The Lord's Body, Which Is the Church

2007-07-14 21:05

The church that is below is natural, but the church that is above is spiritual. The former is related to sin, but the latter is not. The former is of the world, but the latter is not.

Abram begot Ishmael by Hagar the slave woman, and Abraham begot Isacc by Sarah the free woman.

The slave woman means the natural church, and the free woman the spiritual church. The Bible says, "For it is written that Abraham had two sons: the one by a bondwoman, the other by a freewoman. But he who was of the bondwoman was born according to the flesh, and he of the freewoman through promise." (Galatians 4:22-23).

Therefore, there is no salvation in the church that is below, in other words, the church that is of the world. It is written, "But what does the Scripture say? 'Get rid of the slave woman and her son, for the slave woman's son will never share in the inheritance with the free woman's son.' Therefore, brothers, we are not children of the slave woman, but of the free woman." (Galatians 4:30-31).

Therefore, Jesus Christ the head of the church said, "But I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to myself." (John 12:32). All the churches in the world are slaves to sin because they are natural and have not denied themselves.

It is written, "Jesus replied, 'I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.'" (John 8:34-36). The church in the world that is below and worldly has nothing to do with the kingdom of God.

The Lord's apostles, at first, could not clearly distinguish between the church below and the church above, and they thought that the church below is all. There is no spiritual church without a natural church, as there was no Isacc without Ishmael.

Therefore, Paul the apostle of the Lord's apostles also said about it, "Therefore, from now on, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him thus no longer." (2 Corinthians 5:16).

The Bible says, "These things may be taken figuratively, for the women represent two covenants. One covenant is from Mount Sinai and bears children who are to be slaves: This is Hagar. Now Hagar stands for Mount Sinai in Arabia and corresponds to the present city of Jerusalem, because she is in slavery with her children. But the Jerusalem that is above is free, and she is our mother." (Galatians 4:24-26).

The church is the wife of Christ. The slave woman, the church that is below, is not his true wife. So the children who are born by the slave woman cannot inherit the kingdom of the Father. The children who are born by the church that is above, that is, by his free and true wife who has been set free from sin, will inherit the kingdom of the Father.

The children who belong to the free woman, the church that is above, have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires, and are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, and wait for Christ who will be brought into the world a second time, apart from sin.

The Bible says about them, "so Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many. To those who eagerly wait for Him He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation." (Hebrews 9:28).

The Bible says about the children who belong to the church that is above, "Jesus replied, 'The people of this age marry and are given in marriage. But those who are considered worthy of taking part in that age and in the resurrection from the dead will neither marry nor be given in marriage, and they can no longer die; for they are like the angels. They are God's children, since they are children of the resurrection." (Luke 20:34-36).

Those people are eunuchs whom the Bible says about. It is written, "For there are eunuchs who were born thus from their mother's womb, and there are eunuchs who were made eunuchs by men, and there are eunuchs who have made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven's sake. He who is able to accept it, let him accept it." (Matthew 19:12). And also, "For this is what the LORD says: 'To the eunuchs who keep my Sabbaths, who choose what pleases me and hold fast to my covenant-- to them I will give within my temple and its walls a memorial and a name better than sons and daughters; I will give them an everlasting name that will not be cut off." (Isaiah 56:4-5).

The church is the house of God where God will dwell among the holy children with Christ forever. It is written, "His tent is in Salem, his dwelling place in Zion." (Psalms 76:2).

"I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband." (Revelation 21:2). Amen. Thank you, Lord.