BIBLE DOCTRINE

THE CHURCH–A LOCAL, VISIBLE CHURCH

Art Davison BIBLE DOCTRINE 0 Comment
THE CHURCH
A LOCAL, VISIBLE CHURCH

Basic Scripture Reading: 1 Timothy 3:14-15, “These things write I unto thee, hoping to come unto thee shortly: 15 But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.

Key Text: 1 Corinthians 4:17, “For this cause have I sent unto you Timotheus, who is my beloved son, and faithful in the Lord, who shall bring you into remembrance of my ways which be in Christ, as I teach every where in every church.”

Introduction:

Here is another doctrine that distinguishes the Baptist from other evangelical denominations. We believe in a church that is ONLY LOCAL AND VISIBLE. The believer will give importance to his affiliation with a local Baptist church according to his understanding of the Bible definition of this word.

I. THE POPULAR DEFINITIONS OF THE WORD “CHURCH.”

A. The definitions well known are:

1. The DEMOMINATIONAL idea: “the Presbyterian, Methodist, etc., church”

2. The CATHOLIC idea: a Roman Catholic Church with all of its popes, bishops, cardinals, etc., makes up “the Universal VISIBLE Church with an earthly director, the pope of Rome.”

3. The PROTESTANT idea: The total number of saved since the day of Pentecost until the “rapture,” constitutes what is called the “UNIVERSAL, INVISIBLE church, the MISTICAL BODY OF CHRIST.”

4. The BAPTIST and NEW TESTAMENT idea: A church is a LOCAL, VISIBLE CONGREGATION of believers scripturally baptized and organized to carry out the Great Commission.

B. The definition most popular is number 3 above: An INVISIBLE church. The defenders of this definition see TWO CHURCHES in the New Testament: the true church, which, according to them, is made up of all the believers; and the VISIBLE church, that is subject to total apostasy (leaving Biblical truth). Believing the universal idea, they have a tendency to despise the doctrine of the local, visible, organized church.

C. We believe that this problem of “TWO CHURCHES” will be resolved when we stop calling the totality of believers “the church.” All believers, born again by faith in Christ, pertain to the FAMILY and the KINGDOM OF GOD:

1. John 3:3, 5, “Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. 5- Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.”

2. John 1:12-13, “But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: 13- Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.”

3. 1 John 3:1-2, Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not. -2- Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.”

4. This family of God takes in the total number, not only of the believer of the New Testament, but also those of the Old Testament since Adam until the last to be saved before the Second Coming of Christ, John 11:51-52, “And this spake he not of himself: but being high priest that year, he prophesied that Jesus should die for that nation; 52- And not for that nation only, but that also he should gather together in one the children of God that were scattered abroad.”

II. THE BAPTIST POSITION

The word translated “church” (ekklesia, in Greek) never flees from the basic sense in the Greek language: “An assembly or congregation called out for a definite purpose.” In the history of that language you never hear of a “ekklesia” (church) THAT DOES NOT COME TOGETHER! How could they come together (before the Second Coming of Christ) in a so-called “universal” church? Such a church is nothing more than an unrealizable idea, and an impractical idea, because it does not have function to realize here on the earth. But the Biblical church, visible and local, has a function, that is, to act as the representative of Christ.

A. The local church represents THE LORD until He returns! Mark 13:34-35, “For the Son of man is as a man taking a far journey, who left his house, and gave authority to his servants, and to every man his work, and commanded the porter to watch. 35- Watch ye therefore: for ye know not when the master of the house cometh, at even, or at midnight, or at the cockcrowing, or in the morning:”

B. The local church takes charge until He returns, Luke 19:13, “And he called his ten servants, and delivered them ten pounds, and said unto them, Occupy till I come.”

POINTS TO PONDER:
1. Give the four definitions most common of the word “church.”

2. How many types of churches do the Protestants believe exist?

3. All of the believers in Christ make the FAMILY or the CHURCH of God?

4. Why is the idea of a universal church unrealizable and impractical?

5. What is the function of the local and visible church?

A LOCAL VISIBLE CHURCH–LESSON 2

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A LOCAL VISIBLE CHURCH
LESSON 2

Basic Scripture reading: Ephesians 3:6-11, “That the Gentiles should be fellow-heirs, and of the same body, and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel: 7- Whereof I was made a minister, according to the gift of the grace of God given unto me by the effectual working of his power. 8- Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ; 9- And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ: 10- To the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God, 11- According to the eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord:”

Key text: 1 Timothy 3:15, “that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God,”

I. THE USE OF THE WORD “CHURCH” IN THE NEW TESTAMENT.

A. Of the 115 times that the word “church” appears in the New Testament, it refers to, at least 93 times, the churches whose localities are mentioned. The majority of the other references should be explained as the “institutional, collective, or generic use of the word. That use we see in verses such as Ephesians 3:10 and 5:23-27. We can compare that use of the word to phrases like: “The American man…” It is understood by this generic phrase a certain quality of man. No one would imagine an enormous man made up of all American men! In the above text no reference is made of all believers in the world. When the institution called “the church” is expressed, it will always take the form of local, visible, organized churches.

B. The current use of the word church can be illustrated from the book of 1 Timothy. In 1 Timothy 3:5, Paul said that a pastor should govern well “his own house,” to the contrary he would not know how to take care of the “church of God.” No one will imagine the sense of “universal” in this case. How could a pastor that is “local,” and that has a local house and family, take charge of a universal church of believers scattered through out the whole earth? In the same chapter (1 Timothy 3:15, our key text) Paul affirms that the church “is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.” It would be difficult to understand this verse in another sense if not the local churches. All believers scattered through out the world are divided into thousands of groups, or denominations, that teach varied doctrines. Only a local church, that defends and practices “the faith which was once delivered unto the saints” (Jude 3) will be able to fulfill the requirements to be “the pillar and ground OF THE TRUTH!” 1 Timothy 5:16 also refers to the local church that realizes beneficial works for the widows.

C. All of the types used in the New Testament have a local sense: building, body, field, bride, flock, temple, house, lamp. Who would ever see a “universal house,” a “universal bride,” (what a woman!); a “universal flock” that includes all of the sheep of the world? It is much easier to understand a word in its basic, Biblical and simple sense: a group of believers united in the same confession of faith in Christ, baptized scripturally and organized by the authority of Christ to carry out His great commission to evangelize, baptize and teach the disciples that are made (Matthew 28:19-20).

D. All of the churches of the New Testament had a local address: the Church in Jerusalem, Acts 1:8; the Church in Antioch of Syria, Acts 13:1; the Church in Corinth, 1 Corinthians 1:2; the seven churches of Asia, Revelation 1:4; the Church in Thessalonica, 1 Thessalonians 1:1; the churches of Galatia, Galatians1:2; the churches in Judea, Galatians 1:22; the churches in particular houses, Romans 16:5; 1 Corinthians 16:19; Philemon 2; Colossians 4:15; etc. Christ directs each church in particular (Revelation 2 and 3).

II. CONCLUSION

If you have already accepted Christ after repentance and faith and you have already been converted to the truth, you are certainly a child born of God and saved eternally! However, until you confess Christ publicly and ask for baptism and join a local, scriptural Baptist church, you continue outside of the church that Jesus organized and left here in order to accomplish His work on earth! (Acts 2:41, 47). Put your light, now shining for Christ through salvation, on a “candlestick” so that it can shine along with the other members! (Matthew 5:16). Unite with a local, visible church.

Points To Ponder:

1. Explain the institutional or generic use of the word “church.”

2. Explain why the church of the key text could not be understood in the universal sense.

3. Comment on the figures used in the New Testament.

4. How does the idea of the locality of the church reinforce the fact that we encounter the “address” of many of the churches of the New Testament?

A CHURCH OF ONLY SAVED BELIEVERS–ACTS 2:37-47

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A CHURCH OF ONLY SAVED BELIEVERS
ACTS 2:37-47
Introduction:

This is not only Baptist doctrine, but it is Bible doctrine as well.

I. Baptist churches have always insisted on three things before someone is baptized and enrolled as a member of the local church:

A. That the professing Christian has assurance of his salvation, John 5:24, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.” 1 John 5:13, “These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.”

B. That he confess his faith and submission to Jesus Christ as his personal Saviour and Lord of his life publicly, Matthew 3:6, “And were baptized of him in Jordan, confessing their sins.” Romans 10:9-10, “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. 10- For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.”

C. That the professed believer demonstrate in his life, before baptism, a complete change.

1. A transformation effected by the Holy Spirit, the new spiritual birth, Matthew 3:3-10, “For this is he that was spoken of by the prophet Esaias, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. 4- And the same John had his raiment of camel’s hair, and a leathern girdle about his loins; and his meat was locusts and wild honey. 5- Then went out to him Jerusalem, and all Judaea, and all the region round about Jordan, 6- And were baptized of him in Jordan, confessing their sins. 7- But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees come to his baptism, he said unto them, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come? 8- Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance: 9- And think not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham. 10- And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees: therefore every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. Titus 3:5, “Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;” 2 Corinthians 5:17, “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”

2. This transformation will manifest itself through:

a) The abandonment of vices, Ephesians 4:17, 32, “This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind, And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.”

b) A new love for God and His church, 1 John 3:14, “We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death.”

c) By the positive conduct of “good works,” Ephesians 2:8-10, “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9- Not of works, lest any man should boast. 10- For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.”

II. Old Testament Types Prove This Doctrine.

A. Baptism, while important for the obedience of the believer after his conversion, is useless for the unbeliever because it has no power to save. The great slogan during the middle ages was “The blood first before baptism,” and “The Holy Spirit before water.”

B. A figure of this truth is seen in the Exodus of God’s people from Egypt. The Israelites were freed from death by the blood of the lamb, Exodus 12:6-7, “And ye shall keep it up until the fourteenth day of the same month: and the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it in the evening. 7- And they shall take of the blood, and strike it on the two side posts and on the upper door post of the houses, wherein they shall eat it.”

1. This is a figure of our salvation from eternal death by the blood of Jesus Christ, Ephesians 1:7, “In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;” 1 John 1:7, “But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.”

2. The Israelites were guided by the cloud and pillar of fire even before they arrived at the Red Sea, Exodus 13:21-22, “And the LORD went before them by day in a pillar of a cloud, to lead them the way; and by night in a pillar of fire, to give them light; to go by day and night: 22- He took not away the pillar of the cloud by day, nor the pillar of fire by night, from before the people.”

a) Their passage through the Red Sea on dry ground became a figure of baptism, 1 Corinthians 10:1-2, “Moreover, brethren, I would not that ye should be ignorant, how that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea; 2- And were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea;

b) The cloud and pillar of fire are figures of the presence and direction of the Holy Spirit in the life of the believer, Romans 8:14-17, “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. 15-For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.16- The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: 17-And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.”

Conclusion:

These figures teach us that the believer, before his baptism, shall be saved by the blood of Jesus Christ and led by the Holy Spirit! In fact, it is the Holy Spirit that leads the believer to want to be baptized Scripturally.

UNLEAVEN BREAD–EXODUS 12:14-15

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UNLEAVEN BREAD
EXODUS 12:14-15
Introduction:

The Lord took the elements used in the Lord’s Supper from the Feast of the Passover. Jesus had just celebrated the Passover with His disciples and then instituted the Lord’s Supper using the wine and the unleavened bread of the Passover.

1) The Passover bread was without yeast or leaven, v. 15, “Seven days shall ye eat unleavened bread; even the first day ye shall put away leaven out of your houses: for whosoever eateth leavened bread from the first day until the seventh day, that soul shall be cut off from Israel.”

2) Leaven is a type of sin in the Scriptures,

a. The leaven of the Pharisees, Matthew 16:11-12, “How is it that ye do not understand that I spake it not to you concerning bread, that ye should beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees? 12 Then understood they how that he bade them not beware of the leaven of bread, but of the doctrine of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees.” Leaven was never used in offerings or observances relating redemption.

b. Paul warned about leaven as a type of sin, 1 Corinthians 5:6, “Your glorying is not good. Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump?”

3) Leavened bread is the subject of many Scriptures relating to suffering or sin.

I. THE SHEW-BREAD (UNLEAVENED)

A. The shew-bread consisted of twelve loaves of unleavened bread prepared and presented hot on the golden table every Sabbath. They were square or oblong, and represented the twelve tribes of Israel.

B. The old loaves were removed every Sabbath, and were to be eaten only by the priests in the court of the sanctuary, Exodus 25:30, “And thou shalt set upon the table shewbread before me alway.”

C. David was allowed to eat the shewbread when he was fleeing from King Saul, 1 Samuel 21:1–6.

II. OTHER BREADS MENTIONED

A. The Bread of Sorrows (grief and pain), Psalm 127:2, “It is vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late, to eat the bread of sorrows: for so he giveth his beloved sleep.”

B. The Bread of Tears, sorrow and tears are like one’s daily bread, they form so great a part in life, Psalm 80:5, “Thou feedest them with the bread of tears; and givest them tears to drink in great measure.”

C. The Bread of Wickedness (violence or crime), Proverbs 4:17, “For they eat the bread of wickedness, and drink the wine of violence.”

D. The Bread of Deceit (lying or falsehood), denotes in like manner that wickedness and deceit are a part of the daily life, Proverbs 20:17, “Bread of deceit is sweet to a man; but afterwards his mouth shall be filled with gravel.”

III. “I AM THE BREAD OF LIFE.”

A. With this Bread you will never hunger, John 6:35, “And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.”

B. This is eternal bread, life giving Bread, John 6:48-50, “I am that bread of life. 49Your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness, and are dead. 50This is the bread which cometh down from heaven, that a man may eat thereof, and not die.”

CONCLUSION

This bread, unleavened bread represents the Bread of Life, the Lord Jesus Christ. It is not His body, but only represents it. That body of His never knew sin. However, He bore our sin on the cross that we might be free from sin.

THE LORD’S SUPPER–1 CORINTHIANS 11:23-29

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THE LORD’S SUPPER
1 CORINTHIANS 11:23-29
Introduction:
The Apostle Paul states that he received a direct revelation from the Lord concerning the origin of the Lord’s Supper, v. 1. Luke’s account (Luke 22:17-20) is almost identical with this one. He could easily have read I Corinthians before he wrote his Gospel. First Corinthians is dated about the Spring of AD 55 whereas Luke’s Gospel is dated about AD 60-62.
The Lord’s Supper was instituted on the same night in which Jesus was betrayed by Judas Iscariot, v. 1.

I. JESUS AND HIS DISCIPLES WERE EATING THE PASSOVER

A. Jesus took the bread of the Passover, v. 2.
1. This bread was unleavened bread, Exodus 12:8, “And they shall eat the flesh in that night, roast with fire, and unleavened bread; and with bitter herbs they shall eat it.”
2. The prohibition of leaven in the Passover symbolized the haste of their preparation for departure, Exodus 12:11, “And thus shall ye eat it; with your loins girded, your shoes on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and ye shall eat it in haste: it is the LORD’S passover.”
3. However, here the leaven represents corruption, Matthew 16:6, “Then Jesus said unto them, Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees.”
a. The example of the corruption of the Pharisees, Mark 3:6, “And the Pharisees went forth, and straightway took counsel with the Herodians against him, how they might destroy him.”
b. Therefore it is prohibited in the Lord’s Supper.
4. The Bread, v. 24.
a. The breaking of the bread represents the suffering of the Lord, Isaiah 53:3-5, “He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not. 4- Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. 5- But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.”
b. The eating of the bread is to remember the Lord’s sacrifice for us.
1) The Old Testament sacrifices brought sins continually to remembrance, Hebrews 10:1, 3, “For the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect. 3- But in those sacrifices there is a remembrance again made of sins every year.”
2) The Lord’s Supper reminds us of what Christ has done for us until He comes, v. 26; Matthew 26:29, “But I say unto you, I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.”
B. The Cup of the Lord’s Supper, v. 27.
1. The cup speaks of the New Covenant (Testament), Hebrews 9:15-17, “And for this cause he is the mediator of the new testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance. 16- For where a testament is, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator. 17- For a testament is of force after men are dead: otherwise it is of no strength at all while the testator liveth.”
2. Jesus was the guarantee of a better covenant, Hebrews 7:22, “By so much was Jesus made a SURETY of a better testament.”
3. His Blood was shed for many, Matthew 20:28, “Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.”
a. The Ransom == a price paid for the redemption of captives, 1 Corinthians 6:20, “For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.”
b. We were under sins withering dominion, and exposed to eternal death, Psalms 9:17, “The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God.”
CONCLUSION
Knowing all of this a man should examine himself regarding his fellowship with the Lord (vv. 28-29) and confess his sins to the Lord and ask forgiveness, 1 John 1:9, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”