Debate Review 6

Example of David's Body

"Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect; and in thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them." (Psalm 139: 16)

I introduced this passage in my first affirmative of the third night of the debate. I believe it destroys the argumentation of my opponent regarding corporate election.

Notice that God is said to "see" the "substance" of David, a reference to the physical body of David. He is said to "see" the body of David even in its imperfect form, as a simple glob, or zygote. Further, God is said to "see," or take special note of, the body of David even before it existed in the womb of his mother. He saw the creation of David's body and the formation of its members, "when there was none of them," that is, before the body and the members existed. He named and recorded the members, before they existed, in his "book of remembrance."

This verse clearly says that God chose what members should be incorporated into the body of David before he actually incorporated them into it. My opponent saw the weight of this argument and could only respond by saying that this, like the case of Naaman, was not a type of how a member is incorporated into the body of Christ. He asked me to tell him why I thought that the choosing of members to make up the body of David was a type of God's choosing what members would make up the body of Christ. I replied by reminding Bruce of how he had brought up I Cor. 12: 27 which reads:

"Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular."

It was Paul, by inspiration, who likened the society of saints to a "body" with "members." Thus, this made the incorporation of members into the body of David pertinent. I also stated that what was true of David is true of any "body," including the body of Christ. The body cannot exist apart from its members. In fact, the joining together of the bodily members is what constitutes the body whole. Following these comments, Bruce never made another reply. Truly these words of David destroy the corporate view of divine election. Bruce must have realized this for he would not accept that the case of David's body and its members was like that of Christ's body and its members.