to the Lord's "heavenly" plan:

"Since the Holy Spirit marks the beginning of the Body of Christ with the conversion of Paul, all those who have been saved from his conversion to the present have a 'heavenly hope'" (Ibid., p.33).,

According to Pastor Sadler only those saved from the conversion of Paul to the present time have a "heavenly hope" and belong to the Body of Christ. Therefore, according to him none of the original Apostles were members of the Body of Christ, including John or Peter. So if Pastor Sadler is correct then neither the epistles of John nor the epistles of Peter are addressed to those in the Body of Christ. He writes:

"So then, although Peter was well aware of the 'present truth' of Jew and Gentile in one Body, he was not writing to the Body of Christ. Rather he confines his message to the elect nation that had given birth to the 'little flock' commonly known as the kingdom saints" (Sadler, "The Life and Letters of the Apostle Peter; Part III," The Berean Searchlight, April, 2000, p.8).

Is it true that only those who were saved after Paul was converted were made members of the Body of Christ? Let us look at some believers who were saved prior to Paul's conversion.

Barnabas was saved before Paul's conversion. After Pentecost he sold his land and gave the money to the Apostles:

"And Joses, who by the apostles was surnamed Barnabas, (which is, being interpreted, The son of consolation,) a Levite, and of the country of Cyprus, Having land, sold it, and brought the money, and laid it at the apostles' feet" (Acts 4:36-37).

Later we see Barnabas being sent with Paul as his co-worker: "As they ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Spirit said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them" (Acts 13:2).

Both Paul and Barnabas preached to the Gentiles: "Then Paul and Barnabas waxed bold, and said, It was necessary that the word of God should first have been spoken to you: but seeing ye put it from you, and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, lo, we turn to the Gentiles. For so hath the Lord commanded us, saying, I have set thee to be a light of the Gentiles, that thou shouldest be for salvation unto the ends of the earth" (Acts 13:46-47).

Surely Barnabas was a member of the Body of Christ. After all, he was preaching to Gentiles and the Gentiles who believed His gospel message were baptized into the Body of Christ by the Holy Spirit. According to Pastor Sadler the so-called "kingdom saints," including Peter, confined their message to the "elect nation." But he does not explain why a so-called "kingdom saint" like Barnabas would preach a gospel to the Gentiles.

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