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The Church: Principles and Plea
When we speak of the church of Christ we use the term in the same sense as Matthew 16:18 when Jesus said, "Upon this rock I will build my church." We refer to His church and only His church with the phrase meaning the church that belongs to Christ. He purchased It (Acts 20:28), gave Himself for it (Ephesians 5:25), is the head of It (Colossians 1:18), since it is His body (Ephesians 1:22,23). Surely, It is proper to refer to It as the church of Christ (Romans 16:16), the way the Holy Spirit did.
The word "church" means the called out. It refers to people who have been called by the gospel (Second Thessalonians 2:14), out of the power of darkness into light (I Peter 2:9). They have been delivered out of the world of sin and into Christ where there is salvation (II Timothy 2:10; Colossians 1:13). The church is composed of a peculiar people (Titus 2:14), who belong to the Lord. The church is the saved (Acts 2:47).
The term is used to refer to the saved in a local area or the saved throughout the world. It is never used in Scripture in the sense of a denomination. Denominations are either larger than the saved in a given area, or less than the saved throughout the world. There is no Biblical sense in which the word "church" can be used pertaining to denominationalism. There just is no kinship between the Lord's church and denominations that have come into existence from the minds and actions of men.
Other Terms
There are several descriptive terms in Scripture defining the church. As noted, the church consists of called out people, a peculiar people. It Is called a kingdom when referring to its governmental features (Colossians 1:13). It is Identified as the house or family of God when emphasizing its family nature (I Timothy 3:15). (The term "family" Is never used with reference to simply a local church). It is called the body of Christ when stressing Its relationship to Christ and the fellowship of its members (Ephesians 1:22,23; I Corinthians 12:12). Christ is the King of the kingdom. God is the Father of the family, and Christ Is the elder brother and joint heir (Romans 8:17). He is the head of the body.
The church Is also revealed as the fold of Christ, who is its spiritual Shepherd, and there is one fold (John 10:16). When Its worship is put forward It is called God's temple (I Corinthians 3:16). When called a vineyard, Its work and service Is featured (Matthew 21:28). The closeness to Christ is emphasized In Ephesians five when the church is called the bride of Christ. All of these identifications (even being an army with soldiers of the cross fighting the good fight of faith) relate different features of the church, but the same people.
What The Church Teaches
What does the church say to the world? What does It advocate before mankind? What are its principles and plea? I Timothy 4:11, Paul told Timothy, "These things command and teach." What things? Sometimes we hear people say, "The church teaches this or that." We should be concerned with learning what the Bible teaches, and that is what the church should teach. The church Is not the origin of its message, the doctrine It is to uphold (I Timothy 3:15). The Word of God is what brought the church into existence when preached on Pentecost, and that truth Is what It is to proclaim. We do not speak disrespectfully but accurately when we say that one might hear most anything being taught depending on the church one has under consideration. But no man has the right to advocate or proclaim anything other than what Scripture teaches. The church has no authority of itself regarding the creation of doctrine. It is to proclaim and follow what the Word of God has authorized.
The Scriptures affirm Its own verbal inspiration (II Timothy 3:16, 17; I Corinthians 2:12,13). Whether the Scripture one Is reading Is prophetic, apostolic, from the Old or New Testament, the Scripture Is the source of doctrine and is to be rightly divided or handled aright (II Timothy 2:15). God gave us the Bible that we might know what we must know, be convinced, leave the wrong and follow the right. The Word of God is our "lamp" and guide in life. We must contend, as Scripture does, that it is the verbally inspired, infallible, inerrant, authoritative, and all-sufficient Word of God.
How Deity Operates on Man
God operates on the heart of those who are in sin through the preaching and hearing of His Word. He lives and dwells with His people by and through the guidance of the Word. Man comes to believe through the Word (John 17:20; 20:31; Romans 10:17).
Ephesians 5:18 commands us to be filled with the Spirit. A parallel passage in Colossians 3:16 tells us how we obey that command. "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom." Deity Influences, leads, and guides man by His Word, not separate nor apart from It. The Word of God is the very sword the Spirit uses (Ephesians 6:17). What the Scripture ascribes to Deity in guiding and leading man is also said of the Word of God. This is because Deity uses the Word as His instrument or means of guiding and leading. We do not read of a direct operation of the Holy Spirit upon the heart of man to save him apart from the preaching of the Word. The Word has been revealed, written, and can be read and understood. When followed, God dwells with us.
Romans 1:16,17 teaches that the gospel Is God's power unto salvation. The gospel reveals the facts, commands, and promises regarding salvation through Christ. In the gospel is the 'righteousness of God revealed," meaning God s strategy, battle plan, scheme, and system for saving man. It refers to the way God justifies man.
Components of the Gospel
The fundamental facts of the gospel include the eternal nature of Christ, His birth by a virgin, His perfect life, His fulfillment of prophecies, His miracles and teachings, His death, burial, resurrection, and ascension Into heaven. It reveals God's grace, mercy, and love for sinful humanity and what provision Deity has made on the behalf of man's salvation. It also includes His kingship as He now reigns as King of kings and Lord of lords, plus His promise to return for His own.
The commands of the gospel must be obeyed for one to be saved (II Thessalonians 1:6 9). Inasmuch as man without Christ Is lost In sin and Christ is the only Savior, each one must obey what the Lord has commanded. He commands faith, repentance, confession of faith in Him, and baptism into Him in order to be saved. Once among the redeemed we are to live lives after His pattern faithfully and loyally. We must respect and follow whatever He teaches regarding work, worship, and everything else He has revealed by His authority (Colossians 3:17).
The gospel includes many exceeding great and precious promises (II Peter 1:4). Among them is the promise of forgiveness of sins, fellowship with Deity, and the expectation of heaven when a faithful life as a Christian has come to its conclusion.
It Is tragic that the churches of men have rejected the divine command for one to be baptized for the remission of sins (Acts 2:38). This baptism is a baptism in water of penitent believers. Salvation is not determined by how one feels, what one thinks, what others say or do, but by what the Scripture teaches. Mark 16:16; Acts 2:38; 22:16; I Peter 3:21, and many others, lead man to the inescapable conclusion that baptism Is essential to salvation because the Lord made is a condition of pardon. Who has the right to set it aside? It is never presented as a work of merit by which one earns his salvation. It is rather presented as the act of obedience whereby one reaches the saving blood of Christ (Romans 6:3,4). We are baptized into Christ (Galatians 3:27). Why those of denominations have warred against what is taught is one of the wonders of the religious world.
God's Church Government
Those In the church not only advocate, preach, and teach the inspiration of the Scriptures, the power of the Word, the need to obey His commands, but It also upholds the Biblically revealed government of the church. Christ is its head (Colossians 1:18). Guided and directed by the inspired Word, the church is organized into local congregations. We never read of an organizational unit larger than a local church. Each church is overseen by elders and served by deacons (Philippians 1:1). Every member is a member of the body (I Corinthians 12). The system of government of His church is relatively simple. Is It not pathetic how men have departed from what is authorized and produced complicated and erroneous systems?
Worship
The church advocates the same worship of God as the Scripture denotes for Christians. without going Into detail in this lesson in this matter, for there are other lessons pertaining to this, we just list the items or avenues of worship the New Testament authorizes. We sing, pray, give of our means, partake of the Lord's Supper, and proclaim His Word of truth. This is that which we read from Scripture and this is that which, when done in the right spirit, Is what God wants. Other actions, regardless of how well intentioned, are simply outside the authority of Christ and must be abandoned to be right before God.
As the Oracles
The call of those in the Lord's church Is to call Bible things by Bible names, using sound speech that cannot he condemned, speaking things which become sound doctrine, speaking as the oracles of God (Titus 2:1,8; I Peter 4:11). His disciples were called Christians (Acts 11:26). Why should anyone wish to wear a religious name other than what God's Word designates? The Ashdodic language being heard in some quarters today simply betrays how those who speak have been drinking too often and too deeply from the fountains of human religions rather than from the source of pure speech.
Inasmuch as the Bible declares the necessity of living a faithful life as a Christian, being what one has professed to have become, the church sends forth the need of adding the "Christian virtues" to our characters and lives (II Peter 1:5ff). it matters what one believes and how faithful to correct convictions he lives. How we present ourselves before God In daily life is important.
The Plea
The plea of the church today, if it be found contending for the faith once delivered (Jude 3)is to restore the religion of Christ among men, seeking unity based upon acceptance of God's truth. Christianity for our century must be the Christianity of the first century. Truth makes us free (John 8:32). There must be unity for there to be one body, Spirit, hope, Lord, faith, baptism, and God and Father (Ephesians 4:4-6). We urge people everywhere to abandon creeds, disciplines, manuals, and such like for the Word of God.
Salvation is in the body of Christ, His church. The principles and plea of the church today is as It has been since Pentecost. What saith the Word? This Is our plea and the foundation of It.