No — Old Testament believers are not part of the Body of Christ.
Les Feldick teaches that the Body of Christ is a distinct truth revealed only through the Apostle Paul after Israel rejected her Messiah. It is made up of believers from this age of grace, predominantly Gentiles, and is not connected with Old Testament prophecy or Israel's relationship under the Law.
Romans 12:4-5 — Paul uses the human body as an analogy for believers who are one body in Christ, a truth Les says belongs to this age.
1 Corinthians 12:13 — This verse shows that believers are baptized into the one Body by the Holy Spirit, which Les says happens at the moment of faith.
1 Corinthians 15:51-52 — Paul calls the resurrection change a mystery for Gentile believers, indicating a distinct message not given to Old Testament saints.
Paul writes about believers being one body in Christ: 'For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office: So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another' (Romans 12:4-5). He also describes how people enter that body: 'For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit' (1 Corinthians 12:13). And he calls the resurrection change a mystery for those believers: 'Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed' (1 Corinthians 15:51).
Les Feldick teaches that the Body of Christ is not found in the Old Testament, in the Gospels, or in prophecy. It is a revelation given to the Apostle Paul after Israel rejected her Messiah and was set aside. The Body is predominantly Gentile in nature and is a 'called out' group from the Gentile world that will be resurrected and changed together. Old Testament prophets were writing to Israel under the Law, while Paul writes to Gentile believers under grace who are members of the Body. Les also explains how one enters the Body: not by man's baptism or a denomination, but by believing the gospel, after which the Holy Spirit immediately places that believer into the Body. The Body includes both Jew and Gentile, but it is not Israel; prophecy remains centered on Israel, while the church is not found in prophecy.
Les teaches that you can find nothing concerning the Body of Christ in the Gospels and that it is not until Paul receives revelation from the ascended Lord that the Body is revealed. The Body is predominantly Gentile in nature and is not associated with prophecy. Everything concerning prophecy is primarily concerned with the nation of Israel; there is nothing in prophecy concerning the church.
Les explains that no one signs up for the Body and no preacher baptizes you into it. The moment a person believes the gospel, the Holy Spirit automatically and immediately places them into the Body of Christ. He points to the truth that 'by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body.' Once someone is a child of God, they are joined to Christ and have a function in His body, even if that function is unseen.
Les says the Body is not a denomination. Whether Jew or Gentile, bond or free, believers have all been made to drink of that one Spirit. At the same time, he stresses that the Body is not identified with Israel as a whole; it is predominantly Gentile and is not associated with prophecy, which belongs to Israel.
Old Testament prophets wrote to the Jew, the nation of Israel under the Law. Paul, in contrast, writes to Gentile believers who are not under the Law but under grace and are members of the Body of Christ. For Les, this is a whole different economy, showing that the Body belongs to the present age, not to the Old Testament.
The Body as the Church-Bride
Les describes the wedding between Christ the Lamb and the Body, the Church, tying the Body to the church of this age.
How Believers Enter the Body
Les teaches that membership in the Body of Christ comes by believing the gospel; the Holy Spirit immediately baptizes that believer into the Body, not by human rites.
Old Testament Prophets vs. Paul's Gentile Audience
Les contrasts the Old Testament prophets writing to Israel under the Law with Paul writing to Gentile believers under grace who are members of the Body of Christ.
A Revelation Not Found in the Gospels
Les says the Body of Christ is absent from the Gospels and Old Testament prophecy; it was revealed through Paul after Israel rejected the Messiah, and it is predominantly Gentile.
Prophecy Concerns Israel, Not the Church
Les identifies the church as the Body of Christ and explains that prophecy is primarily about Israel, with nothing in prophecy concerning the church.
The Body Called Out From the Gentile World
Les says the Body of Christ is called out from among the Gentile world and will be resurrected as a whole, while the earthly ministry proclaimed the Gospel of the Kingdom.
One Body Made Up of Jew and Gentile
Les uses the physical body illustration to show that the Body of Christ includes Jew and Gentile, bond and free, as partakers of the one Spirit.
The Holy Spirit Places Believers into the Body
Les explains that when a person becomes a child of God, the Holy Spirit immediately places him or her into the Body, giving every believer a function.
Romans 12:4-5: For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office: So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another.
Paul compares the many members of the human body to believers who are one body in Christ, a truth Les says belongs to this age.
1 Corinthians 12:13: For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.
This is the verse Les points to when he explains the Holy Spirit's automatic placement of believers into the Body.
1 Corinthians 15:51-52: Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
Les calls this the mystery shown to Gentile believers about their bodily transformation at the resurrection.
No. Les Feldick teaches that nothing concerning the Body of Christ is found in the Gospels or the Old Testament prophets. It is a truth revealed through the Apostle Paul after Israel rejected her Messiah and is predominantly Gentile in nature.
Les explains that membership is not by signing up or by a preacher's baptism. When a person believes the gospel, the Holy Spirit automatically and immediately places them into the Body of Christ, making them a member.
Les says everything concerning prophecy is primarily concerned with the nation of Israel and that there is nothing in prophecy concerning the church, which is the Body of Christ.
Yes. Les says whether Jew or Gentile, believers are one body in Christ and have been made to drink of the one Spirit. But the Body is not identified with Israel as a whole.
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