THE CHURCH--A LOCAL, VISIBLE CHURCH

THE CHURCH

A LOCAL, VISIBLE CHURCH

Basic Scripture Reading: 1 Timothy 3:14-15, “These things write I unto thee, hoping to come unto thee shortly: 15 But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.

Key Text: 1 Corinthians 4:17, “For this cause have I sent unto you Timotheus, who is my beloved son, and faithful in the Lord, who shall bring you into remembrance of my ways which be in Christ, as I teach every where in every church.”

Introduction:

Here is another doctrine that distinguishes the Baptist from other evangelical denominations. We believe in a church that is ONLY LOCAL AND VISIBLE. The believer will give importance to his affiliation with a local Baptist church according to his understanding of the Bible definition of this word.

I. THE POPULAR DEFINITIONS OF THE WORD “CHURCH.”

A. The definitions well known are:

1. The DEMOMINATIONAL idea: “the Presbyterian, Methodist, etc., church”

2. The CATHOLIC idea: a Roman Catholic Church with all of its popes, bishops, cardinals, etc., makes up “the Universal VISIBLE Church with an earthly director, the pope of Rome.”

3. The PROTESTANT idea: The total number of saved since the day of Pentecost until the “rapture,” constitutes what is called the “UNIVERSAL, INVISIBLE church, the MISTICAL BODY OF CHRIST.”

4. The BAPTIST and NEW TESTAMENT idea: A church is a LOCAL, VISIBLE CONGREGATION of believers scripturally baptized and organized to carry out the Great Commission.

B. The definition most popular is number 3 above: An INVISIBLE church. The defenders of this definition see TWO CHURCHES in the New Testament: the true church, which, according to them, is made up of all the believers; and the VISIBLE church, that is subject to total apostasy (leaving Biblical truth). Believing the universal idea, they have a tendency to despise the doctrine of the local, visible, organized church.

C. We believe that this problem of “TWO CHURCHES” will be resolved when we stop calling the totality of believers “the church.” All believers, born again by faith in Christ, pertain to the FAMILY and the KINGDOM OF GOD:

1. John 3:3, 5, “Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. 5- Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.”

2. John 1:12-13, “But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: 13- Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.”

3. 1 John 3:1-2, Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not. -2- Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.”

4. This family of God takes in the total number, not only of the believer of the New Testament, but also those of the Old Testament since Adam until the last to be saved before the Second Coming of Christ, John 11:51-52, “And this spake he not of himself: but being high priest that year, he prophesied that Jesus should die for that nation; 52- And not for that nation only, but that also he should gather together in one the children of God that were scattered abroad.”

II. THE BAPTIST POSITION

The word translated “church” (ekklesia, in Greek) never flees from the basic sense in the Greek language: “An assembly or congregation called out for a definite purpose.” In the history of that language you never hear of a “ekklesia” (church) THAT DOES NOT COME TOGETHER! How could they come together (before the Second Coming of Christ) in a so-called “universal” church? Such a church is nothing more than an unrealizable idea, and an impractical idea, because it does not have function to realize here on the earth. But the Biblical church, visible and local, has a function, that is, to act as the representative of Christ.

A. The local church represents THE LORD until He returns! Mark 13:34-35, “For the Son of man is as a man taking a far journey, who left his house, and gave authority to his servants, and to every man his work, and commanded the porter to watch. 35- Watch ye therefore: for ye know not when the master of the house cometh, at even, or at midnight, or at the cockcrowing, or in the morning:”

B. The local church takes charge until He returns, Luke 19:13, “And he called his ten servants, and delivered them ten pounds, and said unto them, Occupy till I come.”

POINTS TO PONDER:

1. Give the four definitions most common of the word “church.”

2. How many types of churches do the Protestants believe exist?

3. All of the believers in Christ make the FAMILY or the CHURCH of God?

4. Why is the idea of a universal church unrealizable and impractical?

5. What is the function of the local and visible church?