THE CHURCH, THE CHURCH
My church is better than your church.
No, you say, your church is better than my church.
The church, the church. For centuries, we Christians have argued whose church was the right church. Did we know what we were talking about?
Some say the church is a visible body, therefore it needs a visible head. No, say others. Christ is the head of the church. In the Bible, overseers were ordained only for the local congregation. The words "elder" and "bishop" are used interchangeably (Titus 1:5,7; Acts 20:17,28). So, generally speaking, there are two forms of church government: congregational, where each local church is independent, and hierarchical, where collective congregations are ruled by an overseer.
However, there appears to be another group of believers in the Bible other than the visible church. Peter tells us in Acts 10:35 that there are true believers in every nation. Evidently, nations where there was no visible Christian church. In Romans 2:14 and 15, we are told that those who have not the law - scriptures - but do those things naturally contained in the law, that they are born again Christians. So we see that while there are visible churches, there are also true believers who serve God who are not within these visible churches.
THEY ARE THE INVISIBLE CHURCH.
There are two churches: the visible church and the invisible church. But we must ask, what is the church? The Greek word "ekklesia" refers to those "called out". Called out of what? Called out of the CONFUSION of the natural world confused by sin.
As we have seen, there is even confusion about the church. Many sincerely believe that the church was established on the Day of Pentecost when 3,000 were baptized at Peter's admonition (Acts 2:41). However, Stephen refers to Moses and the children of Israel at Mt. Sinai as "… the church in the wilderness …" (Acts 7: 37,38).
Israel was God's true church on earth. It began when Abraham was "called out" of Ur of the Chaldees, which was part of old Babylonia. In the ancient tongue, Babylon means "gate of God". In the Bible, Babel (Hebrew for Babylon) means confusion. Israel, God's true church, began when Abraham was called out of confusion, out of Babylon.
Israel was God's visible church on earth. Did they make mistakes? Yes. It appears that they were in confusion much of the time. We Christians have a tendency to think they were not too smart. But in condemning them we condemn ourselves because the history of Israel is the history of human nature. The things that happened to them were examples for Christians (1 Corinthians 10).
Therefore, it is a serious mistake to believe that Christianity, God's visible church on earth today, has everything just right.
History is replete with mistakes of the established, visible church. Christ taught to love our fellow man. The church persecuted and executed those who resisted her authority. When Jesus said that the gates of hell would not prevail against His church (Matthew 16:18), He must have been speaking of the INVISIBLE CHURCH, which is made up of true believers, some of whom may be in a visible church and some who may not. God's true church on earth IS the Church Invisible!
Remember that those that have not the law but do those things naturally contained in the law, they are born again members of the invisible church. What is the law referred to here? When asked what was the great commandment in the law, Jesus quoted from Deuteronomy 6:5 and Leviticus 19:18, love God and fellow man. He did not mention the Ten Commandments. To love one's neighbor is Christian. To persecute one's neighbor is anti-Christian. The visible church that persecutes dissenters is an anti-Christian Church. The Devil has prevailed against the visible church.
If Israel, God's visible church on earth for 2,000 years, was confused at the time of the First Advent, is it possible that Christianity, God's visible church for the past 2,000 years, could be confused at the time of the Second Advent? Not only possible, but probable.
TWO VIEWS OF SALVATION
To become a Christian, one must believe that Jesus of Nazareth is the seed of Abraham, the Promised One, the Anointed, the Christ, the Savior of the world, and one must repent of their sins as Peter advised on the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2:38). From this view, it appears that man's part in the salvation process is to have faith and repent.
Another view begs the question, does man have a part in his salvation? It is certain that those who have been saved will have had faith and will have repented, but the words of Jesus Himself are clear. "No man can come to me except the Father which hath sent me draw him …" and "… no man can come unto me, except it were given unto him of my Father" (John 6:44,65). Fallen man is so weakened by sin that he cannot come to Christ on his own, but must be drawn. And he will be drawn for it is written, "And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me" (John 12:32). On the cross, Jesus was lifted up between heaven and earth, and He will draw all men to Himself.
The faith that man must have to be saved is a gift of God. Note, "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that (faith) not of yourselves: it is the gift of God" (Ephesians 2:8). And, "… God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith" (Romans 12:3). Yes, sinful man is drawn to Christ and given a measure of faith.
When Peter was asked who Jesus was, he said "Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God". Jesus replied, "… Flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in Heaven" (Matthew 16:17,18). It is the Father who, through the Holy Spirit, draws man and reveals to man that Jesus is his Savior.
Likewise, repentance is also a gift from God. Why was Jesus exalted to sit at God's right hand and made to be a Prince and Savior? "… for to give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins" (Acts 5:31). And not to Israel only is repentance given but also granted to the Gentiles (Acts 11:18). Salvation is God's work from beginning to end. Man has no part in it whatsoever. Faith and repentance are gifts of God.
All, every human being, has been saved in God's great work of grace in the Person of His dear Son. Since all will not be saved, man, so weakened by sin that he must be drawn to his salvation, still has enough will to resist the drawing of the Holy Spirit, which the Bible says is the unpardonable sin, the sin against the Holy Spirit (Matthew 12:31; Mark 3:29; Luke 12:10). Just as Adam and Eve were not forced to accept God's word about the tree in the midst of the Garden of Eden, neither is man forced to accept his acceptance by God.
MAN'S SALVATION IS 100% GOD'S RESPONSIBILITY.
BEING LOST IS 100% MAN'S RESPONSIBILITY.
While the first view of salvation is true, it is not the whole truth that a deeper understanding of the Bible reveals. Man has no part in his salvation but has all the part of being lost by resisting the drawing of the Spirit of God. The Bible is God's truth. We must accept it as the rule of faith. Following its clear admonition that, "A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife …" (1 Timothy 3:2) may have prevented much of the sexual abuse scandals that have plagued the Catholic Church.
For more information on confusion in Christianity, read the 5-part series, "Man's Inclination to Evil", Numbers 4-8, at christianitysconfusion.com or request copies through the mail.