Featured Eph. 2:8-9 parallel with Titus 3:5 on good works

No! Because it is impossible to have any relationship with God whatsoever while in a state of spiritual death. On the other hand it is impossible to be spiritual alive without SPIRITUAL UNION with God because life is union with God through the Holy Spirit.

Thus, as Paul correctly states, one is either "in the flesh" or "in the Spirit" there are no other alternatives possible and no one is "in the Spirit" unless the Holy Spirit indwells them or else they are "NONE OF HIS." - Rom. 8:8-9

 

I reject the universal visible or invisible church theory. I beleive the church is strictly a visible local body of baptized believers and the scriptures speak of it in two sense; (1) Institutional; (2) concrete

Hence, I do no believe the "body of Christ" includes anyone but those water baptized into its congregation in the particular geographical location where it habituals assembles together.

 

The church has nothing to do with personal salvation. John the Baptist was neither baptized or a member of the Lord's church but Jesus said there was not a greater man born of woman than John. All the Old Testament saints were regenerated unbaptized believers.

The church is for service not salvation. The church of God is NOT synonomous with the Kingdom or Family of God. The kingdom has to do with CITIZENSHIP and the family KINSHIP but the church has to do with PUBLIC WORSHIP and SERVANTHOOD.

The church is given the "keys of the kingdom" and thus cannot be the kingdom as that would be giving the kingdom to the kingdom.

The church cannot be the family of God because that would exclude all saints prior to building the church out of the material John the Baptist prepared for Christ to build the church outside God's family.

The church is the administrative institution within the kingdom of God on earth to carry out the Great Commission. All Christians are to be witnesses of Christ but the New Testament church is the only ADMINISTRATIVE INSTITUTION on earth responsible to administer the Great Commission.

We are born into God's Family and translated into the Kingdom of His Son BEFORE we are water baptized into the congregational body of Christ - Acts 2:40-41.

 

Yes, Jesus Christ built the church in his own personal ministry while on earth and thus it preexisted, and its membership preexisted the day of Pentecost. The body of Christ preexisted the day of Pentecost - Mt. 18:15-17; Acts 1:21-22; Mt. 28:19-20.

 

Hence, you have TWO different kinds of congregational bodies not "one body." Moreover, you have a long list of absolute contradictions that cannot possibly be harmonized.

1. One kind only accepts immersed believers while the other kind accepts unbaptized, sprinkled, poured and immersed believers.

2. One kind is local and visible in nature while the other kind is universal and invisible in nature.

3. One kind excludes members by church discipline while the other kind cannot exclude its members (unless you believe saved people can lose salvation).

4. One kind is united by a common faith and practice while the other kind is divided by variety of faiths and practices.

5. One kind all members can rejoice or sorrow with all of its members while the other kind cannot possibly know a fraction of its membership. - I Cor. 12:25-26

6. One kind actually assembles with all of its members while the other kind never assembles with all of its members here and now.

7. One kind has a Pastor, deacon, treasurer but the other kind has no such leadership.

8. One kind can be properly concretely described as plural "churches" but the other kind cannot be thus called.

9. Every single metaphor used in scripture never exceeds the limits of localization and visibility but there are no such metaphors in scripture used to describe the other kind - invisible, universal.

10. One kind is a congregational body of baptized believers whereas the other kind repudiates those limitations.

11. One kind perfectly harmonizes with the gospel and gospel salvation before and after Pentecost whereas the other kind demands another kind of salvation prior to Pentecost - a salvation OUTSIDE of Christ rather than "IN Christ."

and the list goes on and on.

Bottom line - Your kind is synomous with all the characteristics of what the Bible calls "The Great Whore" instead of the "Bride" of Christ (Rev. 22:16-17; 2 Cor. 11:2-4). Both are metaphors, one a metaphor for FAITHFULNESS and the other a metaphor for UNFAITHFULNESS.

 

The OP demands that regeneration precedes "good works" and baptism is a "good work" and a good work "which we have done."

 

Perhaps you need to refamiliarize yourself with that verse a bit more. If you are referring to the text I think you are the question came from lost Pharisees. The question assumed they had natural ability to perform the works of God. Christ responded that faith is "the work of God" not their work - Jn. 6:29 and then went on to prove it in John 6:36-44, 64-65.

 

John 12:21 The same came therefore to Philip, which was of Bethsaida of Galilee, and desired him, saying, Sir, we would see Jesus.

OR


Jn. 6:28 ¶ Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God?
29 Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.

 

I think you not only missed what Christ said but his continued explanation of what he said (Jn. 6:36; 44, 64-65). He did not "look for faith" but is the source from which faith originates as it is His work - Heb. 12:2; Philip. 2:13; Eph. 2:8; etc.