QUESTIONS ABOUT THE LORD’S CHURCH ---Many questions are asked about the Lord’s church ---Often people misunderstand the nature of the church ---Let’s look at a few questions concerning the church, and the answers found in God’s word
A. Literally, the “Called Out” (Matthew 16:18)
1. “Church” = [Ekklesia] (#1577, Strong’s) = “Called out, or forth. Properly a gathering of citizens called out from their homes into some public place; and assembly.” (Thayer’s Greek-English Lexicon)
2. “Called” out of the world (sin), INTO Christ (2 Thessalonians 2:14) [See notes on “Called By God”]
A. Jesus (Ephesians 1:22-23) “And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fullness of him that filleth all in all.” (Colossians 1:12-23)
1. NO MAN OR WOMAN → Not the Pope, Joseph Smith, Mary Baker Eddie, etc.
2. NO “CONFERENCE”, “SYNOD”, OR “COUNCEL” → No government above local eldership
3. The head CONTROLS the actions of the body → The “church” of Christ obeys Christ
4. Jesus is the ONLY one with that authority (c.f. Matthew 28:18-20)
A. Only ONE!
1. Only PROMISED one (Matthew 16:18) 2 Only PURCHASED one (Acts 20:28) (Ephesians 4:4)
3. Only SAVES one (Ephesians 5:23)
a. Notice: The Body is the church & only ONE body.
b. Most in our culture think of a “church” as a “Denomination”, HOWEVER, God did NOT describe His people in that way. (1) (2)
A. NO! (John 17:20-21) “Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word; That they may all be one; as thou, father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.”
1. Division of the body/church is condemned by God (1 Corinthians 1:10-13)
2. Those who CAUSED division within Christ’s church were to be avoided (Romans 1617-18) “Now I beseech you brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offenses contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned: and avoid them. For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly: and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple.”
3. How can one body be DIVIDED and continue to live?
a. If a leg is amputated, that leg dies
b. If the church separates itself from its head, Christ, it dies
A. NO! (Romans 5:9) “Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.” (1 John 1:7) “But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his son cleanseth us from all sin.”
B. Many things “save” us
1. The Blood of Christ (Revelation 1:5)
2. Grace THROUGH Faith (Ephesians 2:8)
3. God’s word (Bible) (James 1:21)
4. Hope (Romans 8:24)
5. Repentance and Baptism (Acts 2:37-38) (1 Peter 3:21)
6. HOWEVER, the Bible NEVER says the “church” SAVES us!
A. Unless we are saved, we are NOT “IN” the church (and vice-versa)
1. Jesus is savior of the body (Ephesians 5:23) “For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church; and he is the savior of the body” [Emphasis mine, EDR]
2. The Body IS the church (Colossians 1:18) “And he is the head of the body, the church….”
3. God ADDS the SAVED to the CHURCH (Acts 2:41-47)
4. THEREFORE, the body, or church, IS THE SAVED
a. Cannot be saved outside of the body
b. Cannot be outside of the body and be saved (3)
A. NONE!
1. Some were “creating” a doctrine about Jesus (2 John 9-11)
2. Some had corrupted the gospel and were accursed “separated from Christ” [Thayer’s #331] (Galatians 1:6-10)
3. The church does NOT “create” doctrine….it was CREATED by Jesus to follow HIS teaching (1 Timothy 3:15) “pillar” [“a support” Thayer’s #4769]
a. The church is to “hold up” the truth (John 17:17)
A. It is NOT “Our” church!
1. Jesus built HIS church → It is NOT OUR church (Matthew 16:18)
2. If it is OUR church, it is a DENOMINATION
a. ALL denominations are equal → In opposition to Christ
B. “Better” carries with it the idea of more than ONE (i.e. “Is a Ford better than a Chevy?)
1. A Ford man’s opinion is equal to a Chevy man’s opinion (both vehicles do basically the same thing)
2. BUT, there can be NO “better”, or even “BEST” in connection with the Lord Jesus’ church
a. Because it is the ONLY divine institution purchased with Christ’s blood
b. It is the ONLY spiritual body to which God adds the saved
c. Therefore, it would be like asking “Is OUR God better than other gods?”
A. Search the Bible
1. Jesus told the Jews that wanted to kill him to search the prophets (John 5:39-47)
2. Jesus said the words he spoke will be the standard of judgment for God (John 12:44-50)
B. Rightly divide (handle aright) the word (2 Timothy 2:15)
1. It is possible to “wrest” [“twist…pervert…torture” Thayer’s # 4761] scripture to our own desctruction. (2 Peter 3:16)
2. No supernatural interpretation is necessary ---- The “mystery” has been revealed (Ephesians 3)
C. Submit your will to God (Matthew 7:21) (Hebrews 5:9)
1. Believe….that Jesus is the only begotten Son of God (John 3:16) (John 8:24)
2. Repent….turn away from sin (Luke 13:3) (Acts 17:30)
3. Confess your faith in Christ (Matthew 10:32-33) (Acts 8:37)
4. Be baptized (immersed) INTO Christ (Mark 16:16) (1 Peter 3:21) (Galatians 3:26-27)
5. Be faithful to Jesus till death (Revelation 2:10)