Page:Studies in the Scriptures - Series I - The Plan of the Ages (1909).djvu/88

 8a The Plan of the

2 : 9); and together with Jesus, their chief and Lord, they constitute Jehovah's Anointed the Christ.

In harmony with this teaching of John, that we also are anoinfed, Paul assures us that this mystery which has been kept secret in ages past, but which is now made known to the saints, is that the Christ (the Anointed) is "not one member, but many," just as the human body is one, and has many members; but as all the members of the body, being many, are one body, so also is the Anointed- the Christ, (i Cor. 12 : 12-28.) Jesus is anointed to be the Head or Lord over the Church, which is his body (or his bride, as expressed in another figure Eph. 5 : 25-30), and united- ly they constitute the promised "Seed" the Great Deliver- er: "If ye be Christ's then are ye Abraham's seed, and Mrs according to the promise." Gal. 3 : 29.

The Apostle carefully guards the Church against any presumptive claims, saying of Jesus that "God hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to l>e the head overall things to the Church, which is his body/' "that in all things he might \&xithe prt-ew*enet" (Eph. i : 22 ; Col. i : 18.) Yet, under the figure of the human body, ho beautifully and forcibly shows our intimate relationship. This same oneness Jesus also taught, saying, "I am the vine, ye arc the branches." John 15 : 5.

Our oneness with the Lord Jesus, ns mcmlxwrs of the Christ, the anointed company, is well illustrated by the figure of the pyramid.

The top-stone is a perfect pyramid of itself. Other atones may be built up under it, and, if in harmony with all the characteristic lines of the top-stone, the whole nms will he a perfect pyramid. How beautifully this illustrates our po- sition as members of "the Seed*' "the Christ," Joined to and perfectly in harmony with our Head, we, an living stones, are perfcft \ separated from him, we are nothing.

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