In contrast to the Jewish church, Paul was given new truth concerning the establishment of grace church. The Body of Christ is an entity that one will not find anywhere in the Old Testament, in prophecy, or in the Gospels. It is unique revelation introduced for the heavenly program.
Matt 16:15 He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? 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.
The Jewish assembly is built upon the rock. It is not built upon Peter as the character, but rather, the Jewish church is built upon the 'confession' of Peter, the faith confession that Jesus is the Son of God. This confession is the primary requirement of the Kingdom gospel; a Jew must recognize and confess that Jesus Christ is their Messiah, the Son of God. This church is based on a physical Kingdom which is made up of a specific land deed, a physical throne (of David, Lk.1:32) and has the structure of a King and His subjects.
With regards to the Grace program, the church is based upon the confession of what Christ has done for us, not who He is. It is defined in a more spiritual essence as being the Body of Christ where Christ is the Head of the body, and its members are co-heirs with Christ. There are no physical details involved like land or a throne, but everything is spiritual, from our inheritance to our blessings. See 1 Cor.12:27; Eph.1:22-23, and for a more detailed review, read Ephesians 1 and 2.
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