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The Whole World

23 March 2012 by David Regier

Q. 61. Are all they saved who hear the gospel, and live in the church?
A. All that hear the gospel, and live in the visible church, are not saved; but they only who are true members of the church invisible.

Q. 62. What is the visible church?
A. The visible church is a society made up of all such as in all ages and places of the world do profess the true religion, and of their children.

Q. 63. What are the special privileges of the visible church?
A. The visible church hath the privilege of being under God's special care and government; of being protected and preserved in all ages, notwithstanding the opposition of all enemies; and of enjoying the communion of saints, the ordinary means of salvation, and offers of grace by Christ to all the members of it in the ministry of the gospel, testifying, that whosoever believes in him shall be saved, and excluding none that will come unto him.

Q. 64. What is the invisible church?
A. The invisible church is the whole number of the elect, that have been, are, or shall be gathered into one under Christ the head.

Q. 65. What special benefits do the members of the invisible church enjoy by Christ?
A. The members of the invisible church by Christ enjoy union and communion with him in grace and glory.

Myopic. I truly can't see clearly past my nose, unless it's corrected. My vision, that is, not my nose (which needs to be corrected too, but that's another story).

I've been nearsighted since before I can remember. When I was a small child, I'm told that I could hear airplanes roaring through the sky above me, but when my parents tried to point them out, I'd look up, confused. I had seen pictures of them, and I had heard them, but they were invisible to me.

Understand, therefore, that I was very excited when I was 4 1/2 years old and got glasses. These airplanes I'd been hearing, I could see them! In the sky! Look! I would cry to my parents. An airplane! Of course I developed something of a fascination with them, and I drew more than a few in my notebooks and sketchpads.

But really, nothing prepared me for the glory that came when I was able to ride in one and see, with corrected vision, the whole world beneath me.

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