To Infidelity and Back Part 9

Self-preservation is the first duty, upon which all our helpfulness to others depends. So it is with the church. Its first duty is to perpetuate and strengthen itself through the means of grace G.o.d has provided; but it will become sick and soon die, if it does not reach out in loving services to others. It is commissioned to "make disciples of all nations" (Matt. 28:18), but it cannot do this by merely proclaiming the gospel to all people. Paul preached the gospel in many lands, and a few missionaries could soon evangelize the entire world if this were all that is necessary. G.o.d spent thousands of years to prepare the soil for Paul's preaching and confirmed his message with miracles. We cannot evangelize the world by giving a few dollars to send a few missionaries to preach a few sermons. Most of the work of missionaries is educational and philanthropic, or, in other words, preparatory. It will require the best and united efforts of all Christians to entirely open the door of faith among the heathen. Christ says, "Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father which is in heaven" (Matt. 5:16). Peter exhorts Christians, "Having your behavior seemly among the Gentiles, that, wherein they speak against you as evil-doers, they may by your good works which they behold, glorify G.o.d" (I Pet. 2: 12). The churches need the miracle of good works, through the power of the Holy Spirit, to confirm the message of our missionaries. The acts that emanate from so-called Christian nations and people do more to hinder than to help the missionaries. If Christians will, by the power of the Spirit, live the life of Christ in the home, in business, in politics and everywhere, the heathen will soon glorify G.o.d in Christ because of the good works which they behold. "Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit" (John 15:8).

It is the mission of the church to bring heaven down to earth. If this is the high and holy calling of the church, is it a wonder that Christ so loved it as to give his life for it? The church is the "pillar and ground of the truth" or the material organization through which heaven is bearing its message of love to this sin-cursed world. Speaking of the church, Paul says, "If any man destroyeth the temple of G.o.d, him shall G.o.d destroy" (1 Cor. 3:17). All who attain unto the mind of Christ will love the church and give themselves for it.

_The Unity of the Church._

It was G.o.d's eternal purpose to unite all things in Christ (Eph. 1:9, 10). Christ declared that he would establish but one fold (John 10: 16); he prayed that all his followers might be perfectly united and put that union as a necessary condition for the conversion of the world (John 17:20-23); he died to unite all in one body (Eph. 2: 14-16), of which he is the head (Col. 1: 18).

If we turn to the book of Acts, we discover that the Holy Spirit, through the Apostles, did establish but one church, and that it was thoroughly united in love, teaching and practice.

If there ever was an excuse for different Christian denominations, it was for a Jewish Christian denomination and a Gentile Christian denomination; but the Holy Spirit did not establish such denominations and Paul put forth the effort of his life to prevent such a breach.

Where in all history can you find twelve men more radically different mentally and temperamentally than the Apostles? Yet the Holy Spirit did not establish separate churches to cater to and further develop these temperamental eccentricities. All were united in one church so they could counterbalance and complement each other and thus perfect their own character and give greater symmetry to the church. "And when the day of Pentecost was fully come they were all with _one accord in one place_" (Acts 2:1). After three thousand were added unto them we read, "They continued daily with _one accord_ in the temple" (Acts 2: 46), while farther on we read, "And the mult.i.tude of them that believed were of _one heart_ and of _one soul_" (Acts 4: 32). From the Epistles of Paul we learn that there was but one church in each community. Christ's relation to the church makes it impossible for Christians to be loyal to him and at the same time divided. All must be perfectly united in allegiance to him as king, lie is the head of the body of which his followers are members. All the members of the body are perfectly united to each other and to the head; and, although the members may differ in function, they are all directed by the same commandments, motives and purposes. As soon as a tendency toward division became manifest it was severely rebuked and ascribed to the carnal nature. Paul, in writing to the Corinthians, says, "Now, I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same things, and that there be no division among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment" ... "For ye are yet carnal; for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal and walk as men?" (I Cor. 1: 10; 3:3).

The seven landmarks of Christian union are revealed by Paul in the first six verses of the fourth chapter of Ephesians: "I therefore, the prisoner in the Lord, beseech you to walk worthily of the calling wherewith you were called, with all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love; giving diligence to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body, and one Spirit, even as also ye were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one G.o.d and Father of all, who is over all, and through all, and in all."

As long as these seven unities--one body, one Spirit, one hope, one Lord, one faith, one baptism and one Father--are maintained, it will be impossible for a divided church to exist.

On the other hand, divisions will speedily disappear as soon as these seven unities are restored.

I add the following chart of the New Testament church, which will serve as a summary and as a guide in the further study of this important subject:

[Ill.u.s.tration: THE CHURCH THAT JESUS ESTABLISHED]

CHAPTER III.

THE CHURCH SINCE THE APOSTLES.

_The Apostasy of the Church._

The apostolic unity of the church was maintained for about three hundred years. During this period the church endured the ten great, general persecutions directed against it by the world-ruling Roman Empire, which resulted in the martyrdom of almost all of the Apostles and mult.i.tudes of other Christians. Despite the opposition of the mightiest powers on earth, the church scored the most marvelous victories and was on a fair way to conquer the whole world for Christ.

Satan, perceiving that his opposition to a united church under the leadership of Christ was fruitless, now tried to get within the church and to shear it of its power by confusing its counsels and dividing its forces. Christ said, "Every city or house divided against itself shall not stand" (Matt. 12:25), and Satan knew that if he could get Christians to exhaust their energies by contending with each other, their conquest of the world would be at an end. He filled the church with speculative philosophy, heathen idolatry and the worldly spirit in general. As always, he used the pride, vanity and ambition of individuals to accomplish his purpose. If fallible human leaders and their opinions could be put in the place of the infallible Christ and his teachings, the work would be done; because this would arouse the opposition of other ambitious human leaders and thus the church would be torn asunder and exhausted with internal strife and divisions. Alas that the church did not heed the earnest warning of Paul, "Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them. For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly; and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple" (Rom. 16:17, 18). The selfishness of leaders and the lazy, careless indifference of the ma.s.ses who blindly follow on, is what makes the creation and perpetuation of divisions among Christians possible. Perceiving that the division of the church would destroy its power, its leaders strove with might and main to preserve its unity.

Had they exalted the Christ and used his Word, the sword of the Spirit, they would have succeeded. But they were ambitious and worked for a united church so they could use its power to exalt themselves and their opinions and crush those opposed to them. Human creeds, as standards of orthodoxy, were invented, and more stress was put on correct speculative opinions than on faith in Christ and Christ-like living.

Persons who would not subscribe to the speculative opinions of man-made creeds were persecuted and anathematized. The church formed a league with worldly rulers and used the strong arm of the law to crush those who would not accept its human standards of orthodoxy. The Inquisition, with the dungeon, stocks, guillotine and other diabolical means of torture, was called into requisition. It is claimed that no less than fifty million human beings were martyred in this effort of the ecclesiastical hierarchy, calling itself the church, to maintain unity on a human creed. Although this effort at union was largely successful, it was not Christian union. Paul says that Christian union is where Christians are of the same mind and judgment and all speak the same things (1 Cor. 1:10), while this union was maintained by suppressing conscientious convictions and their utterance.

_The Reformation of the Church._

The effort at a forced union on a speculative human creed was never entirely successful. In the fastnesses of the mountains the Waldenses, Albigenses and others, maintained their religious freedom. The fire of religious liberty was smouldering, but not extinguished. It was covered with the black coals of ecclesiastical ignorance, brutality and tyranny; but by and by it worked its way to the light and illuminated the darkness of the age. The great Reformation burst forth into a mighty inextinguishable flame all over Europe, and, overleaping great barriers, it blazed forth in America. The ecclesiastical shackles were torn asunder and the people were set free. I speak of the ultimate outcome, for this end was only attained after centuries of effort.

Hereditary religious ideas, prejudices and customs become petrified, and it is only with the most desperate and long-continued efforts that individuals and bodies of people can free themselves from them. Failing to recognize how they are blinded through hereditary bias, environment and limited ideas, people imagine they have attained unto the ultimate truth, and thus their growth in knowledge ceases and they become fossilized into a sectarian party. People imagine that they are free when they are delivered from religious and political tyrants that persecute and oppress them; but their greatest bondage, and the one that makes the others possible, is the hereditary and acquired prejudice, bias, bigotry and ignorance within themselves. The struggle of the Reformation was for religious freedom. This struggle was by no means always unselfish and consistent. Protestants as well as Roman Catholics used force to crush those that would not submit to their creeds. Both in Europe and in America men's bodies were tortured and destroyed with the hope of saving their souls and in the endeavor to maintain the unity of the church. Even where the church and the state were separated so that the church could not use the civil law to persecute its opponents, other means of coercion were used, such as boycotting, ostracism, excommunication and anathemas. The idea of the Roman Catholic Church is that you cannot trust the people to interpret the Bible for themselves; the Pope and the church must do it for them.

The idea of Protestant sectarian creeds is largely the same. The members cannot be trusted to interpret the Bible for themselves, so the creed-makers have to do it for them. The difference is in degree and power of oppression rather than in kind. The entire idea is fundamentally wrong. Speculative theology cannot save any one and sectarian creeds are harder to understand than the Bible itself. The people need the living, loving, personal Christ, and not the dry husks of speculative theology. We want uniformity in matters of faith that are clearly revealed and in allegiance to Christ, but do not need it in speculative opinions based on inferences as to what the Bible teaches.

Freedom is absolutely necessary to progress and civilization. But freedom may be turned into a curse as well as a blessing. Criminals want freedom to gratify the l.u.s.ts of the flesh (Gal. 5:13). Those in bondage to their own carnal nature must be put under restraint by those governed by moral principles. Even Christians need to be guided and governed in spiritual matters, and have always felt this need. The trouble has been that mortal men have been accepted as authoritative spiritual guides, or have tried to control the religious convictions and practices of their fellow-men by force. Christ is the Christian's only safe and proper guide. As a final result of the Reformation the Christian people in America and parts of Europe were set free from religious tyranny and left to choose their spiritual guides. Although they professed that the Bible was their only authority, they accepted human leaders and their opinions as guides and permitted these to interpret the Bible for them. Thus the freedom of the Reformation was turned into the curse of division and sectarianism. Divided Protestantism is better than the religious tyranny of the Dark Ages; but it is bad, and will be replaced with the Christian union of the New Testament when loyalty to Christ and his Word is subst.i.tuted for loyalty to human leaders and their opinions embodied in creeds. Christ said, "Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation"

(Matt. 12:25). The truth of this has been sadly demonstrated in our divided Christianity. In how many homes has sectarian division wrought havoc with its religious life! How many husbands and wives have been lost to active service for the Master because of the chilling effect of indifference or opposition through sectarian differences! How many children have become indifferent or disgusted with religion, because their parents differed in their religious convictions! Again, look at the effect of sectarian division in a community. Five church buildings and preachers where one could do the work, while the balance could be devoted to the evangelization of the heathen. But the financial loss is the least. Preachers are poorly supported and therefore poorly equipped for their work, and people are encouraged to join the churches on almost any conditions through rivalry and the need of support for so many churches. Sinners go unrebuked through fear that their financial support will be lost; and, if disciplined, they are often received with open arms into a rival church. When we look at the kingdom of Christ at large, we see how it has come to desolation because of divisions.

Millions of dollars are wasted in rival churches, colleges, papers, preachers, books, etc.; while the heathen stand with amazed incredulity before the missionaries of a babel of denominations. Verily the reformed church needs reforming.

_A Movement for Christian Union._

Divided Protestantism reached its climax in America at the beginning of the last century. This land of freedom offered a congenial soil for its perfect development and unfolding. Thus were exhibited more fully than ever before the sin and folly of such divisions. The forces of Christ were largely wasted and defeated through sectarian strife, and there was the bitterest feeling even between different branches of the same denomination. Infidelity was rampant in the land and Christianity was at a low ebb. However, the love of the Master was strong in many hearts, and these longed and prayed for better things. As by divine inspiration, a great union movement sprang up simultaneously in different parts of the country. The outcome was what may be called the American Reformation, but is more properly called the Restoration movement. The burning desire of the promoters of this movement was a reunion of the divided followers of Christ. After a thorough and prayerful consideration of the subject, it was decided that the only possible basis of union is the Bible; and so the motto was adopted, "Where the Bible speaks we will speak, and where the Bible is silent we will be silent." It was decided to require a "thus saith the Lord" or an apostolic example for every item of teaching or practice. The reformers expected to bring about Christian union without leaving their respective denominations and forming a separate religious body. But an application of their motto in the study of the Bible led to results that they never dreamed of. They were compelled to give up their sectarian practices one by one, and soon found themselves forced out of the denominational bodies. It now became clear to them that the real cause of the origin and perpetuation of sectarian divisions was the human element, in teaching and practice, added to the church since the days of the Apostles; and that nothing but their removal and the restoration of the primitive church in name, creed and deed, could bring the Christian union of New Testament times. Learning that, aside from the Apostles, there was no ecclesiastical authority or organization in New Testament times, above the local church, they proceeded to organize local churches of Christ after the primitive model, and invited both saints and sinners to unite with them in this work and in protesting against the sin of sectarian divisions.

_The Restoration of the New Testament Creed._

In the evolution of the movement for Christian union, it was soon discovered that human creeds, as standards of church or ministerial fellowship, are divisive in their nature and prevent the reunion of G.o.d's people. All claim to get their creed from the Bible; but since creeds contradict each other in doctrine, they cannot all be right, although they may all be wrong. Human creeds are responsible for most of the heresy trials and have armed most of the infidelic attacks upon the church. The only way to permanently solve the creed problem is to restore the divine creed given by the Holy Spirit to the primitive church. This is the only true Apostles' Creed and the only one that will never need any revision. This is none other than the _divinity of Christ_, the central truth of revelation and of Christianity. Jesus said, in answer to Peter's confession, "Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living G.o.d," "Upon this rock I will build my church" (Matt. 16: 16, 18). John declared of his Gospel, "These are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of G.o.d; and that believing ye might have life through his name" (John 20:31). Paul commanded, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved" (Acts 16:31), and said, "Other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ" (1 Cor. 3:11). This is what the Apostles preached everywhere, and required as a condition for baptism and church membership; and it is the only creed they ever required. The church is not founded upon a system of speculative theology that even the learned cannot understand, but upon the loving, divine personality of Jesus Christ, the Son of the living G.o.d. Get Jesus in the heart, and belief in his word and a Christ-like life will inevitably follow. This is the only creed that can reunite divided Christendom. Christians cannot unite on human leaders and their finite opinions, but they can all unite on Christ.

_The Restoration of Bible Names._

It was further discovered that human names for G.o.d's people were divisive in nature and a barrier to Christian union. There is nothing in a name until it becomes authoritatively attached to a person or thing, but after it becomes so attached, there is as much in the name as in the person or thing. Since the name Andrew Carnegie became attached to him, it is worth as much in money and influence as Mr.

Carnegie himself is worth. Thus it is that there is salvation in the name of Christ. "For there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved" (Acts 4:12).

The Bible names given to the church and to the followers of Christ, express true ideas and relationships; while the human names since added express false and unscriptural ideas and relationships. The church and its members should be named after Christ because they belong to him; for the same reason it is wrong to call them after any other person or thing.

Paul writes, "Every one of you saith, I am of Paul; and I of Apollos; and I of Cephas; and I of Christ. Is Christ divided? was Paul crucified for you? or were you baptized in the name of Paul?" "For while one saith, I am of Paul; and another, I am of Apollos; are ye not carnal?"

(I Cor. 1:12, 13; 3:4). "I pray you," said Luther, "leave my name alone, and do not call yourselves Lutherans, but Christians. Who is Luther? My doctrine is not mine. I was not crucified for any one. Paul would not that any should call themselves of Paul, nor of Peter, but of Christ. How, then, does it fit me, a miserable bag of dust and ashes, to give my name to the children of Christ! Cease to cling to these party names and distinctions! Away with them all and let us call ourselves Christians, after him from whom our doctrine comes!" Those engaged in this restoration movement heed the admonitions of Paul and Luther and call themselves "Christians," or "disciples of Christ,"

while they call the churches, "churches of Christ" or "churches of G.o.d." They do not use these names in a sectarian, but in a Scriptural, sense. They do not claim to be the "only Christians," but aim to be "Christians only." We read in Acts II:26, "The disciples were called Christians first at Antioch." "If any man suffer as a Christian," says Peter, "let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify G.o.d in this name"

(I Pet. 4: 16). Any name used to designate a part of the followers of Christ and to separate them from the rest, is wrong, because it expresses a wrong and unscriptural idea. "Would to G.o.d," said Wesley, "that all sectarian names were forgotten, and that we, as humble, loving disciples, might sit down at the Master's feet, read his holy word, imbibe his spirit, and transcribe his life into our own!" John says, "We shall see his face and his name shall be in our foreheads"

(Rev. 22:4).

_The Ordinances Restored._

In addition to the restoration of the New Testament creed and names, it was found that there can be no organic Christian union, after the primitive type, without a restoration of the ordinances as administered by the Apostles. Protestants all accept two ordinances, baptism and the Lord's Supper, but they differ greatly in the manner of observing them.

Some have open and others close communion. Some observe the Lord's Supper monthly, others quarterly and still others annually. In looking for apostolic precepts and examples, it was found that the early Christians met on every first day of the week to break bread; and that each Christian was commanded by Christ to partake of the Lord's Supper, after examining himself to see that his heart was prepared for this spiritual feast. We have neither the authority to decide the frequency of the service, nor who shall partake of the Supper.

The greatest hindrance to a practical working union of the followers of Christ is the babel of teaching and practice as to baptism. Some hold that the mere baptism of infants will save them, while others belittle baptism or ignore it altogether. Some baptize infants, others only adults. Some sprinkle, some pour, and others immerse for baptism. Some sprinkle, pour or immerse, just as the candidate wishes it. Does the New Testament teach this babel of confusion or has it come from human inventions and additions? It has already been pointed out that only those who had previously been born of the Spirit, or undergone a change of heart through faith and repentance, were baptized by the Apostles.

We are told that Jesus never baptized any one (John 4:2), therefore he never baptized any infants. If we examine carefully the cases of household baptism recorded in the New Testament, we will find that in each case infants are necessarily excluded; as those baptized "heard"

(Acts 10:33), "believed" (Acts 16:34), "were comforted" (Acts 16:40), "addicted themselves to the ministry" (1 Cor. 16:16), etc. These acts all refer to people who had reached the age of intelligence and accountability and, therefore, cannot refer to infants. Infant baptism is based on two errors that crept into the church--the doctrines of infant d.a.m.nation and baptismal regeneration. Infants are saved without baptism, for Jesus said "of such is the kingdom of heaven" (Matt.

19:14), and baptism is of value only because of its relation to Christ and the faith of the sinner (Mark 16:16). The greatest emphasis we can put on baptism is to say that Christ commanded it and made it a condition of salvation to those that hear the gospel and have the opportunity to obey it. To refuse to obey this or any other commandment of Christ, reveals a rebellious heart that cannot be saved.

Of the action of baptism we speak in a previous chapter, therefore we need not treat of it here only to say that all churches agree that the immersion of a penitent believer in water is Scriptural baptism, and this is the only practice on which all can unite. Thousands of those that are contented to be Christians only have given up sprinkling and been immersed after studying the Bible on the subject.

_The Bible Restored._

Christian union on the primitive gospel necessitates the restoration of the Bible to its proper place and authority. Sectarianism has largely displaced it with creeds and other human standards. Recently I read the following in an introduction to a catechism: "This catechism has well been called a Bible for the laity." When we remember how contradictory, and, therefore, erroneous, these human deductions as to Bible teaching are, we can see the need of putting them aside and restoring the Bible as the Christian's all-sufficient and only sufficient guide.

The Bible has also been thrust aside and kept from the people by false theories of conversion and the consequent erroneous practices in evangelistic work. People have been taught that they are totally depraved and can do nothing towards their conversion, that faith is a direct gift of G.o.d, that the Holy Spirit converts sinners by immediate miraculous power, that the evidence of pardon is in dreams, visions or feelings, and that sinners have to wait until G.o.d by entreaties is reconciled to save them. All these theories are erroneous and logically set aside the entire gospel plan of salvation. The Holy Spirit, through the Apostles, used the truths of the Word or gospel to convict sinners, and taught penitents, out of the New Testament, on what conditions they could inherit the salvation Christ purchased on the cross. The sinners that wanted to be saved accepted this salvation by complying with Christ's conditions of pardon, and went on their way rejoicing, because they had the infallible Word of G.o.d for it that they were saved. In other words, the Apostles preached the gospel, and penitent sinners were immediately saved by believing it (Mark 16:16), repenting of their sins (Acts 2:38) and openly committing themselves to Christ in baptism (Acts 22:16).

Finally, the Bible has become a meaningless riddle and uninteresting to most people because it is not rightly divided. It is a.s.sumed that all parts of the Bible are addressed to everybody. This is far from the truth. While we must recognize the unity and interdependence of the entire Bible and that each part teaches great spiritual truths for all, we must also remember that its different parts contain specific precepts addressed to different cla.s.ses of people and only applicable to them. Thus the Mosaic law was for the Jews only, and was superseded by the gospel (Gal. 3:24, 25). Turning to the New Testament, we find that the four Gospels were written to make believers (John 20:31), the Acts of the Apostles, "Book of Conversions," to tell and show people how to be saved or become Christians (see chapters 2, 8, 16, etc.), while the rest of the New Testament is addressed to Christians or church-members as their rule of faith and practice. The churches in this Restoration movement aim to restore the Bible to its primitive place in producing penitents, guiding them unto salvation and in giving all instructions to the churches needed for their edification and guidance.

_Restoration of the New Testament Church Government._

We have learned that all sectarian divisions have resulted from exalting human leaders and their opinions. Ambitious ecclesiastics have exalted themselves with the help of misguided people; and, usurping authority, have lorded it over G.o.d's heritage. How wide the difference between the simplicity of the primitive gospel and the pompous ecclesiastical organizations and t.i.tles of modern times! It is self-evident that Christian union cannot be restored until this ecclesiastical machinery be put aside and the administration of Christ's kingdom be again entrusted to the local churches and their officers as in New Testament times.

It will be noticed that this modern movement for Christian union does not seek to introduce new doctrines into the religious world. It seeks rather the restoration of the old Jerusalem gospel with its doctrines, ordinances and fruits. Its promoters thoroughly believe in all the truths accepted by evangelical bodies and simply strive to remove the sectarian growths that have fastened themselves to the old ship Zion during its course through the centuries. Among its favorite mottoes are these:

No Book but the Bible.

No Creed but the Christ.

No Plea but the Gospel.