Doctrine of the Church – Part 1

  1. What is the nature of the church?
  1. Definition

The church is the community of all true believers for all time. Eph 5:25

The church is all those whom Christ died to redeem, all those who are saved by the death of Christ. This includes all true believers for all time, both believers in the New Testament age as well as believers in the Old Testament age.

Matt 16:18 – The Lord Jesus Christ himself builds the church by calling people to himself.Acts 2:47

Started from the Old Testament and continues into the New. Deut 4:10

The Hebrew word for “gather” (Heb qahal) is translated by the Septuagint into ekklesiazo, “to summon into an assembly,” the verb cognate to the New Testament noun ekklesia, “church”.

The New Testament authors speak of the Old Testament people of Israel as a “church” (Acts 7:38, Heb 2:12, 12:1).

  1. The Church is Invisible, yet visible

In its true spiritual reality as the fellowship of all genuine believers, the church is invisible. This is because we cannot see the spiritual condition of people’s hearts. We can see those who outwardly attend the church, and we can see outward evidences of inward spiritual change, but we cannot actually see into people’s hearts and view their spiritual state – only God can do that (2 Tim 2:19). The invisible church is the church as God sees it.

On the other hand, the true church of Christ certainly has a visible aspect as well. The visible church is the church as Christians on earth see it. In this sense the visible church includes all who profess faith in Christ and give evidence of that faith in their lives. (1 Cor 1:2, 1 Thess 1:1, Philemon 1-2). Paul certainly realized that there were unbelievers in some of those churches, but he simply wrote to the entire church that met together in any one place. In this sense, we can say that the visible church is the group of people who come together each week to worship as a church and profess faith in Christ. The visible church will throughout the world will always include some unbelievers because we cannot see hearts as God see them (2 Tim 2:17-19, 4:10, Act 20:29-30, Matt 7:15-16).

Augustine – “Many sheep are without and many wolves are within.”

However, although we do recognize that there are unbelievers in the visible church, there is a danger that we may become overly suspicious. Against this danger, we must make a charitable judgment whereby we recognize as members of the church all who by confession of faith, by example of life, and by partaking of the sacraments, profess the same God and Christ with us. We should not try to exclude people from the fellowship of the church until they by public sin bring discipline upon themselves. On the other hand, of course, the church should not tolerate in its membership “public believers” who by profession or life clearly proclaim themselves to be outside the true church.

  1. The Church is Local and Universal

In the New Testament the word “church” may be applied to a group of believers at any level, ranging from a very small group meeting in a private home all the way to the group of all true believers in the universal church.

Rom 16:5, 1 Cor 16:19

1 Cor 1:2, 1 Thess 1:1

Acts 9:31

Eph 5:25

  1. Metaphors for the Church

What does each of these metaphors help us appreciate better the richness of privilege that God has given us by incorporating us into the church?

1 Tim 5:1-2, 2 Cor 6:18, Matt 12:49-50

Eph 5:32

1 Cor 12:

1 Pet 2:5

Heb 3:6

Jn 15:5; Rom 11:17-24, 1 Cor 3:6-9, Matt 13:1-30, 1 Tim 3:15

Doctrine of the Church – Part 2

  1. What are the “marks” of a true church?
  1. Right and pure preaching of the gospel
  1. Salvation in Christ by faith alone
  2. Authority of the Bible

Certainly if the Word of God is not being preached, but simply false doctrines or doctrines of men, then there is no true church. In some cases we might have difficulty determining just how much wrong doctrine can be tolerated before a church can no longer be considered a true church, but there are many clear cases where we can say that a true church does not exist.

Do we know of any examples?

  1. Administration of the sacraments
  1. Baptism and Lord’s Supper
  1. Once an organization begins to practice baptism and the Lord’s Supper, it is a continuing organization and is attempting to function as a church
  1. Membership controls - baptism is the means for admitting people into the church, and the Lord’s Supper is the means for allowing people to give a sign of continuing in the membership of the church. The church signifies that it considers those who receive baptism and the Lord’s Supper to be saved.
  1. What are the purposes of the church?
  1. Ministry to God: Worship

In relationship to God the church’s purpose is to worship him (Col3:16, Eph 1:12, 5:19-20). Worship in the church is not merely a preparation for something else; it is in itself fulfilling the major purpose of the church in reference to its Lord.

  1. Ministry to Believers: Nurture

According to Scripture, the church has an obligation to nurture those who are already believers and build them up to maturity in the faith (Col1:28, Eph 4:12-13). Our goal is not only to bring people to initial saving faith; our goal as a church must be to present to God every Christian mature in Christ.

  1. Ministry to the World: Evangelism and Mercy

Matt 28:19 – Jesus told his disciples that they should make disciples of all nations. This evangelistic work of declaring the gospel is the primary ministry that the church has toward the world. Yet accompanying the work of evangelism is also a ministry of mercy, a ministry that includes caring for the poor and needy in the name of the Lord (Acts 11:29, 2 Cor 8:4, 1 Jn 3:17). Although the emphasis of the New Testament is on giving material help to those who are part of the church, there is still an affirmation that it is right to help unbelievers even if they do not respond with gratitude or acceptance of the gospel message (Lk 6:35-36, 4:40). This should give us encouragement to carry out deeds of kindness, and to pray for healing and other needs, in the lives of unbelievers as well as believers. Such ministries of mercy to the world may also include participation in civic activities or attempting to influence governmental policies to make them more consistent with biblical moral principles. In areas where there is systematic injustice manifested in the treatment of the poor and/or ethnic or religious minorities, the church should also pray and – as it has opportunity – speak out against such injustice. All of these are ways in which the church can supplement its evangelistic ministry to the world and indeed adorn the gospel that it professes. But such ministries of mercy to the world should never become a substitute for genuine evangelism or for the other areas of ministry to God and to believers.

  1. Keeping these purposes balanced

All three purposes of the church are commanded by the Lord in Scripture; therefore all three are important and none can be neglected. In fact, a strong church will have effective ministries in all three of these areas. We should beware of any attempts to reduce the purpose of the church to only one of these three and to say that it should be our primary focus. In fact, such attempts to make one purpose primary will always result in some neglect of the other two. All three purposes must be emphasized continually in a healthy church.

However, individuals are different from churches in placing a relative priority on one or another of these purposes of the church. Because we are like a body diverse spiritual gifts and abilities, it is right for us to place most of our emphasis on the fulfillment of that purpose of the church that is most closely related to the gifts and interests God has given to us. There is certainly no obligation for every believer to attempt to give exactly one-third of his or her time in the church to worship, one-third to nurturing other believers, and one-third to evangelism or deeds of mercy.

Doctrine of the Church – Purity and Unity

  1. Definitions

The purity of the church is its degree of freedom from wrong doctrine and conduct, and its degree of conformity to God’s revealed will for the church.

The unity of the church is its degree of freedom from divisions among true Christians.

  1. True Churches May Be More or Less Pure

We have already made the distinction between true churches and false churches. A further distinction must be made: there are more-pure and less-pure churches. This fact is evident from a brief comparison of Paul’s epistles. When we look at Philippians or 1 Thessalonians we find evidence of Paul’s great joy in these churches and the relative absence of major doctrinal or moral problems (Phil 1:3-11, 4:10-16, 1 Thess 1:2-10, 3:6-10). On the other hand, there were all sorts of serious doctrinal and moral problems in the churches of Galatia and Corinth (Gal 1:6-9, 3:1-5, 1 Cor 3:1-4, 4:18-21, 5:1-2).

  1. Signs of a more-Pure Church
  1. Biblical doctrine (or right preaching of the Word)
  2. Proper use of the sacraments (1 Cor 11:17-34)
  3. Right use of church discipline (1 Cor 5:6-13)
  4. Genuine worship (Eph 5:18-20, Col 3:16-17)
  5. Effective prayer
  6. Effective witness (Matt 28:19-20, Jn 13:34-35, Acts 2:44-47)
  7. Effective fellowship
  8. Biblical church government (1 Tim 3:1-13)
  9. Spiritual power in ministry (Acts 1:8, Rom 1:16, 1 Cor 4:20, 2 Cor 10:3-4)
  10. Personal holiness of life among members (1 Thess 4:3, Heb 12:14)
  11. Care for the poor (Acts 4:32-35, Rom 15:26, Gal 2:10)
  12. Love for Christ (1 Pet 1:8, Rev 2:4)

There may be other signs than these, but at least these may be mentioned as factors that increase a church’s conformity to God’s purposes. Churches can be more pure in some areas and less pure in others. Most churches will tend to think that the areas in which they are strong are the most important areas, and the areas where they are weak are less important. But the New Testament encourages us to work for the purity of the church in all of these areas (Eph 5:26-27, Col1:28, Titus 1:9, 11, 1 Cor 14:12). We are to work for the purity of the visible church and for the edification or growth of the church toward Christian maturity.

Of course, if we are to work for the purity of the church, especially of the local church of which we a part, we must recognize that this is a process, and that any church of which we are a part will be somewhat impure in various areas. There were no perfect churches at the time of the New Testament and there will be no perfect churches until Christ returns. This means that Christians have no obligation to seek the purest church they can find and stay there, and then leave it if an even purer church comes to their attention. Rather, they should find a true church in which they can have effective ministry and in which they will experience Christian growth as well, and then should stay there and minister, continually working for the purity of that church.

  1. New Testament Teaching on the Unity of the Church

Jn 10:16, 17:21, 23

1 Cor 1:2, 10, Phil 2:2, Eph 4:3, 12-13

Paul can command the church to live in unity because there is already an actual spiritual unity in Christ which exists among genuine believers. (Eph 3:4-6, 1 Cor 10:17)

There is strong warnings against those who cause divisions: Rom 16:17-18, Gal 2:11-14, 5:20-21, Jude 19.

Consistent with this New Testament emphasis on the unity of believers is the fact that the direct commands to separate from other people are always commands to separate from unbelievers, not from Christians with whom one disagrees. (2 Cor 6:14, 17, 2 Tim 3:4-5, 8)

In addition to working for the purity of the visible church, we are also to work for the unity of the visible church.

  1. Reasons for Separation

Wrong reasons for separation include such things as personal ambition and pride, or differences on minor doctrines or practices (doctrinal or behavioral patterns that would not affect any other doctrine and that would not have a significant effect on the way one lives the Christian life).

On the other hand, there are some reasons for separation that we may consider to be possibly right.

  1. Doctrinal reasons – when church becomes a false church
  2. Reasons of conscience – when the church is teaching or advocating a wrong practice or doctrine. It may not be required, but it may be wise to leave a church on the basis of conscience if staying implied approval of some unbiblical doctrine or practice within the church, and thereby encouraged others to follow.
  3. Practical considerations – Moving to another location.
  4. Or when staying result in more harm than good. This requires much prayer and mature judgment, because withdrawing from a church is a serious action.

Doctrine of the Church – The Power of the Church – Part 1

Definition: The power of the church is its God-given authority to carry on spiritual warfare, proclaim the gospel, and exercise church discipline.2 Cor 10:3-6

  1. Spiritual Warfare

Acts 13:8-11, 16:16-18, 12:1-17

1 Cor 4:19-20, Acts 5:1-11

Eph 6:10-18

The church may not have the same degree of spiritual power as the apostles Peter or Paul, but it does have the authority to pray against and to speak with authority against demonic opposition to the work of the gospel. We do have some degree of spiritual power that God is willing to grant to the churchin times of conflict against evil.

  1. The Keys of the Kingdom

Matt 16:19

Lk 11:52, Rev 1:8

“Key” – authority to open a door and give entrance or exit to a place or realm

The “keys of the kingdom of heaven” therefore represent at least the authority to preach the gospel of Christ (Mt 16:16) and thus to open the door of the kingdom of heaven and allow people to enter.

The authority of the keys also includes the authority to exercise discipline within the church (Mt 18:17-18). This understanding of binding and loosing is in the context of Jesus promising to build his church (Mt 16:18). Therefore, it seems that the keys of the kingdom of heaven which Jesus promised included both (1) the ability to admit people to the kingdom of heaven through preaching the gospel, and (2) the authority to exercise church discipline for those who enter.

Yet the authority of the keys with respect to church discipline is not completely unlimited. It will only be effective against true sin, sin as defined by God’s Word. The church does not have authority on its own to legislate what is morally right and wrong in an absolute sense, for the authority to define right and wrong belongs to God alone. The church can only declare and teach what God has already commanded in His Word. Nor can the authority of the keys involve authority to forgive sins in any absolute sense, because in Scripture it is clear that that can only be done by God himself. Therefore the authority of the church to carry out discipline must be carried out in accordance with the standards of Scripture.

  1. The Power of the Church and Power of the State

Should the church ever “take up the sword” (use physical force) to carry out its purposes in the new covenant age?

Jn 18:36, 1 Cor 10:4

God does give to civil government the right to bear the sword, to use force to punish evil in the world (Rom 13:1-7). But there is no indication that the power of government is to be used to enforce adherence to Christianity upon any people. Moreover, there are several indication that Jesus refused to use the power of physical force to compel people to accept the gospel (Lk 9:54-55).

The civil government should not enforce laws requiring or prohibiting kinds of church doctrine, or abridging the people’s freedom to worship as they choose. On the other hand, the church does not and should not rule over the state, as if it were some kind of higher authority over the state; it is not. Rather, the authority of the church and that of the state belong to different spheres, and each should respect the authority God has given the other in its own sphere of operation. But this should not be misunderstood as a prohibition against Christians attempting to bring positive moral influence on government and attempting to persuade governments to make laws consistent with biblical standards of morality. It is right for Christians to attempt to persuade governments to make laws that protect families and private property and the loves of human beings – laws that both outlaw and punish murder, adultery, theft, and the breaking of contracts, as well as prohibit homosexual conduct, drunkenness, drug abuse, abortion, and other things that are inconsistent with biblical standards of morality. These things are far different from requiring belief in certain kinds of church or worship services. The latter are clearly “religious” activities in the narrow sense in that they pertain to out relationship with God and our beliefs about him. Governments should refrain from making laws about these things.

Doctrine of the Church – The Power of the Church – Part 2

Definition: The power of the church is its God-given authority to carry on spiritual warfare, proclaim the gospel, and exercise church discipline. 2 Cor 10:3-6