The Gospel According To Matthew

by JAMES BLAIR, Vancouver, B.C. | Category: The Gospel According To Matthew | May 1943

There are two Adams in God's word. The name Adam in Genesis 5. included both Adam and Eve-" He called their name Adam." In a sense Adam, as placed in the garden over God's creation, filled a place akin to the place given to the last Adam, as seen in Ephesians 1. 20, 21, and while he was alone at first, by and by Eve appears on the scene as his associate, and what was she? "And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and he slept; and He took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof: and the rib, which the LORD God had taken from the man, made (builded) He a woman, and brought her unto the man. And the man said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man " (Genesis 2.21-23). Though to begin with Eve is not seen, yet God saw her in Adam in the day He created them. The same is true of "the last Adam," "the second Man, the Lord from heaven." This helps to explain what is difficult for us to understand in Ephesians 1.4,-" Even as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world." He is God's chosen Man to be over" the world to come, whereof we speak" (Hebrews 2.5). Alway back in those dateless periods, God saw us in Christ, just as He saw Eve in Adam. Adam, however, is not the New Man's name, it is Christ, arid what we have just said, does it not help us better to understand 1 Corinthians 12.12, 18? "For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of the body, being many, are one body; so also is (the) Christ. For in one Spirit were we all baptized into one Body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether bond or free; and were all made to drink of one Spirit." It is plain that here, Christ, or the Christ, includes both Christ and those who are in His Body, the Church. In Genesis 5.2 God called their name Adam." Here in 1 Corinthians 12. the Spirit of God calls their name" Christ."

In different language, but in more detail, we have this wondrous thing unfolded to us in Ephesians. Chapter 1 closes with the wondrous unfolding that God hath "raised Him from the dead, and made Him to sit at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule, and authority, and power, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come: and He put all things in subjection under His feet, and gave Him to be Head over all things to the Church, which is His Body, the fulness (completion, or complement, as Eve was of Adam) of Him that filleth all in all." Thus, meanwhile, He is creating in Himself one new man. Eternal glory shall be God's portion" in the Church and in Christ Jesus unto all generations for ever and ever Amen" (Ephesians 3.2.1).

We are members of His Body." Truly " This mystery is great; but I speak in regard of Christ and the Church" (Ephesians 5.30-32).

Thus in Matthew 16. on Peter's confession of Him as the Christ the Son of the living God, He made known that He was going to build a church. "My Church" He called it, yet at that time they had little idea what He meant. Exception is taken by some to the term "the Church, which is His Body," being used in relation to the Church of Matthew 16., simply because the, Lord did not use the term, but we ask, If it is not the Church, which is His Body, what church is it?

What then had He in mind may we ask? We suggest that the incident which gives us the first occurrence of the word "builded "will help us to know what was in His mind, and what more appropriate. language could He use when speaking of what we with fuller revelation speak of as "The Church which is His Body," than "My Church." He was speaking of what was His very own, as Adam did of the woman builded out of his own rib. We grant willingly that Matthew's Gospel is the Gospel of the Kingdom, but is that applicable only to the Jews? We admit that it begins with the Jew, on the principle of "to the Jew first," but the Greek or Gentile also comes in, as witness chapter 12.16-21, for He is the Son of Abraham, through whom blessing would come unto the Gentiles (Galatians 3. 1~4). Then, further, as "the Christ, the Son of the living God," the Church is so closely associated with Him that together they are spoken of as "the Christ." Most of what has been said in connection with chapter 16. is really a digression from what was directly before our mind, but we trust, it may be of help in regard to this precious subject-" My Church," and at the same time may it raise the question in many minds, as to why the Church is spoken of in Matthew's Gospel, if, as some assert, it is only for the Jews. Will you look closely at Matthew 16. 18, 19, "And I also say unto thee, that thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build My Church; and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven:

and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in

heaven ?~"

JAMES BLAIR, Vancouver, B.C. | May 1943
The Gospel According To Matthew