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CHAPTER
8
SOME
OF THE CHIEF CHARACTERISTICS
OF
THE NEW TESTAMENT CHURCH
AS
SET forth in the oracles of God, there are a number of prominent
attributes of the New Testament church. We shall consider the following
in order: divinity, unity, or oneness, holiness, government,
unchangeableness, and indestructibility.
THE
DIVINITY OF THE CHURCH
We
have in the world today a number of religions, and they have millions of
followers. Among these are Buddhism, Confucianism, and Mohammedanism.
These religions originated with men, therefore, they are but human.
Christianity differs from all these in that it is heavenly and divine.
The founder of Christianity is Christ the Lord of glory. This
differentiates between Christianity and all other religions. Every
religion that originated in man cannot be but human and local in its
nature.
The
New Testament church did not originate with man. It was not left in the
hands of finite, fallible men to found and organize. Thank God, it is
divine. “Christ, as a son over his own house,” appeared on earth and
built the beautiful church of the living God. As recorded in Matthew 16
:13-18, when Jesus came into the coast of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his
disciples, “Whom do men say that I the Son of man am?” After they
answered his question, he asked them the personal question, “But whom say
ye that I am? And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the
Son of the living God. And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art
thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee,
but my Father which is in heaven. And I say also unto thee, that thou art
Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell
shall not prevail against it.” Here a number of truths are clearly
expressed: (1) Christ is the builder, founder, and organizer of the New
Testament church. (2) The church he built he denominates “MY church.” (3)
His church is to stand forever. We note that unlike all human
institutions and religious bodies that had their origin in man, the New
Testament Church of God emanated from Jesus Christ, and is a divine institution. In the Book of
Daniel it is spoken of as “a stone cut out without hands” (Daniel 2:34),
and “the God of heaven set up a kingdom” (vs. 44).
These
Scriptures, with many more that could be brought forth, prove
conclusively the divinity of the church in this dispensation. Her
foundation is Jesus Christ the divine Savior. “For other foundation can
no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.” Through the Holy
Spirit, Christ is her animating life and light. Her creed is the pure
Word of God—her discipline, the gospel of Jesus Christ. Being a divinely
inspired discipline, it corrects every error and teaches every obligation
of righteousness in all our relationships with God and man.
God’s
church is said to be a “spiritual house,” and to her is given a spiritual
law. Her government is divine, not only in the legislative department,
but in its judicial and executive departments. In Isaiah 9:6 we read,
“And the government shall be upon his shoulder.” Her walls are salvation
(Isaiah 26:1; 60:18), therefore her walls are also divine. The church has
a divine door which is Jesus Christ (John 10 :7-9). Having been purchased
with his own blood, Christ claims in the church the exclusive right of
proprietorship. The New Testament church is not “our church,” but “God’s
building,” divinely owned, and his glory he will not give to another.
The
members of this church are all Sons of God, and they his holy image. She
is “the bride, the Lamb’s wife.” No human institution can justly lay
claim to being the bride of Christ. Of her he says, “My dove, my
undefiled is but one; she is the only one of her mother.”
This
church is even divinely named “For this cause I bow my knees unto the
Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, of whom [from whom] the whole family in
heaven and earth is named” (Ephesians 3:14-15). Let not men presume to
characterize her by other names that they invent.
THE
UNITY OR ONENESS OF THE CHURCH
The
ultimate purpose and will of God is clearly expressed in Ephesians 1 :10:
“That in the dispensation of the fullness of times he might gather
together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which
are on earth: even in him.” Again in 2nd Thessalonians 2:1 this final and
universal “gathering together unto him” is identified with “the coming of
our Lord Jesus Christ.” In this treatise, however, I desire to consider
only oneness as it applies to the Lord’s people in this present life and
world, to be demonstrated in the New Testament Church of God.
The
Christian world today is blighted and cursed with numerous factions and
schisms. Surely this dreadful evil is not an unavoidable one. The very
fact that God renounces it in his Word in the very strongest terms, and
has made provision through the blood of Christ for the unity and oneness
of his people proves that there is a foundation broad and deep enough
upon which we can stand clear of this evil.
We
shall consider, first, What is not comprehended in unity or the oneness
of the Lord’s people as defined in the New Testament Scriptures; and
then, second, What it does comprehend.
1.
It does not mean an absolute accord in matters of conscience. In 1st
Corinthians 10:23-29 Paul recognizes the law of conscience. The
conscience can be educated correctly or incorrectly. This very apostle at
one time thought in his heart that he was doing God’s service in opposing
Christianity, and it appears that his conscience approved of his action.
Our teaching and conception of what is right largely regulates our
conscience. For example, “Him that is weak in the faith receive ye, but
not to doubtful disputations. For one believeth he may eat all things:
another, who is weak, eateth herbs. Let not him that eateth despise him
that eateth not; and let not him which eateth not judge him that eateth:
for God hath received him. . . One man esteemeth one day above another
another esteemeth every day alike. Let every man be fully persuaded in
his own mind” (Romans 14 1 6) In these few verses a principle is laid
down.
There
are thousands of things in common life, and many that arise in the
church, where no moral principle whatever is involved, and these belong
to the class Paul mentioned—methods of living in general, various customs
and manners, dress, holding office, voting, recreation, social life, life
insurance, etc, etc. People in different nations have widely different
standards in practically all of these things. We found this to be true in
our travels in various countries in Europe, Asia, and Africa. In all such
matters there can be a great variety, and yet scriptural unity. God never
intended the weak conscience of some brother or sister to be the standard
of the church. On this point Paul says, “Why is my liberty judged of
another man’s conscience?” Church members differ in their gifts, offices,
temperaments, likes and dislikes, manners, customs, dress, conscience
scruples, etc. Some are inclined to be radical and others liberal. There
are hundreds of things kindred to those already mentioned that are not
essential and fundamental. Sad to say, and yet too often true,
congregations have been rent asunder over trivial matters. If people have
a full understanding of this, there can be perfect scriptural unity and
yet variety.
2.
It is not always the same mind and opinion in matters of detail in the
Lord’s work, not following the same methods. This is demonstrated in Paul
and Barnabas who differed widely in their opinion about taking John Mark
with them on a certain occasion. James and his congregation in Jerusalem
used entirely different methods of work than did Paul and his colaborers
at Antioch. A careful reading will show that Peter, among the Jews, and
Paul, among the Gentiles, used entirely different methods in their work.
That is how it happened that on one occasion, according to Paul’s
judgment, Peter “was to be blamed” and “walked not uprightly,” and Paul
withstood him to his face. See Galatians 2 :11-14. Unquestionably there
was a wide difference here in the manner of procedure and in the judgment
of these apostles about what was proper. But they had enough divine love
in their hearts for the general cause which they represented, and for
each other, that they did not allow this disagreement to break their
fellowship and confidence. They were too magnanimous for such a thing.
This is the spirit that is needed today, the kind that will assure unity
in the church.
3.
It is not the molding of the thoughts of an entire group into harmony
with some outstanding religious leader. This very effort to bring the
thinking of an entire group into harmony with that of some outstanding
religious leader has been largely responsible for the formation of a
number of present-day denominational movements, and has narrowed some
religious bodies into the most intolerant sectarianism. A God-given
faculty in every man is the right to think, and Bible oneness does not
destroy the quality of individuality and the power and privilege to think
for ourselves. What the church and world need is people who are free to
exercise this right, for it is the only means of arriving at conclusions
that satisfy. In a work ordained by God and directed by the Holy Ghost,
no one individual is chosen to think for and act for the entire body.
4.
It is not an instantaneous, full and complete understanding of all truth
the moment the Holy Spirit is received. Nor is it always the ability
clearly to comprehend the facts when first presented. It is not
infallibility, not freedom from mistakes. In every detail and technicality,
in every critical analysis, it does not mean perfect uniformity of
understanding.
Christ
himself daily taught his disciples the spiritual nature of his kingdom,
and for more than three years he drilled them in this truth, yet they did
not understand. Even after his resurrection they asked him about the
literal restoration of the kingdom of Israel (Acts 1:6).
This
simply shows how slow they were to understand fully. The Master on
several occasions clearly foretold his death and resurrection, but they
did not understand him. After he was risen from the dead he upbraided
them because they were slow to understand and believe. Just before his
death he said to them, “I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye
cannot bear them now” (John 16 :12). From this we learn that the
revelation of truth to the human mind and heart is gradual. And people
today are much the same as they were back there. Too often it has been
concluded that if in a ten Days’ meeting of doctrinal preaching people
did not clearly comprehend the truth as presented, they could no longer
be recognized as the people of God. This is a sad mistake. Jesus told his
disciples that the Holy Spirit would guide them “into all truth” (John
16:13). However, this guidance was progressive. Jesus gave his apostles
the final grand commission to “go into all the world and preach the
gospel to every creature, among all nations.” I ask, did they fully
comprehend the meaning? It would seem that the language of Jesus was so
simple and clear that they could fully understand it, but they did not.
At least eight years after the Day of Pentecost when Peter had received
the Holy Ghost, he would not go and preach to Gentiles until the Lord had
given him a vision from heaven (see Acts 10); and even then the rest of
the brethren at Jerusalem severely criticized him and “contended with
him” over it (Acts 11:1-17).
Probably
thirty years after the Holy Spirit was given, James, together with the
elders of the church at Jerusalem, told Paul to shave his head and
purify himself according to the law, for they said, “Thou seest, brother,
how many thousands of Jews there are which believe; and they are all
zealous of the law.” We are informed that Paul obeyed this advice in order
to satisfy this Jewish church at Jerusalem that he himself walked orderly
and kept the law. Read Acts 21 :17-27. This same apostle, Paul, for years
before this had traveled extensively and planted large churches in
different parts of the then known world, and everywhere taught against
the observance of Moses’ law. Probably two years before this incident at
Jerusalem, Paul wrote his epistle to the Galatians, and in that he
severely censured the Galatians for allowing teachers of the Law to
bewitch them to go back to the law observances.
Here
is a fact. James the pastor and the elders, as a body, and the thousands
who made up the church at Jerusalem were strict observers of Moses’ law
at least thirty years after the Holy Ghost was given at Pentecost. Other
Scriptures prove that during this very time the apostles, such as Peter
and John, were members of this same congregation. The Holy Spirit had not
as yet fully guided them into the liberties of the new covenant. And
remember also that at the very time the church at Jerusalem were strict
observers of the rites and ceremonies of the law, the Gentile churches
planted by Paul “observed none of these things.” While members of the
Jerusalem church in general were zealous of the law and observed it,
after the conference at Jerusalem, recorded in Acts 15 :6-19, some of the
leaders received light enough not to bind these things upon the Gentile
church; while there were others who tried to do so (Acts 15:1-2, 24;
Galatians 2:1-14). These last went too far. But Paul, who was broad
enough to “become all things unto all men” that he might win some, went
to the limit to place himself in a proper light with his radical brethren
at Jerusalem.
Irrespective
of these surface differences, fundamentally they were one, and there was
a sweet unity of the Spirit, a vital relation between the Jewish church
at Jerusalem and the Gentile churches with which they were surrounded. So
while there was a difference in methods of work, manner of worship,
observance of rites, and some further advanced in the revelation of truth
than others, this did not affect nor destroy the unity of the primitive
church. Here is a vital point. And if that was true back there among the
apostles themselves and the congregations they planted, can it not be
true today? Unity among the ministry and churches in apostolic days did
not consist in strict uniformity along all lines. Ceremonial observances
at best, while important and intended to be observed, are but object
lessons to teach deeper and richer truth. For example, in Romans 2:26-29
Paul clearly shows that if “the uncircumcision” [Gentiles] “keep the
righteousness of the law,” “his uncircumcision shall be counted for
circumcision.” A real Jew, and real circumcision, as God views them are
not “outward in the flesh,” but “INWARDLY,” “OF THE HEART, IN THE
SPIRIT.” The same idea is expressed in Galatians 6:15. “For in Christ
Jesus neither circumcision availeth anything, nor uncircumcision, but a
NEW CREATURE.” That’s what counts. Without that, oneness is an empty
dream.
I
wish right here to state that while I am a strong teacher in defense of
the rites of the church, and practice every one of them, I expect to meet
such men as Luther, Wesley, Finney, and Moody in heaven, even though they
may not have been immersed in water. I expect to greet thousands of pious
holy men in glory, who possibly never practiced any of the ordinances of
the church as I believe, teach, and practice. All this depends upon the
revelation of light and truth by the Holy Spirit upon the mind and heart.
There are some religious bodies in the world that exclude all from the
kingdom of heaven except those who are scripturally immersed in water.
That would exclude and forever debar such holy men of God as above
mentioned, with millions of other saints who have been born of the Spirit
of God. Baptism is a necessary ordinance, but stressing the observance of
this ordinance clear beyond what Christ intended breaks unity and
fellowship among Christian people.
Allow
me to illustrate the difference between essential teaching of things that
are fundamental, and mere technical, analytical stressing of points clear
out of proportion. On the former, all true Christians can unite, while
the latter usually divides. I will select just one point of doctrine:
Christ’s Second Advent. Here are the essential facts (1) The truth of
Christ’s personal, visible coming at the end of this age, (2) the general
resurrection of the dead, both righteous and wicked, (3) the final and
general judgment, (4) the reward of the righteous in heaven, and the
punishment of the wicked in hell, (5) the absolute need of being ready
for this great event, (6) a present salvation from sin and a holy life
necessary to prepare us for eternity, (7) the present life and time the
only day of probation.
These
points are vital; they are absolutely essential and fundamental. And on
these seven fundamental truths all Christians should be able to agree and
unite. Now as to all the technical details of Christ’s coming and the
exact analysis of everything that will follow, this is not so essential.
There may be a difference of opinion on some of these points, and the
Lord’s people may never fully agree. It is possible that none of us will
ever know perfectly all the details until the event is really ushered in.
There may be surprises for us all. But after all, is this so essential?
Is it not a fact that the all-important thing is to be ready? Then
whatever takes place as to detail, praise God, we will be prepared for
it.
If
people would spend more time stressing the great essential truths, the
definite, positive, decisive things taught in the Bible, and spend less
time on the speculative, a great step would be taken toward Bible oneness,
and there would be a warmer Christlike attitude among God-fearing men and
women who differ somewhat in secondary things, but agree perfectly on
the great fundamental truths. It is a historical fact, an undeniable
fact, that controversial differences over technical hair-splitting points
of teaching, that are not vitally essential or fundamental, have often
divided and rent asunder the best Christian men the church ever produced.
The primitive church steered clear of this. They sometimes compromised
such matters (Acts 15), but they stood solidly together on the great
fundamental truths. In the North American Conference of Foreign Missions
convening at Atlantic City, New Jersey, January 13-16, 1931, Dr. Robert
E. Speer in essence well said, “We have spent too much time in
analytical, scientific, technical presentation of things. The spiritual
note should be dominant in our teaching. Preach more Christ. Christ is
indispensable to success.” Dr. Talmage once said, “A drowning man cares
nothing for a lecture on chemicals, or for an analysis of the water into
which he has fallen. What he needs and wants is a helping hand.” I say
amen! While Christians are arguing, contending, and dividing over
secondary points of teaching and practice, the world is sinking into hell
by the millions.
Now,
what is comprehended in Bible unity and oneness.
1.
A blessed sweet internal blending of spirit, spiritual fellowship, a
oneness of heart and soul, termed “the unity of the Spirit in the bond of
peace” (Ephesians 4:1-3).
This
was visibly demonstrated in the members of the church “with all lowliness
and meekness, with long-suffering, forbearing one another in love.” When
God’s people everywhere really measure to this standard in experience and
practice, the pristine glory and oneness of the church is restored. And
this is absolutely vital and essential; without this glorious experience
and practice there CANNOT BE scriptural unity. All other phases of unity
are dependent upon this. To endeavor to reach and attain it on any other
grounds, to approach it by any other route is simply wasted time and
misdirected effort.
No
local assembly, no general group or body of Christians, no matter how
high a standard they preach and profess, have reached or attained Bible
unity until the truth expressed in Ephesians 4:1-3, 31-32 is actually
experienced and manifest among them. This is the demonstration of
scriptural oneness. It is the only kind that will convince the world, and
this is exactly what Jesus prayed for. An organic unity without this is
like a shell without a kernel, like a railroad locomotive without fire
and steam. I think the Roman Catholic and Greek Orthodox churches well
represent to us a demonstration of this. Measured by the standard of a
mere organic unity, they certainly occupy front ranks. Is there a
religious people anywhere, be that group large or small, that eclipses
them in this respect? But measured by the standard the apostle here sets
forth, they are weighed in the balances and found greatly wanting. The
spring, or fountain of true Bible oneness is Christ enthroned in the
human heart; it results from an actual experience of the soul.
For
a group of people to accept certain great outstanding truths and boldly
stress them is not sufficient in itself to produce Bible oneness, or
restore to the church primitive conditions. The mere joining of oneself
to, or affiliating with a visible movement, be it ever so orthodox in
teaching, will not bring us into the unity experienced by the church as
recorded in Acts 4:31-33. This has been demonstrated time and again, and
today there are abundant visible proofs of it. People holding the same
doctrinal teaching may be rent asunder by internal strife, jealousies,
lack of confidence, evil speaking, suspicious, and schisms of various
kinds. Nor will the uniting of many groups of Christians into a general
body produce scriptural oneness. There is quite a movement among some
today in this direction. It is properly termed “Interdenominationalism.”
But if all the denominational bodies of Christendom were to unite in one
great union, the result would be a conglomerated mass of confusion, and
would not be the unity taught in the Scriptures.
2.
At this point I desire to present the means to an end, the essentials to
scriptural oneness, the true and only basis of unity among all
Christians.
a)
The blood of Jesus. What made the primitive Christians one? Here is the
Bible answer: “But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometime were far off are
made nigh by the BLOOD OF CHRIST. For he is our peace, who hath made both
one. . . so making peace; and that he might reconcile both unto God in
one body by THE CROSS, having slain the enmity THEREBY” (Ephesians
2:13-16). “And having made peace through the BLOOD of his cross”
(Colossians1:20). The great wall between Jew and Gentile, the enmity that
existed, was completely broken down and eliminated by the blood of his
cross. Hallelujah. This was the procuring cause of unity in apostolic
times. Nothing but the blood of Christ will produce oneness to the Bible
standard.
b)
Vital, personal relationship with Christ. There is a true basis of unity.
Here it is: “ALL ONE IN CHRIST JESUS” (Galatians 3 :28). “To HIM shall
the gathering of the people be.” Jesus in his prayer expressed it thus:
“That they also may be one IN US” (John 17:21). This is exactly the
ground occupied by the early church. All Christians on earth can unite in
Christ, and it is the only basis upon which they ever will be one to the
Bible requirement.
c)
Finally, the great condition, the all-potent means of perfect unity among
God’s people is the glorious experience of sanctification through the
baptism of the Holy Ghost. May I again emphasize the fact, the
incontrovertible truth, that Bible unity comes and results from a
definite experience in the soul. It is being of “One heart and of one
soul,” and this results from being “filled with the Holy Ghost” and
possessing the “great grace” of God (Acts 4 :31-33). There is absolutely
no use in spending time theorizing and trying to reach this blessed state
any other way, or by any other means than the God-ordained means
expressed in these Scriptures. Here are a few choice facts from the pen
of D. S. Warner. They strike right into the heart of this question:
“In
the very midst of his four times repeated prayer that we should be ‘one
as he and the Father are one,’ he thus implores the Father, ‘Sanctify
them through thy truth, thy word is truth, and for their sakes I sanctify
myself that they also might be sanctified through the truth. . . . that
they all may be one’ (John 17:17, 19, 21). Here is secured to us the
essential and all-sufficient means of producing perfect unity in all the
body of Christ . . .
“The
beautiful fruit of perfected holiness is unity. ‘Sanctify them through
thy truth that they all may be one.’ Christ made of twain, Jew and
Gentile, one new man, the new church; and thank God he has provided for
the perfect holiness and unity of the church of the new covenant. The
perfection of the saints is obtained in entire sanctification, and unity
is its inevitable fruit. Well, amen, praise God! Since entire
sanctification and the baptism of the Holy Ghost produced such a perfect
state of unity in the primitive church as recorded in Acts 4:31, 33, it
will do the same today.”
These
quotations from the pen of this departed saint of God show in unmistakable
language that Brother Warner had a clear conception of the one absolute
essential to Bible unity. There is one more quotation from Brother
Warner’s pen I wish to give while stressing this point. “Here is an
important condition and basis of oneness. We cannot hope to be one in
mere earth-born associations, but we can and must be one in God and in
Christ. If then we are to be one in Christ Jesus, those who are saved out
of the world unto him and abide there, walking in all his truth and not
allowing themselves to be enticed to join anything else, the same stand
upon the divinely appointed foundation of unity and are free from the
great sin of schism or division. In the light of present truth, what
excuse is there for division? There is salvation in none other than
Christ ‘and ye are complete in him,’ completely saved, completely kept,
completely supplied, and completely unified. Thus ‘we being many are one
body in Christ, and every one members one of the other’ (Romans 12:4-5).
‘Now ye are the body of Christ and members in particular’ (1st
Corinthians 12:27). ‘This is the church’ (Colossians 1:18-24).”
3.
Bible unity also means standing united on the great cardinal principles
of truth that are essential to a well-grounded Christian faith.
It
is a fact that irrespective of the differences already enumerated between
the Jewish church at Jerusalem and the Gentile churches scattered abroad,
they were one, yes, in perfect accord on all the great essential truths,
and they preached them boldly. In this they were “of one mind” all “spoke
the same thing,” and strove “together for the faith of the gospel.”
Unquestionably, on the great principles of essential gospel truth, before
the great apostasy began to work, God’s people were one. On the same
fundamental truths the church can unite today and present a platform
broad and deep enough to contain all true Christians in all the world.
This means primitive Christianity fully restored.
THE
HOLINESS OF THE CHURCH
The
imperative command of God to every member of the church is: “Be ye holy”;
and the one great and all-sufficient reason for this injunction is
because “I the Lord your God am holy.” The church is the “habitation of
God through the Spirit” (Ephesians 2 :22). Writing to the local
congregation at Corinth Paul said, “Ye are God’s building” (1st
Corinthians 3:9). “Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that
the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? If any man defile the temple of God,
him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are
(1st Corinthians 3 :16-17). As observed in a previous chapter, the place
of God’s dwelling must be holy. Since God’s people, individually and
collectively, constitute his house, sanctuary, temple, and dwelling
place, it is a self-evident fact that we must be holy. God being holy,
the members of his church must be holy for otherwise there could be no
affinity between God and the members of his church, no adaptation to each
other’s society.
Since
heaven will be the eternal abode of the church, and it is filled with
holiness and the presence of God himself, it is the utmost folly and
delusion even to cherish a hope of entering into its ineffable glories
unless we are here made spotless in holiness before God. In view of this
incontrovertible fact, the solemn charge is given to every member of his
church: “Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man
shall see the Lord” (Hebrews 12:14). No person can enter into heaven
except through salvation from all sin. No person can remain in the
church, the spiritual house of God, after he ceases to be holy. “Every
branch in Christ that bringeth not forth good fruit, the Father taketh
away.” “For if the firstfruit [Christ] be holy.. . . so are the branches”
(Romans 11:16).
God’s
true, divine church is self-adjusting. “Whosoever abideth in him sinneth
not.” “He that committeth sin is of the devil” (1st John 3 :6,8). You see
by committing sin a person transfers himself from the family of God to
the family of Satan. In this true vine “as the root is holy, so are also
the branches.” Therefore the unholy, those who commit willful, knowing
sin against God are not branches of the true vine. The chief end of man’s
existence is to worship the Lord. But how is this worship to be rendered?
Here is the answer: “Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness” (Psalms
29:2; 96:9. This in substance is what Jesus meant when he said to the
Samaritan woman, “God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship
him in spirit and in truth.” Holiness is just as essential now to the
enjoyment of the society of God as it was before the fall in Eden. To the
unholy, “God is a consuming fire.” “Therefore the ‘ungodly shall not
stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous”
(Psalms 1 :5). “He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white
raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life.”
(Revelation 3 :5). This is why the New Testament church is called “an
holy priesthood,” “an holy nation, a peculiar people” (1st Peter 2:5, 9).
Of the church, the Lord, her husband, says, “Thou art all fair, my love;
there is no spot in thee” (Song of Solomon 4 :7).
There
are some things, however, that are not comprehended in Bible holiness. It
does not transform us into deities or angels. We are still men and women
here on earth, dwelling in human flesh, and as before observed, this
experience does not destroy our natural appetites, passions, and desires.
It does not deliver us from our natural dispositions and temperaments. It
will not save people from temptation and trials, nor will it make us
entirely immune from falling into sin unless we constantly watch and
pray. We still have our human weaknesses, faults, and many things to
overcome. This is why every church member needs to come boldly to the throne
of grace daily, to obtain grace and mercy and divine help in every time
of need. Of ourselves we are utterly helpless and must depend upon God
for strength and help to live righteously in this present world.
It
might be well in this connection to define what the Bible terms sin.
Being finite, fallible creatures, we are subject to mistakes and
blunders. We are limited in a lot of things; as Paul says, we only know
in part. “Sin is the transgression of the law” (1st John 3 :4). There are
two ways that people can do this, (1) to do willfully and knowingly what
God in his Word forbids, (2) willfully and knowingly to refuse and
neglect to do what God and his Word positively and strictly enjoin upon
us. On this point the Scripture says: “To him that knoweth to do good,
and doeth it not, to him it is sin.” With this definition and analysis of
sin, sin that brings condemnation upon the soul and cuts a man off from
fellowship and union with God, we maintain and ,teach that God saves us
from volitional transgression, and his grace keeps us from sin. This is
Bible holiness. The blood of Christ not only washes away our actual
transgressions (Revelation 1:5), but also “cleanseth us from all sin”
(1st John 1:7). That is, from the very inbeing and nature of sin. In this
blessed experience of full and complete salvation our hearts are made
pure (Atcs 15 :8-9), and members of the church are enabled to love one
another.
Of
course this is the ideal. The church as God’s building and place of his
dwelling is said to be “fitly framed together” (Ephesians 2:21). In the
planting of any work in any community there is man’s part as well as
God’s part. Paul was mightily used of God in planting and establishing
congregations throughout the then known world. Speaking of this he says
of himself, “I have planted... but God gave the increase.” And again, “We
are laborers together with God.” Now hear him, “According to the grace of
God which is given unto me, as a wise master-builder, I have laid the
foundation, and another buildeth thereon” (1st Corinthians 3:6-10). The
church is likened to a frame and also a stone structure. In working
together with God, our tools are said to be a “measuring line,”
“plummet,” “square,” “ax,” “forge,” ‘‘fire,” “furnace,” “anvil,” and
“hammer.” In order to fit into the New Testament church, people have to
be hewn down with the ax of truth. And it takes all the tools before
mentioned properly to square people up and line them so they fit into
this divine structure. In Ezekiel 13 :10-15 we have a picture of
structures made up of misfits.
Listen,
for you to affiliate with and endeavor to worship with the people of God
without being soundly converted and born of the Spirit is to be a misfit
in the church and its work. In fact you cannot feel at home among
spiritual people, neither can you enjoy spiritual work. Those who try to
get through on half conditions and partial obedience are always misfits
in the local church. Those who have been saved but fail to walk in all
the light, fail to go on into the holiest of all, the experience of
entire sanctification, will sooner or later find themselves misfits among
God’s people. It always pays to square up on every line, pay the full
price, dig deep and build on a solid foundation, and the result will be
that you can be a pillar in the temple of God, a help and inspiration to
others, a living monument of God’s power to save and keep in this world
of sin.
THE
GOVERNMENT OF THE CHURCH
System
and government are seen in all creation about us. Study the infinities of
the universe, carefully survey our own earth with all it contains,
animate and inanimate, and you will see clearly that God has ordained
government in all his vast realm. He is a God of order and system. Now,
that which is true in the natural world must be true in the spiritual. It
is an infallible, incontrovertible law. God has ordained government in
all the nations of the earth, and “rules in the kingdoms of men.” He has
not left his church, the greatest and most important institution he ever
established, without government.
The
government of the Church of God is a theocracy. God himself works “all in
all” the members. It will be remembered that this was his plan under the
legal dispensation. He said to Israel, “I am your king.” It was his
design to be the supreme governor of his people in that dispensation. But
the people back there rebelled and took the government out of his hands
and set over themselves earthly kings and rulers, and they always had trouble after that.
It
was prophesied that in this dispensation of divine grace the God of
heaven would set up his everlasting kingdom; and in that kingdom he would
reign supreme, King of kings and Lord of lords. As he is King and “head
over all things to the church,” the government necessarily rests “upon
his shoulders” (Isaiah 9:6-7). He is the chief Shepherd, the ruler and
the head, “that in all things he might have the preeminence.” As governor
and head of his church, he has given us a perfect law. He is the divine
lawgiver. That law is the truth, the gospel. Since the church is a divine
institution, the divine law which the Lord has given is sufficient for
its government.
The
Lord in the government of his church, of course, works by his Spirit
through human instrumentality. Hence, he has set “governments in the
church” (1st Corinthians 12:28). In the practical working out, in the
administration, conduct, and direction of church work, this is largely
vested in his divinely called ministry. Hence we read that “he that
ruleth” must do so “with diligence” (Romans 12:8); and the elders that
“rule well” shall be “counted worthy of double honor” (1st Timothy 5
:17). As revealed in the New Testament, the church is not an unorganized
mass of anarchists and boishevists, but an orderly community of saved
people under law and system, who are taught to “obey them that have the
rule over you, and submit yourselves” (Hebrews 13 :17), and learn how to
“behave thyself in the house of God which is the church of the living
God” (1st Timothy 3:15).
The
security of the home, the community, the nation, and the Church of God
depends upon a proper recognition of rule and authority. The primitive
church had government and system, and it was progressive. As a need or
emergency in the work of the church arose, the apostles and early
ministers were equal to the occasion and made the necessary provision in
a practical way. There is positive proof of this. One example is found in
Acts 6:1-7.
There
is no question but that certain ones as Paul, Peter, John, and James, and
others were pillars, “men of note among the brethren,” and filled places
of great responsibility in the Lord’s work. But it was their gifts that
created for them the places of responsibility that they held and filled
in the church. Concerning himself, Paul says, “When James, Cephas, and
John, who seemed to be pillars, perceived the grace that was given unto
me, they gave to me and Barnabas the right hands of fellowship; that we
should go unto the heathen, and they unto the circumcision” (Galatians
2:9). Here is guidance, care, and oversight. What was it based on? It had
come about not because Paul had been elected or appointed to a high and
responsible position, but these men of God “perceived the grace,” or
gift, that was committed to Paul through the Holy Spirit, and they gave
proper recognition to the same. This truth is clearly expressed in Romans
12:6: “Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given
to us, whether prophecy, let us prophesy according to the proportion of
faith.” Here a principle is set forth. Gifts in the church differ. There
is a great variety of gifts, and also a variety of administrations and
operations. Read 1st Corinthians 12 :4-6. These are distributed by the
Holy Spirit in the church and among the ministry “as he will” (1st
Corinthians 12 :11). When the church is normal and properly developed
these various gifts will function, and every person should find his place
and exercise therein. This is divine rule through the Holy Ghost, and it
works in a practical way. The Holy Spirit can use and work through
sanctified men and women. The Holy Ghost said to the church at Antioch,
“Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them.
And when they had fasted and prayed, and laid their hands on them, THEY
sent them away” (Acts 13:2-3). Here is cooperation and guidance, and it
proves that God does work through human instrumentality, in other words,
there is a practical exercise of church government that is really workable.
A
careful examination of the New Testament, it seems to me, will discover
the practical working of real orderly arrangements that gave proper
recognition to every talent and gift in the church, and these actually
functioned in the congregations and among the ministers of that time. Did
not Paul, who filled one of the greatest and widest fields of
responsibility throughout the Gentile church, feel the need of
recognition and crave the support and approval of the apostles
before him? For this very purpose he went up to Jerusalem and made a report
of his work “privately to them which were of reputation.” Why did he do
this? He tells us: “Lest by any means I should run, or had run, in vain.”
See Galatians 2:1-2.
The
primitive church did not seem to have any stereotyped method, arrangement,
or plan in detail which they all followed. But the Holy Ghost is
unlimited in resources, and leads and works in a great variety of ways to
accomplish his purposes. As Paul expressed it, there are “differences of
administration.” There is no question but that in the apostolic age of
the church, when an emergency arose, when a need presented itself, those
early preachers felt free to act, and did act, and this by the guidance
and approval of the Holy Spirit. This was true both in their local and general
work.
They
“ordained them elders in every church” (Acts 14:23), “in every city”
(Titus 1:5). These were the local overseers with congregational
responsibility. These elders, we are told in 1st Timothy 5:17, “rule
well,” and “labor in the Word and doctrine.” In Acts 20:28 we are told
that the Holy Ghost made them overseers, that is, called and qualified
them for this work; but they were ordained and set in the local churches
by the apostles and ministers of that time. The exact method or manner is
not given in detail. Probably this is not vital nor important since the
inspired writers left it out. Who can point out the exact method, since
it appears that the Holy Spirit provides no special method of procedure’!
Since the Holy Ghost is unlimited in resources and does not always use
the same method of procedure, who can prove that one method is better,
more apostolic, more directly under the rule of the Spirit than another?
It
is quite evident that in primitive times each congregation had one
pastor or overseer who had the general oversight of that particular work,
and upon whose shoulder fell the responsibility of caring for and feeding
the flock. He was a “shepherd.” For example, it is generally recognized
that James had the general oversight of the work at Jerusalem. The
following texts seem to indicate this (Acts 15:4, 13-19; 21:17-19;
Galatians 1 :18-19; 2:9). Each message to the seven churches of Asia was
delivered through the “angel,” pastor in charge, as “unto the angel of
the church at Ephesus write” (Revelation 2). There is no question but
that in some cities and communities where there were many thousands of
believers, there was more than one congregation. This was evidently true
at Ephesus, Antioch, and other places where there was a mighty host of
saved believers. I am inclined to believe this is what Paul meant when he
was at Miletus and sent to Ephesus and called “the elders of the church.”
See Acts 20:17. Very likely they were pastors of a number of
congregations that worshiped in that city. They could not all worship in
the same place. Let no one get the idea that these were distinct,
separate denominational bodies of Christians. They all represented the
one universal divine Church of God, but for convenience and because of
necessity had different places to gather and worship.
These
local ministers were held responsible for the spiritual welfare of their
flocks. It was their duty to feed them, care for them, warn them, protect
them, and as a shepherd, lead them. This pastor must be an example to his
flock of piety, purity, soundness of faith, and liberality. This is real
local church government. It is a fact that these local pastors did not
receive every person who traveled over the country and posed as a
preacher. A “wandering star” could not so well and easily impose himself
upon the unsuspecting congregation. They had some system. Time and again
Paul wrote to local pastors saying, “I commend unto you” such and such a
one. Speaking of himself he says to the church at Corinth, “Need we, as
some others, epistles of commendation to you?” (2nd Corinthians 3:1). Of
course not. He was their spiritual father, had planted that work, and was
well known to them all. But the language clearly implies that ministers
not so well known would have to have letters of commendation from
well-known ministers or churches, else they would not be received by the
brethren. If this custom were strictly followed today, much trouble and
disaster would be avoided. When Apollos was disposed to go into Achaia
“the brethren wrote, exhorting the disciples to receive him” (Acts
18:27). “Marcus, sister’s son to Barnabas, (touching whom ye received
commandments: if he come unto you, receive him)” (Colossians 4:10). This
suggests the idea that everybody was not received with open arms unless
commended. Even Paul after his conversion had to be recommended to the
Jewish church at Jerusalem by Barnabas before they fully received
him.
From
certain Scriptures it would appear that some congregations, as Jerusalem
(Acts 15 :2-4), had a number of elders, and that some of these did not
labor in word and doctrine. Some commentators hold that the term elder,
in the official sense as used in the New Testament, had two meanings, (1)
a minister of the gospel who labored in word and doctrine, whether
general or local, (2) men of experience, talented and gifted to do
special work in the church, who were not necessarily preachers. These
were persons of experience and faith, who assisted the pastor in many
ways, as calling on and praying for the sick (James 5 :14). We have no
details as to how these local pastors organized their work. Since Paul
tells us that there is a great variety of administrations and operations
in the government of the church, it is quite likely that in the matter of
particulars and details that were not essential, their methods were not
necessarily the same; and this, to my mind, accounts for the absence of
any such details in the divine record. My observation and experience
prove that scarcely two pastors follow the same exact manner in carrying
on their local work. Since the church is universal, and nations differ so
widely in their manners, customs, and ideas of things, there is no
question but that a great variety of circumstances enter into this. God
intends us to use our best sanctified judgment in choosing the best
methods for our particular field. The Holy Ghost can direct in all this.
In
Titus 1:5 Paul says, “For this cause left I thee in Crete, that thou
shouldest set in order the things that are wanting, and ordain elders in
every city, as I had appointed thee.” Crete is a good-sized island in the
Mediterranean Sea. In March, 1921, while on our way from Italy to
Alexandria, Egypt, our ship sailed close along the southern shore of this
island, and I photographed much of it. I was surprised at its size. It
is quite evident that here a number of local congregations had been
raised up. It is possible that Paul, with Titus, had planted these very
churches. To leave them without proper care and supervision would not be
in harmony with Paul’s method of work. So when he left this particular
field, he appointed Titus to remain and set things in order. No doubt the
congregations were scattered in different parts of the island, and when
the apostle departed, the work was incomplete. Elders needed to be
developed and set over the various assemblies “in every city.” Paul tells
us that he “appointed” Titus to this work. Nothing is said about the
length of time this was to last, probably only long enough to organize
the work effectually. I am sure this was not an ecclesiastical
appointment, placing Titus as a district elder over a certain field. It
was a recognition of the gift and grace of God that the Holy Spirit had
bestowed upon him as a humble minister of the gospel, that qualified him
to fill such an important place. Paul recognized and clearly perceived
these qualifications in Titus, and had implicit confidence that he could
carry out the responsible work assigned him. Anyone can readily see that
the gift and measure of faith given to both Paul and Titus by the Spirit
of God, being demonstrated in their ministry and life, created the place
of responsibility that each filled.
Primitive
churches were not separate units independent of each other. They were all
related by a common bond of love and teaching, members of one universal
body, and were more or less responsible to each other. Thus Paul could
give direction to the churches of Galatia, and to other congregations
scattered elsewhere.
When
a congregation was planted by Philip in Samaria, the church at Jerusalem
sent preachers over there to look after and establish the work (Acts 8).
The same was true of the work at Antioch in northern Syria. This was
three hundred miles from Jerusalem. As soon as tidings reached the ears
of the church at Jerusalem that a work was planted in Antioch, they at
once sent Barnabas to look after it. Barnabas, feeling the need of help,
went over to Tarsus and brought Paul to Antioch. “And it came to pass,
that a whole year they assembled themselves with the church, and taught
much people” (Acts 11:19-26).
In
2nd Corinthians 11 :28 Paul speaks of “that which cometh upon me daily,
the care of aIl the churches.” His responsibility and burden for the work
extended far beyond any certain section or district. It was general.
True,
there is no hint in the Scriptures that he was officially elected to fill
such a place, and that he held it by ecclesiastical appointment. No,
indeed. It was his gifts and peculiar qualifications as an apostle that
fitted him for the place he occupied. What a magnanimous preacher he was!
What a fine spirit possessed him! He well knew his place of
responsibility in the church. He expressed this in the following
language, “I was not a whit behind the very chiefest apostles.” But all
the glory and honor he gave to God. “By the grace of God I am what I am.”
“Not meet to be called an apostle”; and “Less than the least of all
saints.” The men and women who fill the greatest places of responsibility
in the general church and work of God are always the humblest, most
unassuming ministers to be found in the church.
When
trouble arose in the church at Antioch over circumcision, where did their
eyes turn, in what direction were their minds set, to have the question
properly adjusted? It was decided that Paul and Barnabas and certain
others go up to Jerusalem “unto the apostles and elders about this
question” (Acts 15:1-2). Then followed the great conference recorded in
Acts 15 :4-21. The matter was settled and the decision put in writing,
and the same was sent to Antioch by Judas and Silas, “chief men among the
brethren,” who accompanied Paul and Barnabas, and delivered to that
church the decision (Acts 15 :22-31).
There
is absolutely no question, in view of all the foregoing facts and many
others that could be presented here, that in the early church there was a
real practical working government, and this contributed much to its
success. It is essential in this time that Christian people discover that
primitive administration of government that God, through the Holy Spirit,
placed in the church, and followed out the same in actual practice. And
as the church is restored to her primitive normal condition, the same
gifts that functioned in those early days will be manifest today, and are
being manifest. The need of the hour is proper recognition of these gifts
among God’s people and ministry. The Holy Spirit will work, but the
church must respond and give recognition to make it practical, until the
ecclesia of God will march forth to certain triumphant victory like a
well-organized, disciplined “army with banners.” Amen.
THE
UNCHANGEABLENESS OF THE CHURCH
The
real membership of God’s church as a whole may increase and decrease in
numbers. During the dark Middle Ages the saints were trodden down and
worn out by the persecuting powers of false religion, and but
comparatively few remained on earth to keep alive the holy seed, and it
is true that nearly all the clear, definite doctrines and principles of
the primitive church of the living God were lost sight of and hidden
beneath the traditions and inventions of men, yet every doctrinal element
of that divine structure, built and founded by Jesus Christ, remains
eternal and unchangeable. In the last few hundred years many earthly factious
bodies have arisen, and these have been pointed to as the Christian
church, but “the portion of Jacob is not like them; for he is the former
of all things” (Jeremiah 51 :19). The fold of Christ is the same on earth
today that she was before denominationalism. The whole Christian system
shall “stand forever” and “never pass away.” No boasted power of earth
will ever be able to change the eternal laws of the kingdom of heaven,
even though some of these apostate powers may “think to change times and
laws” (Daniel 7 :25). No power short of the throne of God can ever change
one thing in the divine church. The same purity, unity, glory, power, and
perfect peace, that God put in his church back there in the beginning,
are there yet, even though appropriated by a comparatively few on earth.
The miraculous gifts that the Lord set in the body have never been taken
out. These include gifts of wisdom, of knowledge, of healings, of
miracles, discerning of spirits, etc. All these are yet in the church and
are manifest, notwithstanding the modernistic teachings of our times. As the people of
God come back to the heavenly Jerusalem, stand complete within her walls
of salvation and bulwarks of eternal truth, drink of the life-giving
waters that flow in the midst of the city of God, and bask in the glory
of perfect holiness, we enjoy and possess the same benefits and blessings
that were possessed by the primitive Christians.
The
New Testament Church of God in all its essential elements remains the
same throughout all ages. In her divinity, organization, and government,
unity, catholicity, holiness, exclusiveness, foundation, headship, manner
of membership and discipline, she is the same today as in primitive
times. This is true because, as founded by Christ, the church was his
ideal, and it cannot be improved upon today. Of it Christ himself said,
“The gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” All this being true,
there is absolutely no excuse or scriptural authority for the multiplied,
diversified denominational bodies called churches today. There is no
question but that these have divided Christianity into factions and
schisms, and rendered the people of God virtually powerless to accomplish
the great task assigned to them. Before any of these modern religious bodies
came into existence, yes, hundreds of years before they were even heard
of, Christ built his church, and it functioned perfectly in the world. I
firmly believe and boldly declare that the time has come for God’s people
to return and come back to Zion, to the same unity, purity, power, and
glory that adorned and graced the church in pristine times.
THE
INDESTRUCTIBILITY OF THE CHURCH
The
indestructibility of the church is predicated on the truth just
considered. If the church is unchangeable throughout all ages, its
perpetuity and indestructibility are recognized facts. Upon the erroneous
supposition that the church which Christ built was entirely destroyed,
Mormonism has built her house. This group maintains that the apostasy
utterly destroyed the primitive church, hence it became necessary for
some man to build another. So they teach that under divine inspiration
Joseph Smith reestablished the true church on earth. We have but to
attend to the evidences in the case as set forth in Holy Writ to prove these
theories false, and the institutions built thereon as mere human
deceptions.
In
Daniel 2:44 the New Testament church was prophesied of as a kingdom set
up by the God of heaven, “which shall never be destroyed, but shall stand
forever.” In Matthew 16 :18 Jesus boldly declared: “Upon this rock I will
build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.”
These solemn declarations of heaven’s truth are sufficient to establish
the fact that the New Testament church of God which Christ built is indestructible
and exists today. Yes, that divine temple stands just as solid and firm
as in days of yore. Though it has witnessed bloody scenes of martyrdom,
and has for centuries been largely hidden from human view by the
ecclesiastical rubbish of men, yet it has never been destroyed—NEVER.
Great
and mighty changes have taken place and have been wrought in the earth;
earthly kingdoms and governments, and institutions of men have passed
away; but the Church of God remains unshaken, unmoved through all the
centuries of the Christian era. The true church can be likened to a
beautiful golden temple that was once the admiration of the whole world.
But in the course of time men piled around this temple a lot of rubbish
until they covered it entirely over, hid it from view, and then educated
the people to believe that this pile of rubbish was the temple, and
pointed to the same for long centuries as the beautiful temple of God.
During this period the temple was not destroyed. It was simply hidden
from view. But in these last days God is sending forth his holy
messengers with the flaming torch of truth and setting fire to this great
pile of debris. Now, I ask, when all this ecclesiastical rubbish is
burned up, what will be left? There is but one answer. That golden temple
will reappear in all of its glory and wondrous beauty, and will shine all
the brighter because it has come through the fire. Glory to God, that
golden temple is the New Testament church. She will stand while the
cycles of eternity’s ages roll.
To
destroy the church would be to destroy its foundation, which the apostle
Paul declared “standeth sure”; its head—Christ—who is alive forevermore;
its door of entrance, which no man can shut; its law, which “endureth
forever”; its walls, salvation; and all the people of God who compose it.
Since, however, there never has been a time when God did not have a
people, and since all the above named elements are eternal, the Church of
God is indestructible. Strictly, only one phase of the church went into apostasy,
the people, and not all of them. It is a fact of history that more than
50,000,000 of God’s people, rather than to bow down and acknowledge the
false doctrines and practices and demands of ecclesiastical lords during
the Dark Ages, sealed their testimony with their own blood.
Under
the main heading of this chapter we have endeavored to cover every
specification of the New Testament church, and we find it to be divine,
united, holy, spiritual, governmental, unchangeable, and eternal. All
this being true, it is utterly impossible for man to build an
organization like it, for spiritual things cannot be manufactured.
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CHAPTER
10
THE
CREED AND DISCIPLINE, OR RULE OF FAITH AND PRACTICE
A
CREED is defined in Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary as “an authoritative
summary of the essential points comprising a certain belief, as of a
church, political, or scientific body, or any organized society;
particularly, the confession of faith of a religious body.”
It
is a self-evident fact that the New Testament church cannot continue and
succeed in her great work and mission on earth without a constitution or
creed, that is an established form of government, a system of fundamental
rules, principles, and ordinances upon which she rests, and from which
she receives her rule of faith and practice. The Lord thought of this
long before any of us were born, and in his infinite wisdom provided an
infallible law, creed, divine document, which in his judgment was to be
the rule of doctrine, teaching, and practice throughout all the centuries
of the Christian era. This creed is none other than the New Testament
itself. It is the only infallible confession of faith delivered to the
people of God.
Anything
more than the New Testament is too much, and anything less is too little
If the Lord intended any additions to this divine document, he himself
would have given us the same. In the name of Jesus Christ we boldly
affirm that the creed inspiration gave to the church, contained in the
twenty-seven books of the New Testament, is sufficient for the government
of the church in all ages. It was her only form of government in
primitive times, in the days of her pristine glory. It is all that we
need today. On this solid foundation we stand. This is one of the
distinctive doctrines of the Church of God Reformation Movement in these
last days. We have discarded all the creeds of men and stand committed to
the whole truth as contained in the New Testament. We are fully confident
that on this platform alone can all Christian people in all the world
unite.
In
the days of the apostles they had “the gospel,” “the truth,” “the faith,”
“the form of sound words,” and all this is defined as “that form of
doctrine which was delivered you.” Thus they all “walked by the same
rule,” and did “mind the same things.” Those primitive Christians had
one, and only “one faith.” At a very early date certain human documents
were formed, such as the so-called “Apostles’ Creed,” the “Nicene Creed,”
and the “Athanasian Creed,” etc. These documents were intro duced after
the pure apostolic period of the church’s history. The first of these,
all the world now admits was not the work of the name it bears. These are
religious impositions practiced upon the credulity of less-favored ages
than the present. It must be admitted, however, that the Apostles’ Creed,
which was introduced a few centuries later than the apostles’ time, has
fewer deviations from the Scriptures than most modern creeds. A creed is
not a mere belief and a knowledge of Christian doctrine. Preaching is
expounding the word of truth. God himself, through the Holy Spirit, calls
and qualifies men and women to fill this important office, and their
particular work is to explain and interpret the Scriptures. This may be
done orally from the pulpit, or in writing. Thus religious periodicals
are published and many books are written, the purpose of which is to
unfold and elucidate the sacred Scriptures. Now some good people, in
defense of human creeds, have argued that to expound the Scriptures
through periodicals and books is simply making creeds, and they define
creed as our mere belief, or what we understand the Scriptures to teach. But now in
point of logic, this argument is refuted by the fact that not one such
periodical or book has ever been used as a confession of faith, the
constitution of a church, by any congregation or community of Christian people in
all the world.
A
creed, or confession of faith, is an ecclesiastical document, drawn up
and subscribed to by some synod, council, conference, or body of church
dignitaries possessing authority, and such document becomes the
constitution of religious bodies, terms of communion, a document by which
persons and opinions are to be tested, approbated, or reprobated. Certain
religious bodies of people are said to be builded upon these creeds. As
bodies of religious people, these creeds are their constitutions; and as religious structures, they form
their foundations. They are, therefore, the very basis of religious
parties and denominational bodies. All these modern creeds are human and
fallible because they are the production of human effort, and are the
offspring of human authority. There is no divine authority for their
existence, and no person on earth can produce a single scriptural warrant
for them. No apostle, prophet, or evangelist in the primitive
church gave authority to any church or council to furnish such documents.
These
church covenants are absolutely human because in their conception,
design, and execution they are the products of fallible men, and the
stream can rise no higher than the fountain or spring from which it
emanates. They are but the traditions of men. It was as a result of these
human traditions that Jesus Christ was condemned by the Jews and
crucified. It is an undeniable fact of history that millions suffered
martyrdom because of, or as a result of human creeds. History is replete with instances of severe and bitter persecution
because God-fearing men and women refused to take on the yoke and submit
to these creeds of men. The Jews said concerning Christ, “We have a law
[a creed, a discipline] and by our law he ought to die.” You see that law
or creed by which Christ was condemned was the decision of their
councils, and those ancient traditions have a parallel in the modern
creeds of Christendom. Oh, how many times God-fearing men and women have
been declared heretics and cast out as a result of these documents! A
long line of worthies who have graced the Christian church, as Wycliffe,
Jerome, Huss, Luther, Calvin, Bunyan, and a host of others, have been
persecuted, branded as heretics, and even some of them put to death
because of creeds.
These
human creeds are without any divine authority whatever. God never
commanded anyone to make them, no one to write them, and never gave a
hint that any church should receive them. To the fully enlightened, they
simply attempt to dethrone the King, Lawgiver, Prophet, and exclusive
Head of the church—Jesus Christ. He alone is “the author and finisher of
our faith.” A very serious objection to human creeds is the fact, as
stated by Christ, that they “make void the commandment of God.” I will
here take the liberty to state an incident that proves this to be true. A
prominent, outstanding minister of a certain religious denomination paid
a friendly visit in my home. We spent some time in social conversation
covering the topics of the day, and finally our talk ran into religious
and scriptural topics. As the minister left I handed him a copy of my
book: Christian Baptism, the Lord’s Supper, and Feet Washing. And as I
did so I remarked, “Brother, you and I agree quite well on the first two
sections of this book, but I want you to read the last one hundred pages which treat on the Christian rite of
foot washing.” I shall never forget his reply: “Brother Riggle, there is
no argument on that point. I have always believed and known that Jesus
instituted this rite, intending for his followers to practice it. The
only reason why I do not and have not observed it is because our
CREED
DOES NOT TEACH IT.”
True
Christians can never, nor will they ever unite on any one of the various
creeds of modern Christendom. Nor could they unite on all these creeds
together, for they are contradictory and controversial in their nature.
As honest, God-fearing men and women, and in warmest Christian love and
fellowship, in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, I appeal to you to
drop these human, fallible, contradictory documents and church
constitutions that have divided Christianity into a thousand schisms and
factions, and let us unite in one bond of love and Christian union and
fellowship in Christ alone, on the Bible alone. Here and here only can
we, as God’s people, come back to the unity, love, fellowship, and platform
occupied by the saints of God in the primitive church. There is but one
side to truth, and all the human creeds of men must be on the other side.
Not only is the New Testament the creed of the Christian church but it is
her infallible discipline. In 2nd Timothy 3:16-17 we read, “All Scripture
is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for
reproof, for correction, for instruction [discipline] in righteousness:
that the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good
works.” Jesus said, “I have given unto them the words which thou gavest
me.” “I have given them thy word” (John 17 :8, 14). Everything necessary
to the success of church work, how to deal with unruly members, a brother
who errs, or in case of trespass, in fact the exercise of discipline as
pertains to local church work, or the general work of the church, is
found in the New Testament Scriptures. Hence there is no excuse for
fallible men to write additional documents, called disciplines. God the
Father and Jesus Christ the Son through the Holy Ghost is said to be
“above all, and through all, and in you all” (Ephesians 4:4-6). This
preserves the perfect unity of his people. As head of the body, the
church, he issues all the governing laws and gives all the instructions
necessary. His ministers who are simple messengers of the Lord, deliver
and enforce his Word, without adding thereto or taking therefrom one jot or
tittle. In view of this truth, there is absolutely no excuse for the
modern, fallible disciplines that men have written.
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