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 When
followers of Christ are likened unto a physical body, Christ is
the head and the saints are the members of that body, the church
(Eph. 1:22-23). All who are in Christ are, by this figure,
considered members of His body. We ignore priorities if we say
one becomes a saint by becoming a member of His body. The body
figure describes certain characteristics of Christ’s followers
— it does not tell us how to become followers, nor does it
provide the means of becoming such.
The
church is not the means of our redemption from sin, it is
the result. The church does not save, it is the saved.
The Christian life is lived in faithfulness to the LORD (Acts
11:20-23), not to the “church.” When we say one can not be
saved without being in the church we mean that all who are saved
become, by the same process, members of His universal church
body.
What
was God’s “eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus”?
Paul says it was “that the Gentiles should be fellow heirs,
and of the same body, and partakers of his promise in Christ by
the gospel” (Eph. 3:3-6; 8-11). Salvation from sin, in Christ,
for whosoever will; that was God’s eternal purpose. The wisdom
(and love, and mercy) of God is “made known” (demonstrated)
by the product: Jews and Gentiles serving God together in the
church.
What
was to be established “in the last days” according to Isa.
2:, Dan. 2:, Mic. 4:, Joel 2:? The “mountain of Jehovah” was
to be established — the rule or government of God in Christ.
“Kingdom” (basileia) always refers to rule; then by
extension to citizens,
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etc. “Out of Zion shall go forth the law
(instruction), and the word of Jehovah from Jerusalem.” Those
who came to the mountain, who followed the instructions of the
King, were the fruit or result of the means of salvation, Jesus
Christ. Thus, the church was established in Jerusalem.
The
church is called the temple of God (1 Cor. 3:16-17), the bride
of Christ (2 Cor. 11:2; Eph. 5:23-32), and other like terms
which stress various characteristics of God’s people. It is
the people who are under consideration, not some
institutional concept of “church” apart from saints. Perhaps
there is a sense in which God instituted church as He did
marriage: by sanctioning and giving rules and regulations
for all who enter this relationship; but neither marriage nor
church exist apart from or before people so related.
We
therefore reject the Catholic institutional concept of “church”
as a “society” which is the means of redemption. They think
of the New Testament as the product of the church; we think of
the church as the product of the New Testament. Catholic
Encyclopedia (V.111, p.752) says “only by entering the Church
can we participate in the redemption wrought for us by Christ.”
We say, only by participating in the redemption wrought for us
by Christ can we enter the church. They say “Incorporation
with the Church can alone unite us to the family of the second
Adam.” We say we are born of water and spirit into the family,
which is the church (Jn. 3:5; 1 Cor. 12:13; Eph. 2:19; Heb.
12:22-23). (continued next page)
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