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The Way of Christ Without
Denominationalism
Samuel G. Dawson
The non-denominational way of Christ is superior to anything man
has devised, and countless thousands of people are after it, they just don't
know it's possible. How to be just a New Testament Christian was never more
clearly explained than in this excellent booklet for personal evangelism. It
demonstrates the harm of denominationalism and shows how to be just a
Christian. Churches and individuals can use it effectively when a personal
class may not be feasible to teach others how to become just a Christian
without denominational baggage.
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Copyright
All scripture quotations are taken from The American Standard
Version New Testament, © 1901, 1929 Thomas Nelson and Sons. All
rights reserved. Used by permission.
Copyright © 1997 by Samuel G. Dawson and Patsy
Rae Dawson
ISBN 0-938855-83-2
Publisher
Gospel Themes Press
2028 South
Austin, Suite 906 Amarillo, TX 79109-1960
Hard copies can be purchased in booklet form directly from Gospel Themes
Press. Click here to Place an Order.
The Harm of Denominationalism
How To Be Just A Christian
Conclusion
The Way of Christ Without
Denominationalism
Samuel G. Dawson
The basic thrust of this booklet is to fuel the desire to be just New
Testament Christians, i.e., without any denominational ties or allegiance
whatsoever. Some may not understand the desirability of the non-denominational
way of Christ, so we first need to consider the harm of denominationalism.
THE HARM OF DENOMINATIONALISM
The Atheist's Unanswerable Argument
Against the Way of
Christ
Several years ago I debated a professor in one of our state universities
who was the faculty sponsor of a group called The League for the Promotion of
Militant Atheism. This group challenged religious groups to debate the
evidences for the existence of God and the inspiration of the Bible. A local
group of Christians selected me to respond to the challenge. In preparation
for the debate I read several interviews with this professor. One contained an
argument against the existence of God and the inspiration of the Bible that is
unanswerable. As a matter of fact, it is the strongest argument atheists and
skeptics can use. It has produced more atheists than all the militant atheists
put together!
This professor based his argument upon religious division. He said:
Common sense tells us that atheism is a much more rational stand
in the face of the conflicting claims of the world's religions than fleeing
to the Bible.
The fact that there are so many religions shows, at best, that
human beings have a weakness for irrational beliefs.
The Atheist Agrees with Jesus
This argument is unanswerable because it agrees exactly with what Jesus
said about the harm of religious division! This militant atheist preached
exactly like Christ on this subject. As a matter of fact, he preached
more like Christ on this subject than many preachers do.
In Jn. 17.20-21, on the night before He died, Jesus prayed for all the
believers in Him who would come after Him to believe the same thing. Thus, if
you believe in Christ, this is Christ's prayer for you. Jesus began by praying
in His own behalf, then in behalf of the apostles. Then He said:
Neither for these only do I pray, but for them also that believe
on me through their word; that they may all be one; even as thou,
Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be in us; that the
world may believe that thou didst send me.
Paul, in I Cor. 1.10-11, taught much the same thing when he told the
Corinthian Christians:
Now I beseech you, brethren, through 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 perfected together in the same mind
and in the same judgment.
Likewise, Paul prayed in
Rom. 15.5-6:
. . . that with one accord ye may with one mouth
glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Then in Gal. 5.20, Paul said concerning religious division:
Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these:
fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, sorcery, enmities,
strife, jealousies, wraths, factions, divisions, . . . of which I
forewarn you, even as I did forewarn you, that they that practice such
things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.
With these passages fresh in our minds, we must ask ourselves some
questions, "Do all believers in denominations speak the same thing? Are there
any divisions that are works of the flesh? Do all denominational believers
speak with one mouth?"
The answer to all these questions is a dismal, "No!" Over 760 separate
religious denominations exist in the United States alone, all claiming
allegiance to Christ. But they all teach different things that contradict the
others. Yet they all claim to teach their distinctive doctrines right out of
the Bible.
This is why Jesus prayed that division among his followers would not occur,
that the world might believe that He was the Christ. If Christ approved of
religious division, the atheist's argument against the way of Christ would be
unanswerable.
Greatest Enemy of True Religion Is Religion Itself
We don't have to look far to find examples of how modern denominations
ignore Jesus' prayer for unity.
Newsweek Magazine
What do you imagine any intelligent person saw in this notice in
Newsweek magazine several years ago?
The Good Shepherd Baptist Church in Denver, Colo., has refused
to meet the payments on a small stucco building it contracted to buy from
the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod in 1965<197>precisely on the
ground that the property already belongs to God. The Baptists say "the Holy
Spirit revealed to them that once you buy a church property, it belongs to
the Lord and nobody can sell it." The Lutherans say, "But the Holy Spirit
did not speak to us in this way. The Baptists got it from a special
revelation and there is no way to deal with that." ("Divine Property?"
Newsweek [July 5, 1971], p. 51.)
What did the several million people who read this in Newsweek think
of the concept that the Holy Spirit taught these two denominations two
different and contradictory doctrines? What do you think?
Martin Luther
What happens when people realize that the great reformation leader Martin
Luther wrote:
I ask that men make no reference to my name, and call themselves
not Lutherans, but Christians. What is Luther? My doctrine, I am sure, is
not mine, nor have I been crucified for any one. St. Paul, in
I Cor. iii,
would not allow Christians to call themselves Pauline or Petrine, but
Christian. How then should I, poor, foul carcase that I am, come to have men
give to the children of Christ a name derived from my worthless name? No,
no, my dear friends; let us abolish all party names, and call ourselves
Christians after Him Whose doctrine we have. (Hugh Thomson Kerr, A
Compend of Luther's Theology [Philadelphia: The Westminster Press,
1943], p. 135. Also cited by Lewis W. Spitz, Ph. D., Our Church and
Others, [Saint Louis, MO: Concordia Publishing House, 1969], pp.
23-24.)
Yet people who call themselves Lutherans blatantly disagree with Luther
himself, who on this point agreed with Christ.
John Wesley
Another great reformation leader, John Wesley, among whose followers are
the Methodists, Wesleyans, etc. said:
Would to God that all party names, and unscriptural phrases and
forms which have divided the Christian world, were forgot and that the very
name [Methodist - SGD] might never be mentioned more, but be buried in
eternal oblivion. (John Wesley, Universal Knowledge, A Dictionary and
Encyclopedia of Arts, Science, History, Biography, Law, Literature,
Religions, Nations, Races, Customs, and Institutions, Vol. 9, Edward A.
Pace, Editor [New York: Universal Knowledge Foundation, 1927], p.
540.)
In violation of Wesley's plea, his followers still call themselves
Methodists, Nazarenes, and Wesleyans.
Charles Spurgeon
What transpires when people learn that Charles Spurgeon, one of the
greatest Baptist preachers who ever lived, said:
I look forward with pleasure to the day when there will not be a
Baptist living! I hope that the Baptist name will soon perish, but let
Christ's name last forever. (Spurgeon Memorial Library, Vol. I, n.d.,
p. 168.)
Instead of Spurgeon's desire coming true, we have at least twenty-six
different Baptist denominations in this nation alone. Likewise, Calvinists
today disagree with Calvin, and right on down the line.
Preachers Teach Contradictory Doctrines
Many people seem to have no problem with all the contradictory doctrines in
the religious realm, and yet if a single preacher taught all those
contradictory doctrines himself, all would realize he had serious mental
problems. Imagine what happens when an intelligent person sees so-called
Christians claiming that the Bible can be understood hundreds of different
ways, and the amazing thing about it, each way is right if religious division
is right!
In truth, denominationalism produces more atheism than all the atheists,
militant atheists, hypocrites, and false teachers put together. Jesus knew it,
Paul knew it, most of the founders of these denominations knew it, and pleaded
that it wouldn't happen.
Fruits of Denominationalism
With respect to religious division, compare the teaching of Jesus Christ
with the statements of many prominent atheists:
Jesus
. . . that they may all be one . . . that the world may believe.
(Jn. 17.20-21)
Benedict Spinoza
This prominent Dutch Philosopher blamed theological creeds with all their
contradictions as his rationale for becoming an atheist.
Voltaire
This famous French philosopher blamed the contradictions and abuses of
Roman Catholicism for his atheism.
David Hume
This foremost Scottish philosopher blamed the creeds of Calvin and
Presbyterianism for his unbelief.
Diderot
The eminent French encyclopedist blamed the creeds of orthodoxy for his
atheism.
Robert Owen
Robert Owen was the greatest European atheist of the 19th century. He was a
genius and a philanthropist, and concerning his background before debating
Alexander Campbell on the evidences for the existence of God, historian Bill
J. Humble says:
At the time when Robert Owen came to debate Campbell in 1829, he
was 58 years of age and already a world figure of renown, appealing to the
popular imagination by his schemes for the betterment of humanity, and
arousing the ire of united clergy by his denunciations of all religions.
This international figure was born in New Montgomeryshire, North Wales, on
May 14, 1771. At an early age the boy was enrolled in a day school where he
evidenced a precocious mental development; for at seven he had mastered all
the information which his instructor could impart and was himself teaching.
The intellectual growth of the young man was so rapid that before attaining
his tenth birthday, he had investigated a number of theological works and
examined their contents so critically as to lead himself to doubt the
fundamental nature of all religion. (Bill J. Humble, Alexander Campbell
and Controversy [Rosemead, CA: Old Paths Book Club, 1952], p.
81.)
The Bible didn't produce this distinguished atheist. The contradictions in
denominational creeds did!
Charles Darwin
Many do not realize that the renowned agnostic Charles Darwin at one time
studied at a seminary to become a clergyman in the Church of England. How did
Charles Darwin, a believer in Christ and a creationist, become an agnostic
whose name is inevitably connected with the hypothesis of evolution? What
swayed the man who has swayed so many? Why did Darwin, who prepared for the
work of a clergyman, become the chief apostle of evolution?
His son, also his biographer, wrote:
We had an earnest conversation about going into Holy Orders; and
I remember his asking me, with reference to the question put by the Bishop
in the ordination service, "Do you trust that you are inwardly moved by the
Holy Spirit, etc." whether I could answer in the affirmative, and on my
saying I could not, he said, "Neither can I, and therefore I cannot take
Orders." (Francis Darwin, Life and Letters of Charles Darwin, Vol.
I [New York: D. Appleton and Co., 1898], p. 147.)
Darwin didn't reject Christ, or the Bible. He rejected a doctrine that was
not even in the Bible, something in the creed book of the Church of England!
Darwin's works influenced the minds of Marx, Engels, Lenin, Stalin, and
Hitler, and gave them the "ethical basis" for many of their horrible actions.
Who would dare say religious division isn't really so bad?
Robert Ingersoll
The greatest American atheist of the last third of the nineteenth century
claimed that theological creeds led to his religious downfall.
Charles Smith
Charles Smith, the first president of the American Association for the
Advancement of Atheism, explained how he became an atheist:
Let me tell you something of how I came to be an Atheist. I used
to live in Maud, Oklahoma - was there before the town was built; and have
lived in Shawnee. I was in this town some twenty years ago, working for the
Farmer's Union. I joined the First Methodist church. A few years later, I
went to a Methodist school, Epworth University, in Oklahoma City . . . The
next session I went to the State University at Norman. I tried to continue
to believe the Christian religion, but began to investigate its doctrines.
One day when watching a football game with my pastor, I asked him if he
believed the virgin birth story, and the Adam and Eve story. He said, "Why,
of course not." I demanded: "Why do you not tell your congregation that?" He
replied: "That would do a great deal of harm, and no good." (Charles
Smith, Oliphant-Smith Debate [Nashville, TN: Gospel Advocate Company,
1952], pp. 23-24.)
In every case, these renowned atheists and skeptics became unbelievers, not
because of the Bible and the teaching of Christ or His apostles, but because
of their lack of ability to believe that religious confusion came from God.
People's allegiance to human creeds produced their unbelief.
This is why Jesus prayed that His followers would not be divided. This is
the reason we ought to avoid man-made religion: names, doctrines,
institutions, organizations, and practices that come from man, not God. This
is why Jesus said, in
Mt. 15.6-9:
. . . And ye have made void the word of God because of your
tradition . . . This people honoreth me with their lips; but their heart is
far from me. But in vain do they worship me, teaching as their doctrines the
precepts of men.
Creeds Produce Denominationalism
Many times people think denominationalism is produced by an inability of
mankind to agree on how the Bible ought to be interpreted. Rather, it is
produced by allegiance to something other than God and Christ: allegiance to
human creeds. Webster's New World Dictionary, says concerning the term
"creed":
(. . . Latin, credo, lit., I believe . . .) 1. a brief
statement of religious belief; confession of faith; 2. a specific statement
of this kind accepted as authoritative by a church; 3. a statement of
belief, principles, or opinions on any subject. (Webster's New World
Dictionary, Second College Edition [New York: The World Publishing
Company, 1970].)
It is important to realize the distinction between a personal creed and an
organizational one. I have the right to state what I believe, and other men
may state their beliefs as well. However, denominational creeds are not
statements of personal belief, but statements of what someone says you must
believe to be in fellowship with them. It follows from this that a
denominational creed must be a condition of communion in a specific coalition
of congregations. This concept did not exist among New Testament
Christians.
Thus, The Philadelphia Confession of Faith (Presbyterian), The
Standard Manual for Baptist Churches, The Methodist Discipline,
etc. are not personal statements of belief, but authoritative (that is, based
upon human authority) standards of fellowship other than the Bible. When one
is involved in denominationalism, he is subject to human authority rather than
divine authority.
For example, the Discipline of the Free Methodist Church prescribes
allegiance to it as a condition of fellowship in that denomination:
Let none be received into full connection unless they give
evidence of a renewed heart, by living up to the requirements of the General
Rules, . . . (6) Do you subscribe to our articles of religion, our General
Rules, and our Discipline, and are you willing to be governed by the same?
(Discipline of the Free Methodist Church [North Chili, NY: B. T.
Roberts, Publisher, 1887], p. 24.)
Be assured, none of Christ's apostles or other early Christians, nor any
Christians for eighteen hundred years after Christ subscribed to the
requirements of the General Rules of the Free Methodist Church. They never
heard of the rules, or the denomination! These simply did not exist in New
Testament times.
Similarly, one must hold to the creeds of the Lutheran church to be in that
denomination. In Our Church and Others, published by the Evangelical
Lutheran denomination, we read:
The Evangelical Lutheran Church is the total of all who
unreservedly accept all canonical books of the Old and New Testament as
God's revealed Word and who confess agreement with the teaching again
brought to light through Luther's reformation and presented concisely in
writing to Emperor and Empire at Augsburg in 1530 and repeated and expanded
in the other so-called Lutheran symbols.
If someone asks a Lutheran: "What does the Lutheran Church
teach?" or: "What do you as a Lutheran believe?" he can direct the inquirer
to the Lutheran confessions.
The Lutheran confessions may also be regarded as a standard
around which Lutherans rally in their common defense of the doctrines of the
Scriptures against error, or they may be regarded as a flag to which the
teachers of the church pledge loyalty. Every member of the Lutheran Church
is expected to subscribe not only to the Bible but also to the confessions
as a correct presentation of Biblical doctrines . . .
Therefore pastors and professors are asked at the time of their
ordination or installation: "Dost thou accept the three Ecumenical Creeds -
the Apostles', the Nicene, and the Athanasian - as faithful testimonies to
the truth of the Holy Scriptures, and dost thou reject all the errors which
they condemn?" and: "Dost thou believe that the Unaltered Augsburg
Confession is a true exposition of the Word of God and a correct exhibition
of the doctrine of the Evangelical Lutheran Church; and that the Apology of
the Augsburg Confession, the two Catechisms of Martin Luther, the Smalcald
Articles, and the Formula of Concord as contained in the Book of Concord -
are also in agreement with this one Scriptural faith?" To both of these
questions the candidate must answer, "I do." The officiating minister
then asks: "Dost thou solemnly promise that thou wilt perform the duties of
thy office in accordance with these Confessions and that all thy
teaching and thy administration of the Sacraments shall be in
conformity with the Holy Scriptures and with the afore-mentioned
Confessions?" (Our Church and Others, pp. 23-26.)
In addition, one who holds to the Bible and The Methodist
Discipline will become a Methodist, not a Baptist. To be a Baptist, one
must hold to the Baptist Manual plus the Bible. However, you cannot
follow that course and become a Mormon. Mormons are those who hold to both the
Bible and the Book of Mormon.
One last illustration that shows denominationalism is not produced by
difficulties of interpretation but by adherence to denominational creeds is
found in the following statement from Edward T. Hiscox's Standard Manual
for Baptist Churches:
It is most likely that in the Apostolic age when there was but
"One Lord, one faith, and one baptism," and no differing denominations
existed, the baptism of a convert by that very act, constituted him a member
of the church, and at once endowed him with all the rights and privileges of
full membership. In that sense, "baptism was the door into the church." Now,
it is different; and while the churches are desirous of receiving members,
they are wary and cautious that they do not receive unworthy persons. The
churches therefore have candidates come before them, make their statement,
give their "experience" and then their reception is decided by a vote of the
members. (Edward T. Hiscox, D. D., The Standard Manual for Baptist
Churches [Philadelphia: American Baptist Publication Society, 1890], p.
22.)
It's an absolute impossibility to follow just the Bible and become involved
in these denominations or any others. None of them existed in Bible times.
The Harm of Denominational Creeds
We've all been around denominational creeds all our lives. Are they as
innocuous as many think?
Creeds Hinder Fellowship
One of the arguments for the existence of creeds is that they are necessary
for unity. While they produce unity within the denomination, on a scale
larger than the denomination, they produce exactly the opposite. Creeds are
walls that prevent the fellowship of believers in Christ in different
denominations, in the sense that fellowship is contemplated in the Bible.
Creeds Impeach the Wisdom of God
Will the Bible as God gave it produce the unity God desires? If it won't,
we imply that men must write creeds because God didn't know what to say.
Creeds Impugn the Good Will of Christ
If Christ were wise enough to give us everything we needed (which He
promised to do in
Jn. 14.26,
16.13, and that the apostles affirmed He did,
II
Tim. 3.16;
II Pet. 1.3;
Jude 3), but He didn't, then if God's wisdom is not
impeached, Christ's goodness must be. Did Christ deliberately reveal the Bible
in such an ambiguous fashion that it remained for men to write creeds to make
God's meaning understandable?
Creeds Harm Believers in Christ
Creeds not only harm the reputation of God, Christ, and the Holy Spirit,
who brought the complete revelation into the world, but they cause
inestimable harm to believers in Christ. Rather than obey Paul's command
to test everything to see if it's genuine (I Thes. 5.21), and "prove what is
well pleasing to the Lord" (Eph. 5.8-11), if we place our confidence in
creeds, we are obliged to approach the Bible with an interpretation already
placed upon it. Obeying the apostle's teaching requires us to examine the
scriptures with no established opinion. If we place our confidence in creeds,
we are not so free to examine the scriptures for ourselves. We are compelled
to conduct our investigations in light of the creed. Thus, creeds are opposed
to independent Bible study and those of us who would profit thereby. Human
creeds simply did not exist in the time of Christ, His apostles, or early-day
Christians.
The atheist's argument from religious division is still unanswerable. When
we understand the great harm of religious division, we cannot be benevolent
toward denominationalism and maintain our allegiance to Christ.
HOW TO BE JUST A CHRISTIAN
This section presents a concise method of learning the gospel of Christ. It
is designed to teach you the gospel in one sitting. It teaches you how to be
in fellowship with God in the universal church, and then teaches you how to
find a group of Christians you can be in fellowship with in a local
congregation. The approach consists of three charts that depict a simple three
point outline:
CHART ONE: ALLEGIANCE TO GOD
CHART TWO: FELLOWSHIP WITH GOD
CHART THREE: FELLOWSHIP WITH OTHER CHRISTIANS
The study begins at a point that is ordinarily satisfactory. If you believe
in the existence of God, and have some respect for the inspiration of the
Bible, this method will result in your learning the simple gospel of Christ
with no appeal to denominational creeds, allegiance, or loyalty.
Regardless of what Bible questions you might have, we always began at the
same foundation point: the Bible is the final authority in God's dealings with
man. We all realize religion and politics are the most controversial topics in
our society today which most people try to avoid. One way to avoid the
unpleasantness of controversy in religious discussions is to appeal to a
common source of authority. For example, if we argue about how long the
kitchen table is, or how warm the room is, a number of ways exist to settle
these questions. We could agree that since I'm the oldest, or the youngest, or
the most handsome, or the ugliest person in the group, we could take my word
in the matter. At least we would all be agreed. However, if we accept common
standards of authority, like a ruler and a thermometer, we can settle all
these differences, and we will all be correct!
The same thing is true in determining God's will in religious matters, and
you will probably agree that the Bible should be our standard of authority.
The first chart demonstrates this truth in detail. I'm confident we won't have
any major differences on the first chart. Everybody understands Christians
ought to follow the teaching of Christ, just as Buddhists ought to follow the
teaching of Buddha.
CHART ONE: ALLEGIANCE TO GOD
ALLEGIANCE TO GOD
God Has Inherent Authority
God Delegated All Authority To Jesus:
Mt. 28.18;
Jn. 12.49
Jesus Delegated Authority to His Apostles:
Jn. 20.21;
Jn. 13.20
The Holy Spirit Guided The Apostles:
Jn. 14.26;
I Cor. 2.10-13
The Apostles Wrote The Bible:
Eph. 3.3-4
We Cannot Add To, Take From, Or Change The Bible:
II Jn. 9;
Rev. 22.18-19;
Gal. 1.8
In The Bible, God Has Told Us Everything He Is Going To Tell Us:
Chart One
Let's just begin where the Bible begins, "In the beginning, God . . .
." All authority stems from God because God has authority over
everything, and our allegiance should be to Him. Even an atheist will admit
that "if God exists, He has all authority." God has all authority because He
created everything, and everything belongs to Him. Just like I have authority
over my things (my car, my Bible), then since everything belongs to God, He
has inherent authority over everything simply because of who He is.
Jesus Has Delegated Authority:
Mt. 28.18,
Jn. 12.49
We begin our reading in
Mt. 28.18, where Jesus said to His apostles shortly
after His resurrection and just before His Ascension into Heaven,
All authority hath been given unto me in heaven and on
earth.
Isn't it obvious who delegated authority to Jesus? We can readily see that
God the Father delegated authority to Jesus. Even Jesus had divine authority
from God for everything He said and did. Since Jesus had all authority both in
heaven and on earth, He does not lack any authority whatsoever.
The next passage used to demonstrate the fact that Jesus had delegated
authority from God is
Jn. 12.49, where Jesus spoke to His apostles the night
before He died:
For I spake not from myself: but the Father that sent me, he
hath given me a commandment, what I should say, and what I should speak.
Again, Jesus respected divine authority in all His activity. He didn't just
do and teach what He wanted, but He always acted with authority from the
Father. If Jesus had such respect for divine authority, can we be so
presumptuous as to have less?
The Apostles Had Delegated Authority:
Jn. 20.21;
Jn. 13.20
Jesus then delegated authority to His apostles, those He sent out with His
gospel. In Jn. 20.21, shortly after His resurrection, Jesus told the eleven
apostles, with Judas absent from the group:
Peace be unto you: as the Father hath sent me, even so send I
you.
Likewise, in
Jn. 13.20 on the night before He died, Jesus said to the
apostles:
Verily, verily, I say unto you, he that receiveth whomsoever I
send receiveth me; and he that receiveth me receiveth him that sent
me.
This verse is a little complicated on first glance. We receive the apostles
by accepting their teaching and obeying it. To receive the apostles' teaching
is also to receive Christ, and to receive Christ is to receive God.
Conversely, if we reject the teaching of the apostles, we also reject Christ,
and hence God Himself.
Christ's Apostles Wrote the Bible:
Eph. 3.3-5
With divine authority delegated to them by Christ, the apostles wrote the
New Testament. Paul claims this in
Eph. 3.3-4:
. . . how that by revelation was made known unto me the mystery;
as I wrote before in few words, whereby when ye read, ye can perceive my
understanding in the mystery of Christ; which in other generations was not
made known unto the sons of men, as it hath now been revealed unto his holy
apostles and prophets in the Spirit.
The mystery Paul speaks about is nothing but the gospel of Christ (Rom.
16.25-26). The gospel is called a mystery simply because it was not revealed
in the Old Testament period of time, as Paul affirms in
Eph. 3.5.
Having established this, notice that Paul declares that when one reads the
gospel, he can perceive Paul's understanding of the gospel. This is remarkable
because most people believe one must be a preacher or have attended a seminary
to understand the Bible. Paul says the gospel is written for the common man,
and so it can be understood. (Eph. 5.17 even commands us to understand
it!)
However, the main point from this passage is that the gospel was made known
unto Paul and the other apostles by revelation. It was revealed to the
apostles from God Himself.
The Holy Spirit Guided the Apostles:
Jn. 14.26;
I Cor. 2.10-13
Most of us realize that neither God nor Jesus would make a mistake in the
Bible, but sometimes we might reasonably wonder if the apostles could make
mistakes. Jesus eliminated this possibility by having the Holy Spirit guide
the apostles so that their teaching would be infallible. In
Jn. 14.26, Jesus
told His apostles the night before He was put to death, that the Holy Spirit
would guide their teaching:
But the Comforter, even the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will
send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring to your
remembrance all that I said unto you.
We often hear these verses applied to many people other than the
apostles, but only the apostles received this promise. Only the apostles
were given a remembrance of all that Jesus had told them, which would
include statements Jesus made that are not even recorded in the Bible. If
someone claims that this promise was given to him, it is a simple claim to
test: just see if he can remember everything Jesus told the apostles that
is recorded in the Bible!
The next passage,
I Cor. 2.10-13, explains in what detail the Holy Spirit
guided the apostles. In the most extensive passage in the Bible on its
inspiration, Paul says:
But unto us God revealed them through the Spirit: for the Spirit
searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God. For who among men knoweth
the things of a man, save the spirit of the man, which is in him? Even so
the things of God none knoweth, save the Spirit of God. But we received, not
the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is from God; that we might
know the things that were freely given to us of God. Which things also we
speak, not in words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Spirit
teacheth: combining spiritual things with spiritual words.
In this passage, Paul states at least four great truths:
-
1. Man has a conscious spirit that knows his things, i.e., his
desires, his likes, his dislikes, his goals, etc. (This truth contradicts
those who don't believe man has a conscious spirit.)
-
2. We don't know a man's likes and dislikes unless he tells us. This
is easy to demonstrate: "Do I like eggplant or black walnut ice cream?" You
have no way of knowing unless I tell you, thus demonstrating the truth of
Paul's statement. We simply don't know the things of a man unless his spirit
tells us.
-
3. We don't know God's things, i.e., His likes, dislikes, or His will
unless He tells us. Just because we like something doesn't mean God likes
it, too. We simply don't know what God likes unless He tells us, for we don't
even know the desires of a man unless he tells us. If we presume to know what
God likes without His telling us, we do not act by confidence or faith in God,
but confidence in our own wisdom. This is why we must have divine authority
for what we do to serve God.
-
4. These verses also reveal the Bible doctrine of inspiration, i.e.,
verbal inspiration. The apostle Paul specifically denies that the apostles
wrote the Bible according to their own wisdom. They wrote according to the
teaching of the Holy Spirit, even down to the very words they used. Thus, when
we read the Bible, we have access to the precise words authorized by God
through Christ and the Holy Spirit.
We Cannot Add to the Bible:
Rev. 22.18;
II Jn. 9
Since God placed the very words He wanted into the Bible, we can be sure
that He won't appreciate our adding to them. In
Rev. 22.18, John says:
I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy
of this book, If any man shall add unto them, God shall add unto him the
plagues which are written in this book:
In this context, this prohibition against adding to God's word includes
only the book of Revelation. However, it illustrates a principle God has
always desired man to honor. For example, in
Dt. 4.2 and
Prov. 30.6, God
taught the same thing in the beginning and the middle of the Bible. The same
principle is also spelled out in
II Jn. 9-11, where John says:
Whosoever goeth onward and abideth not in the teaching of
Christ, hath not God: he that abideth in the teaching, the same hath both
the Father and the Son. If any one cometh unto you, and bringeth not this
teaching, receive him not into your house, and give him no greeting: for he
that giveth him greeting partaketh in his evil works.
This passage teaches several important truths: (1) If we are not content to
stay within the truth that came from Christ, i.e., the Bible, we do not have
God. That is, we do not please God, we are not in fellowship with God, and God
does not dwell in us. (2) We shouldn't support teachers who do not affirm that
one must abide in the teaching of Christ to be in fellowship with God.
So far, we've used Bible teaching for everything we've said. Suppose after
a while I put down something without a substantiating Bible passage, and when
you ask me for a Bible verse, I reply, "The Bible doesn't say that, that's
just the way it is." What should you do? If you say, "That's where I'll quit
studying your material!" that's good!
(3) This passage also declares that when we act without the authority of
the teaching of Christ, our works are evil. They are presumptuous works, not
works of faith.
We Cannot Subtract from the Bible:
Rev. 22.19
Similarly, in
Rev. 22.19, John forbids us to subtract from God's word:
. . . and if any man shall take away from the words of the book
of this prophecy, God shall take away his part from the tree of life, and
out of the holy city, which are written in this book.
We Cannot Change the Bible:
Gal. 1.8:
In Gal. 1.8, Paul affirms:
But though we, or an angel from heaven, should preach unto you
any gospel other than that which we preached unto you, let him be
anathema.
This verse contains two remarkable statements: (1) If one of the apostles
arose from the dead and taught something not in the Bible, he should be
anathema, that is, accursed, set apart for destruction. (2) Even if an angel
came to earth and taught us something not in the Bible, he ought to be set
apart for destruction, too. (To Mormons, this should mean that even if Joseph
Smith saw an angel on the hillside in New York, he should have told the angel
to get lost!)
These are impressive truths. The Bible is as authoritative as if God
Himself spoke out of heaven. It is divine truth.
In the Bible, God Has Told Us Everything He Will Tell Us:
Jude 3;
II
Pet. 1.3
God makes it clear that He doesn't want us to tamper with His word. The
reason is because in the Bible, God has told us everything He will tell us in
this life. In Jude 3, Jude says:
Beloved, while I was giving all diligence to write unto you of
our common salvation, I was constrained to write unto you exhorting you to
contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered unto the
saints.
"The faith" Jude speaks of is nothing but the gospel. See
Gal. 1.11 where
Paul says he preached "the gospel," and
Gal. 1.23, where he says he preached
"the faith." "The gospel" is called "the faith" because it contains a system
of salvation by faith, and because it produces faith (Rom. 10.17).
Thus, Jude professes that the gospel was delivered once for all. We have
seen how the gospel was delivered, i.e., from God, through Christ, through the
Holy Spirit, through the apostles, to us on earth. The term "once for all"
means once so that it needs no repetition. For example, in
Heb.
9.27-28, Paul declares with this same term that Christ was once
offered, and man dies once. We die exactly as many times as Christ
died, once for all. This verse contends the gospel was delivered exactly that
many times, once for all.
For the last verse on the first chart, Peter says in
II Pet. 1.3:
. . . seeing that his divine power hath granted unto us all
things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him
that called us by his own glory and virtue . . .
Peter maintains that the Bible doesn't claim to teach us everything on
every subject, but it does claim to teach us everything we need to know
on every subject to please God. Obviously, we cannot read the best
recipe for chili in the Bible, nor can we read the best brand of automobile to
buy. We can be ignorant of those matters and still please God. Everything we
need to have true life and please God is revealed in the Bible! This is
precisely why God does not want us to tamper with the Bible.
This completes the first chart. If you are determined to obey God according
to His revealed will without addition and subtraction, you will likely
complete the study and become a Christian. Also, any issue that comes up in
your service of Christ must be settled by the Bible, or some truth on this
first chart must be violated.
TIP ON DENOMINATIONAL CREEDS:
Before leaving this chart, I want to show
you how denominational creeds are standards of allegiance that do not fit the
pattern we've just noticed. For example, one must hold to the creeds of the
Lutheran church to be in fellowship with that denomination. In Our Church
and Others, published by the Evangelical Lutheran denomination, we
read:
The Evangelical Lutheran Church is the total of all who
unreservedly accept all canonical books of the Old and New Testament as
God's revealed Word and who confess agreement with the teaching again
brought to light through Luther's reformation and presented concisely in
writing to Emperor and Empire at Augsburg in 1530 and repeated and expanded
in the other so-called Lutheran symbols. (Lewis W. Spitz, Ph. D., Our
Church and Others [Saint Louis, MO: Concordia Publishing House, 1969],
p. 23.)
On the next page, we read the following:
The Lutheran Church is a Bible church. She receives the Word of
God, the Holy Scriptures of the Old and the New Testament, as the only
source and standard of doctrine, the sole authority in matters of faith and
life. (Ibid., p. 24.)
Yet just across the page, we have:
If someone asks a Lutheran: "What does the Lutheran Church
teach?" or: "What do you as a Lutheran believe?" he can direct the inquirer
to the Lutheran confessions . . . The Lutheran confessions may also be
regarded as a standard around which Lutherans rally in their common defense
of the doctrines of the Scriptures against error, or they may be regarded as
a flag to which the teachers of the church pledge loyalty. Every member of
the Lutheran Church is expected to subscribe not only to the Bible but also
to the confessions as a correct presentation of Biblical doctrines . . .
(Ibid., pp. 25-26.)
These quotations establish how one becomes an Evangelical Lutheran: he must
have allegiance for Jesus according to His teaching in the Bible, as well as
loyalty for the creed of that denomination. Most people have no idea where
denominations come from, believing perhaps that they result from different
interpretations of difficult passages in the Bible. This quotation
demonstrates that the problem is one of divided allegiance, not difficult
interpretation.
Just like allegiance to the Bible and the Lutheran creeds produces a
Lutheran, so the Bible plus the Methodist Discipline produces not a
Lutheran, but a Methodist. Likewise, using the Bible with the Seventh-Day
Adventist Manual produces a Seventh-Day Adventist. The standard of
allegiance in the Roman Catholic Church is the Bible along with the traditions
of the church. We can avoid all this religious confusion by determining to
follow just the Bible without adding to or subtracting from it.
CHART TWO: FELLOWSHIP WITH GOD
FELLOWSHIP WITH GOD
Eph. 1.4: Before Creation, God Planned to Save Us in Christ
Ac. 20.28: When Christ Shed Blood, He Purchased the Church
Eph. 3.10: God Also Planned that Church (a group of people in fellowship
with Him)
Salvation By Perfect Faith
Rom. 1: All Gentiles Have Sinned
Rom. 2: All Jews Have Sinned
Rom.
3.23: All Have Sinned
Rom. 3.21: God's Plan to Save Us in Christ
Rom. 4.1-3: Example of Abraham
Rom. 4.6: Example of David
Rom. 4.12,
22-25: Us Too (Jas. 2.24)
Rom. 6.3-6,
17-18: Here's How
Who Should Be Baptized?
Believers: Mk. 16.16
Faith in Working of God:
Col.
2.13
Penitent Believer:
Ac. 2.38
Old Man in Sin:
Rom. 6.5
What Is Baptism?
Going into water:
Ac. 8.38
Much water:
Jn. 3.23
Burial:
Rom. 6.3-4,
Col.2.12
Why Be Baptized?
Newness of Life:
Rom. 6.4
Alive, Forgiven:
Col.
2.13
Remission of Sins:
Ac. 2.38
Sins Washed Away:
Ac.
22.16
Rom. 6.1-2,
6.17-18,
22-23: Manner of Life
All Based On Confidence In Christ!
Chart Two
Once we settle on the Bible as our only standard of authority, we can then
consider Chart Two, which shows how to get into fellowship with God. We begin
before the creation:
God Planned to Save Us in Christ:
Eph. 1.3-4
In Eph. 1.3-4, Paul says:
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath
blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ:
even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world.
The verses in the early part of Ephesians 1 are very meaty. While we might
like to examine many things at length, we want to observe that before the
foundation of the world, before God ever created Adam and Eve, He planned for
the salvation of man, and His plan involved Jesus Christ. Rather than using
Christ as an auxiliary effort in His dealings with man, God always planned to
save man in Christ.
When Christ Shed His blood, He Purchased the Church:
Ac. 20.28
We next notice
Ac. 20.28, where Paul, speaking to the elders from the
church at Ephesus, says:
Take heed unto yourselves, and to all the flock, in which the
Holy Spirit hath made you bishops, to feed the church of the Lord which he
purchased with his own blood.
When Christ came, He died and shed His blood, and with His blood He
purchased "the church," that is, a group of people who were redeemed with
Christ's blood. That redeemed group of people was also in the eternal plan of
God. In Eph. 3.10-11, Paul, speaking of the universal church, says:
. . . God created all things to the intent that now unto the
principalities and the powers in the heavenly places might be made known
through the church the manifold wisdom of God, according to the eternal
purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord: . .
.
God's eternal plan to save men in Christ and Christ purchasing the church
with His blood were not two isolated events, for the church was also in God's
eternal plan. As a matter of fact, these verses state two great truths: (1)
God's plan for the church was from all eternity before the creation just like
His plan for salvation in Christ was, and (2) the church was to show the
manifold wisdom of God.
The fact that God designed the church to show His eternal wisdom needs to
be impressed upon us all. The church Christ purchased ought to show God's
wisdom, not ours. When we seek to change something about the church that was
designed to show God's wisdom, in effect, we place our own wisdom over God's
infinite eternal wisdom.
How Many Churches Did Christ Purchase?
Eph. 1.22-23,
4.4
To show that just one relationship exists in which men may be redeemed by
Christ's blood, notice
Eph. 1.22-23 where Paul says:
. . . and he put all things in subjection under his feet, and
gave him to be head over all things to the church, which is his body, the
fulness of him that filleth all in all.
Accordingly, Paul speaks of God putting all things under Christ, which is
the same thing Jesus said in the first verse we used in this study ("All
authority hath been given unto me [Jesus - SGD] in heaven and on earth"
Mt.
28.18). Paul adds that Christ is the head of the church which is the body of
Christ. In Eph. 4.4, Paul also says concerning Christ's body:
There is one body . . .
Thus, just one universal church, the body of Christ, exists. It consists of
all those redeemed by Christ's blood, and who are in fellowship with God
through Christ's redemption.
These passages in Ephesians are tremendously instructive. Since the
relationship between Christ and His church are like that of the head and body,
we learn that just as one head exists, so is there just one body. Likewise,
just as in the human body, the head controls the body in its entirety, so it
is with Christ. Everything His church does ought to be controlled by Christ
through His word. This is the same lesson we learned on the first chart: God's
people must have divine authority for all they do to act by faith in
Christ.
How to Be in Fellowship with God
This approach is based upon briefly summarizing the first six chapters of
Romans:
Romans 1: All Gentiles Have Sinned
Romans 1 shows all that Gentiles (non-Jews) have sinned, and stand
condemned before God.
Romans 2: All Jews Have Sinned
Romans 2 shows that all Jews have sinned, and stand condemned before
God.
Romans 3: All Have Sinned
Romans 3 shows that both all Jews and all Gentiles have sinned, and
therefore all men stand condemned before God. As Paul summarizes in
Rom.
3.23:
. . . for all have sinned, and fall short of the glory of
God.
Rom. 3.21: God Saves Us Without Flawless Obedience
As Paul says in Rom.
3.21:
But now apart from the law a righteousness of God hath been
manifest, being witnessed by the law and the prophets; even the
righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ unto all them that
believe; for there is no distinction; . . .
Thus, God planned a way to make men who have sinned righteous, a way that
is based upon faith in Christ.
Rom. 4.1-3, 6: Abraham and David
Romans 3-4 illustrates the salvation by faith of two men, Abraham and
David. Neither of these men were saved by a perfect understanding of God's
will or by perfect obedience to God. They were both justified upon the basis
of their faith in God.
Rom. 4.11-12,
22-25; Us Too: cf.
Jas. 2.24
In Rom. 4.11-12, Paul states that we can be saved the same way Abraham
was:
. . . and he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the
righteousness of the faith which he had while he was in uncircumcision: that
he might be the father of all them that believe, though they be in
uncircumcision, that righteousness might be reckoned unto them: and the
father of circumcision to them who not only are of the circumcision, but who
also walk in the steps of that faith of our father Abraham which he
had in uncircumcision.
So Abraham is the father of those who share his kind of faith. This faith
is not mere mental assent, but obedient faith, faith that one can walk in
the steps of as Abraham did. James speaks of this faith in
Jas. 2.18-24
when he says:
Yea, a man will say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: show me
thy faith apart from they works, and I by my works will show thee my faith.
Thou believest that God is one; thou doest well: the demons also believe,
and shudder. But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith apart from works is
barren? Was not Abraham our father justified by works, in that he offered up
Isaac his son upon the altar? Thou seest that faith wrought with his works,
and by works was faith made perfect.
James asserts the same thing Paul does, that Abraham's faith was perfect
faith, faith that wrought with his works. These were not works of merit, but
works of faith in God. Paul affirms we are justified on the basis of the same
kind of faith.
TIP ON JAMES 2.24:
Before leaving this passage, another quotation from
a denominational creed will help us see that denominational divisions are not
produced by varied interpretations of difficult scriptures. For example, the
Discipline of the Methodist Church, the creed of the Methodist
denomination, states:
We are accounted righteous before God only for the merit of our
Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, by faith, and not of our own works or
deservings. Wherefore, that we are justified by faith only is a most
wholesome doctrine, and very full of comfort. (Emory Stevens Bucke, Editor,
Discipline of the Methodist Church [Nashville, TN: The Methodist
Publishing House], 1960, p. 32.)
Comparing Jas. 2.24 with the Methodist Discipline, which one do you
want? If our allegiance is to Christ, we must take the Bible.
Rom. 6.3-6,
17-18: Here's How
Romans 6.3-6 shows how early Christians exercised Abraham's kind of
faith:
Or are ye ignorant that all we who were baptized into Christ
Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him
through baptism into death, that like as Christ was raised from the dead
through the glory of the Father, so we also might walk in newness of life.
For if we have become united with him in the likeness of his death, we shall
be also in the likeness of his resurrection; knowing this, that our old man
was crucified with him, that the body of sin might be done away, that so we
should no longer be in bondage to sin.
In verses 17-18 of the same chapter, Paul explains further:
But thanks be to God, that, whereas ye were servants of sin, ye
became obedient from the heart to that form of teaching whereunto ye were
delivered: and being made free from sin, ye became servants of
righteousness.
Paul shows in both of these passages that early Christians exercised saving
faith when they, as penitent sinners, obeyed their Lord in baptism, and thus
entered newness of life: fellowship with God. This is in accord with the
proclamation of the gospel the first time it was preached in Acts 2. When the
apostle Peter convinced the Jews that they had actually killed the very
Messiah they were looking for, we read in
Ac. 2.37-38:
Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and
said unto Peter and the rest of the apostles, Brethren, what shall we do?
And Peter said unto them, Repent ye, and be baptized every one of you in the
name of Jesus Christ unto the remission of your sins: and ye shall receive
the gift of the Holy Spirit.
These individuals were baptized for the remission of their sins, not
because baptism was a work of merit, but because it exercised Abraham's kind
of faith. In connection with this command, in
Ac. 2.41, we read:
They then that received his word were
baptized: . .
.
Recall earlier in our study that Jesus said (in
Jn. 12.49):
Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that receiveth whomsoever I
send receiveth me: and he that receiveth me receiveth him that sent
me.
Those who received the teaching of the apostle Peter were baptized, and it
was the same as receiving Jesus on that occasion. If we receive Jesus now we
do the same thing: we receive His word and are baptized for the remission of
our sins.
TIP ON BAPTISM: Depending on your religious background and
receptiveness to the teaching of these passages on baptism, we display the
following simple outline. It basically shows the who, what, and why of
baptism.
WHO IS TO BE BAPTIZED?
Mk. 16.16: Believers (not infants, or mentally incompetent
people)
Col. 2.13: Those with faith in the working of God (again, those
who can understand the gospel and resolve to obey Christ out of allegiance
to Him)
Ac. 2.38: Penitent believers
Rom. 6.5: The old man (not the new man, not
Christians)
HOW TO BE BAPTIZED:
Jn. 3.23: Baptism requires much water (sprinkling and pouring
don't)
Ac. 8.38: Going down into water is required
Rom. 6.3-4: Baptism is a burial (like Christ was
buried)
Col. 2.12: Baptism is a burial
WHY BE BAPTIZED?
Rom. 6.4: For newness of life
Col. 2.13: To be made alive, forgiven
Ac. 2.38: For remission of sins
Mk. 16.16: To be saved
Ac. 22.16: For sins to be washed away
I Cor. 1.13: To be called a "Christian"
Comparing this teaching with two denominational creeds helps demonstrate
that the controversy about baptism is not a problem of interpretation. It is a
problem of allegiance! For example, in The Truth that Leads to Everlasting
Life, Jehovah's Witnesses make the following statement concerning
baptism:
What, then does Christian baptism signify? It is not a washing
away of one's sins. (The Truth that Leads to Eternal Life [Brooklyn:
Watch Tower Bible & Tract Society of New York, Inc., 1968], p.
183.)
Likewise, our Baptist friends deny the Bible's teaching concerning the
necessity of baptism. Notice carefully the following words from The
Standard Manual for Baptist Churches by Edward T. Hiscox, D.D.:
Baptism is not essential to salvation, for our churches utterly
repudiate the dogma of "baptismal regeneration"; but it is essential to
obedience since Christ has commanded it. (Edward T. Hiscox, D.D.,The
Standard Manual for Baptist Churches [Philadelphia, PA: American Baptist
Publication Society], 1890, p. 21.)
On the next page we read:
It is most likely that in the Apostolic age when there was but
"one Lord, one faith, and one baptism," and no differing denominations
existed, the baptism of a convert by that very act, constituted him a member
of the church, and at once endowed him with all the rights and privileges of
full membership. In that sense, "baptism was the door into the church." Now,
it is different . . . (Ibid., p. 22.)
Given the choice of these books or the Bible, which do you choose? No one
should take a denominational creed over what the Bible says on the
subject.
Rom. 6.1-2, 16-18; 22: Manner of life
Completing our study of Romans 1-6, we then note the manner of life we
should live after we become a Christian, again based on our faith in Christ.
In Rom. 6.1-2, Paul says:
What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may
abound? God forbid. We who died to sin, how shall we any longer live
therein?
In Rom. 6.16-18 Paul continues along this same line:
Know ye not, that to whom ye present yourselves as servants unto
obedience, his servants ye are whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or
of obedience unto righteousness. But thanks be to God, that, whereas ye were
servants of sin, ye became obedient from the heart to that form of teaching
whereunto ye were delivered: and being made free from sin, ye became
servants of righteousness.
Finally, in Rom. 6.22 Paul says:
But now being made free from sin and become servants to God, ye
have your fruit unto sanctification, and the end eternal life.
All Based on Confidence in Christ
Through perfect faith in Christ we can enjoy fellowship with God, and be in
the universal church or the body of Christ. We've seen the manner of life we
are expected to live, and it's all based on confidence in Christ.
Do You Want Newness of Life in Christ?
Do you want newness of life in Christ, or fellowship with God? You can have
it by exercising Abraham's kind of faith, obedient faith. If you understand
how people in the New Testament came into fellowship with God through Christ,
would you like to confess your faith in Christ and your determination to live
according to His will to the best of your ability, and be baptized into Him to
be in fellowship with God?
If so, you should be baptized into newness of life. This will put you into
the universal church, the collection of all who are in fellowship with God
through the blood of Christ.
If you say, "I'm not sure," I remind you that you read every one of these
verses for yourself. If you were baptized and the next day saw in the morning
paper a picture of me with a bottle of whiskey in one hand and a blond in the
other, standing in front of a bank that I had just robbed, that wouldn't prove
your baptism was wrong. Your understanding and obedience doesn't depend on me,
does it? Again, would you like to be baptized into Christ for newness of
life?
If you are a young person or married, and you want to talk to your parents
or spouse before obeying the gospel, I don't discourage such. However, I
remind you of Jesus' statement in
Mt. 10.37:
He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of
me; and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of
me.
If you understand what it means to obey the gospel, and just say, "No, I
don't want newness of life," or "No, I don't want to live that manner of
life," I've done the best I can. I urge you to remember what you've learned in
this study, for you've probably learned a great deal. In the future you will
have a lot of teaching to fall back on that you did not have before. I
encourage you to contact the person who gave you this material if you change
your mind and decide to obey Christ. I counsel you to be sure in such a case
to place your confidence in Christ, not a man, nor an organization.
CHART THREE: FELLOWSHIP WITH OTHER CHRISTIANS
FELLOWSHIP WITH OTHER CHRISTIANS
God Desires Such:
Heb. 10.24-25, existence of local churches in Bible
Even Apostle Paul:
Ac. 9.16,
13.1,
28.11 cf.
Phil. 1.14
Word of Caution:
I Tim. 5.21-22;
Eph. 5.8-11
Supporting Error: Phil. 4.15-16,
1.5-7;
III Jn. 8,
II Jn. 9-11
What to Look for in a Local Church
NOT: Entertainment, mere convenience, large crowds, certain ages
BUT: Scriptural collective action
Name: "Christian":
Ac. 11.26
Organization:
Elders:
Ac. 14.23,
20.28 (Qualifications:
I Tim.
3.1-7)
Deacons:
Phil. 1.1 (Qualifications:
I Tim. 3.8ff)
Saints:
Phil.
1.1
Worship:
Prayer:
I Tim. 2.8
Lord's Supper:
Ac. 20.7
Singing:
Eph.
5.19
Preaching:
Ac. 20.7
Contributing:
I Cor. 16.2,
II Cor.
9.6,7
Submit in Matters of Opinion:
Submit to Elders:
Heb. 13.17
Younger to Older:
I Pet. 5.5,
Heb. 5.13-14
All to Laborers:
I Cor. 16.15-16
Women to Their Own
Husbands: I Tim. 2.11-12
All to One Another:
Eph. 5.21,
I Pet.
5.5
Concern for Each Other:
Rom. 12.5-8
Teaches Christians:
Ac. 2.42
Such a Congregation Should Be "Joined":
Ac. 9.26
Chart Three
After you have been baptized into Christ, you need to learn about
establishing fellowship in a local congregation of Christians. This is the
purpose of Chart Three.
God Desires It:
Heb. 10.24-25
From the beginning of the New Testament church God has desired for His
people to associate and work together in local churches. This is easily
established by noticing the local congregations that the apostles addressed
the letters in the New Testament, i.e., the letters to the church at Corinth,
the churches of Galatia, the church at Rome, the churches at Ephesus,
Philippi, Colossae, and the seven churches of Asia in Revelation.
God certainly could have made man so he didn't need the mutual provocation
unto love and good works that is available to him in a local congregation. But
the fact is, God did not so make man. In
Heb. 10.24-25, the writer says:
. . . and let us consider one another to provoke unto love and
good works; not forsaking our own assembling together, as the custom of some
is, but exhorting one another; and so much the more, as ye see the day
drawing nigh.
This passage was written shortly before the destruction of Jerusalem in
A.D. 70. At this time, some Christians of a Hebrew background, because of
persecution by Jews (Heb. 10.32-39), had the idea that their assemblies were
not worth their afflictions. But this passage shows that even during times of
persecution, God views assemblies of Christians as extremely important. They
give Christians the opportunity to fix their minds on the needs of each other
and to provoke one another unto love and good works. God intends for
Christians to do the same thing today.
Even the Apostle Paul:
Ac. 9.26,
13.1,
28.11 cf.
Phil. 1.14
Ac. 9.26 and
13.1 show how Paul associated with local churches.
Ac. 28.11
depicts Paul being encouraged by brethren in Rome, while
Phil. 1.14 describes
his emboldening them to teach others. The example of Paul demonstrates that if
a Christian of our time thinks he doesn't need the mutual consideration and
provocation unto love and good works that early Christians did, he is making
himself greater than the apostle Paul.
Caution:
I Tim. 5.22;
Eph. 5.11
When we consider associating with a group of Christians, we need to
exercise caution, so that we will not get involved in the sins of others. Paul
warns about this in
I Tim. 5.22:
Lay hands hastily on no man, neither be partaker of other men's
sins: keep thyself pure.
Similarly, in
Eph. 5.11 Paul instructs:
. . . and have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of
darkness, but rather even reprove them; . . .
Financially Supporting Error:
Phil. 4.15-16,
1.5-7;
III Jn. 5-8;
II Jn.
9-11
One prominent way a Christian can partake in another's error is by
financially supporting it. In
Phil. 4.15-16, Paul taught positively that when
we support a good spiritual work, we are partners in that work, and God
regards it so:
And ye yourselves also know, ye Philippians, that in the
beginning of the gospel, when I departed from Macedonia, no church had
fellowship with me in the matter of giving and receiving but ye only; for
even in Thessalonica ye sent once and again unto my need. Not that I seek
for the gift; but I seek for the fruit that increaseth to your
account.
In Phil. 1.5-7, Paul comments along this same line when he thanks them for
their:
. . . fellowship in furtherance of the gospel from the first day
until now . . . in the defense and confirmation of the gospel, ye all are
partakers with me of grace.
By financially supporting the collective work of a local church, we may
actually accomplish much more in the propagation of the gospel than we could
accomplish as individuals. It is with this principle in mind that John says in
III Jn. 5-8:
Beloved, thou doest a faithful work in whatsoever thou doest
toward them that are brethren and strangers withal; who bare witness to thy
love before the church: whom thou wilt do well to set forward on their
journey worthily of God, because that for the sake of the Name they went
forth, taking nothing of the Gentiles. We therefore ought to welcome such,
that we may be fellow-workers for the truth.
The negative side of this principle is if we support a collective work that
is not scriptural, then we're not fellow-workers for the truth, but
fellow-workers in that error. Thus, in
II John 9-11, we have:
Whosoever goeth onward and abideth not in the teaching of
Christ, hath not God: he that abideth in the teaching, the same hath both
the Father and the Son. If anyone cometh unto you, and bringeth not this
teaching, receive him not into your house, and give him no greeting: for he
that giveth him greeting partaketh in his evil works.
John does not prohibit inviting a Christian you have a doctrinal difference
with to your home to study the issue. This passage is in the context of
supporting a false teacher, one who shows disregard for the necessity of
abiding in the teaching of Christ. If we support teaching not based upon the
teaching of Christ, then we become a partaker (we're in fellowship) in that
evil work.
What to Look for in a Local Church
Obviously, a new Christian needs to know what to look for in a local
congregation. But the Bible does not use the criteria that people so many
times use. For example, the Bible's criteria are not entertainment or mere
convenient location, large crowds, or certain age groups. On the other hand, a
Christian needs to be concerned about getting involved in scriptural
collective action. Note some examples of scriptural collective activity:
Name:
Ac. 11.26 - "Christian"
Local churches in the New Testament were called "churches of Christ" in
Rom. 16.16, a "church of God" in
I Cor. 1.2, or many times simply "the
church," that is, God's people in a specific location. These were not
exclusive proper names. Of course, the use of denominational names like "St.
Matthew's Lutheran" etc., would involve us in unscriptural collective action.
On an individual basis, according to
Ac. 11.26, in New Testament times
disciples of Christ were called simply "Christians."
Organization
The organization of the local congregation is important. In contrast to
complex denominational organizations so prevalent in the world today, the
organization of the local church in the New Testament was extremely simple. It
consisted of elders, deacons, and saints.
Elders:
Ac. 14.23,
20.28
In Ac. 14.23, while Paul and Barnabas were on their first missionary
journey, they helped appoint a plurality of elders in each local church. In
Ac. 20.28 Paul makes it clear that the elders' authority is limited to the
local church where they serve.
I Pet. 5.1-2 teaches the same thing. A new
Christian needs to be impressed that he should not associate with a
congregation involved in collective action larger than a local church, i.e.,
denominational action.
In Ac. 20.28 and
I Pet. 5.1-3 the terms elders, bishops (overseers), and
shepherds (pastors) are used interchangeably of the same group of men. The
elders are a very highly qualified group of older men whose qualifications are
found in I Tim. 3.1-7 and
Tit. 1.5-11. They are mature Christians, married,
teachers, parents who rule their families well, and have high qualifications
of character.
Deacons:
Phil. 1.1
In addition, local churches should have deacons who function under the
oversight of the elders as specially designated servants. Of course, all
Christians are servants, but these deacons are also highly qualified men. I
Tim. 3.8ff contain a brief summary of the qualifications of deacons.
Saints:
Phil. 1.1
Phil. 1.1 shows the simplicity of the organization of the local church in
the New Testament:
Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus, to all the saints in
Christ Jesus that are at Philippi, with the bishops and deacons:
Bishops and deacons we've seen before. The only other individuals in the
local church are "saints." Since this term is tremendously abused in the
religious realm, the student may think in terms of Roman Catholic saints,
i.e., notable Christians who have been dead for a number of years, worked four
miracles, and have been voted on by the College of Cardinals in Rome. However,
the term denotes plain ordinary Christians whose lives are sanctified or set
apart for the service of God; hence they are saints.
TIP ON ORGANIZATION: After seeing the simplicity of the organization of
a New Testament church, we can appreciate how simple the Bible's organization
is compared to denominational organizations. We could draw a pyramid and see
that nearly all denominational organizations can be depicted using the same
picture. For example, the Roman Catholic church has local congregations,
dioceses, etc. on the lower level up to Metropolitans and Cardinals with the
Pope at the top of the organization. Although the titles are different,
Mormons have essentially the same organization with their Prophet, Apostles,
Seventies, etc. So with Jehovah's Witnesses with their districts, regions,
branches, and zones; and mainline protestant denominations with their synods,
conferences, etc. In contrast to these complicated forms of organization,
Christians in New Testament times had no organization nor allegiance larger
than a local church.
God's wisdom shows in this arrangement. While the leadership of a local
church may be corrupted and carry the whole congregation away from the Lord,
since New Testament churches were completely independent, corruption in one
congregation wouldn't have to affect another church at all. Contrast this with
denominations where the hierarchy makes decisions that the grass-roots level
congregations are told to either "like it or lump it!"
ANOTHER TIP ON ORGANIZATION:
The Methodist Discipline
shows how complicated denominational organization can be, and none of it is in
the Bible. My edition of this volume runs over 700 pages. The last 650 pages
contain the headings that read like "The Quarterly Conference," "The Church
Conference," "The Official Board," "Episcopacy," "The General Conference,"
"The Jurisdictional Conference," "The Central Conference," "Provisional
Central Conferences," "The Annual Conference," "The District Conference," "The
Judicial Conference," "Coordinating Council," "Interboard Commission," "Board
of Missions," "Board of Education," "Board of Evangelism," "Board of Lay
Activities," "Board of Christian Social Concerns," "Commission on Worship,"
"Commission on Chaplains," "Commission on Church Union," "Interagency
Commissions," "Council of Secretaries," "Interdenominational Agencies,"
"General Board of Pensions," "Annual Conference Organizations," "Judicial
Council," "Quadrennial Commissions," etc., etc. Not a verse of scripture is
cited for any of it! With the simplicity of the New Testament church in mind,
you are probably astounded. If I were to ask you which you want, the
denominational creed or the New Testament, if you are interested in being just
a Christian, you will invariably take the scriptures.
This completes the organization of the local church. Of course, any change
man makes in the organization reflects on the wisdom of God Himself.
Worship
To describe the worship of the local church as it was in the New Testament,
we cover the following topics with their associated passages:
Prayer:
I Tim. 2.8
I've never had anyone object to prayer in the worship of a local
congregation. Any number of passages suffice for showing its necessity.
Lord's Supper:
Ac. 20.7
Basically, in the New Testament local churches partook of the Lord's supper
weekly, on the first day of the week. The context of Acts 20 shows Paul didn't
eat just a common meal with those Christians, but he partook of the Lord's
supper with them.
Although the first day of the week is not the sabbath (Mt. 28.1;
Lk.
23.56-24.1), I parallel the early Christian practice with that of the Jews
under the Law of Moses. Although the Jews were told to "remember the sabbath,"
they understood in each week that had a seventh day, they were to
refrain from working on the seventh day. Since God didn't tell them
which week, they understood every week.
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