Who are Members of the Church?

Who are Members of the Church?
(Taken from: Church of God Doctrines -1979 ed.)

By: Bro. Cecil C. Carver
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"And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved." Acts 2:47b.

"I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved." John 10:9a.

"And he is the head of the body, the church." Col. 1:18a.

"Know ye not that your bodies are the members of Christ?" I Cor. 6:15a.

"For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body." I Cor. 12:13a.

"But now hath God set the members everyone of them in the body, as it hath pleased him." I Cor. 12:18. "That there should be no schism [division] in the body" verse 25. "Now YE ARE THE BODY OF CHRIST, and members in particular. And God hath set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healing, helps, governments, diversities of tongues," verses 27, 28.

"But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels, to the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect." Heb. 12:22,23. "Except a man be born again [or, from above], he cannot see the kingdom of God." "Ye must be born again." John 3:3,6. See Verse 7.

Note:Thus we see that a member of the church has the following qualifications:
• He is a saved man.
• He was added by the Lord, not some preacher. He came through the door, Christ Jesus.
• He has become a part of the actual BODY OF CHRIST. The church is the body of Christ today. His body is in this world and we can become a part of it. The church is that body and He is its head.
• His body is now a part of the BODY OF CHRIST.
• That body is ONE (not divided up).
• His name is written in heaven.
• He is a just man.
• He is a perfect man.

Membership in the Church of God is a matter between the individual and Christ. One may become a member all alone, far removed from human contacts. If an individual is convicted by the Holy Spirit of his sins, and he calls on God for mercy, repenting and forsaking all sin, and believing in the atoning blood of Christ, placing his sins on Christ by faith, he is born into the family of God. The new birth is the only entrance into the church. You cannot join it, be baptized into it, or be accepted by vote of the other members. You may not join by letter, nor by any other means than the new birth. All who experience the new birth are automatically members of the Church of God. You need to get acquainted with your brothers and sisters, but they have nothing to do with your becoming a member of the family. Do the children of ANY earthly family come together when a little brother or sister is born into their home and VOTE as to whether it shall be accepted into that family? Certainly not! The analogy is perfect concerning the child of God. Neither does that infant need to seek a "home," for it is God's own child. God is its Father. If this. new child of God goes and joins some "church" it has moved that much out of God's will, and will have to forsake that which it joined if it desires to remain in fellowship with God.

This born-again individual will remain in the Church of God as long as he remains free from sin. Sin brings death to the soul. Sin will cause God's child to die, and that child will be separated from God as truly as physical death causes a separation in the earthly family. We may not become "unborn" after being born again, but we may DIE. "The wages of sin is DEATH."

Is The Church a Visible Body, Or An Invisible Mystical Body?

"And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved." Acts 2:47b.

". . . And at that time there was a great persecution against the church WHICH WAS AT JERUSALEM. . . ." Acts 8:1.

"And when they had ordained them elders in every CHURCH, and had prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord. . . And when they were come, and had gathered the church TOGETHER, they rehearsed all that God had done with them. . . ." Acts 14:23,27.






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