God's Present Spiritual Work
In our previous discussions of the Church Age Gospel, we established that salvation is a completely unearned, free gift received exclusively through personal faith in the finished Blood Atonement Sacrifice (death, burial, and resurrection) of our Lord Jesus Christ.
A vital interesting question naturally follows: How do we properly navigate the entire Bible in light of this present dispensation of grace, and how do we distinguish between God's past physical dealings with the nation of Israel and His present spiritual dealings with the Church?
To understand our position today, we must examine the grand structural transition highlighted in the Pauline epistles—specifically moving from Romans to Philemon—and recognize why the foundations of the Church Age are entirely spiritual rather than physical.
That shift is the key to this entire third stage. If the foundation of the first two stages was physical — a physical nation, a physical kingdom, physical signs, physical ordinances tied to salvation — the foundation of this present stage is spiritual. And whatever is physical today has to be understood in light of that spiritual foundation, not the other way around. We shall now focus on Stage 3:
The Apostles' Ministry
Focused heavily on physical Israel and Christ's earthly teachings.
The Ministry of Paul
Unveiling the mystery of the body of Christ and salvation strictly by grace.
Christians-Present Belief
The current practice of the Body of Christ today.
Rooted in the epistles of Romans to Philemon, our faith is anchored not in transient physical markers or ritualistic performances, but in the permanent spiritual realities of grace.
1 Israel’s Temporary Blinding and the Birth of the Church Age
A foundational key to understanding biblical dispensations is recognizing how God shifts His focus between national Israel and the body of Christ. The Apostle Paul explicitly addresses this mystery in Romans 11:25–26:
“For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in. And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob:”
- A Temporary Pause: Notice that physical Israel has been blinded in part and temporarily, lasting only until the fulness of the Gentiles is brought into the Body of Christ. God’s covenant promises to Abraham guarantee that He will deal with physical Israel again in the future.
- The Present Spiritual Focus: Because physical Israel's national program is temporarily paused, God is not currently running an earthly, physical kingdom or dealing with humanity through physical, Jewish markers. Instead, the present Church Age is entirely spiritual.
2 Why Physical Signs and Rituals Belong to Israel’s Program
During the earthly ministry of Jesus and the early Acts period, God’s dealings were heavily tied to physical, national signs tailored specifically to the Jewish people. This explains why certain elements were prominent then, but are no longer the mechanism for salvation today:
- Physical Signs and Wonders: Physical healings, speaking in tongues, and miraculous signs served as covenant markers for physical Israel (1 Corinthians 1:22).
- Physical Water Baptism & Laying of Hands: Under the early kingdom program, physical deeds were integrated with national repentance and covenant obedience.
- The Present Reality: Today, the Church does not operate on physical signs, earthly political kingdoms, or ritualistic deeds to secure salvation. As Paul teaches in 1 Corinthians 12:13, our placement into the body of Christ is strictly a spiritual baptism performed by the Holy Spirit at the moment of faith.
3 Romans to Philemon: Our Core Doctrinal Foundation
How do we know which parts of Scripture directly govern our doctrine and practice as Christians today?
- The Scope of Paul's Epistles: The Apostle Paul was uniquely commissioned as the Apostle to the Gentiles. His epistles—spanning from Romans to Philemon—are explicitly addressed to non-Jewish believers and the Christian Church, outlining grace, justification by faith apart from works, and our spiritual union with Christ.
- Filtering Through the Lens of Grace: While the entire Bible contains profitable spiritual lessons and historical accounts for our learning (Romans 15:4), our precise doctrinal foundation for the Church Age is anchored in the Pauline epistles where physical Jewish requirements are set aside.
4 Handling the Law and Ordinances Under Grace
Does this mean we completely discard the Old Testament or the Mosaic Law? Not at all. We avoid the error of "hyper-dispensationalism" while correctly recognizing how the Law functions under grace:
- The End of Legalistic Observance: In Colossians 2:14, 16, Paul explains that the handwriting of ordinances was nailed to the cross, commanding believers not to be judged regarding physical diets or calendar sabbaths.
- Fulfilling the Law Spiritually: The moral instructions of the Law align perfectly with our new spiritual walk. As Paul writes in Galatians 5:14-16 KJV: "For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. But if ye bite and devour one another, take heed that ye be not consumed one of another. This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh."
🔚 Timeline Conclusion
Recognizing the shift from physical shadows to spiritual realities liberates the believer from religious anxiety and legalistic confusion. We are no longer bound by the temporary mechanisms of an earthly program; instead, we stand securely anchored in the finished, spiritual work of our Savior.
Let us walk confidently in this grace, anchored firmly in the unshakeable truths revealed in this discussion, living out our true identity as the spiritual Body of Christ.
🌟 Invitation to Continue
What lies ahead for a world that leaves this era of unearned favor behind? In our next discussion, we step into the sobering reality of The Great Tribulation—also known as Jacob's Trouble. Explore how facing God's righteous wrath becomes inevitable for those who miss the Rapture of the Church. Gain advanced insight into the unfolding prophetic clock and the dramatic transition of God's final global judgment.
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