http://apologeticspress.org/APContent.aspx?category=11&article=1190
The Unique Church
On Thursday night, April 21, 1938, in a public discussion in Little
Rock, Arkansas, before an immediate crowd of 1,000 people and a radio
audience of thousands more, N.B. Hardeman engaged the famed debater Ben
Bogard on the subject: “The Establishment of the Church.” On that
occasion, Hardeman articulated an extremely significant truth about the
church of Christ when he stated: “The kingdom, friends, has always
existed.… It existed in
Purpose, in the mind of God; it existed next in
Promise, as delivered unto the patriarchs, and it existed in
Prophecy; and then it existed in
Preparation; and last of all, when the New Testament went into effect, it existed in
Perfection”
(1938, p. 178, italics in orig.). More than sixty years have come and
gone since that insightful observation. But it remains an accurate
expression of biblical truth. Before Adam and Eve inhabited the Garden
of Eden together; before the skies, seas, and land were populated by
birds, fish, and animals; before the Sun, Moon, and stars were situated
in the Universe; and before our planet Earth was but a dark, watery,
formless mass—God purposed to bring into being
the church of Christ.
Indeed, Scripture describes this divine intention as “eternal.” Central
to the great purposes of God from eternity has been, not only the
sending of His Son as an atonement for sin, but the creation of the
church of Christ—the blood-bought body of Jesus and living organism of
the redeemed. Listen to Paul’s affirmation: “To the intent that now unto
the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the
church the manifold wisdom of God, according to the eternal purpose
which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Ephesians 3:10-11). It is
difficult for human beings to fathom “
eternal.” There are times
when the notion of “everlasting” is abbreviated—like Jonah 2:6 where
Jonah said he was in the fish’s stomach “forever.” It must have seemed
like it to him. So the word can be used in an abbreviated way. In
Philemon 15, Paul said Onesimus would be with Philemon
aionion—“forever when he returns to you.” But the context limits the meaning to just until he dies.
But when we speak of deity (e.g., Psalm 90:1-2) or the church, we are talking about
everlasting, eternal, forever.
Hebrews 12:28 asserts confidently: “Wherefore we, receiving a kingdom
which...” will someday end? No! Rather, “a kingdom that is unshakable,”
destined to be around forever—an eternal institution. No wonder Daniel
was informed: “The saints of the most high shall take the kingdom and
possess the kingdom forever, even forever and ever” (Daniel 7:18). With
that grand
purpose in mind, God gradually began foreshadowing through
promise and
prophecy the eventual accomplishment of that purpose.
Some 750 years before Christ came to Earth, Isaiah announced the
eventual establishment of the “Lord’s house” in the “last days” in
Jerusalem (Isaiah 2:1-4). At about the same time, Micah enunciated
essentially the same facts (Micah 4:1-3). Some 500 years before Christ,
Daniel declared to a pagan king that during the days of the Roman kings,
the God of heaven would set up a kingdom that would never be destroyed
(Daniel 2:44). He also stated that the “Son of man” would pass through
the clouds, come to the ancient of days, and be given an indestructible
kingdom (Daniel 7:13-14). Thus, the church, which existed initially in
purpose in the mind of God, now existed in
promise and
prophecy in the utterances of His spokesmen.
With the appearance of John the baptizer and Jesus on the Earth, the
church of Christ entered a new phase of existence. Now, more than ever
before, the kingdom was presented with a sense of immediacy, nearness,
and urgent expectation. Now, God’s emissaries actively prepared for its
imminent appearance. John exclaimed: “[T]he kingdom of heaven is at
hand” (Matthew 3:2). Jesus echoed His harbinger with precisely the same
point: “[T]he kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matthew 4:17). As John made
preparations for the Lord (Matthew 3:3; 11:10; Isaiah 40:3; Malachi
3:1), so the Lord made preparations for the kingdom. He announced His
intention personally to establish His church (Matthew 16:18). He
declared that it would occur during the lifetime of His earthly
contemporaries (Mark 9:1).
Just prior to His departure from Earth, Jesus further noted that the
apostles would be witnesses of His death and resurrection, and would
preach repentance and remission of sins in His name among all nations,
beginning at Jerusalem. He would even send the promise of the Father
upon them, which would entail being “endued with power from on high”
(Luke 24:46-49). This power was to be equated with Holy Spirit immersion
(Acts 1:4-5,8).
Now that the kingdom had existed in
purpose,
promise, and
prophecy, and in
preparation, the time had come for the church to come forth in
perfection.
After urging the apostles to “tarry in Jerusalem,” Jesus ascended into a
cloud and was ushered into heaven. The apostles returned to Jerusalem
and for ten days awaited the fulfillment of the Savior’s words.
Then it happened. With stunning splendor, after centuries of eager
anticipation (1 Peter 1:10-12), God poured out His Spirit upon the
Twelve on the first Pentecost after Christ’s resurrection (Acts 2). This
miraculous outpouring enabled these one dozen “ambassadors” (2
Corinthians 5:20) to present a stirring defense of Christ’s
resurrection, convicting some in the audience with the guilt of the
crucifixion. Peter then simultaneously detailed the conditions of
forgiveness and the terms of entrance into the kingdom of Christ. These
terms consisted of being pricked in the heart, repenting of sins, and
being immersed in water (Acts 2:37-38).
The church of Christ was now
perfected into existence on the
Earth, consisting of approximately 3,000 members—all of Jewish descent.
From this moment forward, the kingdom of Christ on the Earth was a
reality. To its Jewish citizenry, were added the first Gentile converts
in Acts 10, when those of the household of Cornelius obeyed the same
terms of entrance that their Jewish counterparts had obeyed some ten to
fifteen years earlier. By the cross, Christ had made “in Himself one new
man from the two, thus making peace, and that He might reconcile them
both to God in one body” (Ephesians 2:15-16).
This “one body” is totally unique, and is unlike any other entity on
the face of the Earth. She is distinguished by several unique and
exclusive characteristics:
First, she wears the name of her head, owner, and savior—Christ (Daniel
7:14; Matthew 16:18; Romans 16:16; Ephesians 1:23; 4:12; Revelation
11:15). Her members wear the divinely bestowed name of “Christian”
(Isaiah 62:1-2; Acts 11:26; 1 Peter 4:16).
Second, her organization was arranged by God to consist of Jesus as
head, elders/pastors/bishops as the earthly overseers or managers,
deacons as the designated workers/ministers, evangelists as the
proclaimers of the good news, teachers as instructors in the faith, and
all the other members, who are active in serving the Lord (Acts 6:1-3;
14:23; 20:17,28; Philippians 1:1; 1 Timothy 3:1-13; Titus 1:5-9; Hebrews
13:17; 1 Peter 5:1-4).
Third, her unique mission consists of bringing glory to God (1
Corinthians 6:20). As Peter explained: “If anyone speaks, let him speak
as the oracles of God. If anyone ministers, let him do it as with the
ability which God supplies, that in all things God may be glorified
through Jesus Christ, to whom belong the glory and the dominion forever
and ever. Amen” (1 Peter 4:11). This task is accomplished by
disseminating the Gospel of Christ to the human race (Matthew 28:18-20;
Mark 16:15-16; Luke 24:46-47; Acts 8:4; Romans 10:14; Philippians
2:15-16; Hebrews 5:12-14); by endeavoring to keep Christians faithful
(Romans 14:19; 15:1-3; Ephesians 4:12; Jude 20-24); and by manifesting a
benevolent lifestyle (Matthew 25:31-46; Galatians 6:10; James 2:1-17).
In short, every member of the church is to strive for complete
conformity to the will of Christ (Matthew 22:37-38; 2 Corinthians 5:9;
10:5; Ecclesiastes 12:13).
Fourth, her entrance requirements are unlike any other entity on the
face of the Earth. The individual who is struck with the heinousness of
sin, recognizing the purpose of Jesus’ atoning sacrifice through His
death upon the cross, comes to believe in Jesus as the Son of God and
the New Testament as the only authentic expression of His will. This
belief leads him to repent of his sins, to orally confess Jesus as the
Christ, and to be baptized in water, with the understanding that as he
rises from the waters of baptism, he is forgiven of sin and added to the
church by Christ (Mark 16:16; Hebrews 11:6; Acts 2:38,47; Romans 6:1-6;
10:9-10). These terms of entrance were given by Jesus to the apostles,
who declared them on the occasion of the establishment of the church
(Matthew 16:19; Acts 2).
Fifth, her instruction manual is likewise exclusive and unique. The
Bible, consisting of both Old and New Testaments, constitutes her one
and only authentic and authoritative guide (Galatians 1:6-9; 1
Thessalonians 2:13; 2 Timothy 2:15; Acts 17:11; 2 Peter 3:16). These 66
books, written by some 40 men over a period of 1,600 years, are actually
the product of the Holy Spirit, Who empowered the writers to pen only
what God wanted written (2 Samuel 23:2; 1 Corinthians 2:9-13; 2 Timothy
3:16-17; 1 Peter 1:10-12; 2 Peter 1:20-21). The Bible is thus verbally
inspired of God, inerrant, and all-sufficient.
Many other characteristics of the church of Christ could be cited. But
these five are sufficient to show that the church is easily identifiable
and not to be confused with any other religious group. It was
inevitable that people would deviate from the simple guidelines given in
Scripture (1 Timothy 4:1; 2 Peter 2:1-2). The result has been the
formulation of unbiblical doctrines, unscriptural practices, and
unauthorized churches (Matthew 15:9,13; 2 John 9-11).
The Scriptures make clear that God never has and never will sanction
such a state of affairs. The only hope of any individual is to be in the
one true church living faithfully to God’s desires. Many in our day are
working overtime to obscure and blur the distinction between the New
Testament church and the manmade, counterfeit churches that exist in
abundance. They seem oblivious to the fact that no denominations are
ever found in the Bible. Many people do not seem even to be aware of the
fact that the Bible describes a single church—Christ’s church.
Yet anyone who cares to consult the inspired guidebook can see that the
church described in the Bible is easily identifiable today. The matter
may be easily determined upon the basis of two criteria. First, can one
know how to become a Christian? If so, then the church can be
identified, i.e., those who have obeyed the one and only Gospel plan of
salvation. Second, can one know how to live the Christian life
faithfully and obediently before God? If so, one can identify those who
continue to constitute the saved body, the church.
In light of these simple truths, no legitimate claim may be made by
denominational bodies to consider themselves as churches of Christ. The
pluralistic mindset that has permeated our thinking has prodded us to be
more accepting of other viewpoints and to “lighten up” in our
opposition to false religion. For some years now, we have been goaded
and prodded into feeling guilty about claiming
certainty about
anything, let alone biblical truth. But the truth continues to be that
denominations are manmade divisions, unmitigated departures from the
faith.
Denominationalism is about the best thing Satan has come up with to
subvert the truth of the Bible and to bring otherwise religious people
under his influence. The world religions, as well as those who embrace
humanistic philosophies like atheism, by definition, have rejected the
one true God and have capitulated to Satan. So where do you suppose
Satan is going to focus the brunt of his assault upon the Earth? The
more he is able to muddy the waters and to obscure the certainty of the
truth, the more chance he has of luring people into his clutches.
We are at a moment in history when Satan is making great inroads into
the church, and scoring impressive victories against the cause of
Christ. As the book of Judges records a cyclical pattern among God’s
people of apostasy, punishment, repentance, faithfulness, and then back
into apostasy, we are at the point in history where apostasy holds sway.
This periodic purging process seems to be an inevitable recurrence.
What God would have us to do is to stand confidently and courageously
upon His will, unmoved and unintimidated by the overwhelming forces that
pressure us to succumb. In this fashion, the justice of God will be
made evident at the Judgment and, in the meantime, impetus is given to
the redeemed to strengthen themselves in the struggle to stay loyal to
the Master. Every possible soul must be “snatched out of the fire” (Jude
23).
While the Lord would have us to demonstrate concern and compassion for
the lost denominational world, He also would have us exercise discretion
in the extent to which we fellowship and affiliate with such groups.
Regardless of the fashionable sentiments prevalent among some in our
day, the Bible still delineates God’s disapproval of the righteous
associating with error and false religion. When we become proud of our
ability to mingle with denominationalism—manifesting acceptance and
tolerance of their unbiblical beliefs—we are guilty of the very attitude
that Paul condemned in 1 Corinthians 5:2, that Jesus condemned in
Revelation 2:15-16, and that John condemned in 2 John 11.
We need to return to the Old Testament, and learn afresh the lessons
that Israel failed repeatedly to learn. We need to stand at Elijah’s
side and breath deeply his spirit of confrontation as he boldly
distinguished between true and false religion (1 Kings 18:17-40). We
need to follow Phinehas into the tent and learn to identify with his
jealous intolerance of disobedience and defiance to the will of God
(Numbers 25:1-15). We need to step across the line to stand at Moses’
side and witness the calm fury with which he sought to expunge sin
(Exodus 32:25-28). We need to identify ourselves with the young king
Josiah and feel the same sense of horror and tearful concern as we watch
him burn, break, desecrate, destroy, cut down, stamp, and slay
everything and everyone who represented unauthorized religious practice
(2 Kings 22 and 23).
Perhaps once we have honestly filled our minds with these inspired
accounts, and allowed these truths to penetrate and permeate our being,
we will possess the proper frame of mind to view denominationalism, and
all other alternatives to the one church, in the same way that God views
them. Maybe then we will perceive counterfeit churches and rival
religions with the depth of righteous anger and displeasure that God
perceives them. Until then, we will be gripped by an unconcerned, blasé,
live-and-let-live mentality that will allow Satan to proceed with his
subversion of humanity. If we do not stand up and proclaim the
distinctiveness of the one true church of Christ, nobody else will, and
we will lose our souls along with them. If Noah had not been comfortable
with standing in a minute minority in an effort to stem the tide, the
tide would have swept him away in the Flood along with the rest.
Do you love the church for which Jesus shed His blood? Do you? Do you
love the body of Christ deeply enough to temper your concern for the
lost with a righteous regard for the purity and loyalty of that body?
Rather than obscure the reality and identity of the unique church of
Christ, we would do well to take note of the clearly defined borders of
the kingdom, that we might be able to give our attention to bringing in
those on the outside. Fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness
is not the answer; teaching and exposing them is (Ephesians 5:11).
If we would truly fathom that the church of Christ is distinctive,
exclusive, and unique; if we would truly view fraternization with the
denominations as traitorous; if we would love the genuine body of Christ
with the same fervency and jealousy with which Jesus loves her; then we
would be in a position to proclaim with Paul: “Unto Him be glory in the
church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end”
(Ephesians 3:21).
RFERENCES
Hardeman, N.B. and Ben M. Bogard (1938),
The Hardeman-Bogard Debate (Nashville, TN: Gospel Advocate).
