B.--The basis of the salvation for the Church of the One Body was laid before

Acts 28:, and is found in the epistle to the Romans, particularly in chapters 5:-8:,

but although all believers both pre- and post-Acts are saved with the same salvation, it

does not follow that they are all destined for the same position. During Paul's earlier

ministry the position of the Gentile believer could be expressed by the words, "Blessed

with faithful Abraham". After Acts 28: the name of Abraham never occurs in Paul's

writings. The believer after that, as a member of the One Body, while still saved with the

same salvation as Abraham (Rom. 4:, Gal. 3:), is chosen to a different destiny which

can only be expressed by the words, "With Christ in the heavenly places, far above all

principality, etc."

Then, further, we have no warrant to teach that every believer at the present day is

necessarily a member of the Church of the One Body. The great bulk of Christians are

ignorant of the revelation of the mystery. They do not believe the truth for which the

apostle suffered, they do not entertain its hope, they do not endure anything for its

doctrine. In all dispensations it has been true, "faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by

the word of God".

A.--Yet this seems to make acceptance of the truth the basis of membership.

B.--Scripture says, "It pleased God through the foolishness of the preaching to save them

that believe", and at the same time says, "As many as were ordained to eternal life

believed". You might just as well bring your objections against these Scriptures as

against the teaching concerning the One Body. Every member of the One Body will hear

and believe the truth, yet every member of the One Body is, nevertheless, as much

"ordained" to that membership as were those who were "ordained to eternal life".

A.--You mean, then, that seeing it is within the bounds of possibility that two

dispensations may run together at the same time, it also is a possibility that all Christians

are not necessarily members of one elect company and that there are "Kingdom"

believers to-day as well as "Church" believers, and that the Church of the One Body may

be termed "An election within an election".

B.--Yes, and further, instead of adopting the attitude that Christians who do not see with

us in these things must necessarily be wrong, we believe that our responsibility ends with

the presentation of the truth, and that according to whether the one who hears has been

chosen to membership of the One Body or not, so will his response be.

A.--That explanation accounts for the very obvious difference that I found between your

attitude toward differing believers and their attitude toward you.  The spirit of

condemnation and bitterness would certainly not be so manifest if all Christians saw the

truth from that standpoint. I do not pretend to accept your teaching yet, but I do most

certainly appreciate the spirit that it produces.

B.--Think the subject over, and let us talk it over again.