UNIFORMITY
"For
Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that
He might bring us to God,
being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit."
(1
Pet. 3:18) In these words of Peter, we hear the simplest explanation
of God's purpose in sending His Son to this earth. It was a rescue
mission designed by the Father, "according to the eternal
purpose which He accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Eph.
3:11) It was a mission aimed at bringing
us back home to our Father.
Isaiah said, "All we like sheep have gone astray; We have
turned, every one, to his own way; And the Lord has laid on Him the
iniquity of us all." Why? Because, as Isaiah also said, "your
iniquities have separated you from your God; And your sins have
hidden His face from you..." (Isa. 53:2)
Indeed,
Christ is the "Just One" who was sent here for us, "the
unjust
ones." We are undeserving
of such a sacrifice (which makes us "unjust")
and are therefore subject to honor Him as our King. As citizens in
His kingdom, we sustain a relationship to Christ (the anointed
One)
and to the Father to whom He brings us. And as fellow-citizens
in His kingdom, we also enjoy a bond with one another as a result.
This
relationship with our heavenly King and with one another is born out
in Jesus' words found in Mt. 16:18-19. Jesus said (based on Peter's
good confession that Jesus was the Christ), "on this rock I will
build My church,
and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. And I will give
you the keys of the
kingdom
of heaven..." In speaking of His kingdom, He was emphasizing
our relationship with our King as citizens in His kingdom.
At the same time He was also emphasizing our relationship with one
another as fellow-citizens when He made reference to building His
church
(ekklesia:
"called out" or "assembly") Paul alluded to this
same idea when he made reference to the assembling of the saints at
Corinth for the purpose of worshipping God; "...when you come
together as a church..."
(1 Cor. 11:18) In both cases, Jesus was emphasizing our relationship
with Him and with one another.
For
the purpose of this article, our attention is drawn to that
relationship that God's people sustain and are to enjoy with one
another
within the body of Christ. We first see that bond between the
redeemed taking place on the day of Pentecost in Acts 2 as ":...they
continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, in
the breaking of bread, and in prayers..." (vs. 42) and in their
"...continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking
of bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and
simplicity of heart, praising God and having favor with all the
people. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being
saved." (vss. 46-47) This was a bond that was so tightly knit
together that it was said that "...the multitude of those who
believed were of one heart and one soul; neither did anyone say that
any of the things he possessed was his own, but they had all things
in common." (Acts 4:32)
Sadly,
this unity did not sustain itself in every place that the gospel
went. The church at Corinth had their problems of selfishness and
disregard for one another which was already beginning to erode that
bond. In addressing that problem Paul said, "Now I plead with
you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all
speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you, but
that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the
same judgment." (1 Cor. 1:10) This was not a suggestion! It
was a command,
given by the authority of God which had been given to Paul and
through which He wrote. In the giving of these instructions it is to
be understood that the command to do so was within the realm of
possibility. God never commands us to do anything that is not
possible to accomplish. Therefore, despite what the rest of the
world may say, it is
possible for unity among God's people to exist and for divisions
(denominationalism) to be avoided. In fact, it is not only possible,
but it is essential
in order for God to be glorified in His body, the church.
It
was with this same purpose in mind that Paul wrote to the church at
Ephesus, saying, "I...beseech you to walk worthy of the calling
with which you were called, with all lowliness and gentleness, with
longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, endeavoring
to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace."
(Eph. 4:1-3) In the following verses he emphasized the unity
(oneness) that characterizes the Godhead, the body of Christ, and the
faith and hope that binds us together. (vss. 4-6)
After
the persecution that arose in the early days of the church that
resulted in "...those who were scattered [going] everywhere
preaching the word" (Acts 8:4), churches began to spring up in
the surrounding regions of where it had its beginning. Therefore,
"...when the apostles who were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria
had received the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them."
(vs. 14) Therein we see the beginnings of a unity that was to be
maintained throughout God's kingdom from city to city so that as one
might travel from one place to another they would see a uniformity in
doctrine, worship and purpose. This unity was accomplished without a
hierarchy being established as later occurred during the "falling
away" (see 2 Thess. 2:3; 1 Tim. 4:1-3) that spawned the Catholic
("universal") religion.
How
was this possible? It was possible only based on the principle that
David issued when he wrote, "Unless the Lord builds the house,
they labor in vain who build it." (Psm. 127:1) In making this
point to the church at Corinth, Paul wrote, "For we are God's
fellow workers; you are God's field; you are God's building.
According to the grace of God which was given to me, as a wise master
builder I have laid the foundation, and another builds on it. But
let each one take heed how he builds on it. For no other foundation
can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ."
(1 Cor. 3:9-11) Because of this, Paul could also say, "Now,
therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow
citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, having
been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus
Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone, in whom the whole
building, being fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the
Lord." (Eph. 2:19-21)
In
the early days of the church, there was a unity among God's people
that captured the attention of the general populace of Jerusalem by
which it could be said that they were "...having favor with all
the people" (Acts 2:47) and "...the people esteemed them
highly." (Acts 5:13) This was a unity that was in keeping with
Jesus' prayerful words; "I do not pray for these (the apostles,
gvw)
alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word;
that
they all may be one,
as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in
Us, that
the world may believe that You sent Me."
(Jn. 17:20-21)
Jesus
prayed for the unity of all who would follow the gospel message that
was proclaimed by the apostles beginning on that first Pentecost
after His death, burial and resurrection. Those words of Jesus reach
all the way to the present moment in time - to all who hear that same
message today and surrender in obedience to its call. Even today, in
the midst of rampant religious confusion and division, those who hear
its message and come out of the quagmire of religious
denominationalism can know this same unity among the saved. Even
today those who remain outside this sanctified body of believers can
look on with wonder and respect for the God of heaven who has bought
us with the blood of Christ.
One
of the greatest testimonies to God's sovereignty is the unity of His
people, the church. It is the ground upon which "...the world
may believe..." (Jn. 17:21) that God sent His Son to redeem man.
The reason this is so is because such unity is only possible as a
result of God's pattern for the church being honored. If the
"blueprint" of His new covenant is followed, the
"Architect" of this "building" will be glorified.
Only then can the church be proclaimed as "the pillar and
ground of the truth." (1Tim. 3:15) If it is not built according
to the pattern of God's design, the world would look on and discern a
"flawed" building and have reason to disbelieve in the
credibility of its Creator. Truly, "Unless the Lord builds the
house, they labor in vain who build it." (Psm. 127:1)
But
how
did the early church maintain the unity that we find from its
beginning? Keep in mind that unity can only be had if it is built
upon the foundation of truth.
Anything else is a perversion. Therefore, it is imperative that
wherever the Lord's church is located, the same truth must be taught,
believed and followed. When the same pattern of truth is embraced by
multiple congregations of God's people, the result will not just be
similarity
but duplication.
Jesus
ensured that the early church did exactly this by guiding the
apostles in what they would teach. Jesus told them that "...when
He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into
all truth;
for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He
will speak; and He will tell you things to come. He will glorify Me,
for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you." (Jn.
16:13-14) This insured that the message that the apostles taught was
always the same and not subject to any human error.
This
message and pattern of truth was taught everywhere. We see this to
be the case in the words of Paul as he wrote to the church at
Corinth; "For this reason I have sent Timothy to you, who is my
beloved and faithful son in the Lord, who will remind you of my ways
in Christ, as
I teach everywhere in every church."
(1 Cor. 4:17)
We
have an example within this same letter of Paul teaching God's divine
pattern regarding how the Lord's supper was to be observed when the
church assembled for worship. He reminded them of the source
of this truth that he had taught them; "...For I received from
the Lord that which I also delivered to you..." (1 Cor. 11:23)
Beginning from verse 17, this chapter is devoted to those
instructions wherein Paul rebuked some who were failing
to follow this pattern and were therefore guilty of "...[despising]
the church of God..." (vs. 22). Those instructions serve as a
pattern that every
congregation is to follow in order to fit the pattern of God's will.
In
the early days of the church, as the canon of the New Testament
Scriptures were still in the process of being written in the form of
these divinely inspired letters, these communiques served as
authoritative instructions (doctrine)
to whom they were written. This is readily seen in Paul's
instructions regarding the letter that he wrote to the church at
Colosse; "Now when this epistle is read among you, see
that it is read also in the church of the Laodiceans,
and that you
likewise read the epistle from Laodicea."
(Col. 4:16) Herein we see the uniformity of instruction as the same
thing was communicated in every church. As they would comply with
such doctrine, there would be uniformity throughout all of the
churches in the their worship, their work and in their very purpose.
There
is to be no doubt that these letters were to be regarded as
"Scripture." Paul wrote at least 13, and probably 14 of
the letters that are included in the New Testament. Peter declared
Paul's writings to be "Scripture" as he referred to Paul's
letters as sometimes being "...hard to understand which untaught
and unstable people twist to their own destruction, as they do also
the rest
of the Scriptures."
(2 Pet. 3"15-16) This would be to say that what Paul wrote was
authoritative and the churches throughout which they were circulated
were subject to heed.
Does
it matter what churches proclaim as "doctrine?" Indeed it
does! This is made clear in the letter that John was instructed by
Jesus to send to one of the seven churches of Asia - namely,
Pergamos. Notice His displeasure at them "...because you have
there those who hold the doctrine
of Balaam..." and "...you also have those who hold the
doctrine
of the Nicolaitans, which
thing I hate."
(Rev. 2:14-15) While we don't know what that doctrine involved, we
do
know that it was not of God because He said "I hate it."
The solution? "Repent, or else ..." (vs. 16) The church
is to be "...subject
to Christ" who is her Head (Eph. 5:24).
Contrary
to popular belief, the church is
duplicatable
in every age when the pattern is followed.
-
Gary V. Womack - November 2005