The body of Christ began with the Apostle Paul — from his conversion on the road to Damascus onward — not at Pentecost.
Les Feldick teaches that you can find nothing of the body of Christ in the Gospels, and the term appears nowhere in Scripture until Paul's writings; it is strictly a Pauline revelation (Clips 1, 3, 4). The Jerusalem assembly of early Acts was made up of Jewish believers who knew Jesus as the promised Messiah, but it was not yet the body of Christ (Clip 5). The body began in Acts as Paul, the apostle of the Gentiles, preached the gospel of the grace of God and God began calling people into that body from Paul's conversion onward (Clips 3, 6).
1 Corinthians 12:13 — Paul's declaration that all believers are baptized by the Holy Spirit into the one body of Christ — the mechanism by which the body is formed.
Romans 12:4-5 — One of the body-of-Christ passages Les points to in tracing where Paul uses the term.
Acts 9:3-5 — The record of Paul's conversion on the road to Damascus, the point from which Les says God began calling people into the body of Christ.
In the King James Version, the expression 'the body of Christ' appears in Paul's epistles — for example, Romans 12:4-5, 1 Corinthians 12:12-13, 27, and Ephesians 1:22-23 — while the Gospels, the book of Acts, and the Old Testament do not use the term. Scripture connects the body to the church, with Christ as its head: 'And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church, Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all' (Ephesians 1:22-23). Scripture declares 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). The book of Acts also records the event from which, according to the teaching summarized below, this Pauline revelation flows — Paul's encounter with the risen Lord on the road to Damascus (Acts 9:3-5).
Les Feldick is emphatic that the body of Christ did not begin at Pentecost or in the Gospels. He says, 'You can find nothing concerning the Body of Christ in the Gospels' — it is just not there (Clip 1). The early chapters of Acts describe the Jerusalem assembly, primarily Jewish believers who recognized Jesus as the promised Messiah, but Les maintains it was not church ground or the body of Christ, and there had been no mention yet of a salvation based on His shed blood, death, burial, and resurrection (Clip 5). In that early Acts period, Jesus was the baptizer, baptizing Jews into the power of the Holy Spirit (Clip 4). The body of Christ is, in Les's words, strictly a Pauline revelation. It began after Israel rejected her Messiah, the King, and the Kingdom, when God set Israel aside and turned to the Gentiles completely. From Paul's conversion on the road to Damascus, God began calling people into the body of Christ (Clip 3). Les places the beginning in the book of Acts, especially as Paul, the apostle of the Gentiles, preached the gospel of the grace of God and began calling out the body (Clip 6). This body is called out from among the Gentile world and is predominantly Gentile; it is not associated with prophecy (Clips 1, 2). Entry into the body is immediate and spiritual: no one signs up, and no preacher baptizes anyone into it. The moment a person believes the gospel, the Holy Spirit automatically places that believer into the body (Clip 7). It includes all believers — not just a favored few or a special elite (Clip 0) — so what matters eternally is not congregational membership but membership in the body of Christ (Clip 6).
No. Les points out that Paul's revelation was not tied back to Pentecost — 'He doesn't say back to Pentecost, but He said from that point onward, from His conversion on the road to Damascus' (Clip 3). The early Acts period was still dominated by the Jerusalem assembly of Jewish believers in Jesus as the Christ, and in that period Jesus was the baptizer with the Holy Spirit. The shift to the Holy Spirit baptizing Gentiles into the body came with Paul (Clips 4, 5).
Les teaches that the term 'body of Christ' is unique to Paul. You can find nothing concerning it in the Gospels, and there is no such thing in any of the rest of Scripture — the four Gospels, the book of Acts, or the Old Testament. It was revealed to the Apostle Paul by the ascended, glorified Lord after Israel had rejected her Messiah (Clips 1, 3, 4).
According to Les, membership is not something you sign up for, and no preacher baptizes you into it. First you must believe the gospel, and the Holy Spirit then automatically, immediately places you into the body of Christ the moment you believe — 'for by one Spirit' (1 Corinthians 12:13). All true believers are included; it is not limited to a favored few, and it cannot be judged by human appearance (Clips 0, 7).
No. Les says it is not so important what congregation you are a member of — Methodist, Baptist, Catholic, or whatever — as it is whether you are a member of the body of Christ. Unless the Holy Spirit has placed you into that body, you are eternally lost; once placed there, you have eternal life, eternal salvation, and the hope of glory (Clip 6).
The Body Includes All Believers
In 1 Corinthians 12:12-13, Les emphasizes the word 'all' — every believer, not just a favored few or a special elite, is baptized by the Holy Spirit into the one body of Christ.
The Body Is Not in the Gospels
Les says nothing concerning the body of Christ is found in the Gospels; it appears only when Paul comes on the scene with his revelation from the ascended Lord, after Israel rejected the Messiah and God turned to the Gentiles.
Body of Christ Called Out From the Gentiles
Les describes the body of Christ as a body called out from among the Gentile world, and he points to Romans 12:4 as one of Paul's body-of-Christ references.
Beginning at Paul's Conversion
Les teaches that God began calling people into the body of Christ from Paul's conversion on the road to Damascus onward — not back at Pentecost — making this a strictly Pauline revelation.
The Baptizer Shifts From Jesus to the Holy Spirit
In early Acts, Jesus baptized Jews into the power of the Holy Spirit; with Paul, the Holy Spirit becomes the baptizer, baptizing predominantly Gentiles into the body of Christ.
Early Acts Was the Jerusalem Assembly, Not the Body
Les distinguishes Acts 4-5 as the Jerusalem assembly of Jewish believers in Jesus as the Christ — not the church or body of Christ — since salvation by His death, burial, and resurrection had not yet been proclaimed.
The Body Began With Paul's Preaching of Grace
Les says the body of Christ began in Acts as Paul, the apostle of the Gentiles, preached the gospel of the grace of God and called out the body; he also stresses that congregational membership is irrelevant to eternal safety.
Instant Entry by the Spirit at Belief
Les explains that you do not sign up for the body and no preacher baptizes you into it — the moment you believe the gospel, the Holy Spirit automatically places you into the body of Christ.
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.
Paul's key statement that every believer is placed into the body of Christ by the Holy Spirit's baptism.
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.
One of the Pauline passages Les points to when tracing every use of the body of Christ concept.
Ephesians 1:22-23: And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church, Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all.
Identifies the church as Christ's body — the truth Les summarizes as 'the church, which is his body.'
Acts 9:3-5: And as he journeyed, he came near Damascus: and suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven: And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks.
The record of Paul's conversion, the point from which Les says God began calling people into the body of Christ.
No. Les Feldick teaches that Paul's revelation was not back to Pentecost but from his conversion on the road to Damascus onward. The early Acts Jerusalem assembly of Jewish believers in Jesus as the Messiah was not yet the body of Christ (Clips 3, 5).
Only in Paul's writings. Les says you can find nothing concerning the body of Christ in the Gospels, and the term appears nowhere in the Old Testament, the Gospels, or the book of Acts. It is strictly a Pauline revelation from the ascended Lord (Clips 1, 3, 4).
You believe the gospel. The Holy Spirit then automatically and immediately places you into the body of Christ at the moment of belief — no sign-up, no preacher's baptism. All true believers are included (Clips 0, 7).
No. Les says it is not what congregation you belong to but whether you are a member of the body of Christ that matters. Unless the Holy Spirit has placed you into the body, you are eternally lost (Clip 6).
Watch the Teaching: Water Baptism vs. Spirit Baptism: What Places You in the Body of Christ?