Problem 4 - That the Mystery revealed to Paul is only about the formation of BOC

PROBLEM No. 4--THAT THE MYSTERY REVEALED TO PAUL IS ONLY ABOUT THE FORMATION OF THE BODY OF CHRIST.

The verse used for this is Eph. 3:6, "That the Gentiles should be fellowheirs and of the same body and partakers of His promise in Christ by the gospel."

The note in the old Scofield Bible on page 1252 with this verse, claims that the Mystery which was hid in God was the Divine purpose to form of Jew and Gentile a completely new thing - the Church which is His Body.

Charles C. Ryrie, in his book 'Dispensationalism Today,' says the same thing on page 133. But he also carries this a little further when he teaches on page 135, the indwelling presence of Christ in the members of the Body. This canes under the heading of the distinct character of the Church. I do not know if he includes other truth as a part of the Mystery.

THE TRUTH

Dr. Ryrie is right in as far as he goes with this truth, but he doesn't go far enough and really explain what the Mystery is. It's as if spiritual illumination of Acts 2 teachers has stopped at Eph. 3:6, and there is no more to add to the truth. But there is a lot of other unique truth in Paul's letters that are an integral part of the Revelation of the Mystery (see my two booklets 'The Importance of the Apostle Paul' and 'The Revelation of the Mystery').

Acts 2 believers believe in the other truths which are found in Paul's letters, but they do not relate them to the Mystery. Rather, they relate them to what the Lord Jesus taught in His earthly ministry to Israel. And they follow what L.S. Chafer taught about the Upper Room Discourse in John, chapters 13-17 (see page 6).

Now when an Acts 2 theologian limits Pauline revelation to just 2 or 3 doctrines to the Mystery, it is much easier to associate the rest of Pauline revelation with the four Gospels and with the Old Testament. This placates Reformed Theology teachers because they do it all the time. It is a part of their theology.

A good example of this is the gospel message we just studied. Instead of teaching that Eph. 2:8-9 is unique to this Dispensation of grace, Acts 2 teachers will teach that the truth of this verse is found all through the Bible.

When a Bible student really starts digging into Paul's letters and rightly divides the Word of truth consistently, he will discover truth in those letters that are unique to the Revelation of the Mystery. Truth like the Rapture, the Fall of Israel, this Dispensation of the grace of God, the Gospel of the grace of God, the Judgment Seat of Christ, the indwelling Christ, the indwelling Holy Spirit, the Law of Christ, the Baptism of the Holy Spirit, and other doctrines, are vital to a real understanding of what Christianity is all about.

By Robert C. Brock