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There is much religious confusion in the world today. Each church claims to be the one true church, and yet, has conflicting doctrines, practices, and origins with one another. How can one know which church is the "church of Christ?" The answer to this question is found in the Scriptures. In order to find the answer, one must diligently study the word of God and be able to correctly apply what he has learned. Paul, in 2 Timothy 2:15, said,
Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
Also,
whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him, (Colossians 3:17).
The church of Christ was not established during the Restoration Movement in the United States of America, as many contend, but in Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost in A.D. 33. Its membership began with the baptism of approximately three thousand souls. Acts 2:41 says,
Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls.
From that time onward, the Lord has continued to add to the church "such as should be saved," (Acts 2:47).
In Matthew 16:18, Christ prophesied that He would build only one church. He said,
"And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it."
This prophecy was fulfilled on the day of Pentecost. Therefore, any other church that came into being after A.D. 33 does not belong to Christ, for Christ himself said,
"Every plant, which my heavenly Father hath not planted, shall be rooted up," (Matthew 15:13).
The word "church" is derived from the Greek word ekklesia which means the called out ones. Peter says that the church is a
chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light,(1 Peter 2:9).
Other Biblical references to ekklesia include "kingdom" (John 18:36), "children of God" (Galatians 3:26), and "sheep" (Matthew 25:33).
God's word makes a clear distinction between the universal church and the local church. Whenever we speak of the church in the universal sense it means that all of the saved make up the church. An example of this distinction is found in Romans 16:16, where Paul uses the phrase "churches of Christ." Using the plural noun, "churches", he alludes to all the saved in every city. The saved are called Christians (Acts 11:26). When an individual obeys the gospel through hearing (Romans 10:14), believing (Romans 10:17), repenting of his sins (Romans 10:9, 10), confessing the name of Christ before men (Romans 6:4), and being baptized (immersed) in water (Acts 2:38), God adds them to the church.
The Bible also uses the word church in the local sense. When the early church was established at Jerusalem, it was the universal church. There were no local churches until after they began to be persecuted. The Scripture says,
And at that time there was a great persecution against the church which was at Jerusalem; and they were all scattered abroad throughout the regions of Judaea and Samaria, except the apostles. Therefore they that were scattered abroad went every where preaching the word, (Acts 8:1, 4).
Examples include the church at Rome (Romans 1:6, 7), the church at Ephesus (Ephesians 1:1), the church at Galatia (Galatians 1:1, 2), and the churches of Macedonia and Achaia (1 Thessalonians 1:7).
The structure of the Lord's church is vastly different than denominational churches. First, the head of the church is Christ. Paul, in Ephesians 5:23 says,
For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and He is the saviour of the body.
Since Christ is the head of only one body, the church, it stands to reason that He is not the head of many bodies or churches, for Paul said that
God is not the author of confusion, (1 Corinthians 14:33).
Second, the Bible is the foundation upon which the church is built. Without the proper foundation, the church will drift away into apostasy. Jesus illustrated this truth in the parable of the two builders in Matthew 7:24-27.
"Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it."
Last, the body of Christ is comprised of christians. We will discuss in more detail how a person can become a member of the Body of Christ in chapter 3, "Becoming a Member of the Lord's Church." Paul, in Ephesians 5:23, states that Christ is not only the head of the church, but is also the "Savior of the Body." He purchased the church with His blood that He shed while enduring an agonizing crucifixion on the cross (Acts 20:28).
Ira Mikell
ira@thechristianexaminer.com
Today I would like to examine a topic of considerable difficulty for many Christians today. Some of the most prevalent sins committed by Christians involve sexuality in some form, be it adultery, fornication, pornography, or other such things. Let us now examine these adversities and how to handle them.
Sexuality is always a difficult topic, and our society today does not make our jobs any easier. Sex is ubiquitous; it is in our e-mail box, on the television, in the magazine rack at the checkout counter of the grocery store. The mantra of "sex sells" is an understatement; one can find sex being used to sell everything from automobiles to chewing gum. There are no scruples when it comes to sexuality on the television or on the radio. Everywhere we look we are bombarded by sexuality, and most of the world has accepted this. Fornication, or "living together," is not only accepted but extolled. Adultery is in theory still "wrong" in the eyes of most people, but that does not seem to stop them from being adulterers. While heterosexual marriages end up in divorce more often than not, homosexuality is approved to the point of allowing "homosexual marriages!" Meanwhile, the average teenager and twentysomething cannot help but notice the immodesty of the age, for whenever the temperature rises above 70 degrees many girls will wear clothing that leaves little, if anything, to the imagination. That same young man might be checking his e-mail box and find not just links to pornography, but pornographic pictures sent to him without any provocation!
In a society such as ours, with this sexual desire burning feverishly, it is extremely difficult to remain pure. It does not help that our society seems to despise abstinence and purity, considering them relics of an earlier era. We may take to heart, however, the fact that our society is at least not as bad (yet) as the Roman world of Jesus and Paul, where you were considered strange to the point of heretical if you decided to only have sexual relations with your wife. Adultery was so rampant that Herodotus, a Greek historian, remarks with wonder when one of his historical characters "happened to fall in love with his own wife." Therefore, we see that sexuality and sexual sin has been a perpetual problem in the history of the world. What, then, are we to do about it?
Let us now examine the Scriptures concerning sexuality:
There hath no temptation taken you but such as man can bear: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation make also the way of escape, that ye may be able to endure it.
But if they have not continency, let them marry: for it is better to marry than to burn.
We as Christians must also remember to not be overly critical of younger Christians in their early twenties who desire to marry, for we ought not be a stumbling block to them in their desire to be faithful to God.
Let the husband render unto the wife her due: and likewise also the wife unto the husband. The wife hath not power over her own body, but the husband: and likewise also the husband hath not power over his own body, but the wife. Defraud ye not one the other, except it be by consent for a season, that ye may give yourselves unto prayer, and may be together again, that Satan tempt you not because of your incontinency.
The marriage was designed for intimacy (Hebrews 13:4), and a proper marital relationship will involve the sexual satisfaction of both husband and wife. This is necessary so that there will not be temptation to sin, as seen above in verse 5. This is a difficult saying, and one not often explored, but nonetheless it must be spoken-- too many Christians (many of them men) have turned to adultery and pornography because their sexual needs were not being fulfilled by their spouse.
"For I hate putting away," saith Jehovah, the God of Israel.
"Ye have heard that it was said, 'Thou shalt not commit adultery:'
but I say unto you, that every one that looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart."
"It was said also, 'Whosoever shall put away his wife, let him give her a writing of divorcement:'
but I say unto you, that every one that putteth away his wife, saving for the cause of fornication, maketh her an adulteress: and whosoever shall marry her when she is put away committeth adultery."
These verses teach plainly the following: 1) do not divorce (except for those whose spouse has committed adultery, and even then it does not have to be so); 2) do not look upon a woman to lust (and yes, this does include pornography; what human looks at pornography for any other reason?); and 3) do not commit adultery. The message may sound contradictory, but do not marry just for sexual satisfaction, but for the purpose of helping one another get to Heaven.
And, behold, there met him a woman With the attire of a harlot, and wily of heart. She is clamorous and wilful; Her feet abide not in her house.
In like manner, that women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with shamefastness and sobriety; not with braided hair, and gold or pearls or costly raiment; but (which becometh women professing godliness) through good works.
Whose adorning let it not be the outward adorning of braiding the hair, and of wearing jewels of gold, or of putting on apparel; but let it be the hidden man of the heart, in the incorruptible apparel of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price.
We see here that modesty is very important for the Christian, especially the Christian woman, so as to not give a cause of stumbling for men.
Or know ye not that he that is joined to a harlot is one body? for, "The twain," saith he, "shall become one flesh."
But he that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit. Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body. Or know ye not that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit which is in you, which ye have from God? and ye are not your own; for ye were bought with a price: glorify God therefore in your body.
The message of Paul is clear: while there may not be physical consequences for the sexual sin, it does provide strong offense to the body which happens to be the temple of the Holy Spirit. If you are considering a sexual sin and attempt to justify it to yourself thinking that no one needs to know and that you are not hurting anyone, ask yourself: if the Holy Spirit were present, would you do it? If you were in a temple of God, would you do this thing? Most likely you would not do so-- therefore, why even consider doing such things in the flesh when your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit?
Sexuality, in the proper marital relationship, can be a very rewarding part of one's life. Unfortunately, our society has used and perverted that impulse for monetary gain. Meanwhile, our society has also began accepting things that are simply not right in the Scriptures, and should be forsaken by all Christians. In this oversexed society, we must remember the words of Jesus with more diligence in Matthew 5:14-16:
"Ye are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a lamp, and put it under the bushel, but on the stand; and it shineth unto all that are in the house. Even so let your light shine before men; that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven."
We must show our light to men in the area of sexual purity by living up to the Biblical ideal: the husband of one wife (or vice versa) or intending on doing so, not defrauding one another, dressing modestly, and renouncing the ungodliness of the sexual lusts of the society. This message is critical for Christians young in the flesh, who are armed with hormones but must contain them. I would exhort these young Christians by declaring to them that it is not wrong to marry to prevent fornication-- but do not marry for that alone. Marry someone intending on being their partner from life, and spare the church of the future many of the marriage, divorce, and remarriage woes that currently are spreading. Dress modestly yourselves, and work diligently to refrain from lusting for others, especially when they are dressed immodestly. Many a man and woman have ruined their lives and the lives of others by engaging in sexual sin. Keep your light pure and shining, maintain your sexuality in the Biblical constraints, and continue to live for Heaven.
Ethan R. Longhenry
ethan@thechristianexaminer.com
www.deusvitae.com
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