Are All
the Saved in God’s Church????
“Ye are the body of Christ and members in
particular.” – I Cor. 12:27
The great majority of professed
Christians believe that “to be saved is to be in The Church and to be in The
Church is to be saved.” The vast
majority of Christian theologians believe and teach this doctrine in one form
or another. Some believe that salvation is in their own particular church
denomination (e.g. Roman Catholics, Churches of Christ, Jehovah Witnesses,
etc.). Others believe that salvation and the universal invisible church or body
of Christ is one and the same. To these latter believers, if they are saved
they are in the REAL or TRUE church already. To them, the TRUE church is made
up of all believers whether they are baptized or unbaptized and regardless of
what kind of local church each might or might not belong to.
One of the most popular and leading
dispensational theologians of our day puts forth the following theological
statement:
“Intimately
connected with the fact that baptism by the Spirit brings the believer into the
body of Christ is the inseparable truth that baptism also places the
believer in Christ Himself.....Before salvation the individual was in Adam,
partaking of Adam’s nature, sin, and destiny. In salvation, the believer is
removed from his position in Adam, and he is placed in Christ. All the
details of his salvation spring from this new position. His justification,
sanctification, deliverance, access to God, inheritance, and
glorification.....By the act of the baptism of the Holy Spirit, the present age
began at Pentecost. By an act of the Holy Spirit, some future day the church
will receive its last addition, and Christ will come to receive her to Himself.”
- John F. Walvoord, The Holy Spirit.
Pp. 141,143 - emphasis mine
Almost all Evangelicals worldwide accept this statement. This statement clearly says that “all the details of…salvation” are inseparable from being “in Christ.” This writer along with most Protestant Theologians define “in Christ” to be one and the same as the universal invisible Church or body of Christ.
When visiting neighborhoods we often ask
what church is being attended and often the reply is “well, I don’t belong
to any denominational church but I am a member of the body of Christ, His true
church and that is all that really matters.” Another response that is quite
common, “I don’t attend any organized church, but I belong to the true
Church of Christ and I can worship God in my living room or up on a mountain as
good if not better than with a bunch of hypocrites or fussing fighting people.” An even more popular response is “There
are so many denominations and so much confusion that I don’t bother attending
churches any more. I belong the to real and true church of Christ and that is
all that matters.” Perhaps one or more of these responses are exactly how
you feel? Maybe you don’t attend regularly or you haven’t joined a church
because you feel that you really don’t need to or there is just too much
confusion and you wouldn’t know which one you should join if you were to join a
church.
If this is how you feel, please continue
to read, for I have some things to share with you that might challenge your
thinking in this area.
Most professed Christians wouldn’t dare
deny that the Bible is the word of God. In fact, most would readily admit that
they are “Bible believers” and that the Bible is the final authority for what
is right and wrong for a Christian to believe and practice. They would readily profess this because they
know that the Scriptures repeatedly state this:
All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for
correction, for instruction in righteousness; - 2 Tim. 3:16
God made it very clear to His people that they were not to
listen to those who denied or departed from His word:
To the law and to the
testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it
is because there is no light in
them. (Isa 8:20)
Jesus said that those who rebelled against or disobeyed His word really don’t love Him as those who love Him keep His commandments:
If ye love me, keep my
commandments.
(Joh 14:15)
In fact, the Apostle John made this an absolute test whether or not a person is really saved. Consider his words:
And hereby we do know that
we know him, if we keep his commandments. He that saith, I know
him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. (1Jo 2:3-4)
My point is simply that God’s word is the final authority for what we
ought to believe and practice. If what we believe and practice is clearly
condemned by God’s Word then either God is wrong or we are. The Bible says “Let
God be true and all men liars.” If
we come to discover that we are violating His word, then we ought to want to
change our ways in order to please the One whom we profess to be our “Lord.”
“Why call ye me, Lord,
Lord, and do not what I say?” – Lk. 6:46
That is a very good question don’t you think? Why would someone
call Him “Lord” and yet disobey Him? A
person’s “Lord” is the one they REALLY obey. Unfortunately, for many professed
Christians in the day we live, the only one they really obey is themselves. However,
you are not one of those hypocrites.
You are one who claims Jesus as your “Lord” and you do the best you to
show it by your obedience to His word.
Did you know
that every Christian recorded in the New Testament was a member of a local
visible body of Christ or church of Christ? In fact, every Christian in the New
Testament became a member immediately after being saved. Take a look for
yourself and see if you can find any Christian that did not submit to water
baptism and become a member of a local church immediately upon their
conversion. Did you know that nearly
every epistle in the New Testament is written to such churches? The whole New Testament is written primarily
to churches and church members. If
this is true, and it is, then, one thing is for certain. There are no examples
in Scripture to support or encourage any Christian to remain unbaptized or
unchurched. In other words, to remain
unbaptized or unchurched is contrary to the whole New Testament example.
Now, why do you suppose that every Christian in the New
Testament immediately upon salvation was baptized into the membership of such a
church? That’s right, you guessed it.
The New Testament commands Christians to be baptized and join a New
Testament Church. Listen to how Peter
answers a question asked him by a large crowd who just had heard the gospel:
Now when they
heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the
rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do?
Then Peter said
unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you…..
(Act 2:37-38)
Now what did this crowd do? Did they say, “no thanks, we will just
believe because then we will be in the big universal and invisible church and
that is what counts.” No, there is not one
example of any Christian ever responding like that. The Bible tells us exactly how they responded:
Then they that
gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added
unto them about three thousand souls. - (Act 2:41)
If this was the only command (“and be baptized every one of you”
– Acts 2:38) in Scripture it would be enough.
However, what greater command is there than what is commonly called “The
Great Commission”? Who has not heard of
the Great Commission? Jesus was about to depart from earth, but before He does
He gives His churches their age long marching orders: -
And Jesus came and spake
unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore,
and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of
the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things
whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen. – Mt. 28:18-20
Jesus authorized His church to baptize EVERY SINGLE ONE that is
saved underneath their preaching of the gospel. Not only so, but He authorized
them to teach EVERY SINGLE ONE they baptized. This is the command of the One
you profess to be your “Lord.”
You tell me how this commission can be obeyed without
actually assembling together with those that were being taught to “observe all
things whatsoever I have commanded”????
Jesus taught them how to “observe” the Lord’s Supper in Matthew 26. How can you observe the Lord Supper as He
did without assembling together? Jesus
taught them how to deal with problem members in the church in Matthew 18:15-17. How can you “observe” these instructions
without being a member of such a church?
My point is that you
cannot find any example in the New Testament where any professed believer in
Christ was not immediately baptized into such a church body simply because
Christ and His apostles commanded “every one of you” to do so.
Now how about it, are you obeying the Lord’s commandment? Who could possibly say that what is
universally acknowledged to be the GREAT commission is not so
important??????? If you still have some
doubts or hesitations about the absolute will of God in this matter, then, read
the following scripture carefully and figure out which part of this verse
describes you:
“Forsake not the
assembling of yourselves together as the manner of some is, but
so much the more, as you see the day a coming.” – Heb. 12:25
Are you part of those that are “assembling” or are you part of those who are addressed as “some”??????
And hereby we do know that
we know him, if we keep his commandments. He that saith, I know
him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. (1Jo 2:3-4)
Now please remember, I didn’t write any of these scriptures, I am just
quoting them, so don’t get mad at me. God wrote them, so if you’re going to get
mad at someone, He is to blame for these scriptures.
Now remember, the popular opinion of many is that “to be saved
is to be a member of this big church and to be a member of this big church is
to be saved.” The theologians who believe in this concept demand that salvation
and this big church are inseparable. This doctrine is used as a reason to
remain unbaptized and unchurched and irresponsible to serve God by His
appointed way.
This “church salvation” concept is a carry over from the Roman
Catholic Church. Rome believes to be saved is to be in the True Church and to
be lost is to be outside of the True Church. Rome defines the TRUE church as
the UNIVERSAL Roman Catholic Church.
The Protestant Reformation was a rebellion led by Roman Catholic priests
against this very concept. These protesting priests (Protestants) denied that
salvation was the same as membership in the Roman Catholic Church. They
believed you could be saved and yet be outside of the Holy Universal Roman
Catholic Church.
However, when Luther redefined salvation from being a member of
the Roman Catholic Church he still retained the idea of some kind of church
salvation. He redefined the Roman concept of the church from a universal
VISIBLE body of Christ unto a universal INVISIBLE body of Christ. Luther, like
all the protesting Catholic priests didn’t want to leave the Roman Catholic
Church they simply wanted to REFORM it and separate salvation from membership
in the Roman Catholic Church. However, they were excommunicated by Rome and
forced to start their own church denominations. Nevertheless, they still brought the Roman concept of a “church
salvation” with them but with a new twist (invisible instead of visible).
Now here is the real problem with this “church salvation”
concept. The Bible teaches that salvation has always been the same in all
ages. That is, Old Testament saints are
saved the very same way that New Testament saints are saved. Now, you have
probably been taught that Old Testament saints were saved one way (by the law)
and we are saved another way (by grace).
However, the Bible denies that anyone could be or ever was saved by the
law:
Rom 3:20 Therefore by the deeds of the law there
shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the
knowledge of sin.
Gal 3:11 But that no man is justified by
the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith.
How then, were Old Testament saints saved or justified before God? The inspired New Testament writers repeatedly say that it was by faith in the coming of Christ:
To him give all
the prophets witness, that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall
receive remission of sins. (Act 10:43)
Having
therefore obtained help of God, I continue unto this day, witnessing both to
small and great, saying none other things than those which the prophets and
Moses did say should come: That Christ
should suffer, and that he should be the first that should rise from the dead,
and should shew light unto the people, and to the Gentiles. (Act 26:22- 23)
For unto us was
the gospel preached, as well as unto them (Israel in the wilderness) : but the word preached did not
profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it. (Heb 4:2)
The New Testament writers BEFORE and AFTER the cross say that salvation
is in Christ and Christ alone:
BEFORE: Jesus
saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the
Father, but by me. (Joh 14:6)
AFTER: Neither is
there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given
among men, whereby we must be saved.
(Act 4:12)
The Apostle Paul claimed that there is no other gospel but
ONE. He claimed that his gospel was according to the Old Testament prophets and
Scriptures:
I marvel that
ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another
gospel: Which is not another;
but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of
Christ. But though we, or an angel from
heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have
preached unto you, let him be accursed.
As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other
gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed. (Gal 1:6-9)
Even as Abraham
believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.
Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham. And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham…” – Gal. 3:6-8
Before Christ went to the cross He told everyone that there is only ONE WAY to be saved and all other ways lead to destruction:
Enter ye in at
the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to
destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: (Mat 7:13)
Because strait
is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be
that find it. (Mat 7:14)
Jesus told the Pharisees that eternal
life could be found in the Old Testament Scriptures because they testified of
Christ:
Search the
scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which
testify of me. (Joh 5:39)
He told His disciples AFTER the cross that such were “fools”
and slow of heart if they could not see that all of the Old Testament prophets
preached faith in Christ for salvation:
Then he said
unto them, O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets
have spoken: Ought not Christ to have
suffered these things, and to enter into his glory? And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto
them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself. (Luk 24:25- 27)
And he said
unto them, These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with
you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses,
and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me. Then opened he their understanding, that
they might understand the scriptures,
And said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Christ to
suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day: (Luk 24:44-46)
So you see that the Bible clearly teaches there is but ONE
Savior and that is Christ. There is but ONE way to heaven and that is through
Christ. There is but ONE gospel and that is the good news about Christ. There
is but ONE name given under heaven whereby men must be saved and that is the
name of Christ. Paul says that anyone who preaches ANOTHER GOSPEL is to be
considered as accursed (Gal. 1:8-9).
It is very simple to prove that the church has nothing to do
with salvation. All you have to do is ask, “ when did the church begin and
when did salvation begin”. If they
are inseparable then they must have begun at the same time. However, if
salvation began first, then, to add the church to salvation is to change
salvation from what it formerly was to something else or from the original
gospel to ANOTHER GOSPEL.
When did salvation begin?
According to all the scriptures it began with the very first prophet in
the Old Testament (Acts 10:43 – “To him all the prophets give witness”).
When did the church begin?
According to the Scriptures Jesus built the Church in His earthly
ministry several thousand years after the first prophet preached the gospel
(Heb. 11:4; Mt. 23:35)
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. (Mat 16:18)
Like any building project, you begin with the foundation first before you build anything else:
And God hath
set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly
teachers…. (1Co 12:28)
And are built
upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself
being the chief corner stone; (Eph
2:20)
Some attempt to use the passage in Acts 7 where Stephen uses the term “church” for Israel as they assembled at the foot of Mount Sinai. However, this text simply uses the word “ekklesia” to describe the actual assembling that took place at the base of Mount Sinai. The Greek translation of the Old Testament commonly used “ekklesia” (translated “church”) whenever and wherever there was an actually physical gathering of people. However, the translators never used this term for all the elect as the people of God. Hence, there was no “church” in the Old Testament that included all the saved.
The church had no existence in the Old Testament and therefore could not be part of Old Testament Salvation and therefore cannot be part of New Testament Salvation because salvation has always been the same. All of God’s elect including Old and New Testament saint were chosen “in Christ” before the foundation of the world:
According as he
hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should
be holy and without blame before him in love:
(Eph 1:4)
Salvation
“in Christ” has always been through the gospel of Christ BEFORE and AFTER
Calvary. Those who preach and teach that salvation “in Christ” is membership in
any kind of church concept visible or invisible are teaching “ANOTHER
GOSPEL.”
But though we,
or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that
which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. As we said before, so say I now again, If
any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let
him be accursed. (Gal 1:8-9)
If salvation is in the gospel of Christ alone then what is
God’s design for His church? – SERVICE “in Christ” or representation of Christ
in your community. All of God’s children belong to the “Family” of God and are
citizens of the “Kingdom” of God by new birth. But the “Church” of God is a
“representative body entered through water baptism.
The Church of Christ is not UNIVERSAL and
visible (Romanism) nor is it UNIVERSAL and INVISIBLE (Protestant Romanism).
For example, where in the Bible can you
find the words “universal” or “invisible” used in regard to the church of
Christ????? Absolutely nowhere!!!!! If
such a doctrine were true wouldn’t you at least find the terms necessary to
describe it??
If you were going to discover the true nature of the Church of Christ
and you could ask anyone in the Bible about it who would you ask? Wouldn’t it be the builder of the Church –
Christ????? When Jesus
used the Greek term “ekklesia” it had already a well-known meaning that was
established for hundreds of years. It simply meant a local visible
congregation. The first time Jesus used this word He never attempted to
redefine it into another meaning. It should be obvious that the builder of the
church should know what He built. Dr. T.T. Eaton addresses Matthew 16:18 and
the use of the Greek term “ekklesia” by its Founder and Builder:
“ECCLESIA IN
MATT. XVI, 18.
’Editor of the Western Recorder: Will you not give, briefly and clearly,
your reason for believing that the word ecclesia, in Matt. xvi. 18, means the
local assembly?
Fraternally,
A Constant Reader’
Most readily. We have seven reasons, but here we will take space for
only three, either of which we believe to be decisive.
1st. It is conceded that, according to the usage of classic
Greek, the word, ecclesia means a local assembly. It is also conceded that it
means the same thing according to the usage of the Septuagint, which is the
Greek version of the Old Testament, in use in Palestine in the time of Christ.
Can it be believed that our Lord, in using this word for the first time, would,
without any explanation, give it a meaning entirely different from what it
would be understood to mean by those to whom He spoke? It is not ingenuous for a teacher, without a
word of explanation, to use words to his pupils with a meaning entirely
different from what they understand the words to have. Christ knew that the
disciples would understand Him to mean a local assembly by His use of ecclesia.
Knowing that, He used the word to them, without a word of explanation. To
charge Him with using the word with an entirely different meaning is to charge
Him with disingenuousness, and this is not to be considered for a moment.
2nd. The usage of our Lord Himself compels us to believe that
He meant local assembly when He said: ‘On this rock I will build my church, and
the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.’ Christ used the word ecclesia,
so far as the record tells us, just 22 times. We will set aside, for the sake
of argument, this passage, Matt. Xvi. 18, as doubtful, and look at the 21
passages, to determine our Lord’s usage of the word. Whatever that usage is,
must be applied to this passage. In Matt. Xviii, 17, Jesus says: ‘Tell it to
the church, but if he neglect to hear the church.’ This is the local assembly. In Rev. I, II,
III Christ uses the word ecclesia 18 times, e.g., ‘the seven churches,’ ‘to the
angel of the church at Ephesus,’ etc., and in every one of these cases there
can be no sort of question that He means the local assembly. It is Christ that
says this, because the one who told John to write what is here recorded, says
of Himself: ‘I am he that liveth and was dead, and behold I am alive for
evermore, and have the keys of hell and of death.’ Again, in Rev. xxii, 16, we
read: “I Jesus, have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the
churches.’ Certainly here ecclesia means the local assembly.
Thus in every one of the 21 instances in which Christ uses the word
ecclesia, there can be no question that He meant the local assembly. The
probabilities, therefore, are twenty-one to nothing that He meant local
assembly in Matt. Xvi. 18 – the passage which, for the sake of the argument, we
set aside as doubtful. A probability of twenty-one to nothing is a certainty.
Hence, it is certain that Christ meant the local assembly when He said: ‘On
this rock I will build my church.’
3rd. Christ in Matt. Xvi. 18, promised to build His church, which certainly was very dear to
His heart. He did not promise to build
but the one. If He meant anything else than the local assembly, then we have
this result, viz: He promised to build His church and then never made the
slightest reference to it afterwards; but in speaking on the subject of church
twenty-one times, He, in every case, referred to something entirely different
from what He promised to build. That He should speak twenty-one times about the
church He did not promise to build, and never make the slightest allusion to
the church He did promise to build, is simply incredible. Can there be a
reasonable doubt that the church Christ spoke of twenty-one times, and the only
one He spoke of, is the church He promised to build?
These are three of our reasons, each one of which, by itself, we think
is decisive. We have four others we will not now give. ‘A threefold cord is not
easily broken.’” (quoted in My Church by J.B. Moody, pp. 69-71
Consider
the only reasons that some imagine that Christ spoke about a different
kind of church in Matthew 16:18. They say
it must be a different kind of church in Matthew 16:18 from the kind He goes on
to describe in the next 21 uses simply because; (1) It is found with the
definite article (“the) in the Greek text and (2) it is found in the singular
and (3) it is given no geographical location. Hence, the conclusion is drawn
that it must be a different kind of church other than the local kind.
However, the second and third time Jesus
uses this same word it is found (1) with the definite article (“the”) in the
Greek text and (2) in the singular and (3) it is given no geographical location
and yet nobody believes it means anything other than a local visible assembly
of baptized believers (Mt. 18:15-17).
If the Builder’s use of the word “church”
indicates what kind of church He built than it can be nothing else than the
same kind we find every epistle in the New Testament written to – local visible
bodies of baptized believers.
A. The Number
of times the term “ekklesia” (church) is used in the New
Testament:
Consider the emphasis that many put on the
BIG universal invisible church in comparison to how the term is used in the New
Testament. Certainly Christ never placed any emphasis on its use that would
even imply such a big church. Moreover, the Greek term translated “church”
(ekklesia) is used exactly 115 times in the New Testament. Out of this 115
times there is little or no argument among scholars that at least 97 times it
obviously refers to the local visible kind of church. This leaves 18 times up for argument. Why are these 18 times even
considered to be different? Because
they use the word just as Jesus did in Matthew 18:17 – (1) It is found with the
definite article (“the”) in the Greek text; (2) It is found in the singular and
(3) it is given no geographical location.
However, this is exactly how the term “church” is used in Matthew 18:17
and nobody argues it refers there to a universal invisible church. if Matthew
18:17 cannot possibly be referring to a big Universal Invisible church than why
should any of these be considered as such?
Moreover, most of these 18 disputed uses
are found in the prison epistles of Paul and there is a good logical
reason. During Paul’s first and second
missionary journeys he had the custom to return to each of the churches he
founded in order to build them up in the faith (Acts 14:21-22; 15:40-41; 18:23)
And when they
had preached the gospel to that city, and had taught many, they returned again
to Lystra, and to Iconium, and Antioch,
Confirming the souls of the disciples, and exhorting them to continue in
the faith, and that we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of
God. (Act 14:21-22)
And Paul chose
Silas, and departed, being recommended by the brethren unto the grace of
God. And he went through Syria and
Cilicia, confirming the churches. (Act
15:40-41)
And after he
had spent some time there, he departed, and went over all the country of
Galatia and Phrygia in order, strengthening all the disciples. (Act 18:23)
However, on his third missionary journey he was in chains and under guards and could not revisit the churches he had formed. Hence, he wrote his prison epistles as circular letters or letters written to be passed from church to church in order that each church might be built up and instructed in the will of the Lord. For example notice the final remarks in the epistle to the Colossians:
And when this
epistle is read among you, cause that it be read also in the church of the
Laodiceans; and that ye likewise read the epistle from Laodicea. (Col 4:16)
It is
the unanimous opinion of evangelical scholarship that this was the practice of the Pauline churches and this is exactly
the intent Paul had in sending these letters.
In
writing these circular letters, Paul wrote so that each letter could be applied
to each church that read it. In order
to do this he constantly used generic or abstract terms. A
generic term is a term that is used in the singular with the definite article
without any specific application. Fore
example, “The school is a great American institution.” The words “The school” do not refer to any
specific geographically named school in America but rather to the school as an
institution or kind or class. The same
thing could be said in the plural “The American schools are great
institutions.” Another example could be
“The horse is a wonderful animal.” This
would apply to each and every horse and yet without specifying any specific
horse.
It is clear that Paul used such abstract or generic terms in
writing these secular letters. Why?
Because he did not want them to think that what he was saying applied only to
one specific church or pastor or family but to each one that read it.
For example, when he talked about the man as a worker he would say “The Laborer” is worthy of his
hire. No particular laborer is mentioned but the generic use made it applicable
to each and every Laborer that read or heard this letter. When he talked about
the roles and relationship between a husband and wife he would say “The wife
is subject to her husband” or “The husband is the head of the wife.”
Nobody imagines that Paul is talking about a new kind of wife or husband but
rather he is addressing all wives and husbands.
Likewise, when Paul spoke of the church in its relationship to
Christ he would say “The church is the body of Christ.” What church? Every church reading it or hearing it would understand that
Christ is the metaphorical head (authority) over the New Testament church and
the church was His metaphorical body
(members working in unity in submission to that head). How else could you instruct each church body
concerning the authority of Christ over them and how they were to respond in
unity under that authority. Paul uses
this metaphorical example of the body in the generic sense in I Corinthians
12:12-26 to teach the church at Corinth how they were supposed to function
together under Christ. However, in I Corinthians 12:27 he stops using the
abstract or generic sense and applies it concretely to the church at Corinth by
saying;
“Now, YE are the
body of Christ and members in particular.” – I Cor. 12:27
This is exactly the way that Jesus uses the term in Matthew
18:17 when He tells those members having problems with another member “Tell it
to THE CHURCH”. No particular
geographical designated church is mentioned (e.g. “the church which is at
Corinth” etc.). However, the generic
use makes it applicable to each and everyone of His churches wherever they may
be located. This is the same sense
Christ uses the term in Matthew 16:18 where He talks about building His church
as an institution. It is this same institution we consistently and constantly
read of in the book of Acts and in all the epistles.
This is the ONE and only kind of church body Jesus built. This is the ONE and only kind of church found in all the epistles. This is the ONE and only kind Jesus commissioned to baptize believers into unto the end of the age. Hence, there is really only ONE kind of church body and ONE kind of baptism for Christian unto the end of the age. It is the ONE kind of church that every epistle is addressed to and the ONE kind of baptism administered to every member of that ONE kind of Church.
There is one
body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; One Lord,
one faith, one baptism, (Eph 4:4-5)
When Paul used the metaphor of “the body of Christ” generically he could
and did include himself (“we”) as he too was a member of such an institution
(Acts 13:1-4) but when he applied it to a particular geographically located
church where he was not a member he said “YE” not “we.”
Paul described each local church as an espoused bride
of Christ that would someday be presented to Him (2 Cor. 11:2; Eph. 5:25-27).
The only text where any future presentation as a bride is described is in Revelation 19:7-9. Yet,
in this text there are those saints which are guests of the bride but not in
the bride.
Let us be glad
and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and
his wife hath made herself ready. And
to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white:
for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints.
And he saith
unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of
the Lamb. And he saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God. (Rev 19:7-9)
The Psalmist prophecies of this event and tells us that many virgins are invited to the wedding besides the bride of Christ:
She shall be
brought unto the king in raiment of needlework: the virgins her
companions that follow her shall be brought unto thee. (Psa 45:13-14)
The Scripture clearly shows that in the new heaven and earth (Rev. 21:1) there will be a vast amount of saved people living outside the New Jerusalem upon the new earth whereas the bride dwells in the city with the Bridegroom:
And the nations
of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it: and the kings of the
earth do bring their glory and honour into it.
(Rev 21:24)
What other proof is necessary to demonstrate that “to be saved is NOT to be in the church and to be in the church is NOT to be saved”? The presentation of the church bride to Christ proves that not all of the saved are in the bride.
Our conclusion is that the church of Christ
or the body of Christ is a New Testament institution. As such it had no existence
before the earthly ministry of Christ and therefore cannot possibly be
considered as one and the same as to be “in Christ” in regard to justification
or any other aspect of positional salvation without changing the very
nature of the gospel. Hence, “to be saved is NOT to be in the church and to be
in the church is NOT to be saved.” Salvation and service are distinct from one
another.
The only sense that members of New Testament churches are “in Christ” in regard to church membership is REPRESENTATION only. That is, the New Testament church REPRESENTS Christ to the community in which we live. That representation to be correct should portray a unified (doctrine, practice, fellowship) assembly of members under the sole direction and authority of Jesus Christ.
The gospel of Christ is for salvation whereas the church of Christ is for service. Only in the sense of progressive sanctification does the church play any aspect in our salvation. Our daily lives are being saved (in the form of rewards) for the glory of God when we serve Him through the appointed means to give Him glory on earth
Unto him be
glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end.
Amen. (Eph 3:21)