Eph 851ff, 905, 1003 2/17/89; 2 Jn 12/18/80; PPG 201
A. Etymology.
1. The doctrine of edification is based on categorizing the Greek noun OIKODOME. This noun is found in Rom 14:19; 2 Cor 10:8, 13:10; Eph 4:12,16, 29; 2 Cor 14:5,12,26. In all these passages, it has a dual connotation.
a. Collectively it refers to the formation of the royal family of God during the entire period of the Church Age; i.e., the building up of the body of Christ. When the royal family is completed, the Rapture of the Church will occur.
b. Individually it refers to the spiritual growth of the positive believer, and/or momentum in the Christian way of life. Hence, the individual connotation refers to the execution of the protocol plan and the subsequent manufacture of the invisible hero, resulting in the glorification of God.
2. When the collective connotation is used, OIKODOME should be translated “construction, building up,” or” building process.” When the individual connotation is used, OIKODOME should be translated “edification.”
3. The collective connotation of OIKODOME is based upon our Lord’s third royal patent or title, King of kings and Lord of lords, the Bright Morning Star, given to Him as a result of His strategic victory in the angelic conflict.
B. Definition and Description.
1. The edification complex of the soul is technical nomenclature found in the epistles of the New Testament for the attainment of spiritual maturity.
2. The consistent function of GAP under one’s right pastor-teacher is the only way to construct an edification complex of the soul.
3. The mature believer possesses a completed edification complex in his soul.
4. Doctrine perceived must feed both the human spirit and the human soul for capacity for both human and eternal life. The edification complex of the soul is the result.
5. Virtue-love is the means of reaching maturity and receiving an edification complex of the soul, 1 Cor 8:1. You cannot have an edification complex of the soul unless you are using virtue-love at gates 5 and 6 of the divine dynasphere. “Gnosis produces arrogance, but virtue-love edifies.” Virtue-love is the sign you have been metabolizing doctrine.
6. Synonyms for the edification complex of the soul.
a. Light. This is used for the divine dynasphere and sometimes for the edification complex of the soul.
b. “Christ formed in you” Gal 4:19, connotes both the edification complex of the soul and spiritual self-esteem.
c. “The new man,” Eph 4; Col 3, refers to both the edification complex of the soul and divine dynasphere.
d. “The perfect man,” James 1:4.
e. “Imitators of God,” Eph 5:1. There is a direct relation between gate 8 of the divine dynasphere and the edification complex of the soul.
C. The Importance of the Pastor’s Authority in Edification.
1. The authority of the pastor in edification is found in a number of passages.
a. 2 Cor 10:8, “For even if I should rub it in about our authority, which God gave for your edification and not for destroying you, I shall not feel ashamed.”
(1) The Corinthians wavered so much that Paul really had to get tough with them and throw his rank around.
(2) The Corinthians were reacting to Paul’s authority and so were doing many things detrimental to their spiritual life.
(3) “Our authority” refers to those with the communication gifts of pastor-teacher as well as apostleship, e.g., Apollos and Timothy. The pastor establishes his authority through the communication of doctrine.
(4) Paul makes it very clear that the construction of the edification complex depends upon accepting the authority of some pastor- teacher who communicates doctrinal information.
(5) People never grow up without authority.
b. 2 Cor 13:10, “For this reason, I am writing these things while absent, in order that when I am present, I may not use severity in compatibility with the authority which God has given to me for the purpose of your edification, and not for the purpose of destroying you.”
(1) No one can learn any subject without accepting the authority of the one who teaches.
(2) Therefore, the importance of understanding that edification and invisible heroship comes only in one way, and that is through the teaching of the pastor in communicating the mystery doctrine of the Church Age, and no other way.
(3) It is impossible for anyone with the gift of pastor- teacher to communicate Bible doctrine unless his authority is recognized. Therefore, the enforcement of good manners and thoughtfulness of others is a part of the exercise of his authority.
(4) Notice that Paul thought it better to talk about authority in a non-face-to-face situation so that he would not have to chew them out face-to-face when he arrived.
c. 1 Thes 5:12, “But we request of you, brethren, that you respect those pastor-teachers who work hard among you [studying and teaching], who have command over you in the Lord and give you instruction.”
(1) The road to the edification complex is paved with hundreds and thousands of messages regarding the protocol plan of God.
(2) Whether these messages are of any benefit to you depends upon whether you accept one man as your right pastor and accept his authority in teaching.
d. Heb 13:17, “Keep obeying those pastors who themselves are ruling over you, and submit to their authority [by learning Bible doctrine], for these same pastors keep watching for the benefit of your souls as those who have to render an account. Keep obeying them, in order that they may do this accounting with joy, and not with groaning, for this is unprofitable for you.”
2. The threefold purpose of the pastor is found in Eph 4:12, “for the purpose of equipping the saints, for the production of Christian service, for the edification of the body of Christ.”
a. The “saints” refer to the royal family of God with emphasis on the baptism of the Spirit.
b. “Equipping the saints” refers to God’s grace policy and provision for the execution of the protocol plan.
c. “Equipping” is the function of the pastor who, through teaching the mystery doctrine of the great power experiment of the Church Age, is able to see people grow and become invisible heroes.
d. All believers are in full-time Christian service from the moment of their salvation. Christian service is the normal result of spiritual growth but never the means.
e. Edification is the execution of the protocol plan for the Church Age and subsequent manufacture of invisible heroes, resulting in the glorification of God.
3. The spiritual momentum of the believer comes from the teaching ministry of the pastor. Eph 4:16, “Because of whom [Lord Jesus Christ] the entire body, being joined together [baptism of the Spirit] and being inculcated by every joint of supply [pastor-teacher] on the basis of the operational power [Holy Spirit in divine dynasphere], in measure one [pastor-teacher] for each part [of the royal family of God]; he himself [pastor-teacher] causes growth in the body, resulting in its edification by means of virtue-love.”
a. Body function depends upon the proper use of joints. Athletic coordination depends upon the proper use of the joints.
b. So in this analogy of the pastor to the joints, it is the pastor-teacher who gives the body of Christ its function on earth.
c. The result of the communication of doctrine is the construction of an edification complex in your soul.
d. Virtue-love includes three problem solving devices.
(1) Personal love for God the Father is motivational virtue and motivation for perception of doctrine.
(2) Impersonal love for all mankind is functional virtue. It gives one the ability to listen objectively to a pastor-teacher regardless of his personality.
(3) Occupation with the person of Christ is the ultimate.
D. The Motivation of the Believer in Edification.
1. There are two categories of motivation.
a. Positive volition.
b. Humility and mental attitude.
2. Positive volition is expressed in Rom 14:19. “Consequently, we run after [pursue] those things related to prosperity and edification.”
a. Running, not walking, expresses positive volition toward the mystery doctrine of the Church Age, which gives us all the details regarding God’s plan, purpose, and will for our lives after salvation.
b. This includes the perception, metabolization, and application of the mystery doctrine of the Church Age as the means of executing the protocol plan of God. The execution of the protocol plan of God results in the manufacture of invisible heroes. Invisible God plus invisible assets plus invisible power equals invisible heroes who glorify God.
c. Prosperity and edification go together; both are the result of continual positive volition.
3. In order for post-salvation epistemological rehabilitation and consistent perception of doctrine to occur, it is important to have a mental attitude of humility. Rom 12:2-5, “Stop being conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renovation of your thought [divine viewpoint of life] that you may prove what the will of God is; namely, the good of intrinsic value achievement [advance to spiritual maturity], the well-pleasing to God [fulfillment of the protocol plan], the mature status quo [manufacture of invisible heroes]. For I say through the grace which has been given to me to everyone who is among you: stop thinking of self in terms of arrogance beyond what you ought to think, but think in terms of sanity for the purpose of being rational without illusion as God has assigned to each one of us a standard of thinking from doctrine. For just as we have many members in one body and all members do not have the same function, so we who are many are one body in Christ and individually members of one another.”
a. Conformity to this world means involvement in the cosmic system.
b. There must be a complete renovation in your thinking if you’re ever going to demonstrate what the will of God is for your life.
c. Certain types of thinking are out of bounds, i.e., thinking related to the arrogance complex.
d. The standard of thinking from doctrine includes every aspect of divine viewpoint, orientation to life through enforced and genuine humility, and everything that makes us objective and teachable toward the Word of God.
e. “Many members in one body” emphasizes that although we have different spiritual gifts and different personalities, we all belong to one royal family, the body of Christ.
f. “Individually members one of another” refers to interaction within the royal family of God.
4. Without enforced and genuine humility, there is neither objectivity nor teachability. Without objectivity and teachability in life, you will be miserable, whether you are a believer or unbeliever, successful or not. Without objectivity and teachability, there is no edification complex in your soul as a believer.
5. Edification is the execution of the protocol plan of God through the function of post-salvation epistemological rehabilitation. This includes your daily perception, metabolization, and application of Bible doctrine.
6. Edification is the status of the invisible hero. He has completed the edification complex of the soul, the most beautiful structure in life. It is found in the soul of the invisible hero.
7. Edification is therefore impossible without humility, teachability, and objectivity.
E. Edification is the key to the proper function of the local church.
1. 1 Cor 14:12, “So also you, since you are eager to have the function of spiritual gifts, seek to abound in spiritual gifts that edify the church.”
a. “So also you” is a Greek idiom that should be translated, “this applies to you.”
b. The Corinthians were all eager to get the gift of tongues because it was spectacular, and then they could assume they were spiritual. In reality, the worst believers in the Bible are described as having the gift of tongues.
c. “Seek to abound” means you should give precedence to those spiritual gifts which result in edification. The primary spiritual gift in this category is the gift of pastor-teacher.
d. The pre-canon temporary gifts did not edify the church.
2. 1 Cor 14:26, “When you assemble, let all things be done for edification.” There are a number of ways in which we worship God, but they must all relate to our spiritual growth. Everything in assembly worship should be done with a view toward the objective, which is edification. The objective is to communicate doctrine, the purpose of which is to produce edification.
3. The key to the modus operandi of the local church is edification. Edification, or the advance to spiritual maturity, is the objective of the Christian way of life.
4. In the context of 1 Cor 14, the gift of tongues did not fulfill that purpose. 1 Cor 14:40 concludes that the gift of tongues did not do “all things properly and in an orderly manner.”
a. The gift of tongues only existed for the first forty years of the Church Age. Then it was discontinued when the fifth cycle of discipline was administered to Israel by the Romans in August of 70 A.D.
b. While it did exist, the gift of tongues illustrated how not to do things decently and in order. For tongues did not contribute to the principle of edification, nor did it contribute to doing things “properly and in an orderly manner.”
F. Edification follows the pattern of the priority solution.
1. Priority #1 for edification must be perception, metabolization, and application of the mystery doctrine for the Church Age. This demands concentration under the ministry of the Holy Spirit inside the operational- type divine dynasphere. Therefore, when doctrine is taught, concentration means there is post-salvation epistemological rehabilitation through the ministry of God the Holy Spirit.
2. As you give Bible doctrine #1 priority in your life, you organize your life around priority #1. Therefore, you have an organized life and your life is in order. This means you always give proper time to the perception, metabolization, and application of doctrine.
3. As you learn doctrine, your thinking inevitably begins to change; there’s a “renovation of your thought” (Rom 12:2). Therefore, you begin to organize your thinking around priority #1. The more doctrine you learn, the more you organize your thinking around doctrine.
4. Mechanically, that means you use the ten problem solving devices of the protocol plan of God. As these problem solving devices are developed in your mind, you concentrate on executing the protocol plan through the doctrine you have learned. That is how you construct the edification complex of the soul.
G. The Construction of the Edification Complex of the Soul.
1. Therefore, when you execute the protocol plan of God, you have constructed the following building.
a. Foundation: Your eternal salvation.
b. First floor: Operation Z, the perception of Bible doctrine under consistent post-salvation epistemological rehabilitation.
c. Second floor: Dispensational orientation, i.e., understanding the uniqueness of the Church Age.
d. Third floor: Problem solving devices, which are very important for experiential Christianity.
(1) As you understand and function under these problem solving devices, you become spiritually self-sustaining and you function under the privacy of your priesthood to resolve your own problems, including the greatest problems in life.
(2) There are two ways in which problems are properly resolved: through the use of the ten problem solving devices, and through cognizance of specific principles in the Word of God.
e. Fourth floor: Spiritual self-esteem, the first stage of spiritual adulthood.
f. Fifth floor: Spiritual autonomy, the second stage of spiritual adulthood.
g. Sixth floor: Spiritual maturity, the point at which we execute the protocol plan of God.
h. Seventh floor: The modus operandi of the invisible hero.
2. The moment you personally believed in Jesus Christ, a foundation was constructed, comprised of the forty things from God. The foundation is Jesus Christ.
a. 2 Tim 2:19, “Nevertheless, the firm foundation of God stands, having this seal; the Lord knows those who are His.”
b. 1 Cor 3:11, “No one can lay a foundation other than the one which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.”
c. The foundation is constructed on the saving work of Jesus Christ on the cross, i.e., redemption, propitiation, reconciliation, imputation, and justification.
d. The foundation is instantly constructed the very second we believe in Christ. Again, the foundation is comprised of the forty things we receive at the point of our salvation.
(1) One of the forty things we receive is eternal life.
(a) Jn 3:15, “Whosoever believes in Him shall never perish, but have eternal life.”
(b) Jn 3:16, “For God loved the world so much that He gave His uniquely-born Son that anyone who believes in Him should never perish but have eternal life.”
© 1 Jn 5:11-13, “This is the deposition: God has given to us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has this [eternal] life; He who does not have the Son does not have this [eternal] life. These things I have written to you who believe in the person of the Son of God, in order that you may know that you have eternal life.”
(d) Jn 6:47, “Truly, truly I say to you: he who believes in Me has eternal life.”
3. The first floor is consistent post-salvation epistemological rehabilitation, i.e., perception, metabolization, and application of the mystery doctrine of the Church Age. It is converting gnosis into epignosis doctrine in operation Z.
4. The second floor is comprised of the unique characteristics of the Church Age, called dispensational orientation. We have ten unique things in the Church Age that believers in other dispensations do not possess. As a result, there is tremendous emphasis on the individual believer in the Church Age.
a. The baptism of the Spirit results in the creation of a new spiritual species and the royal family of God. Cognition of being a new spiritual species makes you aware of the tremendous requirements related to your spiritual life. As a member of the royal family of God, you have a unique modus operandi.
b. The protocol plan is unique for the royal family of God only.
c. A phenomenal portfolio of invisible assets belongs to each one of us as royal family of God.
d. For the first time in history, every believer, regardless of his background, attainments or lack of attainments, handicaps, success, or any other distinguishing human factor, has equality given by God Himself.
(1) It is impossible for man to make men equal, as the communists allege. Man can only provide freedom, but freedom manufactures inequality.
(2) Equality originates with the baptism of the Holy Spirit. The first time anyone is equal is the moment when they believe in Jesus Christ, and are entered into union with Christ. That is the only moment of equality. But spiritual freedom means that immediately after salvation, stratification among believers begins to develop. Some believers become winners; some believers become losers.
(3) Under election, we have equal privilege (royal priesthood) and equal opportunity (logistical grace). Under predestination, we have equal privilege (union with Christ, new spiritual species, royal family of God) and equal opportunity (operational-type divine dynasphere).
(4) Freedom guarantees and manufactures inequality. Some believers will advance to maturity and become winners. Some believers will use their free will to be losers.
(5) Only God can create equality. Only once in all of history has God created equality, and that is in the Church Age through the baptism of the Spirit. That’s why we have no right to racial discrimination or inferiority or superiority complexes. Because as born-again believers, we have exactly the same status in the royal family of God.
e. We have our unique royal commissions: royal priesthood and royal ambassadorship.
f. We have the unique mystery doctrines of the Church Age.
g. Every member of the Trinity indwells every believer. This never existed before in history!
h. We have the unique availability of divine power. Never before in history has divine omnipotence been available for use to every believer.
(1) The omnipotence of God the Father is related to our portfolio of invisible assets.
(2) The omnipotence of God the Son is related to the perpetuation of history and preservation of the universe. Furthermore, Jesus Christ guarantees the protection of the positive believer for the fulfillment of His will.
(3) The omnipotence of God the Holy Spirit is related to the operational-type divine dynasphere.
i. This is the first time in history when there are no prophecies to be fulfilled during the Church Age.
(1) There are only two prophecies related to the Church Age, and they relate to its termini: the baptism of the Spirit began the Church Age, and the Rapture of the Church will terminate the Church Age. Everything in between is a matter of historical trends.
(2) Historical trends are based on the principle that as goes the believer, so goes the client nation to God. If there is a large pivot, there is prosperity. If there is a shrinkage of the pivot, there is loss of prosperity and often loss of client nation status.
j. This is the dispensation of invisible heroes. Visible heroes in this dispensation are related to the laws of divine establishment. Invisible heroes are believers who execute the protocol plan of God.
k. No believer ever advances in the protocol plan of God apart from dispensational orientation.
5. The third floor is made up of the problem solving devices: rebound, the filling of the Spirit, the faith-rest drill, grace orientation, doctrinal orientation, personal love for God the Father which is motivational virtue, impersonal love for all mankind which is functional virtue, +H or sharing the happiness of God, a personal sense of destiny, and occupation with the person of Christ as the priority solution.
6. The fourth floor is spiritual self-esteem characterized by cognitive self-confidence.
a. Here is where you begin to apply and use Bible doctrine. Whereas before you grabbed Bible promises and used them, now you grab whole chunks of doctrine and use them. Now you are becoming powerful in your spiritual life.
b. Suffering for blessing begins in spiritual self-esteem, specifically providential preventative suffering. Spiritual self-esteem plus providential preventative suffering equals spiritual autonomy.
c. We do not advance past spiritual self-esteem unless we pass the four tests of providential preventative suffering: people, thought, system, and undeserved suffering.
7. The fifth floor is spiritual autonomy characterized by cognitive independence.
a. Now you have really grown up, because you have at your fingertips all the doctrinal rationales you need to push your way through life and glorify God.
b. Again, you must pass suffering for blessing in the form of momentum testing if you are going to advance.
c. Spiritual autonomy plus momentum testing equals spiritual maturity.
8. The sixth floor is spiritual maturity characterized by cognitive invincibility.
a. Cognitive invincibility is necessary to pass the third category of suffering for blessing, which is evidence testing.
b. Spiritual maturity plus evidence testing equals glorification of God to the maximum as a witness for the Prosecution in the rebuttal phase of Satan’s appeal trial, which runs coterminously with human history.
9. The seventh floor is the modus operandi of the invisible hero with his invisible impact. Invisible God plus invisible assets plus invisible power equals invisible heroes. The invisible impact of the invisible hero includes:
a. Personal impact - blessing by association to others.
b. Historical impact - blessing by association to the client nation as a part of the pivot of mature believers.
c. International impact - blessing by association to non-client nations through missionary activity of invisible heroes.
d. Angelic impact - the invisible hero becoming a witness for God against Satan in Satan’s appeal trial.
e. Heritage impact - blessing by association to loved ones after the death of the invisible hero.
10. The results of construction of the edification complex of the soul are:
a. The manufacture of an invisible hero and the five areas of invisible impact.
b. The modus operandi of the invisible hero.
c. The distribution of escrow blessings for time.
d. The anticipation of escrow blessings for the eternal state, received at the Judgment Seat of Christ.
H. Edification is motivation.
1. Edification is the motivation in the function of virtue-love, the royal family honor code, in the congregation, through which tolerance provides room for spiritual growth.
2. Rom 15:2, “Let each of us accommodate his neighbor for the good to edification.”
3. 1 Cor 8:1, “Gnosis puffs up, but virtue-love builds [the edification complex of the soul].”
4. 1 Cor 10:23, “All things are lawful, but all things do not edify.”
I. The edification complex of the soul is the capacity for escrow blessing. Acts 9:31, “All the church were having prosperity, having been edified, and advancing in occupation with Christ.” Local church prosperity is directly related to the number of edification complexes in that church. The edification complex of the soul is to the church what the pivot is to the nation.
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© 1989, by R. B. Thieme, Jr. All rights reserved.
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