Books

Focus On The Fundamentals Of The Faith

By W. Douglass Harris

The One New Man

"Having abolished in His flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; that He might create in Himself of the two one new man, so making peace” (Ephesians 2:15 ASV).

In the New Testament many metaphors are used to describe the church, such as vineyard, kingdom, bride, nation, etc. In the text above and elsewhere in the New Testament, the church is presented under the figure of a man (cf. Romans 12:4,5; 1 Corinthians 12:12). Christ died to bring this New Man into existence (Ephesians 2:15). So the church came into existence when the New Man was formed (created) and will last as long as the New Man exists. If we can determine when this was done, we will know precisely when the church was established.

There are five essentials in the composition of a man that must exist before a body can exist, namely, the head, members of the body, the Spirit that gives and sustains life, the blood, and the law or principle of life by which the body operates. If we can determine when these essential features were formed, there can be no doubt about the time of the establishment of the church. We propose to do such in the rest of this article.

The head: There can be no doubt that Christ is the head (Ephesians 4:14-16; Colossians 1:18). When was He made the Head? It was when He ascended into heaven (cf. Ephesians 1:20-23; Daniel 7:13,14; Acts 2:33). Is this not enough to show when the church was established? A body cannot exist without a head. If the church was established in the time of Abraham, John the Baptist, or the personal ministry of Christ, it was a headless body. This conclusion is inescapable.

Members of the body: Who were the first members of the New Man? Would they not be those who were later called Christians (1 Corinthians 12:20,27)? Who were the charter members of the church? When and by whom were the first members made? It was not by John the Baptist, because the promise Christ made to build His church (Matthew 16:18) was spoken after John’s death, which means that its establishment was future at that time.

The apostles were among its first members (1 Corinthians 12:28). Although the primary reference here is to rank, it also implies priority. When were the first members set into the church to form a body? Paul affirms that it was after Christ ascended (Ephesians 4:8-12). How could the church have existed as a body before the ascension of Christ when it had no members? And the echo comes back — How?

The Spirit: James says that a body without the spirit is dead (James 2:26). So the New Man could not have existed before the Spirit gave it life. There is a sense in which the Spirit has been here from the beginning, but not as He dwells in the New Man. He dwells in the church in a special sense. This is revealed by prophecy and its fulfillment (cf. Joel 2:28,29; Acts 2:16-18). It is also shown by the promise of Christ (John 7:37-39). Jesus had to suffer and enter into His glory before the Spirit would be given as He dwells in the New Man (Luke 24:26). On the Pentecost of Acts 2, Peter affirmed that this had been accomplished (Acts 2:33). He now dwells in the church through the word (Ephesians 3:17). Is this not enough to show when the church was established? If it was before Christ ascended and sent the Spirit, it was a dead body!

The blood: There could have been no blood in the New Man until Christ died except animal blood. Hence, no salvation or spiritual life (Hebrews 10:4; 9:22). Christ died to purchase the church with His own blood (Ephesians 2:15; Acts 20:28; 1 Peter 1:18,19). If the church was established before Christ died, it was a bloodless body. Can such exist?

The law of life: The physical body lives according to the natural law. The New Man (a spiritual body) must live according to the spiritual law of God. Therefore, we must know what it is. It is not the Old Testament (Deuteronomy 5:2,3; Jeremiah 31:31,32; Ephesians 2:14-16; Colossians 2:14). The law of life of the New Man is the second covenant, or New Testament (Hebrews 10:9,10; John 6:63; Romans 8:2). When was it given? After Christ the Testator died and removed the old (Hebrews 9:16,17). If the church existed before this, it had no law by which to operate.

Conclusion: The New Man, or church, was established when these essential parts were organized. We have shown that the existence of these essentials before the ascension of Christ was an impossibility. It will last as long as these essential parts are present.