“”The Church Which is His Body ‘The Body of Christ’ Did Not Begin Until the Gospel of Grace was Revealed to the Apostle Paul

Most in Christendom believe or were taught that Christianity began with John the Baptizer (or somewhere in between John the Baptist and Pentecost) like I was taught at my Baptist High School and Christian College in El Cajon, California.

NO. Christianity did not begin with John the Baptizer or at Pentecost or anywhere in between.

John the Baptist was the prophesied herald that came on the scene to announce to the nation of Israel (not the Gentiles) that Israel’s PROMISED King and the promised kingdom was coming! (Malachi 3:1)

John the Baptist did not come to herald “the Body of Christ”! The Body of Christ and the plan of salvation for Gentiles would not be revealed for another 14-15 years.

The Four Gospels are just a continuation of the Old Testament

The Erroneous Narrative

Christendom’s “traditional narrative” is that John the Baptist comes on the scene to announce to the world the King and kingdom are coming. Jesus Christ chooses 12 disciples and they perform many miracles, preach the gospel and baptize many building the Church. Jesus makes Peter the leader of the apostles and spokesman for the Church.

The Jewish leadership rejects Jesus claims and along with the Romans they crucify Jesus. Jesus Christ is raised from the dead three days later and the Lord commands the apostles to preach the gospel of grace to everyone Jews and Gentile all over the world.

At the same time, this is happening one of the Lord’s greatest enemies Saul, while on the road to Damascus is confronted and converted by Christ Himself.

Saul who is now Paul joins the other apostles and together start the great commission. Preaching the gospel of grace, baptizing, performing miracles and growing the Church.

Wrong!

The popular narrative is erroneous for one clear reason; there is ABSOUTELY NO Scripture support for it. The narrative is loaded with true statements but the underlying message is erroneous and has led to division, confusion and false teaching.

Use Timeline Below as Reference

Multiple Errors

• First and foremost. The gospel of grace and the doctrine for the Body of Christ was revealed to the apostle Paul 11 years after Pentecost. How could Christ be preaching death, burial and resurrection when He was still alive? Furthermore, Peter and the other apostles HAD NO CLUE THAT CHRIST WAS GOING TO DIE ON THE CROSS, BE BURIED IN A TOMB THAN BE RESURRECTED THREE DAYS LATER (Luke 18:31-34).
• Peter and the 11 knew nothing about the gospel of grace (Acts 20:24; 1 Corinthians 15:1-4) or the Body of Christ because it wasn’t revealed yet. How can anyone say that Peter was preaching the gospel of grace when God Himself says I revealed it only to the apostle Paul?
• John the Baptist was a Jewish prophet, not a “Christian”. John lived under the Mosaic law and believed that Jesus was the Christ (“Israel’s Messiah”). He would have fulfilled the role of “Elijah” as prophesied in Malachi 4:5,6. If the nation of Israel accepted his message.
• There is NO Scripture record of Paul joining Peter and the other apostles preaching the gospel of grace. The record is the exact opposite! God makes it clear that He chose Paul to be the apostle to the Gentiles. The resurrected Lord Jesus said it Himself that I revealed the gospel of the grace of God to Paul. Paul didn’t learn what he knew nor was he taught it by men but by the risen Lord Jesus Himself. (Galatians 1:11,12) (Ephesians 3:3-5) Most in Christendom seem to think Paul was taught by Peter and the other apostles. Ridiculous!
• It was God the Son who told the apostle Paul to go up to the Jerusalem Church and set the record straight. At the Jerusalem Council, it was Paul who stood his ground and told them “who seemed to be something” how it was going to be moving forward. (Galatians 2:2) (Galatians 2:6)
• At the Jerusalem Council “those who seemed to be something” Peter, John and James shared NOTHING of value to the apostle Paul. (Galatians 2:6,7,8,9) (Acts 15:11) It was the apostle Paul who shared with them what the risen Lord Jesus revealed to him.
• The apostle Peter at the Jerusalem Council makes his grand statement that most DO NOT REALLY UNDERSTAND WHAT PETER REALLY SAID. ‘But we believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved in the same manner as they.”’ Acts 15:11 Not the other way around! Paul didn’t go back to his congregations and say sorry guys but now you have to be baptized, circumcised and keep all 613 laws.
•  There is no Scripture support for Peter or any of the other apostles leaving Jerusalem to spread the gospel all over the world. They never left Jerusalem. (Acts 8:1; 7 years after Pentecost)
• The word Christian wasn’t used until Acts 11:26, in Antioch, not Jerusalem. Well after Paul’s conversion. Those who believed that Jesus was the Christ the Son of God were called followers of “the way”.

So much confusion, division, and infighting among the Body of Christ because of the Erroneous Narrative. 

The Truth

John the Baptist comes on the scene to announce to “Israel” and Israel only that their promised King is coming to usher in the kingdom. 

Jesus Christ performed many miracles then chose 12 disciples and commanded them not (to repeat the command for the Lord Jesus was that the twelve disciples were NOT) to go to the Gentiles or into Samaria but go ONLY to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.

Peter and the eleven preached the gospel of the kingdom to Jews only with two exceptions, baptizing and adding to the Jerusalem Church. Jesus makes Peter the leader of the disciples and spokesman for the Jewish Church.

The Jewish leadership rejects Jesus claims that He is their Messiah and along with the Romans crucify Jesus. Jesus is raised from the dead and spends 40 days talking to the 11 about things concerning the kingdom they were to rule over sitting on twelve thrones, as promised by the Lord Himself before His crucifixion (Matthew 19:28). The Lord also commands His disciples to preach the gospel of the kingdom throughout the world beginning first in Jerusalem.

After Jesus ascension, the disciples continued to preach the gospel of the kingdom (that Jesus was the Christ) to Jews only continuing to practice the Mosaic Law. Peter preaches his heart out to his kinsman that even though they (the Jewish Leadership and the nation as a whole) along with the Gentiles killed the Prince of Life if they (the nation) would just repent God would still send their Messiah and usher in the kingdom. 

Around the same time Saul a much feared persecutor of those Jews who claimed that Jesus was the Christ. While on the road to Damascus to arrest his kinsman who believed that Jesus was the Son of God and Israel’s promised Messiah. The ascended and glorified Lord confronts Saul, who would become the apostle Paul, choosing him to be the apostle to the Gentile world.

Paul does not join up with Peter and the other apostles (only met with Peter for 15 days, no record of conversation) and did not preach the gospel of the kingdom. Instead, God sends Paul to Arabia for three years where the ascended Lord Jesus reveals to Paul and Paul alone the gospel of grace; that now salvation is available to ALL mankind Jew or Gentile apart from the Mosaic law and temple worship by simply believing by faith alone the gospel. That Jesus Christ died for our sins, was buried and rose from the dead three day later.  

In 51 AD, after Paul has been preaching grace for 11 years God instructs him to go up to the Jerusalem Church to tell Peter, James and John about the new revelations given to him by the risen and glorified Lord. Peter stands up and declares that from this point forward we (the Jews) shall be saved in the same way as Paul’s converts (the Gentiles).

Up until this point in Biblical history (22 years after Christ earthly ministry, 14 years after the cross) Peter and all Jews of the Jerusalem Church were still practicing the Mosaic Law and the temple is in full operation.

Peter only knew of the gospel of the Kingdom because that’s all that was revealed to him. It’s was Paul who told Peter the new revelations that now salvation is by faith alone in the finished work of the cross for both Jew and Gentile apart from the Mosaic Law. Which was absolutely unheard of for the previous 1,500 or so years. 

The apostle Paul continued to preach the gospel of the grace of God for 24 years spreading the message of Christ crucified, buried and resurrected three days later all over the world.

This is the truth and is 100% accurate and fully supported by Scripture.

Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

2 Timothy 2:15

It’s hard to understand Scripture if you don’t separate Israel (or if you remove Israel all together) and the body of Christ and understand that we are no longer under law but under grace.

Thank you for reading.

If you liked this post please consider sharing it.

Jamie Pantastico

Mesa Bible Study

Faith, Sine Qua Non