Since it has been demonstrated that the Body of Christ did not begin on the day of Pentecost we will now determine when it did begin. There are many sincere believers in the Mid Acts community who say that the following verses prove that Paul was the first member of the Body of Christ:

"This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief. 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 Tim.1:15-16).

I do not think that these verses say that Paul was the first member of the Body of Christ. Instead, Paul is saying that we should look at his own life "first" as an example that demonstrates just how far the grace of the Lord reaches. Paul sees himself as being not worthy to be an apostle because he "persecuted the church of God" (1 Cor.15:9) and describes himself as "chief" or "first in rank" among all sinners. Paul is saying that if the Lord can reach down in grace to save him then anyone can be saved.

In this verse Paul speaks of other believers who were "in Christ" before he was:

"Salute Andronicus and Junia, my kinsmen, and my fellow-prisoners, who are of note among the apostles, who also were in Christ before me" (Ro.16:7).

Paul also says that if anyone be "in Christ" then he is a new creation:

"So if any one be in Christ, there is a new creation; the old things have passed away; behold all things have become new" (2 Cor.5:17; J. N. Darby Translation).

Cornelius Stam says, "The above rendering of II Cor. 5:17 by J.N.Darby, in his 'New Translation,' is doubtless more accurate than that of the 'Authorized Version.' This 'new creation,' this 'one new man,' this 'joint body,' formed of Jews and Gentiles made one in Christ, is called 'His body, the fulness of Him that filleth all in all' (Eph. 1:23)" (Stam, True Spirituality [Berean Literature Foundation, 1984], p. 48,50).

Those who are said to be "in Christ" are members of the Church, which is His Body. If "any one be in Christ" he is a member of the Body of Christ. It is inconceivable that Paul would use the phrase "in Christ" indiscriminately, sometimes applying it to the Body of Christ and sometimes not. That would lead to nothing but confusion and our Lord is not a God of confusion. Therefore the following verse must refer to the fact that others preceded Paul as members of the Body of Christ:

"Salute Andronicus and Junia, my kinsmen, and my fellow-prisoners, who are of note among the apostles, who also were in Christ before me" (Ro.16:7).

But there are some Mid Acts believers who say that Paul's words here should be understood in its broadest sense of "redemption." However, the only verse which they can give to support this idea is this one:

"For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive" (1 Cor.15:22).

However, in this verse we find a definite article (the) before the word "Christ":

"For as in the Adam all die, thus also in the Christ all shall be made alive" (J.N. Darby Translation).

In all the times when Paul uses the term "in Christ" to refer to being a member of the Body of Christ he never uses the definite article before the word "Christ." Therefore there is no evidence from the Scriptures to support the idea that the phrase "in Christ" is used in any other way than to denote someone being a member of the Body of Christ.

When Paul speaks of anyone being "in Christ" before him then he is saying that they were members of the Body of Christ before he was.

When Paul was converted on the Damascus road the Lord Jesus told him the following in regard to the Gentiles:

"To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me" (Acts 26:18).

The only people who had been sanctified before Paul were Jewish believers. Therefore the Gentiles who believed were to share the same inheritance that was given to the Jewish believers. Paul said the same thing to the Ephesian elders:

"And now, brethren, I commend you to God, and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up, and to give you an inheritance among all them which are sanctified" (Acts 20:32).

The inheritance which the Gentile believers receive is said to be "among all them which are sanctified." That would surely be in regard to the Jewish believers. Paul also wrote the following to the church at Rome:

"For it hath pleased them of Macedonia and Achaia to make a certain contribution for the poor saints which are at Jerusalem. It hath pleased them verily; and their debtors they are. For if the Gentiles have been made partakers of their spiritual things, their duty is also to minister unto them in carnal things" (Ro.15:26-27).

Since Paul spoke of others being in the Body of Christ before he was then it can be concluded that the shared "inheritance" of the Gentile believers and the Jewish believers included membership in the Body of Christ. The Gentiles were made partakers of the Jewish believer's spiritual things, including membership in the Church, which is His Body.

Ever since the Lord redeemed the nation of Israel from slavery in Egypt they were a "special people?above all people that are upon the face of the earth":

"For thou art an holy people unto the LORD thy God: the LORD thy God hath chosen thee to be a special people unto himself, above all people that are upon the face of the earth" (Deut.7:6).

However, today there are no special people unto the Lord except those who are members of the Body of Christ. And in the Body all national distinctions have been done away with:

"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).

Since in the Body of Christ there is no difference between the Jew other people that means that at some point in time national Israel was temporarily set aside. That is because the Lord cannot act at the same time upon two wholly different and incompatible principles. In other words, He cannot deal with the Jews as a special people at the same time when He declares that there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek.

Therefore we can conclude that before the Lord could begin to build His heavenly Church He must have first temporarily cast aside national Israel. I believe that this happened when Stephen was stoned at Acts 7. In The Berean Searchlight Win Johnson wrote:

"Matthew 12:31,32 states: 'Wherefore I say unto you, all manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men: but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men. And whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of Man, it shall be forgiven him: but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world [age], neither in the world to come.'

"These words of warning came from the lips of the Son of God while He walked among men in His earthly ministry. They were addressed to the religious leaders of the nation Israel. Their blasphemy against Him even when He hung on the Cross was forgiven by the Father in answer to the prayer, 'Father forgive them, for they know not what they do' (Luke 23:34).

"But when at Pentecost, Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, announced the return of Messiah on the condition of Israel's national repentance, these leaders instigated a persecution that reached its climax in the stoning of Stephen, a godly man, 'full of the Holy Ghost' (Acts 7:54-60). It was here that the 'unpardonable sin' was committed by Israel's leaders. The Third Person of the Trinity had been blasphemed and His pleadings through the Apostles ignored. This sin will never be forgiven" (Win Johnson, "The Unpardonable Sin," The Berean Searchlight, Feb.2001, p.6).

The "unpardonable sin" was committed at Acts 7, and I believe that at that point in time national Israel was temporarily set aside. I believe that at that time the Holy Spirit baptized all believers into the Church, which is Body.

After all, what was the Lord to do with the Jewish believers since He had concluded the nation of Israel as a whole in unbelief?:

"For as ye in times past have not believed God, yet have now obtained mercy through their unbelief: Even so have these also now not believed, that through your mercy they also may obtain mercy. For God hath concluded them all in unbelief, that he might have mercy upon all" (Ro.11:30-32).

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