God has Spoken A Study of Bible Authority

God has Spoken (A Study of Bible Authority) What is the Church of Christ?

Failure to Understand the Church Contributes to… • Denominationalism • Devaluing of the church • “Choose the church of your choice” 2

Many in Churches of Christ Do Not Understand the Church • Liberal view: “Whatever the individual can do, the local church can do” – Loosing where the Lord has not loosed • Factious view: “Whatever the local church cannot do, the individual Christian cannot do” – Binding where Lord has not bound 3

What is the Church? ekklesia: “to call out of” … “the called out ones” Assembly of Saved “Called out” of darkness An Assembly by God, by the gospel -Israel, Acts 7: 38 1 Pet. 2: 9 -10; 2 Ths. 2: 14 -Gov’t body, Acts The Redeemed 19: 39 Matt. 16: 18 -Riot, Acts 19: 32, 41 4

“Church”…think…“Peop le” Acts 2: 47 • Disciples Acts 6: 1, 7 • Believers Acts 5: 14 • Those of “the way” Acts 9: 2 5

“Church” is a Collective Noun • Applied geographically, Acts 9: 31; Gal. 1: 2 • Applied of those who compose it, Rom. 16: 4; Col. 4: 16 • Applied possessively, Matt. 16: 18; 1 Cor. 15: 9; Rom. 16: 16 6

{ CHURC H (Universal ) Heb. 12: 23 CHURCH (Local) CHRIS Baptized T into { (elders, deacons, saints) Ac 14: 23; Phil. 1: 1 In heaven On earth Local Church Acts 11: 22 Churches. Rev. of 2: 1 Christ Rom. 7 16: 16

The Universal Church • God’s people wherever they are found, Matt. 16: 18; Eph. 5: 23 -27 – Saved added to it by the Lord, Acts 2: 47 – One body of Christ into which one is baptized, 1 Cor. 12: 13; Eph. 4: 4 – Family of God into which one is adopted (Gal. 4: 5) 1 Tim. 3: 15 – Those in fellowship with God, 2 Tim. 2: 19 8

The Universal Church • Relationship with God & brethren, but not an organization, 2 Cor. 6: 16 -18; 1 Pet. 2: 17 – No organizational structure & oversight on earth – No organizational work given to it – No universal treasury to fund it – Does not act as an organizational unit – Functions distributively (each Christian living for Christ), Eph. 5: 24

Universal Church: Churches or Christians? “The position that the local congregation is not a part of the church universal is a weird and novel contention, which has never been advanced by any Bible scholar, preacher, or commentator of any note in the two thousand year history of the church so far as I know. ”

Universal Church: Churches or Christians? “So far as we know all brethren have always understood that the individual Christian is the unit of the ‘church universal. ’ The body is Christ’s, and we are members of it. We were unaware that any thought or taught that congregations were units of the body of Christ, in the sense that individuals are. Congregations are nothing more nor less than groups of Christians. Groups are not members of the church; individuals are. We believe the scriptures are perfectly clear, and brethren in full accord on this point. ” -Reuel Lemmons, Firm Foundation (77: 31), August 2, 1960

Universal Church: Churches or Christians? “In this general sense the church is not a denominational institution composed of a sisterhood of local churches ‘of the same faith and order, ’ but a spiritual body composed of all Christians…” -F. D. Srygley, New Testament Church, p. 7 Published by Gospel Advocate cited in The Cogdell-Turner Discussion, p. 12 19

The Local Church • Independent, autonomous congregations of Christians, Acts 11: 22, 26 – A relationship & a functioning organization – A unit with work & responsibilities • Preach the gospel • Edify the saints • Relieve needy saints 13

The Local Church • Not regional, national or international • Local organizational structure, Acts 14: 23 (Phil. 1: 1) • Local oversight, 1 Pet. 5: 1 -2 (Acts 20: 17, 28) • Local treasury to fund its work, Acts 4: 34 -37; 1 Cor. 16: 1 -2; 2 Cor. 11: 8 (Phil. 4: 15 -16) 14

The Local Church • Local church regulates its membership, Acts 9: 26 -28; 18: 27; Rom. 16: 1 -2, 17 -18; 1 Cor. 5: 4 -7 • An assembly of saints – “Come together as a church, ” 1 Cor. 11: 18 – “In the church” (assembly), 1 Cor. 14: 28 15

Contrasts Universal Church Local Church • Added by Lord, Ac 2: 47 • Entered by baptism, 1 Cor. 12: 13 • None but the saved, 2 Tim. 2: 19 • Join oneself, Ac 9: 26 -28 • Accepted, received, Acts 18: 27 • Some sick, some “sleep” 1 Cor. 11: 30 • Satan can prevail against it, Acts 16

Contrasts Universal Church • Relationship with Christ, Eph. 1: 2223 • No functional organization, no oversight, no treasury 1 Cor. 12: 13 • Distributive Local Church • Relationship with fellow Christians, Ac 15: 22 -23 • Functional organization, with oversight & treasury Acts 20: 28; 1 Cor. 16: 2; 1 Pet. 5: 2 • Collective (group) 17

Denominations • Subdivide the church into groups that are never identified in the Scriptures – Universal church is all the saved without reference to time & place (Heb. 12: 22 -23) – Local church is a specific group of Christians in a given location; Organization & work 18