5.06 - THE CHURCH

THE CHURCH Of the church we sing and preach and pray, but I doubt very much that even as yet people in general understand what the church of the Bible is. I count it not amiss, therefore, to call attention to that which is, seemingly, overlooked. The church of the Bible is not the old Jewish institution perpetuated; for Christ made it plain to Nicodemus that, notwithstanding the fact that he was a member of the Jewish assembly, he had to be born again before he could enter into the kingdom of God. Again, the church is not a political institution. Christ said: "My kingdom is not of this world." And then again, it is no part of a human denomination. All of these are telling what the church is not. In Ephesians 1:22-23 Paul said: "And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all." The church of the Bible is the body of Christ. To the Corinthians he said: "Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular." So, whenever a band of Christian people come together, they form the body of Christ. They do not form a body of Christ, and they do not make up a church. They are the church. If a man is just a member of a church, he is a member of something the Bible never mentioned. I am not a member of a church. I propose to be a member of the church, which is the body of Christ, over which he reigns as head, and in which his Spirit dwells. In the Bible we have various terms by which it is called. All of them are in perfect accord. For instance, it is called the church of God, the church of the Lord, the pillar and ground of the truth, the household of faith, and so on. Individually, the members are named according to relation emphasized. If reference is made to a person’s being a student and a learner, it is right to call him a disciple. If we want to emphasize his purity and moral character, we can speak of him as a saint. If we want to talk about Christians in their relations one with another, then "we be brethren." But if you want to emphasize the relation of a person to Christ, there is just one name that indicates such, and that name is a Christian. It is most unfortunate that so many good moral people will allow human names to separate them from others who claim to love the Lord. Really big men of various denominations have condemned such things. I want to read to you from the greatest Baptist preacher that has ever lived. In "Spurgeon Memorial Library," volume 1, page 168, he said: “I look forward with pleasure to the day when there will not be a Baptist living. I hope they will soon be gone. I hope the Baptist name will soon perish; but let Christ’s name last forever." Friends of the Baptist persuasion, that surely ought to register with you. Why do you want to wear the name of water baptism, and then say it is nonessential? I read again from Martin Luther in Stork’s "Life of Luther," page 289. Mr. Luther said: “I pray you to leave my name alone, and call not yourselves Lutherans, but Christians. Who is Luther? My doctrine is not mine. I have not been crucified for anyone. St. Paul would not permit that any should call themselves of Paul, nor of Peter, but of Christ. How, then, does it befit me, a miserable bag of dust and ashes, to give my name to the children of Christ? Cease, my dear friends, to cling to these party names and distinctions; away with them all; let us call ourselves only Christians after him from whom our doctrine comes.’, Now, hear John Wesley: "Would to God that all party names and unscriptural phrases and forms which have divided the Christian world- were forgot; that we might all agree to sit down together as humble, loving disciples at the feet of a common Master, to hear his word, to imbibe his Spirit, and to transcribe his life into our own." Friends, the really great men, and those who know the trouble that comes from party names, are a unit in regretting that such exist. I really believe that deep down in the heart of every man he wishes that he could be free from human names and be known as a Christian only. He may think that, if he were to do so, it would put him over with Hardeman and his crowd, and hence, he cannot afford to do it. Now the church belongs to Christ because: (1) he built it; (2) he bought it; (3) he is the head of it. There are two figures in the Bible which illustrate our entrance into the church. One is that of a birth. Just as a child is delivered from its mother’s womb and thereby comes into a new life, so a sinner is delivered from the baptismal womb and rises to walk a new life. Therefore, he is said to be "born of water and of the Spirit." Another figure is that of a marriage. When a woman finds herself in love with some man in whom she believes and trusts, she forms a resolution to leave her home and become his bride. But thus far she is not his wife. She must now have a ceremony said by which she is made to wear his name and to share in his estate. Just so a sinner falls in love with Christ. He believes in him and trusts him, and resolves to leave the devil and walk with Christ down life’s way. But he is not yet married to him. The ceremony in connection with the act of baptism is said, and that former sinner, now a Christian, has a right to wear the name of Christ and to share in his wealth. Then, literally, the Bible says: "By one Spirit are we all baptized into one body." That body is the church of our Lord. When folks ask me, as they do sometimes, if I am a preacher, I answer yes. They then ask of what church am I a member. I answer the church of the New Testament. But that does not satisfy. They come back and ask of what branch of the church am I a member. I reply that I am not a member of any branch at all, but I propose to be a branch myself. Still they seem not to understand. I learned a long time ago just how to answer such folks. When a man asks me about my church relation, I simply say: “I am a member of the body of Christ." I have never yet met a man with little enough in the attic to ask me of which one of Christ’s bodies I am a member. Are you a member of the church of the Bible? If not, you ought to be. Are you wearing some party name? Leave it off. Have you subscribed to some human booklet? Renounce it. Be just a Christian. Pledge yourself to worship God as it is written and be faithful unto death. Let us together stand while we sing.