Truth Magazine

By Ron Halbrook

Paul commended the church at Thessalonica because it had “sounded out the word of the Lord” both locally and in other regions (1 Thess. 1:8). The church at Thessalonica had grown out of the efforts of other men who loved the Lord and loved the lost. Paul had received repeated encouragement from the church at Antioch of Syria as he pressed forward in evangelistic labors (Acts 13:1-3; 14:26-28; 15:3, 30-35). During his second major journey, a messenger pled with Paul in a vision, “Come over into Macedonia, and help us” (16:9). As a result, the Good News of Christ was proclaimed at Thessalonica and a church was planted in spite of stormy opposition (17:1-9). These new converts had received the gospel “not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God,” and that word continued to work in them. That word worked in them so mightily that they sounded out the word of the Lord even in the face of scorn, hatred, and persecution from enemies of the gospel (1 Thess. 2:13-16). “To sound forth” means “to trumpet, thunder, announce, proclaim, or ring out.” Freely did these saints receive the gospel, freely did they give it!

We need to hear the Macedonian call today – the call of the lost – and need to follow the Thessalonian example today -the example of sounding forth the gospel of Christ. As the song by Charles H. Gabriel says,

There’s a call comes ringing o’er the restless wave,

“Send the light! Send the light”

There are souls to rescue, there are souls to save,

“Send the light! Send the light!”

The song by James Rowe, Ring Out the Message, shows the gospel message is such good news that its proclamation must be accompanied by a spirit of celebration. The message of salvation and its joyous spirit must be passed on from one person to another in an unending chain.

There’s a message true and glad

For the sinful and the sad, Ring it out, ring it out;

It will give them courage new,

It will help them to be true; Ring it out, ring it out.

Tell the world of saving grace,

Make it known in ev’ry place, Ring it out, ring it out;

Help the needy ones to know

Him from whom all blessings flow; Ring it out, ring it out.

Let us examine this glorious mission of the church by a brief study of the following: (1) So Great Salvation, (2) The Local Church Sounds Out the Word, and (3) Perpetuate or Pervert the Mission?

So Great Salvation!

Christians are “to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard,” knowing that our destruction will be awful “if we neglect so great salvation” (Heb. 2:1-4). Among the things which we must not neglect is the happy duty of sharing the gospel with friends, neighbors, relatives, and even teeming thousands of souls in distant lands. All have sinned and are doomed unto spiritual and eternal death. But there is hope of repentance wherever men hear about “the goodness of God” – the gift of “eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Rom. 3:23; 2:4; 6:23).

This great salvation was embodied in God’s promise to Abram: “in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed” (Gen. 12:1-3). Out of a prepared people in a prepared land, God would bring forth one who could save men of all nations from their sins. According to the message of the angel who spoke to Joseph, this One was to be named Jesus at birth “for he shall save his people from their sins” (Matt. 1:21). The deliverance and salvation which God prophesied was “the remission of their sins” (Lk. 1:77). Simeon announced by the Holy Spirit shortly after the child’s birth that Jesus was the long-awaited Savior which God had “prepared before the face of all people; a light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel” (2:25-32).

When Peter confessed Jesus saying, “Thou are the Christ, the son of the living God,” Jesus said that upon that confession as a foundation of rock, “I will build my church” (Matt. 16:13-19). Not even the gates of death could keep Him from accomplishing so great salvation. This promise to save all men in Himself is confirmed and explained further by the commission that He gave to His apostles after He arose from the dead:

Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.

Those who obeyed the gospel, Jews and Gentiles alike, were saved in Christ. All were added to the same thing, to the one body, to the church, which He had purchased with His own blood (Acts 2:47; 10:47-48; 20:28).

The Ephesian letter shows that the eternal purpose of God for salvation in Christ and in His church is one purpose. Salvation in Christ and in His church is not a human speculation or expedient but is a Divine creation. The Divine Author is glorified “in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages” (3:21). Every divine feature manifests “the manifold wisdom of God” (vs. 9). “As the heavenly firmament declares the glory of God and His creative handiwork (Psa. 19), so the spiritual institution manifests, by exhibition, its divine origin – that it is the manifold wisdom of God, comprehensive of the various features of the divine plan, making perceptible to men (verse 9) the unfolding of an eternal purpose” (Foy E. Wallace, Jr. comment on Eph. 3:9-10 in “The Identity and Perpetuity of the Church,” Torch, April-May 1951, pp. 3-4). It is the church’s mission as “the pillar and ground of the truth” to proclaim the revelation of so great salvation: “God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory” (1 Tim. 3:15-16). The gospel of Christ is the one message that can save lost sinners and it is the preeminent mission of the church to proclaim that message.

When souls are saved, they are not to be left to neglect so great salvation by returning into sin. God provided that saints should come together in the local church to worship, study, and grow. “And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking bread, and in prayers” (Acts 2:42). They were instructed to teach and admonish “one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord” (Col. 3:16). In assemblies “upon the first day of the week,” the disciples shared the Lord’s Supper and gave into a common fund for the work of the church (Acts 20:7; 1 Cor. 16:1-20). All assemblies of the saints had the purpose of “edifying” – “provoking one another unto love and good works” (1 Cor. 14:26; Heb. 10:23-25).

Those who shared so great salvation shared also material necessities with those among them who were destitute, by means of the common fund or treasury (Acts 2:44-45; 4:32 – 5:11; 6:1-7). But the church is not a mere benevolent aid society and the apostles told the Jerusalem church where the primary emphasis must be placed: “It is not reason that we should leave the word of God, and serve tables” (Acts 6:2). Individual saints had broader benevolent tasks than did the church (1 Tim. 5:16). But for the church, sounding out the good news-of forgiveness in Christ was always the imperative and preeminent task.

The Local Church Sounds Out the Word

“The apostolic age was emphatically the missionary age of the church. Then every new convert to Christ was a new element of strength to the missionary cause” (Robert Milligan, The Great Commission, p. 45). The godly lives of early Christians shone as lights, pointing the way to Christ (Acts 2:47; Phil. 2:15-16). Even when scattered from their homes by severe persecution, the “men and women” who made up the church at Jerusalem “went every where preaching the word” (Acts 8:1-4). Christ must be seen in the lives of Christians every day in every thing they do. When each Christian seeks and seizes each opportunity to tell each lost soul about Christ, the gospel spreads through the most powerful and effective medium there is. God’s plan is simple and direct.

As the pillar and ground of the truth, the local church must do everything in its power to propagate and defend the gospel. The church at Jerusalem was directly interested in the spread of the gospel, as was the church at Antioch. God “ordained that they which preach the gospel should live of the gospel” (1 Cor. 9:14). How does the church have fellowship in that ordinance? As for the church’s work in edification and benevolence, so for the church’s work of evangelism God ordained an all-sufficient organization. That organization is the church itself, scripturally organized, without appendage or addition by the devices of human wisdom. In all the work of the church, elders are to oversee, guide, and guard the flock (Phil. 1:1; Acts 20:28; 1 Pet. 5:2). Special servants are provided as deacons (Acts 6:1-7; Phil. 1:1). All the saints in a local church are to participate, contribute, and cooperate in harmony (Phil. 1:1). This simple organization is sufficient for the church to sound forth the gospel – providing and distributing tracts, holding gospel meetings for a specified period of time, arranging home Bible studies, financing radio or television programs, offering Bible correspondence courses, and supporting gospel preachers to labor locally or in fields far away.

The church is not Scripturally fulfilling its mission when it forms or supports human organizations, boards, societies, and denominations. Nor is one local church to plan, oversee, and coordinate the work of other local churches. The church at Philippi with its divine organization of bishops, deacons, and all the other saints repeatedly supported Paul in preaching the gospel (Phil. 1:1-5; 2:25-30; 4:14-20). On another occasion, Paul said that several churches gave him the support necessary to preach at Corinth (2 Cor. 11:8-9). He commended the Thessalonian church as exemplary for sounding out the word both locally and in regions beyond (1 Thess. 1:7-8). C.R. Nichol well said,

It is my persuasion that the church should be the church, and that the local congregation is the largest organization ordained by the Lord for the accomplishment of all the work he has commanded at the hands of congregations. I am not in sympathy with the statement I often hear: “We need a twentieth century church; that the church the Lord established was quite adequate for the first century, but we have come a long way since then, and the way work was done then in antiquated, outmoded, and there is now need for larger organizations, and different methods than those of the first churches in the first century, when churches labored under the direction of the elders in local congregations” (“Let the Church Be the Church,” Torch, April-May 1951, p. 12).

Whatever mission God gave to the local church, He also gave it the necessary and all-sufficient organization to accomplish that mission.

Perpetuate or Pervert the Mission?

If we are to perpetuate rather than pervert the church’s mission, we must perpetuate Bible teaching on the concept of the church as supernatural not natural in origin and design. The church was purposed by the Father, promised and paid for by the Son, and revealed by the Spirit. Its pattern is divine not human, whether for its mission, organization, doctrine, discipline, worship, name, or treasury. Foy E. Wallace, Jr. commented on Ephesians 3:9-10, saying that the church is “not a natural institution” but exhibits the Divine Architect in the salvation of souls. “The comprehensiveness of the church is here made to be co-extensive with the whole scheme of redemption (Eph. 1:10-11, 20-23).” Thus Ephesians presents the dignity and grandeur of the church “as the building and habitation of God” by a foreordained plan from eternity. The church belongs “to the highest sphere of divine knowledge and wisdom, beyond the prudence of men to devise or the power of the human mind to plan” (“The Identity and Perpetuity of the Church”). The church conceived as a natural device of man becomes pliable to human pride and passion. Some current members of churches of Christ have no higher conception of the church than to think that it should adopt as part of its work the job of convincing people that homosexuality “is a gift of God.” “I should think that the goal would be that homosexual Christians should be able to function in all capacities just as everyone else, and that there would be no attention paid to that particular aspect of one’s life” (“Coming Out in Houston: The A Cappella Chorus,” Mission Magazine, October 1979, pp. 61, 63).

If we are to perpetuate rather than pervert the church’s mission, we must perpetuate Bible teaching on the concept of the church as spiritual not secular in nature and work. The kingdom of Christ is not political in nature and not designed to mobilize political pr military force (Jn. 18:36). Political ambiguity, diplomacy, and craftiness are not its methods and carnal weapons are not in its arsenal. But the preaching of a crucified Savior is God’s power to save man from sin,-from-vain imaginations, and from “every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God.” The spiritual force of the gospel is all-sufficient to bring “every thought to the obedience of Christ” (2 Cor. 10:4-5). The Pope of Rome with his political trappings, national and international councils of Protestant churches with their political pronouncements, and brethren who want to activate the church in political campaigns are all equally unbiblical. All pervert the spiritual mission of the church.

Secular education, recreation, business enterprises, and social renovation have their place in the world in which we live but have no place in the work of the church.

The mission of the church is not social. Christianity is not a “social religion.” The Gospel of Christ is not a “social gospel.” The church of the Lord is not a “social institution.”

Preachers who make a specialty of love, courtship, marriage, parent education, and counseling those who are having difficulty in domestic relations and in social problems should do such work in some other way than through the church and should not deceive themselves into thinking that such work is the work of a gospel preacher (Roy E. Cogdill, Walking By Faith, pp. 8-9).

Yes, when a person becomes a Christian, it will change all his attitudes and relationships for the better in this world, but the mission of Christ and His church is not to build a better world but is to save us from our sins so that we may spend eternity with God. It is a shame and disgrace that churches build gyms with ladies slimnastics, ceramics classes, macrame classes, bowling leagues, volleyball leagues, cardiac pulmonary resuscitation courses, basketball officiating classes, jogging classes, and picnics (see Madison, Tennessee, Church of Christ Marcher August 22, 29, and September 5, 1979). Schools tied to churches, as in Dayton, Ohio, pervert the mission of the church.

Let us ring out the Good News of Jesus Christ! That, very simply, is the church’s mission.

Questions

1. Why did Paul commend the church at Thessalonica?
2. What is the “Macedonian call”? How can we follow the Thessalonian example today?
3. Why is it important to share the gospel with friends, neighbors and relatives?
4. Who announced that Jesus was the long-awaited Savior? How could he know this?
5. What commission did Jesus give to His apostles after He arose from the dead? How is it distinguished from the commission In Matt. 10?
6. What is the one message that can save lost sinners?
7. How has God provided for a Christian to worship, study and grow?
8. How can each Christian help spread the gospel?
9. What is the Church’s mission?

Truth Magazine XXIV: 1, pp. 22-24
January 3, 1980

By O.C. Birdwell, Jr.

Many do not understand what the church that Jesus built is, and often have no concept of the nature of the church. Because of this there is much misunderstanding about the relationship of the church to salvation. We, therefore, hear such statements as, “The church is not the Savior,” and, “The church is not essential to salvation.” Let us give some serious study and thought to this important subject which is vital to our salvation.

When we discuss the church and salvation, we do not have in mind the many churches in the world that have been built by men. Such churches are not “of Christ,” they are “of men.” They were built by men. They are named after men. They teach the doctrines of men. They belong to men. If they promise any salvation, it is merely man’s promise. Worship offered to God by such churches is in vain. Of similar bodies Jesus said, “But in vain do they worship me, teaching as their doctrines the precepts of men” (Matt. 15:9). We are not, therefore, affirming that salvation is in any of these churches. On the other hand, we even deny that they are essential to salvation. We do affirm, however, that the church Jesus built, the church that is in existence by his authority, the church one reads about and finds described in the New Testament does relate to salvation.

Is This Your Question?

Recently this writer was asked a question with a request made that it be answered on our local radio broadcast and in Bible Facts, a monthly paper we publish. The question was, “Where is the passage that says one must be a member of the church of Christ to be saved?” Since a Bible passage was requested, the following one was given: “For the husband is the head of the wife, as Christ also is the head of the church, being himself the savior of the body” (Eph. 5:23). This statement by the inspired apostle is in every properly translated New Testament. Yet, it is generally overlooked and disregarded. Christ is head of the church and savior of the body. There is one body (Eph. 4:4), and that one body is the church (Eph. 1:22, 23). These passages make no mistake about the importance of the church to our salvation. Christ is the savior of the church. We, therefore, must be a part of the church to be saved.

How the Church Relates to Salvation

(1) The church is God’s family. Paul wrote, “These things write I unto thee, hoping to come unto thee shortly; but if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how men ought to behave themselves in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth” (1 Tim. 3:14, 15). The word “house,” as used here, means “family.” Paul is not expressing concern about conduct in a church building; but rather he is speaking of one’s conduct as a member of the family of God. The church is that family.

(2) Christ is a Son over. God’s house. He is called by the writer of Hebrews an Apostle, High Priest, and Son over God’s house (Heb. 3:1-6). The Father gave Him to -be head over all things to the church (Eph. 1:23). He has all authority in heaven and on earth (Matt. 28:18).

(3) Reconciliation to God is in the church. The mystery of the salvation of the Gentiles and their reconciliation unto God was revealed by Paul. How God planned to save the Gentiles was a mystery until it was fully revealed by inspired men. In Eph. 2:11-22, Paul tells how both Gentile and Jew are presently reconciled unto God. “But now in Christ Jesus ye that once were far off are made nigh in the blood of Christ. For he is our peace, who made both one, and brake down the middle wall of partition, having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even -the law of commandments contained in ordinances; that he might create in himself on the two one new man, so making peace; and might reconcile them both in one body unto God through the cross, having slain the enmity thereby” (vs. 13-16). Notice that reconciliation to God of both Gentile and Jew is “in one body.” We have already shown that this body is the church.

(4) The church is a habitation of God. Paul speaks of the “household of God” and calls it a t “holy temple” and “a habitation of God” (Eph. 1:19-22). Again, we note that he is not talking about a material building, but those whom he calls “fellow-citizens he saints.” These are the household of God. They are the church. This is where God dwells.

(5) The Lord adds those who are being saved to the church. “And the Lord added to them day by day those that were saved” (Acts 2:47, ASV). In the KJV we read, “And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.” When one repents, is baptized, and receives remission of his sins, he is immediately added by the Lord to the church. The Lord does His job daily. He does not get behind. He adds people who are being saved to his church, not to the churches of men. Hence, there are no present day, accountable, saved people outside the Lord’s church.

Modern False Concepts

With many, decisions are made and minds molded by human concepts and worldly wisdom rather than by the word of God. What they know about the church comes from human creeds. The same is so with their understanding of salvation. Consequently, their attitude toward the relationship of salvation to the church depends on their concept of the church and salvation as taught by men.

Theory: The Church is an Afterthought

Some hold the position that the church is merely an afterthought of God and never in His plan for man. Many premillennialists believe the church to be no more than a filler, to fill in a “gap” or a “parenthesis” in God’s plan for national Israel. They affirm that Jesus came to establish an earthly kingdom, but being rejected by the Jews, the church was established instead. There is no wonder that so many of these people have such a low estimate of the church. Contrary to this theory, the church is the spiritual kingdom of Old Testament prophecy. It is that kingdom which was “at hand” during the days of John the Baptist (Matt. 3:1-3). It is the church Jesus said, “I will build” and then called the kingdom (Matt. 16:18-19). Rather than being an afterthought, the church reveals the “manifold wisdom of God,” and is in His “eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Eph. 3:10, 11). The church was purchased by the blood of Christ (Acts 20:28). One should not disregard or take lightly such a high-priced institution.

Theory: There is a Subjective Body With Many Objective “Christian Communions”

There are many who affirm that all who believe that Jesus is the Christ make up the church of Christ. The idea is that there is a universal, subjective, church of Christ, made up of those who give mental assent to Jesus as the Christ. These people then, according to the theory, make up different objective bodies with divergent beliefs and traditions.

In a book called What Present Day Theologians Are Thinking, Daniel Day Williams, the author, has a chapter on “The Church.” He presents the theological concept of the church as a universal subjective body with many objective communions. He makes the following statement: “Within nearly every existing Christian communion there is a growing challenge to complacency with existing forms and traditions. Each communion is actually only a fragment of what the full Body of Christ should be. The question being asked from within the churches is, `How can the universal church of Christ be more adequately expressed in our particular tradition.”‘ If these people believe in any salvation they relate it only to this concept of the universal church to which they affirm one belongs only by a specific faith that Jesus is the Christ. One then may, or may not, become a member of what they call a “Christian Communion” as being of human origin. This is indeed the truth, and it is of these we have already said, “we deny that they are essential to salvation.”

Their concept of the universal church is also incorrect. They church universal is God’s family. It is made up of those who are born of water and the Spirit (Jn. 3:5). “Faith only” does not constitute the new birth. A part of it is baptism as commanded in the Great Commission (Mk. 16:15, 16), and as taught and administered by the apostles and early disciples (Acts 2:38, 8:38). One comes forth from baptism a new creature in Christ (Rom. 6:3-5; Col. 2:12; 2 Cor. 5:17). He has been baptized into Christ, entering the body of Christ, the church (Gal. 3:27; Acts 2:47). This is where there is salvation for those who are faithful.

Conclusion

Those who have thus obeyed the first principles of the gospel of Christ are called Christians. They take on no human religious name. They assemble with others who have obeyed the same gospel. They teach only what. the Holy Spirit has revealed in the Bible. They worship Gad as the New Testament directs. Congregations of such people in different places are called “churches of Christ” (Rom. 16:16). Dear friend, we encourage you to do only what the New Testament asks you to do; be only what the New Testament asks you to be; and worship God only as the New Testament dictates that you worship. When this is done glory will be given unto God in the church (Eph. 3:21). This is the church Jesus purchased with His blood (Acts 20:28); which He will save (Eph. 5:23); and which kingdom He will deliver up to God the Father (I Cor. 15:24). The church does relate to salvation.

Questions

1. Is the church God’s appointed dispenser of salvation? Can you think of any church which believes that it can give or withhold salvation to a man?
2. What affect do human additions to worship have on that worship being accepted by God?
3. Must one be a member of the church to be saved? Prove your answer.
4. If the church is compared to a family, does God have children outside His family?
5. Can one “Join” the church? How does; one get into the Lord’s church?
6. How does premillennialism undermine the biblical doctrine of the church?
7. Does the word “church” refer to an invisible group of those good, honest, sincere people in all of the denominations? Prove your answer.
8. Can one be reconciled to God without being in the church? See Acts 2:47 and Eph. 2:16.

Truth Magazine XXIV: 1, pp. 19-21
January 3, 1980

Many do not understand what the church that Jesus built is, and often have no concept of the nature of the church. Because of this there is much misunderstanding about the relationship of the church to salvation. We, therefore, hear such statements as, “The church is not the Savior,” and, “The church is not essential to salvation.” Let us give some serious study and thought to this important subject which is vital to our salvation.

When we discuss the church and salvation, we do not have in mind the many churches in the world that have been built by men. Such churches are not “of Christ,” they are “of men.” They were built by men. They are named after men. They teach the doctrines of men. They belong to men. If they promise any salvation, it is merely man’s promise. Worship offered to God by such churches is in vain. Of similar bodies Jesus said, “But in vain do they worship me, teaching as their doctrines the precepts of men” (Matt. 15:9). We are not, therefore, affirming that salvation is in any of these churches. On the other hand, we even deny that they are essential to salvation. We do affirm, however, that the church Jesus built, the church that is in existence by his authority, the church one reads about and finds described in the New Testament does relate to salvation.

Is This Your Question?

Recently this writer was asked a question with a request made that it be answered on our local radio broadcast and in Bible Facts, a monthly paper we publish. The question was, “Where is the passage that says one must be a member of the church of Christ to be saved?” Since a Bible passage was requested, the following one was given: “For the husband is the head of the wife, as Christ also is the head of the church, being himself the savior of the body” (Eph. 5:23). This statement by the inspired apostle is in every properly translated New Testament. Yet, it is generally overlooked and disregarded. Christ is head of the church and savior of the body. There is one body (Eph. 4:4), and that one body is the church (Eph. 1:22, 23). These passages make no mistake about the importance of the church to our salvation. Christ is the savior of the church. We, therefore, must be a part of the church to be saved.

How the Church Relates to Salvation

(1) The church is God’s family. Paul wrote, “These things write I unto thee, hoping to come unto thee shortly; but if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how men ought to behave themselves in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth” (1 Tim. 3:14, 15). The word “house,” as used here, means “family.” Paul is not expressing concern about conduct in a church building; but rather he is speaking of one’s conduct as a member of the family of God. The church is that family.

(2) Christ is a Son over. God’s house. He is called by the writer of Hebrews an Apostle, High Priest, and Son over God’s house (Heb. 3:1-6). The Father gave Him to -be head over all things to the church (Eph. 1:23). He has all authority in heaven and on earth (Matt. 28:18).

(3) Reconciliation to God is in the church. The mystery of the salvation of the Gentiles and their reconciliation unto God was revealed by Paul. How God planned to save the Gentiles was a mystery until it was fully revealed by inspired men. In Eph. 2:11-22, Paul tells how both Gentile and Jew are presently reconciled unto God. “But now in Christ Jesus ye that once were far off are made nigh in the blood of Christ. For he is our peace, who made both one, and brake down the middle wall of partition, having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even -the law of commandments contained in ordinances; that he might create in himself on the two one new man, so making peace; and might reconcile them both in one body unto God through the cross, having slain the enmity thereby” (vs. 13-16). Notice that reconciliation to God of both Gentile and Jew is “in one body.” We have already shown that this body is the church.

(4) The church is a habitation of God. Paul speaks of the “household of God” and calls it a t “holy temple” and “a habitation of God” (Eph. 1:19-22). Again, we note that he is not talking about a material building, but those whom he calls “fellow-citizens he saints.” These are the household of God. They are the church. This is where God dwells.

(5) The Lord adds those who are being saved to the church. “And the Lord added to them day by day those that were saved” (Acts 2:47, ASV). In the KJV we read, “And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.” When one repents, is baptized, and receives remission of his sins, he is immediately added by the Lord to the church. The Lord does His job daily. He does not get behind. He adds people who are being saved to his church, not to the churches of men. Hence, there are no present day, accountable, saved people outside the Lord’s church.

Modern False Concepts

With many, decisions are made and minds molded by human concepts and worldly wisdom rather than by the word of God. What they know about the church comes from human creeds. The same is so with their understanding of salvation. Consequently, their attitude toward the relationship of salvation to the church depends on their concept of the church and salvation as taught by men.

Theory: The Church is an Afterthought

Some hold the position that the church is merely an afterthought of God and never in His plan for man. Many premillennialists believe the church to be no more than a filler, to fill in a “gap” or a “parenthesis” in God’s plan for national Israel. They affirm that Jesus came to establish an earthly kingdom, but being rejected by the Jews, the church was established instead. There is no wonder that so many of these people have such a low estimate of the church. Contrary to this theory, the church is the spiritual kingdom of Old Testament prophecy. It is that kingdom which was “at hand” during the days of John the Baptist (Matt. 3:1-3). It is the church Jesus said, “I will build” and then called the kingdom (Matt. 16:18-19). Rather than being an afterthought, the church reveals the “manifold wisdom of God,” and is in His “eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Eph. 3:10, 11). The church was purchased by the blood of Christ (Acts 20:28). One should not disregard or take lightly such a high-priced institution.

Theory: There is a Subjective Body With Many Objective “Christian Communions”

There are many who affirm that all who believe that Jesus is the Christ make up the church of Christ. The idea is that there is a universal, subjective, church of Christ, made up of those who give mental assent to Jesus as the Christ. These people then, according to the theory, make up different objective bodies with divergent beliefs and traditions.

In a book called What Present Day Theologians Are Thinking, Daniel Day Williams, the author, has a chapter on “The Church.” He presents the theological concept of the church as a universal subjective body with many objective communions. He makes the following statement: “Within nearly every existing Christian communion there is a growing challenge to complacency with existing forms and traditions. Each communion is actually only a fragment of what the full Body of Christ should be. The question being asked from within the churches is, `How can the universal church of Christ be more adequately expressed in our particular tradition.”‘ If these people believe in any salvation they relate it only to this concept of the universal church to which they affirm one belongs only by a specific faith that Jesus is the Christ. One then may, or may not, become a member of what they call a “Christian Communion” as being of human origin. This is indeed the truth, and it is of these we have already said, “we deny that they are essential to salvation.”

Their concept of the universal church is also incorrect. They church universal is God’s family. It is made up of those who are born of water and the Spirit (Jn. 3:5). “Faith only” does not constitute the new birth. A part of it is baptism as commanded in the Great Commission (Mk. 16:15, 16), and as taught and administered by the apostles and early disciples (Acts 2:38, 8:38). One comes forth from baptism a new creature in Christ (Rom. 6:3-5; Col. 2:12; 2 Cor. 5:17). He has been baptized into Christ, entering the body of Christ, the church (Gal. 3:27; Acts 2:47). This is where there is salvation for those who are faithful.

Conclusion

Those who have thus obeyed the first principles of the gospel of Christ are called Christians. They take on no human religious name. They assemble with others who have obeyed the same gospel. They teach only what. the Holy Spirit has revealed in the Bible. They worship Gad as the New Testament directs. Congregations of such people in different places are called “churches of Christ” (Rom. 16:16). Dear friend, we encourage you to do only what the New Testament asks you to do; be only what the New Testament asks you to be; and worship God only as the New Testament dictates that you worship. When this is done glory will be given unto God in the church (Eph. 3:21). This is the church Jesus purchased with His blood (Acts 20:28); which He will save (Eph. 5:23); and which kingdom He will deliver up to God the Father (I Cor. 15:24). The church does relate to salvation.

Questions

1. Is the church God’s appointed dispenser of salvation? Can you think of any church which believes that it can give or withhold salvation to a man?
2. What affect do human additions to worship have on that worship being accepted by God?
3. Must one be a member of the church to be saved? Prove your answer.
4. If the church is compared to a family, does God have children outside His family?
5. Can one “Join” the church? How does; one get into the Lord’s church?
6. How does premillennialism undermine the biblical doctrine of the church?
7. Does the word “church” refer to an invisible group of those good, honest, sincere people in all of the denominations? Prove your answer.
8. Can one be reconciled to God without being in the church? See Acts 2:47 and Eph. 2:16.

Truth Magazine XXIV: 1, pp. 19-21
January 3, 1980

By Irvin Himmel

“. . . I would rather be the man that walked out and injected the sword into the body of Christ on the cross than to be responsible for having injected into the spiritual body of Christ that which has torn it asunder.” These words were spoken by N.B. Hardeman in 1922. He was referring to the division resulting from the introduction of mechanical music in the worship (Hardeman’s Tabernacle Sermons, Vol. 1, p. 269).

Obviously, some disciples do not think that it is such a serious thing to invent injections that tear the spiritual body asunder. Since Hardeman spoke those words in 1922, many new practices have been injected. The tearing asunder has continued.

Unity Is Desirable

Before the establishment of the church, Jesus announced, “. . . And there shall be one fold, and one shepherd” (John 10:16). The Master does not desire that some sheep find shelter in one sectarian setup, others in another denominational detachment, and additional ones in a different partisan pen, while the remainder roam the wild hills of hidden heresy.

Just a few hours before going to the cross, Jesus prayed while with the apostles, “Neither pray I for these alone,” said the Lord, “but for them also which shall believe on me through their word; That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one is us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me” (John 17:20, 21).

To the Corinthians, Paul wrote, “Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment” (1 Cor. 1:10). It is possible for Christians to be of one mind, speaking the same thing.

The saints at Ephesus were urged to walk in a manner worthy of their calling, “endeavoring to keep the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace” (Eph. 4:1-3). The unity of the Spirit cannot be maintained without earnest endeavor.

Contrasting Examples

The church at Jerusalem exemplified remarkable oneness. The disciples in that city were “together,” “had all things common,” and continued daily “with one accord” (Acts 2:44-46). They were “of one heart and of one soul” (Acts 4:32). When a murmuring arose because certain widows were neglected in the daily ministration, the problem was solved quickly under apostolic supervision. The recommendation of the apostles “pleased the whole multitude” because the authority of the apostles was respected. Today, many congregations are plagued with discord and dissension due to lack of respect for apostolic authority.

In contrast to the church at Jerusalem, God’s people at Corinth were torn with strife. They had a factional spirit. They were saying, “I am of Paul; and I of Apollos; and I of Cephas; and I of Christ” (1 Cor. 1:12). Paul charged that their envying, strife, and divisions furnished evidence of carnality. This brand of carnality often overshadows true spirituality among Christians.

The Corinthian brethren were going to law with each other before unbelievers (1 Cor. 6:6). They had differences over whether or not it is right to eat meat offered in sacrifice to idols (1 Cor. 8). They were abusing the Lord’s supper, making it a feast for satisfying bodily hunger (1 Cor. 11:18-34). They needed to learn that there should be “no schism in the body”; all members should have “the same care one for another” (1 Cor. 12:25).

Requirements for Unity

How can we attain the kind of oneness for which Jesus prayed? On what basis can we be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment? The following are some of the essentials for the unity revealed by the Spirit:

1. We must stand on God’s platform. Paul outlined the seven planks in this platform in Eph. 4:4-6. (1) There is one body. That body is the church (Eph. 1:22, 23; Col. 1:18). It is not a denomination or a mystical union of man-made religions. (2) There is one Spirit. The Holy Spirit gives life and direction through God’s word. (3) There is one hope. The desire and expectation produced by the gospel is eternal life (Tit. 1:2). (4) There is one Lord. Jesus is both Lord and Christ (Acts 2:36). He is the head of the church. There is no human head. (5) There is one faith. That is the faith for which Christians are to earnestly contend (Jude 3). It is the revealed faith. (6) There is one baptism. That baptism is in water (Acts 8:36-38; 10:47), is a burial (Rom. 6:3-5; Col. 2:12), is in the name of the Lord (Acts 19:5; 10:48), and is for the remission of sins (Acts 2:38; 22:16). (7) There is one God. He is described in contrast to idols in Acts 17:24-29.

2. We must walk by the same rule. The word of God must be the standard for our faith and practice. Amos asked, “Can two walk together, except they be agreed?” (Amos 3:3). Amos was in agreement with God and walking with God. The people of Jeroboam’s kingdom were out of step with God. The New Testament is the revelation of God’s will for us today. Do people really want unity in Christ? “Let them all agree to walk by the same rule, the New Testament. Could they for this be blamed by the candid of any party? Does not every party confess that its own rules are fallible, and that the Bible is the only infallible rule? Do they not act wisely then, who give up the fallible for the infallible?” (B.W. Stone, Christian Messenger, Nov. 25, 1826, p. 16).

3. We must reject all that the Bible does not authorize. Moses E. Lard, writing in the first issue of his Quarterly (Sept., 1863), attempted to summarize the plea of such men as Campbell, Stone, and others. “. . . The reformation consists in an effort to induce all the truly pious in Christ to become perfectly joined together in the same mind, and in the same judgment, by accepting as doctrine, precisely and only what is either actually asserted or necessarily implied in the Bible; to speak the same things by speaking what the Bible speaks, and to speak them in the language of the Bible; and to practice the same things by doing simply the will of Christ.

4. We must differentiate between faith and opinion. Faith comes by hearing the word of God (Rom. 10:17). Nothing should be urged as a matter of faith unless it is backed by divine testimony. Alexander Campbell once noted: “A person’s faith is always bounded by testimony; his knowledge by observation and experience, and his opinions where both these terminate, and may be boundless as God’s creation or as human invention” (Christian Baptist, Feb. 6, 1826).

Many times brethren form a personal judgment about something, and that opinion is preached as if law and gospel. We ought to avoid preaching human opinions, and we must never elevate them to the high level of divine revelation.

5. We must have the proper attitude. We may preach loudly about the importance of walking in the old paths, and we may guard against unscriptural practices with the sharp perception of a good sentinel, and we may stress one Lord, one faith, one baptism, only to fail to keep the unity of the Spirit. Paul mentioned lowliness and meekness, longsuffering, and forbearance in love (Eph. 4:2). Some gospel preachers have never learned to show patience. There are brethren who seem to have a divisive spirit. At the slightest disagreement or provocation, they are ready to draw away disciples after them. Humility is a missing ingredient in a lot of men. The desire to rule, or to have one’s own way, even if it means splitting the church, has crippled the good cause in many localities.

6. We must endeavor to keep the unity of the Spirt. The unity into which the Spirit leads is based on truth, not error. A million people can be united in the practice of error, but that unity does not transform their error into truth. It is the unity of the Spirit that is to be preserved in the bond of peace (Eph. 4:3).

Some people have the idea that if we preach the truth unity will result automatically. Paul knew that more is involved. He wrote of “endeavoring” to keep the unity of the Spirit. We must make careful and painstaking effort. This necessitates crushing unholy and selfish ambitions. It includes keeping down strife, seditions, and heresies. It involves the application of Phil. 2:3.

Most of us deplore division in the church. We plead for unity based on the Bible, but in practice a lot of us insist on unity based on our personal whims. Although we dare not compromise principles of right for any purpose, we must be willing to compromise in the realm of human judgment. Many congregations that have been ripped apart with bitterness and turmoil could have remained united if certain people had swallowed their pride, shown willingness to admit wrong, extended forgiveness, learned to keep their mouths shut, tended to their own affairs, shown brotherly love, exercised patience, and talked about staying together instead of “starting a new work” (a pretense for leaving).

Summary

God’s word teaches that unity is desirable, and it reveals how such unity can be attained. Through the ages many have caused divisions and hindrances by teaching what is contrary to the doctrine of Christ (Rom. 16:17). As David Lipscomb well expressed it, “All human teachings, inventions, and institutions are occasions of discord, stumbling, and division . . . . The hearts of those who add human inventions are not right in the sight of God” (Comment on Eph. 4:3).

Each Christian can make his contribution to the unity of the church by walking according to God’s pattern, teaching others to walk by the divine rule, rejecting everything contrary to the Scriptures, maintaining the right attitude, and humbly endeavoring to promote and preserve the unity of the Spirit.

Questions

1. What did N.B. Hardeman say about division resulting from the introduction of mechanical music in worship?
2. Is Jesus’ prayer for unity in John 17:20, 21 compatible with the denominational divisions and divisions among us? How might some people’s attitude toward modern denominationalism be compared to a religious smorgasboard and how does it affect unity?
3. How is it possible for Christians to be of one .mind, speaking the same thing? Give at least one verse to prove this.
4. Name six things that are essential for the unity revealed by the Spirit.
5. What are the seven one’s named in Eph. 4:4-6. Discuss each of them.
6. What seems to be the missing attitudes in some men whose doctrinal soundness is unquestioned but who divide churches?
7. If a million people are united in the practice of error, will that unity transform their error into truth?
8. Discuss what Paul meant by “endeavoring” to keep the unity of the Spirit.
9. How can each Christian make his contribution to the unity of the church?

Truth Magazine XXIV: 1, pp. 17-19
January 3, 1980

By Irven Lee

The Lord built His church and paid for it with His blood. He is its head and has all authority in it. It is not my church, your church, or our church. It is not ours to plan its mission or work, nor do we enter it except by pleasing God so that, He of His own free will, adds us to it. We do not plan the terms of enhance any more than we plan the organization, work, or worship. Every one is accepted on the Lord’s terms or he is excluded\from it and has no-inheritance in it (Matt. 16:18; Acts 20:28; Eph. 5:23-25).

God is no respecter of persons, so He does not reject one because of the color of his skin or the color of his hair. Neither the conduct of his ancestors nor his own past life makes it impossible for him to become a child of God. He can be born of water and of the Spirit and, by the grace of God, enter the kingdom. He can be adopted into this great family and join with other redeemed people in crying, “Abba, Father.” God is interested in one’s present humility and worthy plans for the future. A man’s sins can be washed away in the blood of Christ and be remembered against him no more (Rom. 2:6, 11; John 3:5; Rev. 1:5).

He that believeth not shall be damned. It is absolutely impossible for one who does not believe to please God. There are a few things that we must believe. We must believe that God is and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him. Unbelievers are without excuse, and the lukewarm who show no zeal for the Lord’s church are an abomination to Him. We are not only to accept God, but we are to accept Jesus as His Son. The well established fact of the resurrection of Christ is the sign of signs to confirm His Sonship. In Christ dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily. In this land of Bibles there are some who do not believe, so they do not study His word. If we look at this sad fact from another point of view, we could say that some do not study His word, so they do not believe. Faith comes by hearing the word of God. The Bible will produce precious faith in those honest and good hearts who study His word, but it will not produce faith in any one while it lies on the shelf collecting dust (Mark 16:16; Heb. 11:6; Rom. 1:20; Rev. 3:14-22; John 8:24; Col. 2:9; Rom. 10:17).

Repentance is also one of the essential terms of entrance into the church according to the Lord’s own plan. God is not willing that any should perish but that, all should come to repentance. It is a matter of “repent or perish.” God commands all men everywhere to repent, but He leaves man the power to refuse. It is man’s choice. He can set his mind on things above and, by controlling himself, he can press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God. Peter made his Jewish audience, on the first Pentecost after the resurrection of Christ, aware of the fact that they had killed the Prince of life and that God had made Him both Lord and Christ. When the Jews were pricked in their hearts and cried for help, they were told to repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins. Peter was opening the door for those who believed his sermon by using the keys of the kingdom. By accepting the terms given they could enter the kingdom (Luke 13:5; 2 Pet. 3:9; Acts 17:30; 2:38).

Heaven had no objection to Peter’s giving the terms of entrance to those who had demanded the death of Jesus. Christ had prayed that they might be forgiven. They could now have this and other grievous sins forgiven by the grace of God and the blood of Christ. It was the will of Christ that repentance and the remission of sins should be preached to all nations. This is indeed a great commission, and it reminds us again of the great love of God and of our dying Savior. People may reject repentance and be lost, but they are all invited to gladly receive the word and be saved (Luke 23:34; 24:47).

The goodness of God and the godly sorrow of man lead to repentance, but the godly sorrow is not repentance. The reformed life follows repentance as night follows day, but the reformed life is not repentance. The change of will brought about by the godly sorrow and leading to fruit meet for repentance is what our Lord was commanding when His qualified ambassadors bound repentance as one of the necessary conditions of pardon which makes church membership possible (Rom. 2:4; 2 Cor. 7:10).

It is interesting how so-called Protestant churches can teach salvation by faith only and still recognize repentance as necessary. These two important ideas are not the same. Some can teach salvation by grace only, along with faith only, and still require repentance. The unfortunate addition is the word “only.” We are saved by faith, grace, and repentance, but the word “only” does not belong even at the conclusion of this list. The Church instructed the apostles that they teach baptized believers to observe all things whatsoever He had commanded them. The devil would have us stop short of accepting all the terms of admission to and service in the family of God (Matt. 20:18-20; James 2:14-26; Eph. 2:8).

Our Lord asked the men who thought they had the highest authority at the temple about the baptism of John. He asked if it was from heaven or from men. We might ask about the baptism which is in the name of, or by the authority of, Jesus. Is it from heaven or from men? How could it be of men if it is in the name of Jesus? We should have no room to quibble over its importance or necessity if it is commanded by Jesus who is head over all things to the church. In giving the Great Commission to the apostles, He asked them to teach and baptize all nations. Actually they were to baptize those who would gladly receive the word among all nations, for obedience is individual in nature. Each will give account for the deeds done in his own body at the final judgment. The gospel is to be preached to every creature in all the world, but “he that believeth and is baptized shall be saved.” Every soldier in the army of the Captain of our salvation is a volunteer. None can be scripturally baptized except by his own consent (Matt. 21:23-27; 2 Cor. 5:16; Mk. 16:16).

Peter’s answer to the question of those guilty listeners on the day of Pentecost was important to them, but it has also been very important to all true seekers after the way of safety in the following centuries. If he had his opinion only, or the opinion of some other man or group of men, it would not be very important. If the Holy Spirit guided him in binding the will of the Father and of the Son on earth, it was a very important answer. Those that gladly received the word on that day of Pentecost were baptized. The same has been true of all honest and true men who have had hearts open to receive the word since that day. Everyone: was told to repent and be baptized for the remission of sins. Those who were so guilty and were convinced of their sins were eager to have those sins washed away (Acts 2:36-41, 47).

The Lord added to the church daily those that were being saved. They could eat their bread with gladness and singleness of heart after they were added to the church because only saved people were added, and the Lord was the one who did the adding. He keeps the records; no hypocrite has mocked and deceived Him and, thus, had his name added to the Lamb’s book of life. Men have added the names of some hypocrites to their lists of church members, but God does not go by their lists. He knows what is in man’s heart (Acts 2:47).

When Philip preached Christ to the people of the city of Samaria and confirmed his message by the signs God allowed, there was great joy in that city. When they believed Philip as he taught them concerning the kingdom and the name of Christ, they were baptized. How did they know to be baptized if this picture of the burial and resurrection was not included in preaching the truth about Christ and His kingdom (Acts 8:5-12)?

When Philip received orders which led him to the nobleman from Ethiopia, he preached Jesus to him and, from this one sermon, the sincere man learned to ask for baptism. He was not refused. Philip and the Ethiopian went down into the water, Philip made his way to Caesarea and the new convert went on his way rejoicing. He had changed from the Jewish religion to the teachings of Christ. That is a turning that can be called repentance. He confessed his faith in Christ as the Son of God. Those at Jerusalem on Pentecost, those who heard Philip at Samaria, and the Ethiopian treasurer were baptized as penitent believers.

Saul was a penitent believer after the Christ appeared to him; he was told by Ananias to arise and be baptized and wash away his sins. The same message should be given to all who desire to be saved. The Lord adds the saved to the church. He is no respecter of persons, so the terms are the same for all (Acts 22:4-16).

The Son of man came to seek and to save the lost. He left His church on earth with the task of upholding the truth that can make men free. There are, not. two sets of rules, one of which guides a man to salvation and another which guides him in becoming a member of the church. Saved people are added to the church. Each gospel preacher who preached in the days of the apostles taught faith which one was willing to confess with the mouth, repentance which would lead to a new life, and baptism which was a picture of the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ. Sometimes mention may not be made of faith or repentance in the brief accounts of conversions given in the book of Acts, but they are clearly implied from the things said. Baptism is the commandment most often rejected by men, and it is the term most often mentioned. Evidently God knew that men would-tend to reject it, so He was that careful students could not overlook it (Luke 19:10; 1 Tim. 3:15; Rom. 10:9, 10; Rom. 6:1-18).

When God made it abundantly evident that He would accept Gentiles on the same terms that were required of the Jews, Cornelius was commanded to- be baptized. The Philippian jailer and his family were baptized after Paul and Silas preached the word of the Lord to them. They also believed and repented. The faith is mentioned, and their actions necessarily implied the repentance. Lydia and her household were baptized when their hearts were opened by God’s truth. Many of the Corinthians hearing, believed, and were baptized. Let all of us follow the Bible pattern. Men have offered many plans, but the Bible is right. None is in the church except those who have entered through the strait gate into the narrow way that leads to life (Acts 10:47; 48; 16:30-34; 16:14, 15).

Questions

1. Can we enter the church by doing our own will? How, then, do we enter?
2. What must one believe to be pleasing to God?
3. Is it enough to accept God and not accept Jesus as His Son? Why?
4. In commanding all men everywhere to repent, what has God required of man?
5. On the first Pentecost after the resurrection of Christ, what did Peter tell the Jews they should do to be saved?
6. Is godly sorrow repentance?
7. What did Christ instruct the apostles to teach all bap tized believers?
8. Who does the adding to the church and who is added?
9. Will all whose names are on lists as church members be added to the Lamb’s book of life? Why?
10. What did each gospel preacher, in the days of the apostles, teach about faith, repentance and baptism?

Truth Magazine XXIV: 1, pp. 14-17
January 3, 1980