Chapter XVI (Part 1) – The Purpose of Christ – His Ecclesia

[Christ] is the Image of the invisible God, Firstborn of every creature, for in Him is all created, that in the heavens and that on the earth, the visible and the invisible, whether thrones, or lordships, or sovereignties, or authorities, all is created through Him and for Him, and He is before all, and all has its cohesion in Him.

And He is the Head of the body, the ecclesia…

kai (AND) autos (HE) estin (HE-IS-BEING) he (THE) kephale (HEAD) tou (OF-THE) somatos (BODY)

Prologue: The Reconciliation Begins

If you can find agreement with what we have argued thus far, then your role in all this will be of particular interest to you, being in the body of the Christ. The Head’s ecclesia, as His complement, serves as Paul’s transition between the creation of all and the reconciliation of all, to thrust the purpose of Christ forward. We have considered the intimate reality of this truth in relation to Christ, our Head, being affirmed as to His headship by way of our very existence. Yet we did not discuss how this affirmation works, nor established its necessity. Therefore, in this chapter we wish to spend much time doing so.

(1) The calling of the ecclesia, which is Christ’s body, is the beginning of the reconciliation of all, and the first proof of Christ’s successful headship. The ecclesia is the unavoidable conclusion to Christ’s accomplishment on the cross. We have said that the purpose of Christ is incomplete without the body, and that the body is necessary for reconciliation. These are our proverbial “keys” with which we may unlock “how” the affirmation works.

We know now that all is created in Christ, through Christ, and for Christ. Moreover, there must be a problem between Christ and creation for reconciliation to become the end-goal. This problem is that His place as Firstborn of every creature, as the Image of the invisible God, the Head of all, has been challenged and doubted. Thus He becomes responsible for a creation that does not recognize Him as Head – leading to a disruption of the system of affairs.

(2) Thus the cross – with Christ dying for our sins, and “becoming sin for our sakes,” acting as a correspondent Ransom for all – is of immediate necessity. Now its success must be shown, that God may be displayed as just and a Justifier of the one who is of the faith of Jesus (Rom. 3:26.) The ecclesia is the first group actually brought under Christ’s headship, to gain a realization of His God and Father (Eph. 1:17, 22.) Thus we are the first to realize the fundamental truth of Christ’s total, eonian supremacy over the entire universe at every point in time. There is never a point where Christ’s spirit is not supreme.

Thus by being completed, we are the first successful result of Christ’s headship – one which can end with a dais, a raised platform, and not a disruption, a casting down. Until now, Christ’s headship over all has not yet yielded subjection, due to sin. He may be Head over all, but all are not yet headed up in Him. The ecclesia’s existence resolves this tension, hence we are the first example of reconciliation accomplished.

…that in all, He may be becoming first.

(3) Thus, when we become the first complete example of headship, then we, the collective “Christ,” will operate, now the completed Head over all, to reconcile the estrangement from Christ (Rom. 5:17, 8:29, Eph. 2:5-7, Col. 1:20.)

So often, we view the ecclesia as “chosen” by God because of love, with a view to accomplish the “All in all” spoken of in 1 Corinthians 15:28. While this is literally true, the depths of this dynamic are often not plumbed. By realizing our place as God’s physical proof that reconciliation works, we appreciate our role in proving why the others come later (Col. 1:20.) If God can save the worst of humanity with grace, He should have no trouble saving the greatest.

All of this and more will be further discussed and elaborated upon in this chapter, but for the rushed: we will relate this to Christ’s place in creation in two different ways. First, as we have already mentioned, the ecclesia did not give rise to Christ’s headship. He is already Head over all when He is given to the ecclesia (Eph. 1:22,) and He would be of little value in the reconciliation of all if there were no prior point in which all first became estranged from Him, necessitating the cross (Col. 1:15-20.) This order demands that He have a Headship, as the First of creation, that is presently not recognized, or we have no necessity for a special body in which His salvific work shines as the premises for the disruption’s resolve.

Second, we assert that the ecclesia is destined to realize this broader argument between God and the authorities among the celestials (Eph. 3:10, 6:12.) God has insisted that all is created in, and through, and for Christ – and we are the first to realize this, with clarity and purpose. Though we are indeed entering into a new life with Christ, we can only see into this new life insofar as we come to terms with the primitive which has passed by. (2 Cor. 5:14-17, Gal. 5:19-23.)

Thus we enter into both a realization of our old and our new. Only as we grasp the foundational points concerning the ecclesia on the smaller, immediate sphere can we begin to ascend to an understanding of the farthest-reaching passages, such as we find in Paul’s prison epistles. We may appreciate the justification of all mankind, from a terrestrial sphere (Rom. 5:18-19.) But Paul branches far out, to the great beginning and consummation of all. Our creation in Christ and our reconciliation in Christ is the paramount realization for the ecclesia to thus attain. We enter into the new; and we enter into a realization of what was already apparent: that all are created in Him for the “new” of all to become a reality.

Part One: Introducing Our Election

Let us start at the beginning. Our first goal is to show our “choosing,” or “election,” by God. Thus far we have been meditating on the three prison epistles, and deviating little from them. Yet for a study like this, it is only rational to begin where God would have us begin: in Paul’s earliest epistles (1 and 2 Thessalonians,) and his preparatory epistles (Romans, and 1 & 2 Corinthians.) We have likened the presented order of Paul’s letters to a course of study which, when followed, indicates best God’s “staircase” of revelation on any particular topic.

Of course, we do not begin at the “top” of the staircase – that is, the opening strain of Ephesians – but at the bottom. We can only appreciate the final steps if we ascend the staircase naturally. Thus shall we do! Ephesians 1:4 will reveal to us the place and time of God’s choosing of Christ’s ecclesia – yet before this aspect of God’s side of the operation is revealed, the basic calling and its meaning is to be shown.

In its briefest of glimpses, we may first perceive God’s formation of the ecclesia in Paul’s first proclamation of his separate evangel which he was severed for (Acts 13:3-4, Rom. 1:1.) Observe Acts 13:45-48–

Being bold, both Paul and Barnabas, say, “To you first was it necessary that the word of God be spoken. Yet, since, in fact, you are thrusting it away, and are judging yourselves not worthy of eonian life, lo! we are turning to the nations. For thus the Lord has directed us: ‘I have appointed Thee for a light of the nations; for Thee to be for salvation as far as the limits of the earth.’” Now on hearing this, the nations rejoiced and glorified the word of the Lord, and they believe, whoever were set for life eonian.

Here, in its briefest of glimpses, we see the principle: those who believe have already been set, or arranged, or prescribed (tasso) for life for the eons. This belief, then, has already been planned by God, so that our calling and subsequent belief is not a random or hopeful action on God’s part, but one pre-meditated and fulfilled by the One Who planned it.

This is the primary presentation of this message outside of Paul’s epistles. Though Paul’s message was “promised beforehand,” it is not fully revealed until we read of our salvation in detail in Romans 3:21-8:39.

Thessalonians

We will note one particular passage in Romans which elaborates on this thought, but before we do, let us first survey Paul’s oldest letters – First and Second Thessalonians – for a chronological advancement of the ecclesia.

Sure enough, we receive an intimation of our election immediately. Here is 1 Th. 1:4–

We are thanking God always concerning you all, making mention of you in our prayers, unintermittingly remembering your work of faith and toil of love and endurance of expectation of our Lord Jesus Christ, in front of our God and Father, having perceived, brethren beloved by God, your choice, for the evangel of our God did not come to you in word only, but in power also, and in holy spirit and much assurance, according as you are aware.

The work of faith referred to in verse three, as we have already noted, is not the cause of our salvation, but its effect. To clarify this, Paul notes that the faith, love and endurance of the Thessalonian saints as an effect of his perception of their choice. This is the earliest stage of information the believer thus receives, and Paul mentions it almost in passing; as a foundational matter of course. By noting that he has already perceived this matter, Paul emphasizes that those Paul already established and taught in the faith were already aware of this point, and its immediate necessity to the man of faith.

Paul’s proof of their calling – that which he perceived – is given us in verse 5: that the evangel of God came to them both in word and power. Those who believe have heard Paul’s evangel (1 Cor. 15:3-4, Rom. 3:21-8:39,) and it has taken them by such force that they thus acknowledge Christ as their Lord and Saviour.

How staunch these men were, even as new believers! Today, we often lack this understanding, or do not act in accord with it: that we are chosen before we are called. If we operate on the premise of a calling, we may understand the evangel itself, but not its authority or power. Our calling is merely a seal of what is already certainly true; even as it was certainly true that Abraham would become the father of a throng of nations, and through Isaac, faithful Israel would bless all nations from the highest position on earth, so also it is true that we are the elect, even if our blessings have not immediately come to pass. So also with Abraham, no forced excursion to bring the blessings will delete them (Gen. 16-17.)

The proof of their calling, then, was twofold; on the one hand, they had works in faith, toiled in love, and endured in expectation. These are imperative actions which the true believer is enacted to walk through! Yet they are only the external rites. On the other hand, the proof of their calling was an internal, unseen decision by God, which Paul had learned from Jesus Himself (Gal. 1:12, Eph. 3:1.)

The calling itself is taken up later in the letter. We read, in 1 Thess. 2:12–

…be walking worthily of God, Who calls you into His own kingdom and glory.

It is notable that the calling occurs after the “choice.” This is not exclusive to 1 Thessalonians, but serves the divine order in which God completes the ecclesia (Rom. 8:28-30.)

Unlike the called of Israel (cf. Matt. 22:14,) the calling of the ecclesia and the election of the ecclesia beforehand are indissolubly united. If the election is true, then the calling is also a certainty. When God “calls,” it is not in the fashion of a phone, which could be answered or ignored. It is the only conclusion to His planning! For who should dare tell Yahweh Elohim that He cannot accomplish that which He has set upon His heart?

In this present administration, then, only the chosen are called out. They are the ekklesia, the “OUT-CALLED,” who have been taken from the unbelieving mass. This is the name Paul refers to in Colossians 1:18, and it is this specific body of people – the body of Christ – who have been chosen and called, that Paul has in view.

Such a calling is incomplete without a goal. In this case, there are two goals – one short term, and one long term. The short term is given in Thessalonians as well: “God calls us, not for uncleanness, but holiness” (1 Thess. 4:7.) The long term is given, as we shared in our introduction: to show the universe that grace is the only effective method against sin, and can only end in reconciliation of both parties, while handling the offense.

When we progress into 2 Thessalonians, we find an intimation of the timing of our calling. Observe chapter 2, verses 13-14–

Now we ought to be thanking God always concerning you, brethren, beloved by the Lord, seeing that God prefers you from the beginning for salvation, in holiness of the spirit and faith in the truth, into which He also calls us through our evangel, for the procuring of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.

A “preference,” by definition, recognizes the entirety of mankind. It is by viewing the entirety of mankind that God thus prefers some to be called.

This was accomplished from the beginning. The “beginning” here is not elaborated on. Is the “beginning” at Jesus’ death? His rousing? Paul’s choosing? The beginning of the heralding of the evangel of Jesus Christ? When Adam had the breath of life breathed into him? Before the first heavens and earth came about?

You already know our answer: that the “beginning” here inferred is the Beginning, the inception of Christ Himself as the Original, of which the rest of creation is only a copy. This answer, we admit, is inferred, and not explicitly given in this passage. We do not conclude this answer from this passage, but we allow Paul’s prison epistles to clarify the claim here.

Nevertheless, we wish not to impress upon our readers the timing of our preference yet, but the process: a preferential election, followed later by our calling. This is God’s great division of mankind: the preferred, and the rest (cf. Rom. 9:19-24.) God’s “preference” is God’s way of election. He cannot base it on our qualifications, and, as proven through Jesus’ faith on the cross, He is righteous. Therefore, His preference is just, and serves His goal (1 Cor. 15:28, Col. 1:20.)

Our calling, then, is a practical demonstration of this preference. The Thessalonians were afraid that they had missed the fulfillment of their blessings, and were suffering the indignation of God because of their turmoil (hence Paul’s explanation to the contrary in 2 Thess. 2:1-12.) But their preference to be accounted righteous through faith came before their calling and subsequent belief in the blessings of “our,” or Paul’s, evangel. They were preferred into salvation – they did not believe into salvation, for belief is an effect of God’s power (Rom. 1:16, 9:11, 18.)

Modern Christendom cannot explain such a course of action given by God. The few among the Christian religion who can comprehend God’s sovereignty are “Calvinist,” who believe God’s end goal is to save the few, and eternally damn the many. This is out of accord with Paul’s repeated affirmations, which we will briefly present:

-       Those called by God will be justified for the eons (Rom. 3:21-26.) At the conclusion of the eons, so too will all mankind be justified (Rom. 5:18-19.)

-       Those called by God may be having peace toward God (Rom. 5:1.) At the conclusion of the eons, so too will all mankind be reconciled to God (2 Cor. 5:18-21, Col. 1:20.)

-       Those called by God will be vivified (defined as “given life beyond the reach of death” – Rom. 8:10-11.) At the conclusion of the eons, so too will all mankind be vivified (1 Cor. 15:22-28, 1 Tim. 6:13.)

-       Those called by God are headed up in Christ now (Col. 1:18.) At the conclusion of the eons, so too will all creation be headed up in Christ (Eph. 1:10.)

-       Those called by God are realizing Christ’s character now (Phil. 2:5-8.) At the conclusion of the eons, so too will all creation realize the humility of our Lord, for God’s glory (Phil. 2:9-11.)

At every turn, we see the salvation of those whom God calls first, followed by the rest (1 Tim. 4:10.) This is in line with God’s M.O. (1 Tim. 2:4.) The Absolute Deity insists upon the absolute salvation of every creature first created in His Son.

When we propose the truth of the salvation of all, most label us “universalist.” We do not subscribe to such a claim. We do not find “universalist” theology compatible with our discovery of the eonian calendar. Since the eonian calendar adheres closely to all aspects of God’s character – indignation against irreverence, judgment against injustice, righteousness through faith, and a heart of love – we dismiss universalism’s argumentation, and would modify their conclusion, from one of blurry hope to ardent expectation.

The “universalist” label is given along with a strawman: “If all will be saved, regardless of belief, then who cares about sharing the evangel?” Such an objection neglects God’s Timeline, in which this discrepancy is explained. Believers receive the aforementioned blessings now, whereas those not called will receive the blessings after their judgment and sentence has been carried out. The process of salvation is threefold. First, Christ is saved, thereupon those who are ‘Christs’ in His presence, and, finally, the rest are saved at the end of the eons, when all enemies to Christ are subordinate, sin is repudiated, and death is abolished.

God alone chooses, and God alone calls through the evangel (2 Thess. 2:14.)  Salvation’s operation, then, may be said to be broken up into two major phases: the elect first, and all others later. This salvation proposes to extricate us out of the present wicked eon (Gal. 1:4,) through faith (Rom. 1:17, 2 Thess. 3:1, Tit. 1:1.) This is more than a belief “in God,” per the popular mantra, but a belief of God, as God (Rom. 1:17, 21, 3:21-26.) The evangel of faith is not the object of salvation, nor its premise, but its channel. The greater the faith God imparts, the more manifold the blessing God imparts (1 Cor. 3:8.)

Romans

In detail, Romans 3:21-8:39 imparts Paul’s evangel to us. It begins with a presentation of our justification through Christ’s faith on the basis of His blood, unfolds its effects in Romans 5, reveals our sanctification in Romans 6, an expansion concerning our freedom from the law in Romans 7, and a revelation of our new life under grace in Romans 8. This is summarized for us in Romans 8:28-30–

We have now proposed that our calling begins the reconciliation of all. This is true; but it is not the beginning of God’s election process, as Christendom would presume. This is clearly revealed in Romans 8:30–

Now we are aware that God is working all together for the good of those who are loving God, who are called according to the purpose that, whom He foreknew, He designates beforehand, also, to be conformed to the image of His Son, for Him to be Firstborn among many brethren.

Now whom He designates beforehand, these He calls also, and whom He calls, these He justifies also; now whom He justifies, these He glorifies also.

There is a wealth of information in these verses, but we wish to stress the underlined portions. We will begin with “God’s purpose.”

The meaning of this term is not difficult to apprehend. Prior to this, the term, prothesis, “BEFORE-PLACING,” appears four other times in the text. We will briefly read also its fourth appearance, in Acts 27:12-13–

Now the harbor possessing no fitness for wintering, the majority gave counsel to set out thence, if somehow they may be able to arrive at Phoenix to winter, a harbor of Crete, looking toward the southwest and toward the northwest. Now, the south wind blowing gently, supposing their purpose to hold, weighing anchor, they skirted close along Crete.

The purpose, in this use, is a direct result of the counsel – planning and foreknowledge (cf. Acts 2:23.) The counsel formulated the purpose. So also, Paul “BEFORE-PLACED” to go to Rome (Rom. 1:13.) This is a result of his counsel. A purpose, then, is the result of counseling. To use similar terms, an agenda is the result of plotting. A reason is the result of deducing.

To apply this to Romans 8:28, God placed it before Him to choose specific men, of His own counsel, to become the body, or ecclesia, of His Christ. In other passages, we read of the counsel of God’s heart (1 Cor. 4:5,) and the purpose of heart (Acts 11:23.) There can be no rational doubt, then, that the purpose ordained here is one of God’s heart – one of love (1 John 4:8, Rom. 8:38-39.)

All we are doing here is connecting dots by tracing words in harmonious study. Christ is the Son of His love. Again, we admit in this particular portion of the study, that we are daring to connect dots which may not need to be reasoned. Far be it from us to tell Christ’s own about the love of God’s figured heart. We may align our points here thus: the counsel of God (Eph. 1:11) concluded the purposing of those God would elect (Rom. 8:28, 1 Tim. 2:4.) This is in His heart of love, of which His Son was first made to portray (Col. 1:13, 15-17.) These are all individually true points – disjointed as they may appear at this juncture – which contribute to the fulfilment of God’s grander purpose (Eph. 3:11,) to reconcile all creation to Himself (Col. 1:20.)

Our calling is said, not to be the sole purpose of God, but to accord with the purpose of God. It is a step in God’s purpose for the ecclesia as presented in Romans 8. We see the conjunction hoti again (cf. Col. 1:16,) to show us the reason – not for God’s purpose, but for God’s calling. The reason itself, foreknowledge and designation beforehand, attest to God bringing the calling into being.

The “foreknowledge” of God, spoken of here in Romans 8, contextually refers to those God calls, relative to Paul’s evangel. It does not go above this. We believers are “foreknown,” or “BEFORE-KNEW” by God. He also “BEFORE-SEEizes,” or designates beforehand, the journey which we take, to “be conformed to the image of His Son.” Thus we see a foreknowledge of our selves, and the preparation for the respective journeys which we will sojourn to this conclusion.

This is so that Christ can become Firstborn among many brethren. This is the only other time Paul uses the term “firstborn” in his letters. The thought, once again, serves our broader meditation on the topic as the Hebrew texts revealed: that it is a faded figure, not explicitly speaking of “birth,” but a title of rank modified by its epithet. Here, the phrase is used directly in connection with the ecclesia, the “brethren” in view, as is the same case in Colossians 1:18 (which we will return to in the following chapter.)

This is imperative, for it informs us that God prepared Christ’s completed family, both in concept and preparation, before bringing about the events through which He could call us. We see this again in the progressive aorist, which guides us through verse 30. The sequence of the foreknown ecclesia concerns our designation beforehand, followed by our calling, besides our justification, and peaking with our glorification.

We see, then, that the calling of which we are dimly informed in 1 and 2 Thessalonians is clarified beautifully at the end of Paul’s presentation of our individual salvation, that we may see our calling in light of God’s operations in grace, and His intended plan for all mankind. Of course, any who hear the evangel are given a call, but without His designated measure of faith, which only He can impart (Rom. 1:16-17, 3:22, 12:3,) it is unclear whether this is a call into justification, or a call to arms, or a call to ignorance. To quote George Rogers on his concordant study of the passage, “A call comes to all who hear the evangel, but only to the foredesignated is the call effectual.”

The proof of this calling’s success is our subsequent justification; our primary grace, affirming on God’s end all favor, by accounting us righteous. I (Stephen) have written much on this topic in my study of Romans 3:21-4:25. For a fuller breakdown, you may read my Romans Study here.

Our glorification is the longest step in this process (to use our incompetent figures of time.) Our glorification is slowly revealed to us over the course of these fleshy lives (Rom. 8:1-10,) and culminates in the vivification of our mortal bodies (8:11,) our new debt to the spirit of God (8:12-14,) a completion of our expectation to partake of Christ’s allotment as children of God (8:15-27,) completing Paul’s argument that we expect the esteem of God (Rom. 5:2, 8:28-30,) loving God at His willing and working in us for the sake of His delight (cf. Phil. 2:13, 5:5, 8:31-39.) We will indeed be transfigured, like our Lord, from these bodies of humiliation, into glory for His sake (Phil. 2:8-11, 3:21.)

We hope that this brief summation of what the body is and God’s method of growth and instruction are an apt reminder of our true calling and identity. The goal is for us to be conformed to the image of God’s Son (Rom. 8:30,) that is, conformed to emulate Him in character and authority. Though many in Christ will disagree as to the next steps, given in the prison epistles, the fundamentals have been expounded upon in part one, and should be maintained as true among every believer, without exception or superiority.

Interlude: Paul, Specially

It is only Paul who brings us the news considered hitherto. No other writer in the New Testament conveys this information. Most will not even both to read the entirety of this study because the points made back in chapter 3 are so repulsive to Christian dogma. Yet we insist that the modern-day church is not what theologians proclaim it to be. Some claim that we are one of the churches written to, in some metaphorical way, at the beginning of Revelation. Others argue that “true believers” are being whittled away to the 144,000 elect spoken of… in Revelation.

In fact, most claims made by modern day Christendom are founded upon Revelation. It has been supposed by most that the blessings proposed to Israel in the Old Testament have been transferred or given, in some way, to the broader “church” today. We have spent plenty of time on this blog debunking such a lie (particularly in studies from Rom. 2:28-3:8, 3:21-26, 6:14, most of Rom. 7, and more.) We will further discuss them in our studies in Galatians 2-3. For now, we simply state that we do not believe Christendom is a modern-day Israel, and that we refuse to rob faithful Israel of her glories! We are perfectly content with the blessings Paul gives, by drawing us into the new creation – the fifth eon – while leaving the fulfillment of Israel’s blessings for the immediate millennial kingdom (the fourth eon.)

Interlude: All Will Be Saved

Returning to our point: you may have noticed, then, that we affirm that the “non-elect” are not forgotten. They are saved at a later time. We may say the non-elect are being saved “the hard way,” and those of the elect are being saved “the harder way.” Those chosen by God often face greater hardships than those not. This is not merely a “balancing” of the metaphysical scales, but to emphasize the elect as no more “just” in works than the non-elect (Jesus Christ being the only exception, of course, yet this only means He faced the greatest adversity.)

We fundamentally reject any framework that assumes God cannot accomplish His just will – that all mankind be saved, and come into a realization of the truth – and its secret – that all will be headed up in the Christ, both those in the heavens and those on the earth. Elsewhere on this blog, we have argued heavily against the popular idea that God would prefer to eternally or perpetually abandon His creatures, as if He were unable to rectify our wrongs through just judgment, and thus prepare the condemned for righteousness after their penalty is served. God is fully capable of saving those He desires to save, and we are grateful to learn this about Him now.

(to be continued)...