There is a false teaching called “hyper dispensationalism.” Many people will put all dispensationalists who don’t believe salvation is identical through out the Bible in this category called “hyper dispensationalism.” Or “ultra dispensationalism.”
Hyper dispensationalists teach a lot of wrong things. They have different views of when the body of Christ began. Most of them that I know of believe the body of Christ started with Paul. Here are some verses to combat this teaching:
Rom 16:7 Salute Andronicus and Junia, my kinsmen, and my fellowprisoners, who are of note among the apostles, who also were in Christ before me.
Paul admits himself that there were people in Christ before him. Someone who believes the body of Christ began with Paul will quickly say that being “in Christ” isn’t the same as being “in the body of Christ.”
But in 1 Cor 12:27 Paul says the Corinthians are in the body of Christ and then in 1 Cor 1:30 he says they are “in Christ.”
In Romans 16:7 everyone who was “in Christ” when Paul wrote that, was actually “in the body” and everyone he listed was “in the body of Christ”.
There were people in the book of Acts before Paul’s conversion that were put into the church which is the body of Christ.
Act 2:47 Praising God, and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.
And this isn’t just simply a “church”, like “the church in the wilderness” or a “local church”. In Acts 5:14 it says people were “added to the LORD”.
The body of Christ was revealed to Paul according to Ephesians 3:3-4. So these people in the beginning of the book of Acts were put in the body and didn’t even know it. Just because they didn’t know the truth didn’t make it not a reality. When I got saved I didn’t know I was in the body of Christ and the body of Christ had already been revealed for over 2000 years in the Bible.
Here are some more questions to answer.
If the body started with Paul than how did Paul persecute “the church of God”?
Gal 1:13 For ye have heard of my conversation in time past in the Jews’ religion, how that beyond measure I persecuted the church of God, and wasted it:
In Acts 9:5 Jesus tells Paul that “I am Jesus whom thou persecutest”. How could Paul have been persecuting Jesus Christ after he had left the earth? That is because Paul was persecuting him by persecuting “the body of Christ.” There were men in the body before Paul.
Some hyper dispensationalists will use 1 Corinthians 3:10 to prove the body started with Paul.
1Co 3:10 According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise masterbuilder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon
Paul laid he foundation for the Corinthians but Jesus Christ is the foundation of the church as you can see with the following verse.
1Co 3:11 For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.
Eph 4:11-12 shows that the apostles were in Christ before Paul. It refers to Jesus Christ giving gifts to the body of Christ when he ascended and one of the gifts he gave is the “apostles.”
Eph 4:10 He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things.)
Eph 4:11 And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;
Eph 4:12 For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:
Peter james and John were all in Christ before Paul.
I believe the body of Christ started at Calvary.
Eph 2:14-16
14 For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us;
15 Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace;
16 And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body BY THE CROSS, having slain the enmity thereby:
Joh 2:19 Jesus answered and said unto them, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.
Joh 2:20 Then said the Jews, Forty and six years was this temple in building, and wilt thou rear it up in three days?
Joh 2:21 But he spake of the temple of his body.
Since people are obviously being put in the body of Christ before Paul, the hyper dispensationalist made up another body called “the kingdom church.” This is where they put Peter, James, and John.
They are in a hurry to teach that the four gospels and the general epistles have absolutely no doctrine for Christians today. They also desire to get rid of water baptism and confession of sins.
They make a big deal about “water baptism” because of Ephesians 4:5.
Eph 4:4 There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling;
Eph 4:5 One Lord, one faith, one baptism,
Eph 4:6 One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.
This is basically letting you know that there is one baptism which saves. The baptism that saves is “the spirit baptism” when you are baptized into the body of Christ at salvation. The verses also say “one lord” but there are many lords. However it says “one LORD” because there is only one LORD which saves. The verse says “one GOD.” Yet there are many false gods, but only one god which saves. So there is more than one baptism, BUT only one baptism saves.
They say “Paul wasn’t sent to baptize.” No he wasn’t sent to water baptize but to “preach the gospel”. However at the same time, Paul baptized Crispus and Gaius as he says in 1 Cor 1:14. Paul talks about himself getting baptized in Acts 22:16. Some gentiles were baptized in Acts 10:48. Water baptism doesn’t save but it is a good thing to do after you get saved.
Paul, Jesus Christ, the disciples, and all the big names in the New Testament were baptized in water. It wasn’t to get saved or stay saved. It wasn’t to get in the body of Christ. But Paul said “be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ”. (1 Corinthians 11:1) Paul & Jesus were both baptized in water. So why wouldn’t I get water baptized after my salvation, like the Eunuch in Acts 8:36-38, when all my biblical examples were baptized. There is also nowhere that Paul says NOT TO get water baptized.
The church of Christ will say water baptism saves, while the hyper dispensationalist teach water baptism isn’t for this age. That is the opposite ends of an extreme. The correct position is that water baptism doesn’t save but rather it is just an act of obedience for this age.
They believe they can only get doctrine from the Pauline epistles. Also some of them will only hold to his prison epistles. They think they can learn things from the other books of the bible but outside of Paul’s epistles they can’t find doctrine for themselves. The truth is there is tons of doctrine you can apply to yourself from other books of the Bible. Paul is our apostle and where the other books agree with Paul’s doctrine we can apply it to ourselves doctrinally. Here are some for an example:
Peter even talks about writing to men who are “in Christ”.
Pe 3:16 Having a good conscience; that, whereas they speak evil of you, as of evildoers, they may be ashamed that falsely accuse your good conversation in Christ.
Rev 1:5 And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood,
1Pe 1:2 Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied.
1Jn 1:7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.m
And although Hewbrews was probably written by Paul they wouldn’t apply it to them. It is true that much of Hebrews has doctrine primarily for saints in the tribulation but we can still find doctrine for us. Such as this:
Heb 9:12 Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us.
They are in hurry to get rid of the general epistles as doctrine for us because they don’t like “confession of sins.” That is what the apostle John teaches in 1 John 1. Confession of sins is not for salvation but it is for fellowship. Unconfessed sin will lead many Christians to an early grave and without rewards at the judgment seat of Christ.
