Has the NEW COVENANT begun....or NOT?

[Christine]

In Ephesians 2 it says,

"16 And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby:"

Notice it says,"...BY the cross..."

It does not say,"...AT the cross..."

There is a difference.

The cross made the new covenant for Israel possible but the new covenant did not start at the cross. The new covenant will not start until the Lord comes back the second time, so the the new covenant was made possible, BY the cross, not AT the cross.

The same goes for  God joining Jew and Gentile in one body. This was made possible BY the cross but not AT the cross.


Written by JPourcy

[Ken]

QUOTE:
JPourcy >> In Ephesians 2 it says,

"16 And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby:"

Notice it says,"...BY the cross..."

It does not say,"...AT the cross..."

There is a difference.
Yes, the difference between looking in and entering in.
Excellent post JP.

In Christ Jesus, “BY the Cross;”
ken

[Christine]

Amen, Ken

JPourcy said:

The same goes for  God joining Jew and Gentile in one body. This was made possible BY the cross but not AT the cross.

I would only add to this by saying that it certainly clears up matters when it comes to who was IN the Body of Christ and who was NOT.

Since the Kingdom wasn't offered to the Nation Israel until Acts 3, and this was AFTER the Cross but still in THEIR program, it shows that while the Cross was necessary for salvation of both groups,  the MYSTERY had yet to be revealed with regard to the NEW CREATION OF that which we NOW know as "The Body of Christ." Therefore, Peter was preaching the foundational truths of the Gospel of God PLUS the KINGDOM gospel which had been commissioned unto him and the 12. Anyone believing him here would have been a KINGDOM saint, and NOT a member of the church which is His BODY. That was unique information given ONLY to Paul for we who would believe AFTER him unto eternal life.

Many mistakenly believe that the Body of Christ began in Acts 2 because the event of the Cross had already taken place, but this is simply not so.

What do you say?