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Can the Church Survive? (No. 2)
Batsell Barrett Baxter
The future of the church is hopeful, because it is God's church, not man's. In our previous study we referred to the dire predictions that Christianity is on its way out and that already we are living in a post-Christian era. Just here, we must distinguish carefully between Christianity in general (Catholicism and Protestantism~), and the church of the New Testament. Much of today's alarm stems from the realization that the liberal, over-organized, denominational, secular church is under heavy fire. Its future is quite bleak. In the state churches of Europe, there are huge buildings, but the seats are empty. Much of twentieth century religion in America is going rapidly down the same road.
The Lord's Church
In contrast with the modern liberal church, which appears to be crumbling, the Lord's church has a bright future. We are confident of this because of the words of Scripture. In Matthew 16:16-18, we find the account of Christ's conversation with Peter, in which Peter made the great confession, "Thou art the Christ, the Son of the Living God." A moment later Jesus responded, "And I also say unto thee, that thou art Peter, and upon this rock (the fact which Peter had just confessed, that Jesus was divine) I will build my church; and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it." This last expression is understood generally to mean that Christ's church will not be overcome by death, but that it will survive from generation to generation.
The correctness of this understanding is made even more certain when we read in 1 Corinthians 15:24 the apostle Paul's statement, "Then corneth the end, when he shall deliver up the kingdom of God, even the Father; when he shall have abolished all rule and all authority and power." In other words, at the end of time, the kingdom (or church), will still be in existence and Christ will deliver it up to God.
A Disturbing Question
In Luke 18:2-8 we read the story of a poor widow who constantly sought a wicked judge, who feared not God and regarded not man, to avenge her of her adversaries. He would not for a while, but eventually did so because she was wearing him out by her continual coming. In effect, Christ was saying in this parable, "How much more shall God avenge those who cry to him for help." His actual words were, "And shall not God avenge his elect, that cry to him day and night, and yet he is longsuffering over them? I say unto you, that he will avenge them speedily." Then, realizing that in spite of God's willingness to protect and help his children, there were days of heavy persecution ahead, Christ asked in the next sentence, "Nevertheless, when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?" Christ knew that the Christians would be out numbered and that they would be persecuted by both Jews and Romans. He also knew that they would be surrounded by worldliness, and that they would be ridiculed and taunted for their faith's sake. One of the great problems in the early church was the "lapsis," those who under persecution let their Christianity lapse.
A Chilling Thought
Just here it is good for those of us who have a tendency to be complacent and who give to the church only token service to stop and look back. We need to ask the question, "What happened to the churches at Jerusalem, Antioch, Ephesus, Philippi, Corinth, Pergamum, Smyrna and Rome?" The answer is that all of these congregations, some of which were churches of tremendous size and spiritual strength, died out sometime during the intervening centuries. No individual Christian and no specific congregation is guaranteed survival in the midst of our troublesome times.
The church universal is of divine origin and its survival does not depend on any given person or congregation. Its primary source of strength is divine, not human. God will not let his cause fail. The church is eternal. God will do his work through the church, whether or not he does it through us. The church has survived nearly two thousand years in spite of all kinds of threats and dangers. It will survive throughout all the future.
So, it is not a question of whether the church will survive. It is only a question of whether each individual Christian, and each present-day congregation, will survive. Each of us needs to turn his attention inward and ask, "Am I stronger and more active as a Christian than I was five years ago? Or ten years ago?" The leaders of each congregation need to ask, "Is the church at this place stronger than it was five years ago? Or ten years ago? Are there more members? Are we spiritually more mature?" Christ's church will survive forever; our concern is whether we will be part of that eternal church. (More to come.)