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The Church
(Part I)
On 19th June 325AD, in the
presence of the Emperor Constantine, approximately three hundred ‘bishops’
from throughout the Christian world met to confront certain difficulties
that had arisen. The main problem arose from the teachings of a man called
Arius and he had been influencing the people through sermons, writings,
popular hymns and songs; he was teaching them that the Lord Jesus was a pure
creature, made out of nothing, liable to fall/sin, the Son of God by
adoption, not by nature, and called God in Scripture, not as being really
such, but only in name. He said of Christ, “There was a time when He was
not”. This, of course, is an outright heresy and is one of the foundational
doctrines of, - for example, - the Russellites, Jehovah Witnesses.
Indeed, the Church was in crisis, - it was
necessary for them to draw up a clear and unequivocal doctrinal basis. The
presence of Constantine, however, was a ‘complication’. He became the
emperor of Rome in 306AD. In 312 he went to war against his brother-in-law
and co-emperor, Maxentius. Now, Constantine was an idol worshipper who had
heard of the emergence of Christianity. Fearing defeat at the Battle of
Milvian Bridge he sought divine guidance … from any quarter! While he was
praying for such guidance he experienced a vision in which he saw a cross of
light at midday; the cross, - Christian symbol, - bore the inscription,
in hoc signo vinces (“in this sign you will be victorious”). This dream
“from God” told him to wear the symbol of the cross as a safeguard in all of
his battles. He was consequently victorious in the battle of the Milvian
Bridge, and he continued to wear the cross in every war in which he was
engaged (cf. Crusaders tunic).
His “conversion” to Christianity has great
significance. Not all church historians are of the mind he was truly
converted … and the more you consider their evidence the more convincing
their point of view is. Nevertheless, his “conversion” to Christ, - whether
it was true or not, - does indeed have great implications.
Prior to the “conversion” Constantine was an
idol worshipper, in particular, he worshipped the “sun God”. When he
“converted” the empire adopted Constantine’s Christianity. If
you wanted to succeed in places of influence (e.g. government departments,
local councils, the army, etc.) your opportunities were enhanced if you were
a “Christian”.
Also, many of the temples underwent change;
they were “adopted” to become churches. It is important to point out that
these former idolatrous temples changed into churches overnight and they
retained much of the fabric and content; indeed, the superstition of
idolatry made its way into their worship.
For example, the former temples kept their
idols (after all, they were too sacred to discard!); instead of destroying
the old idols they were given new names, - St. James, St.
Paul, St. John, etc. – and the old powers the old idols were believed
to have had were now transferred to the images of these new saints (e.g.
instead of praying to the old idols, the people now prayed to these new
‘saints’. You would touch these images/saints and they were promised to help
you).
Also, in the centre of the temple was the
altar to their particular idol. Of course, Christianity had a similar
altar, - the Eucharist, the Lord’s Table, - and therefore it was considered
not necessary to get rid of the old altar, - just give it a new name. But,
in the same way as before, the people held on to some of their old
idolatrous beliefs, - they considered it to have some magical and
supernatural elements … so much so that when their local bishop/elder or
highly esteemed church leader died he was buried underneath the altar,
thereby giving it increasing ecclesiastical status.
Why am I telling you all this? Simply to
emphasise the fact that when these three hundred bishops met at Nicaea they
were seeking to draw up a Confession of Faith, faithful to the teachings of
the Apostles, in order to eradicate traditions or doctrines contrary to the
Scriptures. The Nicene Creed was completed in the way we know it in
Constantinople, 381AD…
I believe in one God, the Father Almighty,
maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible; And in
one Lord Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God, begotten of his Father
before all worlds, God of God, Light of Light, very God of very God,
begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father; by whom all
things were made; who for us men and for our salvation came down from
heaven, and was incarnate by the Holy Ghost of the Virgin Mary, and was made
man; and was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate; he suffered and was
buried; and the third day he rose again according to the Scriptures, and
ascended into heaven, and sitteth on the right hand of the Father; and he
shall come again, with glory, to judge both the quick and the dead; whose
kingdom shall have no end. And I believe in the Holy Ghost the Lord, and
Giver of Life, who proceedeth from the Father [and the Son]; who with the
Father and the Son together is worshipped and glorified; who spake by the
Prophets. And I believe in one holy Catholic and Apostolic Church; I
acknowledge one baptism for the remission of sins; and I look for the
resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen.
Through all the divisions that arose out of
Arianism, and the compromises of Constantine’s state-adopted Christianity
the bishops taught, “I believe in one
holy Catholic and Apostolic Church”.
Unfortunately, such a term has been hijacked by Roman Catholicism and
we, - as Protestants, - shy away from using it in its proper meaning.
But as our Baptist Confession of Faith
explains this “catholic or universal church … consists of the whole number
of the elect who have been, who are being, or who yet shall be gathered into
one under Christ Who is the Church’s Head”. … First of all …
Who is in this Church?
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It is tremendously important to hold to a
Biblical doctrine of the Church (“ecclesiology”). In order to assess who
is our brothers and sisters in the Lord we ought to know the ‘entrance
requirements’, otherwise the Church can become a title that doesn’t really
mean anything |
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The Bible uses such terms to describe the
true members of the Church as “redeemed”, “born again”, “saved”,
“converted”, “in Christ”. |
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The Bible teaches the Church is made up
from those who God unconditionally and irresistibly calls to Himself
through grace, e.g. |
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Is. 45:4 For Jacob my
servant's sake, and Israel mine elect, I have even called thee by thy
name: I have surnamed thee, though thou hast not known me. 5 I am the
LORD, and there is none else, there is no God beside me: I girded thee,
though thou hast not known me: 6 That they may know from the rising of
the sun, and from the west, that there is none beside me. I am the LORD,
and there is none else. |
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Eph. 1:4 he hath chosen us in
him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without
blame before him in love: 5 Having predestinated us unto the adoption of
children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his
will, 6 To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us
accepted in the beloved. |
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I Peter 1:2 Elect according
to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the
Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ. |
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In the same way that we love Christ because
He first loved us, we chose Christ because He first chose us. |
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Someone said to me recently they could not
believe God would choose some to be saved and not choose others; well,
that is exactly what He did! If God had not chosen me to be
saved, I would not be saved! |
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Every member of the Church of Christ has
been chosen in eternity and the blood of Christ at Calvary atoned for our
sin, - He became our Propitiation, by which He took upon Himself the wrath
of God; Christ satisfied completely the righteous judgement our sin
demanded. |
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This Church for whom He paid the ransom He
will one day, - in its entirety, - present before His Father. It will not
be missing any, it will be complete … and the basis for each member of His
Bride is the eternal saving love of God, demonstrated through free and
Sovereign grace. |
What are its fundamentals?
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There are those folk who believe that all
you need to say is “Jesus is Lord” and you are a Christian. They quote,
Rom. 10:9 That if you
confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," … you will be saved.
(NIV) In some ways, it is akin to Islam that teaches all you need to say
to become a Muslim is “Allah is God”. |
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The fundamentals of being a Christian are
exact and unnegotiable. Rom. 10:9, - even in the NIV, - actually
says, That if you
confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that
God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
V. 10 continues,
For it is with your
heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that
you confess and are saved. |
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Saying
you are a Christian must be supported by a changed life that demonstrates
you are a Christian. |
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There are indeed many different types of
church fellowships, - for example, the
Methodists, Pentecostals, Presbyterians, Anglicans, Baptists,
non-denominational … we each have doctrines that we put higher up the list
that others … but at ‘the top of the list’ – in order for us to belong to
the true Church of the Lord Jesus Christ, - we need to have turned to Him,
repented of our sin, believe in Him for personal salvation, and we need to
uphold and practise the Faith based upon His most Holy Word. |
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We might have different views on baptism,
the constituency of the church, tongues and gifts, end times … but at the
core of what we believe … in order to be saved and united in Christ we
must believe in the Gospel of salvation that teaches,
Rom. 5:8 God commendeth his
love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. |
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This was the same message taught by the
apostles, the early church and the Reformers. |
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The absolute fundamentals of our faith are
absolutely non-negotiable! |
Is there a false Church?
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The Christian Church today is said to be
the world’s largest religion with over 2.1 billion followers. In Britain
72% of the population say they are ‘Christians’ (41 million ‘Christians’). |
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Now … bear in mind the words of Jesus in
Mt. 7:21 Not every one
that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven;
but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. 22 Many will
say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and
in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful
works? 23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart
from me, ye that work iniquity. |
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What if someone says they are a believer
and they cast doubt on the Word of God? |
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What if someone says they are a believer
and they deny the substitutionary death of Christ? What if they deny, -
like Arius, - Jesus was truly the Son of God? What if they say Jesus never
rose from the dead? What if they say we can be saved through our own good
works? |
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Is there a false church?
Of course there is. Almost as long as the true Church has been in
existence, the false church has been in existence too. … It has a
different gospel, - man-made, man-sufficient, man-content. (… It’s a
Biblical fact that the devil always likes to try and imitate God and His
ways.) |
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The false gospel has its own conception of
who/what God is and he is a God of their own imagination. In this context
the angel to the church at Smyrna spoke about
the synagogue of Satan (Rev.
2:9; 3:9). |
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In the New Testament there were the
Judaizing Christians, the Gnostics, the antinomians, the various flavours
of a deformed view of Christianity, and there were also those who followed
men. … There has always been the false church alongside the true Church. |
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The First Epistle of John teaches there are
many antichrists … and an antichrist is simply someone who puts himself in
the place of Christ (Mt.
2:22 in the room of,
ajntiv.) When someone takes it upon
themselves to teach doctrines that can not be substantiated by Scripture
they are putting themselves in the place reserved only for God and His
Word! |
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Our Baptist Confession of Faith, is
in full agreement with the Church of England’s Thirty-Nine Articles,
the Presbyterian Westminster Confession of Faith,
Methodism’s Forty-Four Sermons, the Congregational The Savoy
Declaration of Faith and Order 1658, the Lutheran Helvetic
Confession (1562) when it teaches the historic Protestant truth that
“the Pope of Rome … is the antichrist, described in Scripture as ‘the man
of sin’, ‘the son of perdition’, who ‘exalts himself’ in the Church
against Christ and ‘above all that is called God’, whom ‘the Lord shall
destroy with the brightness of His coming’”. |
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This truth has never changed and the Roman
antichrist fulfils that roll exactly. Some would accuse us of bigotry …
but this is not bigotry; this is the historic teaching of the Church since
Reformation times. |
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We don’t need to give any further time to
this subject of the false church just now but we need to be aware of its
existence and not be frightened to condemn or stand up against that which
contradicts the glorious truths of the unadulterated Word of God. |
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The Bible says the false church, - in all
its various guises, - has
a form of godliness, but
denying the power thereof: from such turn away (II Tim. 3:5). |
Who does the Church belong to?
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The Church is Christ’s. He purchased it;
the Church is His Bride. God chose it, the Son redeemed it, and the Holy
Spirit dwells in it. |
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Its master is not a synod of bishops or a
conclave of cardinals … the Church is God’s,
Zech. 2:8 For thus saith the
LORD of hosts; After the glory hath he sent me unto the nations which
spoiled you: for he that toucheth you toucheth the apple of his eye. |
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Our one Father is the Jehovah God of the
Old Testament, - the same God as Abraham, Moses, Samuel, David, Elijah and
the Prophets; He is the same God of the New Testament … of Peter, John,
James, and Paul. |
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… The Church is His; it belongs to Him; He
purchased it. |
What is the purpose of the Church
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The Confession says rightly that the
Lord Jesus “calls to Himself out of the world those who are given to Him
by His Father, that they may live in His sight, rendering Him the
obedience prescribed by Him for them in the Scripture”. |
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The purpose of each member of the Redeemed
Church is to live to the glory of God. It is a privilege to be saved! If
you are truly saved, it is an honour you enjoy! |
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Hell does not await you at the end of this
life, - your sins are not piling up against your name. |
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Christ has entered your life … you are His,
He is yours. You live each day knowing if He should come back for you that
you will enjoy His company forever. |
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Indeed, you live each day in
anticipation of His return. You want to hold yourself in a manner that
testifies of His saving grace. |
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… And you are not an isolated believer; the
Bible teaches you and I are an integral part of His Church, the
Confession says, “He commands those thus called to form particular
societies or churches to promote their common welfare, and to engage in
the public worship which He requires them to carry on while they continue
in the world”. |
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Within this redeemed Church of Christ is
the proper teaching, fellowship and all the opportunities for service
together as God’s people. |
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God has a purpose for His Church … and the
purpose is to show forth His Glory. |
Conclusion
In our study this evening we have considered
much that is foundational to our faith. The following paragraphs in this
Confession's chapter emphasise the workings and the practices of the
church, and the responsibilities of its members to God and to each other.
I trust you feel privileged to belong to Him
and to the great number of His people that He will gather some day in all
its completeness around the Throne in Heaven. May this doctrine of the
Church encourage us in our daily walk with Him. |
