Articles
Five Simple Truths about the Church
Let’s consider five simple things the New Testament says about the church.
It Belongs to Christ
Jesus said, “Upon this rock I will build my church” (Matthew 16:18). My is a possessive pronoun; it denotes ownership. Acts 20:28 says He purchased it with His blood.
No church belongs to me, to you, or to anyone else. Our terminology ought to reflect that; even more, so should our practice. It is dishonest to take liberties with another’s possession. Stewards must be faithful (1 Corinthians 4:2). Jesus giving the “keys” of the kingdom to the apostles (Matthew 16:19) did not give them license to customize it, any more than lending you my car gives you permission to get it repainted or personalize it in any other way. Any alteration we make to the church makes it no longer His church.
Christ Is the Head
He is “head over all things to the church, which is His body. . .” (Ephesians 1:22-23). God designed it that way “so that He Himself will come to have first place in everything” (Colossians 1:18).
The head is that which directs the body. We must respect that. His word is final. Synods, councils, conventions, majority opinion, tradition, what works, and the like are no basis for determining our belief or practice. Any appeal to such makes them, not Jesus, the head. The question must always be, What does Jesus say? The only way to answer that question is to turn to the record of what He says, either personally or through His apostles. We may not simply use our imaginations as to what we think He would say or do!
There Is Just One
There is one body (Ephesians 4:4). Jesus said, “My church,” not “My churches” (Matthew 16:18). Whenever the New Testament uses the plural churches, it is referring to groups of Christians in various communities (e.g., Galatians 1:2), not different kinds of churches.
Denominationalism, by definition, is division. It is not New Testament Christianity. The Bible emphasizes sameness of belief and practice (1 Corinthians 1:10; 4:17; 7:17; 11:16; 14:36; 16:1). Division is condemned, not exalted. Acceptance of denominationalism is an admission that we are not Christ’s church.
Christ Is the Door
He said, “I am the door; if anyone enters through Me, he will be saved . . .” (John 10:9). Salvation and church membership go hand-in-hand (Acts 2:47; Ephesians 5:23). Church membership is not optional.
Jesus sets the entrance requirements. They are faith in Him, expressed in repentance, confession, and baptism into Him for forgiveness of sins (Matthew 28:19; Mark 16:16; Luke 24:47; Acts 2:36-38; Romans 10:9-10). If you have not complied with these, you are not in His church. What you may feel, what your parents may have told you, what some preacher told you, what most people think, etc., are irrelevant. Again, if we in any way change these requirements, the result is entering something other than Christ’s church.
Christ Is the Judge
Revelation 2-3 depicts Him walking among churches and giving His assessment. That is consistent with His claim that He has all judgment (John 5:22-23). What did Jesus see and think? Churches of great means (Laodicea) and reputation (Sardis) were soundly rebuked. So were those that compromised the truth (Pergamum, Thyatira), either doctrinally or in practice. So was Ephesus, a church that was orthodox but only “going through the motions.” The two churches with no rebuke were the poor, despised group at Smyrna and little-power Philadelphia. In other words, churches that were likely the most impressive to men were the least impressive to the Lord, and vice versa.
Let’s remember that Jesus’ word is the standard of final judgment (John 12:48). His view, not ours, is what matters.
Are you a member of Christ’s church, the one you can read about in the New Testament?
