Ekklesia: A Resurrected Ekklesia
by Dr. Patti Amsden
by Dr. Patti Amsden
When Jesus declared that He would build His Ekklesia, He was comparing His called out with those called out under Moses. The two called out groups would have much in common. However, there would be one prominent distinguishing mark. The gates of death, the legal hold of death’s incarceration, the Adamic penalty that placed humanity under the sentence of death and expelled mankind from God’s presence: these were all going to be dismantled by Christ’s substitutionary work. The locked doors of death from Adam would not prevail – would not be strong against – Christ’s ekklesia. Why? Jesus would defeat death. Jesus would pay the penalty of death. Jesus would open the doors of death. Life would overcome death.
Indeed, that is exactly what happened. The resurrection of Christ was proof positive that death was defeated. The first Adam had placed humanity under death but the Last Adam liberated mankind from death’s tyranny. Under Christ a new era began. The reign of life began. And not only was Jesus resurrected, but those who believed would pass from death to life (Jn. 3:36; 5:24-26; Rom. 5:17; 6:4). Jesus started an ekklesia of the resurrected. He told His followers in Matt. 16: 18 that the distinguishing difference between the called out of Moses and his called out was that the doors of death would be unable to prevail. The hallmark of the New Covenant Era would be the defeat and destruction of death.
Hebrews expounds upon many areas of transition from the Old Covenant to the New Covenant. The old order had a temple in an earthly city made of stones. This pictured the man from Adam’s race whose origin was earthly and whose heart was stony. The new creation originates from and culminates in a heavenly Jerusalem (Heb. 12:22). The hearts are transformed from stone to flesh; therefore, the new temple of God is a living temple (I Cor. 3:16).
The Old Covenant had a priesthood that died of old age, representing a passing priesthood. The New Covenant has a priesthood without beginning and without ending. Jesus, a High Priest after the order of Melchizedek, forever lives in God’s presence. This speaks of an unending and unfailing priesthood (Heb. 7). The Aaronic priesthood was denied access into the Holiest of All, a symbolic picture of man in Adam expelled from God’s presence (Heb. 9:7-8). Upon Jesus’ death, the veil that closed the Holy of Holies was rent, indicating that an open access into God’s presence was actualized (Matt. 27:51; Heb. 10:19-20).
The Old Covenant had continual blood sacrifices. Many important truths are revealed in the study of sacrifice, especially the importance of substitution. Sacrifice spoke of death, the flowing out of blood. The Old Covenant was a covenant of death, not because it produced death but because it testified of death. Until Jesus, death reigned over mankind because of Adam’s sin. Jesus introduced a new reign for His covenantal people, the reign of life. The hallmark promise of the New Covenant is the promise of life (Jer. 31:33, 34; Ezek. 11:19; II Cor. 3:3). With death’s penalty paid and death’s power broken, mankind lives. God would no longer inscribe His Law upon stony tablets, symbolic of mankind’s hearts before regeneration. Stony hearts are changed to become the living epistles of Christ. The hope is a “living hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead” (I Peter 1:3). Worshippers offer their “bodies as a living sacrifice” (Rom. 12:1). Out of the belly flows “rivers of living water” (John 7:38). The entrance into the holiest is now “by a new and living way” (Heb. 10:20).
For believers in Jesus and participants in this glorious, heavenly, resurrected life to anticipate the reinstatement of a natural and earthly city and temple, a Judaic priesthood, or animal sacrifice – all symbols of an age when man was condemned to death – is equivalent to trying to build again what Jesus abolished. These have forever passed away. The New Covenant age has arrived. This covenant is a better covenant based on better promises. It is a covenant of life that is supported, undergirded, and affirmed by the resurrection of Jesus. As those alive from the dead, the church is commissioned to walk in newness of life.
Christ’s resurrection is the resurrection of a new humanity from the old humanity that was lost, dead, and in revolt against God. The old humanity of Adam was under the condemnation of eternal death. A new creation began with Christ’s resurrection; He is the firstfruits of them that slept (I Cor. 15:20). The new birth of which Scripture speaks is a resurrection, a rising from the dead. This is a spiritual regeneration. Jesus is the cornerstone – a living, resurrected cornerstone – to which the whole of the temple – all the living stones – comes into alignment. The New Covenant Age altogether testifies of life: living temple, living stones, living sacrifice, and living priesthood. Jesus promised this kind of called out assembly. He foretold their mark of identification. Jesus’ ekklesia would be marked by life and the doors of death could not stop the manifestation or the work of His church.
The difference between the ekklesia of Jesus and that of Moses was significant and important. However, the similarities are also important. The next article will begin to discuss those similarities.
Indeed, that is exactly what happened. The resurrection of Christ was proof positive that death was defeated. The first Adam had placed humanity under death but the Last Adam liberated mankind from death’s tyranny. Under Christ a new era began. The reign of life began. And not only was Jesus resurrected, but those who believed would pass from death to life (Jn. 3:36; 5:24-26; Rom. 5:17; 6:4). Jesus started an ekklesia of the resurrected. He told His followers in Matt. 16: 18 that the distinguishing difference between the called out of Moses and his called out was that the doors of death would be unable to prevail. The hallmark of the New Covenant Era would be the defeat and destruction of death.
Hebrews expounds upon many areas of transition from the Old Covenant to the New Covenant. The old order had a temple in an earthly city made of stones. This pictured the man from Adam’s race whose origin was earthly and whose heart was stony. The new creation originates from and culminates in a heavenly Jerusalem (Heb. 12:22). The hearts are transformed from stone to flesh; therefore, the new temple of God is a living temple (I Cor. 3:16).
The Old Covenant had a priesthood that died of old age, representing a passing priesthood. The New Covenant has a priesthood without beginning and without ending. Jesus, a High Priest after the order of Melchizedek, forever lives in God’s presence. This speaks of an unending and unfailing priesthood (Heb. 7). The Aaronic priesthood was denied access into the Holiest of All, a symbolic picture of man in Adam expelled from God’s presence (Heb. 9:7-8). Upon Jesus’ death, the veil that closed the Holy of Holies was rent, indicating that an open access into God’s presence was actualized (Matt. 27:51; Heb. 10:19-20).
The Old Covenant had continual blood sacrifices. Many important truths are revealed in the study of sacrifice, especially the importance of substitution. Sacrifice spoke of death, the flowing out of blood. The Old Covenant was a covenant of death, not because it produced death but because it testified of death. Until Jesus, death reigned over mankind because of Adam’s sin. Jesus introduced a new reign for His covenantal people, the reign of life. The hallmark promise of the New Covenant is the promise of life (Jer. 31:33, 34; Ezek. 11:19; II Cor. 3:3). With death’s penalty paid and death’s power broken, mankind lives. God would no longer inscribe His Law upon stony tablets, symbolic of mankind’s hearts before regeneration. Stony hearts are changed to become the living epistles of Christ. The hope is a “living hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead” (I Peter 1:3). Worshippers offer their “bodies as a living sacrifice” (Rom. 12:1). Out of the belly flows “rivers of living water” (John 7:38). The entrance into the holiest is now “by a new and living way” (Heb. 10:20).
For believers in Jesus and participants in this glorious, heavenly, resurrected life to anticipate the reinstatement of a natural and earthly city and temple, a Judaic priesthood, or animal sacrifice – all symbols of an age when man was condemned to death – is equivalent to trying to build again what Jesus abolished. These have forever passed away. The New Covenant age has arrived. This covenant is a better covenant based on better promises. It is a covenant of life that is supported, undergirded, and affirmed by the resurrection of Jesus. As those alive from the dead, the church is commissioned to walk in newness of life.
Christ’s resurrection is the resurrection of a new humanity from the old humanity that was lost, dead, and in revolt against God. The old humanity of Adam was under the condemnation of eternal death. A new creation began with Christ’s resurrection; He is the firstfruits of them that slept (I Cor. 15:20). The new birth of which Scripture speaks is a resurrection, a rising from the dead. This is a spiritual regeneration. Jesus is the cornerstone – a living, resurrected cornerstone – to which the whole of the temple – all the living stones – comes into alignment. The New Covenant Age altogether testifies of life: living temple, living stones, living sacrifice, and living priesthood. Jesus promised this kind of called out assembly. He foretold their mark of identification. Jesus’ ekklesia would be marked by life and the doors of death could not stop the manifestation or the work of His church.
The difference between the ekklesia of Jesus and that of Moses was significant and important. However, the similarities are also important. The next article will begin to discuss those similarities.
