Category Archives: THE CHURCH THE BODY OF CHRIST

THE CHURCH THE BODY OF CHRIST, What is the difference between a minister a pastor and an evangelist?

What is the difference between a minister, pastor, and evangelist?

WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A MINISTER, A PASTOR, AND AN EVANGELIST?

by Shawn Brasseaux

“What is the difference between a minister, a pastor, and an evangelist?” What a question and thank you for asking. Let us see what the Scriptures say.

MINISTER

“Minister” is a general term that means a “servant.” It is usually used in Protestant churches to refer to the clergy (local church leaders). We will look at how the Bible uses the term:

  • Joshua was Moses’ “minister” (Exodus 24:13; Joshua 1:1).
  • Aaron was to minister unto God in the high priest’s office in ancient Israel (Exodus 28:1,3,4).
  • Israel’s other priests were called “to minister unto [God]” (Deuteronomy 21:5; Joel 1:9,13; Joel 2:17).
  • The Levites ministered unto the LORD in the Tabernacle (Numbers 8:23-26) and later the Temple (2 Chronicles 13:10-12; Jeremiah 33:21-22).
  • Luke 4:20 says a “minister” served in the synagogue of Nazareth.
  • Jesus said He was a “minister,” someone who served Israel in order to serve Father God (Matthew 20:28; Mark 10:45).
  • Acts 13:5 says John Mark was Barnabas and Saul’s “minister.”
  • Acts 26:16 calls Paul a “minister” (cf. Romans 15:16; Ephesians 3:7; and Colossians 1:23,25).
  • Timotheus called a “minister of God” (1 Thessalonians 3:2; 1 Timothy 4:6).
  • Apollos and Paul are called “ministers” (1 Corinthians 3:5).
  • Paul and his ministry companions were called “ministers of Christ” (1 Corinthians 4:1).
  • We Christians are called “ministers of the new testament” (2 Corinthians 3:6).
  • Paul and his ministry companions were called “ministers of God” (2 Corinthians 6:4).
  • Tychicus was called a “minister” (Ephesians 6:21).
  • Jesus is called a “minister of the circumcision [Israel]” (Romans 15:8; cf. Hebrews 8:2).
  • Government officials are called “ministers of God” in the sense that they keep order in society and punish evildoers (nationalism) (Romans 13:4,6).
  • All Christians are ministers in the sense that God has given to us the “ministry of reconciliation” (2 Corinthians 5:18).

PASTOR

“Pastor” conveys the idea of leading and feeding God’s people. In fact, pastor is Latin for “shepherd,” where past– means “fed, grazed.”

Throughout the book of Jeremiah, JEHOVAH censures Israel’s religious leaders, the “pastors,” for misleading His people:

  • Jeremiah 2:8: “The priests said not, Where is the LORD? and they that handle the law knew me not: the pastors also transgressed against me, and the prophets prophesied by Baal, and walked after things that do not profit.”
  • Jeremiah 10:21: “For the pastors are become brutish [stupid, cruel, animal-like], and have not sought the LORD: therefore they shall not prosper, and all their flocks shall be scattered.”
  • Jeremiah 12:10: “Many pastors have destroyed my vineyard, they have trodden my portion under foot, they have made my pleasant portion a desolate wilderness.”
  • Jeremiah 23:1-2: “[1] Woe be unto the pastors that destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture! saith the LORD. [2] Therefore thus saith the LORD God of Israel against the pastors that feed my people; Ye have scattered my flock, and driven them away, and have not visited them: behold, I will visit upon you the evil of your doings, saith the LORD.”

Talking about Israel’s restoration one day (that is, the Lord’s Millennial Kingdom), JEHOVAH promised Israel: “And I will give you pastors according to mine own heart, which shall feed you with knowledge and understanding” (Jeremiah 3:15).

When Jesus Christ resurrected and ascended, “He gave gifts unto men.” Ephesians 4:11-12: “[11] And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; [12] For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:” In the early days of the Church the Body of Christ, God gave Christians various spiritual gifts. Notice this is past tense—“he gave.” Those gifts had already been given prior to Paul’s writing of Ephesians.

EVANGELIST

“Evangelist” is the role fulfilled when the Gospel is preached. Our English word “evangelist” comes from the Greek word euaggelion—this word is translated in our English Bible as, “gospel,” “good tidings,” or “glad tidings” (“good news”).

Acts 21:8 calls Philip an “evangelist” (this was the same Philip who preached the Gospel of the Kingdom throughout Acts chapter 8). Paul instructed Timothy, “Do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry” (2 Timothy 4:5).

Again, when Jesus Christ resurrected and ascended, “He gave gifts unto men.” Ephesians 4:11-12: “[11] And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; [12] For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:” As stated earlier, in the early days of the Church the Body of Christ, God gave Christians various spiritual gifts. Notice this is past tense—“he gave.” Those gifts had already been given prior to Paul’s writing of Ephesians.

WHERE WE FIT IN

Since we have a completed Bible canon, written and preserved, there is no need for spiritual gifts to operate today (for more information, see below the link to our study, “What is the ‘that which is perfect’ in 1 Corinthians 13:10?”). However, God still needs men to lead His people, teach His people, and preach the Gospel. Rather than Christians operating with spiritual gifts, today, each and every Christian has a completed revelation from God, a complete Book, the 66 books of the Holy King James Bible. We do not need any more “words from God.” It is that completed and written revelation from God, that enables us to do the work of the ministry and accomplish God’s will. As 2 Timothy 3:16-17 says, “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.”

Also see:
» Can women serve in the ministry? If so, how? (COMING SOON!)
» What is the “that which is perfect” in 1 Corinthians 13:10?
» Must Christian women wear head coverings?

DISPENSATIONAL BIBLE STUDY, Is the Church the Body of Christ spoken of in Matthew 16:18?, Is the Church the Body of Christ spoken of in Matthew 16:18?, Is the Church the Body of Christ spoken of in Matthew 16:18?, THE CHURCH THE BODY OF CHRIST, THE NATION ISRAEL

Is the Church the Body of Christ spoken of in Matthew 16:18?

IS THE CHURCH THE BODY OF CHRIST SPOKEN OF IN MATTHEW 16:18?

by Shawn Brasseaux

While we will always be grateful to the late Dr. Cyrus Ingerson (“C. I.”) Scofield (1843–1921) for recovering numerous dispensational Bible truths that were lost to many centuries of church tradition, and for his bold stand in teaching many of these precious truths in the form of the first edition (1909) and second and final edition (1917) of the Scofield Study Bible in a time when dispensational Bible study was rarer than it was today, we simply cannot agree with this dear brother’s view of Matthew 16:18. Please note that I will have to get technical to answer the question, but I trust I will be able to reduce it all to layman’s terms by the end of the study!

We begin by quoting the passage, Matthew 16:16-18: “[16] And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. [17] And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven. [18] And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.”

Verse 18 is the first time that the word “church” appears in the New Testament (or even in the entire Bible for that matter). It is quite unfortunate that the only “church” most people know of in Scripture is the Church the Body of Christ—similarly, the only “baptism” most know of in Scripture is water baptism! The thoughtful Bible student cannot and will not arrive at such a conclusion that there is only one church in Scripture; it is an easily demonstrable fact that there is more than one “church” in the Bible.

For example, Acts 7:38 says: “This is he, that was in the church in the wilderness with the angel which spake to him in the mount Sina, and with our fathers: who received the lively oracles to give unto us:” Now, was the Church the Body of Christ with Moses out in the wilderness at Mount Sinai? No, such a notion would be silly, utterly ridiculous. The “church” of Acts 7:38 is the nation Israel, a “called-out assembly” delivered from Egypt. Just as we would be unwise in claiming that the “church” in Acts 7:38 is the Church the Body of Christ, we would be unwise in automatically assuming that the “church” of Matthew 16:18 is the Church the Body of Christ.

It is a commonly-held view that as soon as we move from Genesis through Malachi and reach the book of Matthew, we begin “Christianity” as we know it. This is because it is normally assumed that Jesus Christ founded Christianity during His earthly ministry, Matthew through John (as we will see later, even Scofield did not believe that the Church the Body of Christ existed in Matthew through John). However, these are nothing more than the result of placing church tradition above the Scriptures. Christianity does not begin until the Apostle Paul’s ministry, some four years after the earthly ministry of Jesus began. If we could just understand that Christianity began when the ascended, risen, and glorified Lord Jesus Christ revealed to the Apostle Paul the information for this dispensation, we would never see ourselves in Matthew through John, and we would never try to place ourselves into the Four Gospel Records. We would never look for our doctrine, duty, walk, or destiny in Matthew through John. This was Christ’s earthly ministry to Jews only (Matthew 10:5-7; Matthew 15:24; John 4:22; Acts 3:25-26; Romans 15:8)—the Bible is so clear that Matthew through John was not spoken to the Body of Christ and was not spoken to Gentiles. Period.

We can now critically examine Dr. Scofield’s view regarding Matthew 16:18. For the paragraph heading of verses 17-20, he has the following title: “First mention of the church.” This ambiguity makes the Bible less clear than it is. As we already stated, there is more than one church in the Bible, so to simply refer to something as “the church” without qualification is not to distinguish the different churches in Scripture, and it further reinforces the erroneous idea that there is only one church in the Bible. The same could be said about calling the Dispensation of Grace “the Church Age”—there are actually three churches in Scripture, so “the Church Age” is a misnomer.

In his study Bible, Dr. Scofield has the following footnote attached to Matthew 16:18: “Gr. ecclesia (ek = “out of,” kaleo = “to call”), an assembly of called-out ones. The word is used of any assembly; the word itself implies no more, as, e.g., the town-meeting at Ephesus (Acts 19. 39), and Israel, called out of Egypt and assembled in the wilderness (Acts 7. 38). Israel was a true ‘church,’ but not in any sense the N.T. church—the only point of similarity being that both were “called out” and by the same God. All else is contrast. See Acts 7. 38, note; Heb. 12. 23, note.”

Notice how Dr. Scofield did notice Israel as being a “church” (we would call it the “Mosaic Church,” since Moses led it in the wilderness). Yet, again, he is assuming that there is something called “the N.[ew]T.[estament] church,” and that we the Church the Body of Christ are “the New Testament church.” This too is misleading, since the New Testament Scriptures (Matthew through Revelation) actually involve two churches—one is called “the Messianic Church” and the other is “the Church the Body of Christ.” To refer to merely “the New Testament Church” is not to differentiate or specify—would you be referring to the Messianic Church (believing Jews in the Four Gospel Records and early Acts) or the Mystery Church (the Body of Christ)? To add to the confusion, an assembly of believers who are obviously Jewish and who are doing Jewish things in Acts chapter 2, are understood to be the Church the Body of Christ. To say that the “church” of Acts 2:47 is the Body of Christ is to again confound the differences between Israel and the Body of Christ. It only adds to the confusion that already abounds in Christendom.

At Ephesians 3:6, Dr. Scofield has this footnote: “That the Gentiles were to be saved was no mystery (Rom. 9. 24-33; 10. 19-21). The mystery “hid in God” was the divine purpose to make of Jew and Gentile a wholly new thing—“the church, which is [Christ’s] body,” formed by the baptized with the Holy Ghost (1 Cor. 12. 12,13) and in which the earthly distinction between Jew and Gentile disappears (Eph. 2. 14,15; Col. 3. 10,11). The revelation of this mystery, which was foretold but not explained by Christ (Mt. 16. 18), was committed to Paul. In his writings alone we find the doctrine, position, walk, and destiny of the church.”

Please note Dr. Scofield’s hybrid view—Jesus Christ predicted the Body of Christ in Matthew 16:18 but He did not explain it until Paul’s writings. This is a very dangerous view (as we will see later).

At this point, I should mention that I received the following email not too long ago in response to one of our Bible studies: “The church (i.e. the body of Christ) began at Pentecost. Jesus said he would build his church (Mt.16:18). He started building it at Pentecost by the Holy Spirit and later added the Gentiles by revelation to the apostles and prophets: Paul (Eph.3:6) and Peter in Acts 10.”

Dear readers, to even suggest—let alone believe—that God would speak about a Jew-and-Gentile body of believers to a group of Jews only, is nonsensical. Why would Jesus talk about a new body of believers (believing Jews and Gentiles reconciled in one body, the Body of Christ), to a group of Jews only (Matthew 15:24; John 4:22; Romans 15:8)? To make the “church” of Matthew 16:18 the Church the Body of Christ is to do great violence to the context of the verse, and introduce an enormous amount of confusion. We do not need to add to the mounting Bible ignorance.

We offer two simple keys to identifying the church of Matthew 16:18.

1. WHAT GOSPEL IS ASSOCIATED WITH THE CHURCH OF MATTHEW 16:18?

Peter’s profession in Matthew 16:16 is the first key to properly identifying the “church” of Matthew 16:18.

Matthew 16:16 is the famous confession of the Apostle Peter, where he publicly admitted that Jesus was “the Christ, the Son of the living God.” This is not the gospel by which we are saved today. It is the heart of the Gospel of the Kingdom, and the Gospel of the Kingdom is the foundation of what is called the “Messianic Church”—Jews who believed that Jesus was the Messiah.

Had Peter said, “Thou art Jesus Christ, who wilt die for our sins, who wilt be buried, and who wilt be raised again the third day,” we would be more convinced that the “church” of Matthew 16:18 could be a reference to the Church the Body of Christ. Peter did not say anything about Calvary in that verse. The only foundation on which the Church the Body of Christ is built is Christ crucified, and Peter made no reference to Calvary’s cross in Matthew 16:18. The different gospel of Matthew 16:16 is our first reason to not believe that Matthew 16:18 is the Church the Body of Christ.

2. WHAT DOES “THE GATES OF HELL SHALL NOT PREVAIL AGAINST IT,” MEAN?

The phrase “the gates of hell shall not prevail against it” is the second key to properly identifying the “church” of Matthew 16:18. This phraseology does not make much sense in our day and age, but it fits perfectly in the ages to come, when the gates of hell are opened and Satan’s creatures are released from the bottomless pit.

During the seven-year Tribulation, Satan’s policy of evil will reach its climax, its zenith, its ultimate pinnacle. Hell itself, particularly working through the Antichrist and his regime and religion, will do everything it can to stamp out the Jewish believing remnant. The Antichrist will systematically exterminate the Jewish race (any Jews who do not cooperate with him, worship him, accept his mark, et cetera). We read about those “beheaded for the witness of Jesus” (Revelation 20:4). The Antichrist will make war with the Jewish saints and overcome them by killing them (Revelation 13:5-8)—he will execute anyone who does not follow his evil world religion (verse 15). Jesus talked about how His believing Jews would be persecuted, imprisoned, and killed for His sake (Matthew 10:16-42). The Antichrist will “wear out the saints” (Daniel 7:25) and he will “destroy the mighty and the holy people” (Daniel 8:24).

As long as Israel is polluted with false idols and evil spirits, or even destroyed (annihilated from off the face of the planet), God cannot fulfill prophecy because prophecy depends on the existence of the nation Israel. Satan attempted to destroy the nation Israel many times in history. Pharaoh killed all of the male babies in Egypt, in the time when Moses was born. The Devil tried to destroy the nation Israel in Queen Esther’s reign. Satan attempted to destroy the Messiah by killing the babies two and under in Judaea during Herod’s reign. So, the Antichrist will again try to wipe out Israel, to no avail. A Jewish remnant will be living at Christ’s return, as Jesus told them that the gates of hell would not prevail against them. Even those Jews who have died for Christ during the Tribulation, Jesus Christ will resurrect them when He returns (Revelation 20:4-6).

“Alas! for that day is great, so that none is like it: it is even the time of Jacob’s [Israel’s] trouble; but he shall be saved out of it” (Jeremiah 30:7). Despite everything that will happen, God still promises to save a believing remnant of Israel during that seven-year Tribulation!

REPLY TO DR. SCOFIELD’S ARGUMENT ABOUT THE VERB TENSE OF MATTHEW 16:18

In his 64-page booklet, first printed in 1896, “Rightly dividing the Word of Truth,” Dr. Scofield states the following:

“Further, Scripture shows [the Bible student] that neither Israel nor the Church always existed. Each had a recorded beginning. That of Israel he finds in the call of Abram. Looking then for the birth of the Church he finds (contrary, perhaps, to his expectations, for he has probably been taught that Adam and the Patriarchs are in the Church) that it certainly did not exist before, nor during, the earth-life of Christ, for he finds Him speaking of His Church as yet future when he says (Matt. 16:18), ‘Upon this rock I WILL build my Church.’ Not ‘have built,’ nor ‘am building,’ but ‘WILL build.’ He finds, too from Eph. 3:5-10, that the Church is not once mentioned in Old Testament prophecy, but was, in those ages, a mystery ‘hid in God.’ Scripturally, he finds the birth of the Church in Acts 2, and the termination of its career on the earth in 1 Thess. 4.”

Firstly, we certainly disagree with Dr. Scofield that “the birth of the Church [is] Acts 2.” There is abundant proof in Scripture that the Church of Acts 2 and the Church the Body of Christ are two separate entities—please see our study at the end of this article that discusses 12 reasons why the Church the Body of Christ did not begin in Acts chapter 2.

Scofield claims that Matthew 16:18 is the future Church the Body of Christ by pointing out that the term “will build” in Matthew 16:18 is future tense. He argues that since Jesus said, “I will build my church” and not “I am building my church,” the church spoken of in Matthew 16:18 was a future church not a church present when He spoke. In other words, Scofield disagrees with the Messianic Church being the church of Matthew 16:18. However, again, the word “church” in Matthew 16:18 is to be understood in light of Acts 2:47. The church that Jesus said He would build in Matthew 16:18 is the church He later built in Acts chapter 2. So, the words “I will build my church” are to be understood in light of believing Israel of Acts chapter 2—it was on that day some 3,000 Jews were repentant and water baptized in the name of Jesus Christ (Acts 2:41). Acts chapter 2 is clearly Jewish and Matthew 16:18 is clearly Jewish, so to make them the Body of Christ is to ignore that these two passages describe one church—the Messianic Church—and that church is separate and distinct from the Church the Body of Christ.

CONCLUSION

Jesus supposedly predicted the Church the Body of Christ in Matthew 16:18 but He revealed to Paul some time later. This is an unsound approach to the Bible.

There should always be a very clear distinction between Christ’s earthly ministry and Paul’s ministry. If we start reading ourselves into the Four Gospel Records in just one passage, then we put ourselves on a slippery slope of claiming everything in the Four Gospel Records is related to us. Who is to say that if Jesus spoke of but did not reveal the Church the Body of Christ in His earthly ministry, what else did He speak of that related to us that we have to go back and find in those Matthew-John passages? In other words, we could validly argue that maybe Jesus also spoke of the rapture in His earthly ministry but that He did not reveal it until Paul either. Maybe Jesus in the Four Gospel Records also talked about justification by faith in Him alone without works, but did not reveal that doctrine fully until we came to Paul. Maybe He in His earthly ministry spoke of Israel’s fall and salvation going to the Gentiles without Israel, but did not fully reveal it until Paul. On and on we could go, and we would just add to the great Bible confusion already present in Christendom. In fact, Matthew 16:18 is so Jewish in nature, to say that it is the Church the Body of Christ is to then give opportunity for the replacement-theology proponents to argue that we have replaced Israel (because we would be stealing Israel’s passages and claiming them for ourselves anyway)!

The “church” of Matthew 16:18 is the Messianic Church, Jews who had recognized Jesus as Messiah, Christ, the Son of God—the profession that Peter made in verse 16. It is on that profession of faith of Peter that the Messianic Church rests. Matthew 16:18 and Acts 2:47 have nothing to do with us. Matthew 16:18 is not the Roman Catholic Church and it is not the Church the Body of Christ (the two most common views of the verse). To find ourselves in these passages is to find ourselves confused, and thus find ourselves outside of God’s will. Yes, it is that serious, so we had better “search and see” before believing any study Bible notes anywhere. The Church the Body of Christ was not spoken of until Jesus Christ first revealed it to the Apostle Paul. There is no Church the Body of Christ in Matthew through John at all, in hidden language or in plain language.

May we have joy and peace in believing, Romans through Philemon God’s Word to us (Romans 15:13), and may we toss out that which is superfluous!

Also see:
» Did the Church the Body of Christ begin in Acts 2?
» When did the Church the Body of Christ begin?
» Have we replaced the nation Israel?

GRACE (CHRISTIAN) LIVING, THE CHURCH THE BODY OF CHRIST, What are our spiritual blessings in Christ?, What are our spiritual blessings in Christ?

What are our spiritual blessings in Christ?

WHAT ARE OUR SPIRITUAL BLESSINGS IN CHRIST?

by Shawn Brasseaux

With the Thanksgiving season here, we want to reflect on the blessings we have as believers in the Lord Jesus Christ. The cornucopia, or horn of plenty, is a Thanksgiving icon that symbolizes the abundance of material blessings that we have received. As members of the Church the Body of Christ, God has blessed us with spiritual blessings that are worth far more than anything in this material world. Furthermore, these spiritual blessings will be here even after this present universe passes away.

The Apostle Paul reminds us: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ” (Ephesians 1:3).

Taken from the Pauline epistles, here are 120 spiritual blessings that the Lord Jesus Christ gave us the moment we trusted in Him as our personal Saviour. These blessings have been given to us freely and permanently—we will NEVER lose them. We did nothing in our strength to get these spiritual blessings, for they were given to us because of what Christ did on the cross of Calvary.

We cannot see these spiritual blessings with our physical eyes, but we see them with our spiritual eyes of faith (Hebrews 11:1). Let us always thank God for these blessings, not just during the Thanksgiving Season, but for all eternity.

  1. called to be saints (Romans 1:7)
  2. God’s righteousness imputed to us (Romans 3:22)
  3. justified freely by God’s grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus (Romans 3:24)
  4. our iniquities are forgiven and covered by the blood of Christ (Romans 4:7)
  5. justified by faith (Romans 5:1)
  6. peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ (Romans 5:1)
  7. access by faith into this grace wherein we stand (Romans 5:2)
  8. justified by the blood of Christ (Romans 5:9)
  9. saved from wrath through Christ (Romans 5:9)
  10. reconciled to God by the death of His Son (Romans 5:10)
  11. saved by Christ’s life (Romans 5:10)
  12. we have received the atonement (Romans 5:11)
  13. baptized into Jesus Christ and into His death (Romans 6:3)
  14. planted together in the likeness of Jesus Christ’s death (Romans 6:5)
  15. planted together in the likeness of Jesus Christ’s resurrection (Romans 6:5)
  16. crucified with Christ (Romans 6:6)
  17. alive with Christ (Romans 6:8)
  18. alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord (Romans 6:11)
  19. free from sin and its dominion (Romans 6:18)
  20. eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord (Romans 6:23)
  21. dead to the law, performance-based acceptance systems (Romans 7:4)
  22. sons of God (Romans 8:14)
  23. received the Spirit of adoption (Romans 8:15)
  24. children of God (Romans 8:16)
  25. heirs of God and joint-heirs with Christ (Romans 8:17)
  26. called according to God’s purpose (Romans 8:28)
  27. foreknown and predestinated to be conformed to the image of God the Son (Romans 8:29)
  28. predestinated (Romans 8:30)
  29. justified (Romans 8:30)
  30. glorified (Romans 8:30)
  31. conquerors through Christ that loved us (Romans 8:37)
  32. sanctified in Christ Jesus (1 Corinthians 1:2)
  33. blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 1:8)
  34. temple of the Spirit of God (1 Corinthians 3:16)
  35. heirs of the kingdom of God (1 Corinthians 6:9)
  36. washed, sanctified, and justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of God (1 Corinthians 6:11)
  37. members of Christ (1 Corinthians 6:15)
  38. baptized into the Body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:13)
  39. members in particular of the Body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:27)
  40. alive (1 Corinthians 15:22)
  41. victory through our Lord Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 15:57)
  42. comfort in tribulation (2 Corinthians 1:4)
  43. consolation (2 Corinthians 1:6)
  44. delivered from death (2 Corinthians 1:10)
  45. stablished (stabilized, fixed), anointed, and sealed (2 Corinthians 1:21-22)
  46. triumphant in Christ (2 Corinthians 2:14)
  47. sufficiency (2 Corinthians 3:5)
  48. liberty (2 Corinthians 3:17)
  49. light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ (2 Corinthians 4:6)
  50. given the earnest / down-payment of the Spirit (2 Corinthians 5:5)
  51. new identity in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17)
  52. reconciliation (2 Corinthians 5:18)
  53. Christian ambassadorship (2 Corinthians 5:20)
  54. the righteousness of God (2 Corinthians 5:21)
  55. became the temple of the living God (2 Corinthians 6:16)
  56. comfort (2 Corinthians 7:6)
  57. grace to endure suffering (2 Corinthians 12:9)
  58. delivered from this present evil world (Galatians 1:4)
  59. justified by Christ (Galatians 2:17)
  60. redeemed from the curse of the Law of Moses (Galatians 3:13)
  61. a son and heir of God through Christ (Galatians 4:7)
  62. liberty (Galatians 5:1)
  63. holy (Ephesians 1:4)
  64. without blame (Ephesians 1:4)
  65. predestinated (Ephesians 1:5)
  66. adopted (Ephesians 1:5)
  67. accepted in the beloved, God’s Son Jesus Christ (Ephesians 1:6)
  68. redeemed through Christ’s blood (Ephesians 1:7)
  69. forgiven through Christ’s blood (Ephesians 1:7)
  70. obtained an inheritance (Ephesians 1:11)
  71. sealed with that holy Spirit of promise (Ephesians 1:13)
  72. quickened / made alive (Ephesians 2:1)
  73. raised up together with Christ (Ephesians 2:6)
  74. made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 2:6)
  75. saved (Ephesians 2:8)
  76. access by one Spirit unto the Father (Ephesians 2:18)
  77. fellow-heirs and partakers of His promise in Christ by the gospel (Ephesians 3:6)
  78. sealed by the holy Spirit unto the day of the redemption (Ephesians 4:30)
  79. forgiven (Ephesians 4:32)
  80. loved (Ephesians 5:2)
  81. washed by God’s Word (Ephesians 5:26)
  82. without spot or wrinkle (Ephesians 5:27)
  83. holy and without blemish (Ephesians 5:27)
  84. filled with the fruits of righteousness (Philippians 1:11)
  85. consolation in Christ (Philippians 2:1)
  86. fellowship of the Spirit (Philippians 2:1)
  87. made blameless (Philippians 2:15)
  88. made harmless (Philippians 2:15)
  89. the righteousness of God (Philippians 3:9)
  90. our names are recorded in the book of life (Philippians 4:3)
  91. peace of God (Philippians 4:7)
  92. our spiritual need of salvation met (Philippians 4:19)
  93. a hope laid up for us in heaven (Colossians 1:5)
  94. partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light (Colossians 1:12)
  95. delivered from the power of darkness (Colossians 1:13)
  96. translated into the kingdom of God’s dear Son (Colossians 1:13)
  97. destined to be placed in reconciled heavenly places for God’s glory (Colossians 1:20)
  98. holy, unblameable, and unreproveable in God’s sight (Colossians 1:22)
  99. complete in Christ (Colossians 2:10)
  100. circumcised with the circumcision made without hands (Colossians 2:11)
  101. buried with Christ in baptism, NOT water (Colossians 2:12)
  102. risen with Christ through the faith of the operation of God (Colossians 2:12)
  103. quickened / made alive with Christ (Colossians 2:13)
  104. forgiven of all trespasses (Colossians 2:13)
  105. risen with Christ (Colossians 3:1)
  106. our resurrection lives are hid with Christ in God (Colossians 3:3)
  107. deliverance from the wrath to come (1 Thessalonians 1:10)
  108. called unto God’s kingdom and glory (1 Thessalonians 2:12)
  109. our hearts are unblameable in holiness before God (1 Thessalonians 3:13)
  110. given God’s holy Spirit (1 Thessalonians 4:8)
  111. obtained salvation from God’s wrath by our Lord Jesus Christ (1 Thessalonians 5:9)
  112. everlasting consolation through grace (2 Thessalonians 2:16)
  113. good hope through grace (2 Thessalonians 2:16)
  114. comfort (2 Thessalonians 2:17)
  115. given the spirit of power, and of love, and of a sound mind (2 Timothy 1:7)
  116. called with an holy calling (2 Timothy 1:9)
  117. indwelt by the Holy Spirit (2 Timothy 1:14)
  118. delivered from every evil work (2 Timothy 4:18)
  119. preserved unto the Lord’s heavenly kingdom (2 Timothy 4:18)
  120. eternal life (Titus 1:2)

Indeed, we are “complete in Christ” (Colossians 2:10).

HAPPY THANKSGIVING FROM arC MINISTRIES!

Also see:
» Can Christians lose their salvation?
» Was God unfair to punish us for Adam’s sin?
» Can God really use even me?