The Church Christ Built--Marks of Identification

The church Christ built is worthless to man if it is impossible to find it, if it only existed in ancient history, and cannot be known today. Fortunately, like all things that exist, there are marks of identification that allow us to know his church from those made by man. What are the marks of identification of the Lord’s church versus man-made churches?

(1) The time of its founding. The Lord’s church began in the first century on the Day of Pentecost in Acts 2. Any church that was built or came into existence later cannot be the church Jesus built. Many of today’s churches were founded during the years of the Reformation and in the years since then, thus eliminating them from consideration as being the church Jesus built.

(2) The builder--Christ himself built his church. If a church can trace its beginnings back to a particular man or movement that can be named for its founding, it is clearly not the church Christ built.

(3) Its name. If a church is the church Jesus built, then one would expect it would not have a name given by men attached to it. Actually, no formal name was ever given to the church Jesus built. It was often referred to by appellations such as: the body of Christ (Eph. 1:22-23, 4:12), the Lamb’s bride (Rev. 21:9-10, Rom. 7:4), the church of God (Acts 20:28), the church of Christ (Rom. 16:16), the church of the living God (1 Tim. 3:15), the church of the firstborn (Heb. 12:23), the household of God (Eph. 2:19), the flock of God (1 Peter 5:2), God’s field (1 Cor. 2:9), God’s building (1 Cor. 2:9), the house of God (1 Tim. 3:15), the temple of God (1 Cor. 3:16-17), and, of course, the most common designation for the church in the Bible is the singular term, “the church.”

When a church has a name or designation not found in the Bible, that ought to immediately raise a red flag. That alone tells you it differs from what you find in scripture and makes it suspect. If a church is named after a man, a method of governance, or a peculiar doctrinal stance, it detracts from God’s honor and glory. God is to be given glory in the church (Eph. 3:20-21)—not a man or a movement.

(4) Its members--their names. In the church built by Jesus no member was called anything other than a disciple, a brother or a sister as the case might be, or just brethren when taken collectively, a child of God, a saint, or just by the name Christian (Acts 11:26). This listing is not necessarily exhaustive but is sufficient to make a needed point. In the New Testament church there were no such beings as Christians who also had an additional appellation or name to distinguish them from others. This was the very thing Paul condemned in 1 Cor. 2:4 when he said, “For when one says, ‘I am of Paul,’ and another, ‘I am of Apollos,’ are you not carnal?” (NKJV)

No church whose members are called by a denominational name in addition to the name Christian is the church Jesus built. Not only is it carnal, as Paul said, but it is also dishonoring to God, as if it is not good enough to just be called a Christian or child of God. The name “Christian” is a Christ-honoring name. Denominational names dishonor Christ as his name is replaced with that which the Bible knows nothing about.

(5) Membership--how do people become members of Christ’s church? This is an easily answered question. The church was established on the Day of Pentecost in Acts 2. When Peter confessed Jesus as the Christ, the Son of God, in Matt. 16:16, Jesus’ responded by saying, “on this rock I will build my church” (Matt. 16:18 NKJV) but then in the very next verse he tells Peter, “I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven.” (Matt. 16:19 NKJV) Jesus thus uses the terms the church and the kingdom interchangeably making them one and the same.

The kingdom of God is not something that in our own time is down the road in the future. Jesus said to those with whom he was speaking, in Mark 9:1, “Assuredly, I say to you that there are some standing here who will not taste death till they see the kingdom of God present with power.” (NKJV) Paul says some years later in Col. 1:13, “He has delivered us from the power of darkness and translated us into the kingdom of the Son of his love.” (NKJV)

Peter used the keys of the kingdom (the keys being the gospel message with its requirements) on the day of Pentecost. When the 3,000 that day heard the message, believed it, repented of their sins (as instructed to do--Acts 2:38), and were baptized for the forgiveness of sins (as instructed to do--Acts 2:38), they were then translated into the kingdom of God by God himself. It is in that kingdom, not out of it, where salvation is found. If saved that day, no one doubts that they were, they were at that very time translated into the “kingdom of the Son of his love.” (Col. 1:13 NKJV)

Men do not join the church (the kingdom of God), but rather God adds them upon conditions. “The Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved.” (Acts 2:47 NKJV) The conditions are those set forth by Peter on the day of Pentecost. Jesus said, “Unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.” (John 3:5 NKJV) There are only two kingdoms, the kingdom of God and the kingdom of Satan. One must be in the kingdom of God for salvation, but Jesus is the Savior of the body (Eph. 5:23) which is the church (Col. 1:24). The kingdom and the body, the church, are one and the same, the difference being only in the way it is being portrayed. The kingdom has a king, the body has a head, but the same one who is king is also the head--the head of the body and of the church, which are one and the same (Col. 1:24).

Membership in this body, this church of Christ, this church Jesus built, is granted only on the basis of the new birth (John 3:5). It begins with the Spirit in that through the Spirit’s word, the gospel message, man is led to faith and repentance and a willingness and desire to confess Christ for who he is--the Son of God--and it culminates in baptism for the forgiveness of sins (Acts 2:38, 22:16) but more succinctly to put to death the old man of sin and to arise a new spiritual creation (Rom. 6:4-6). The old man dies in baptism (Rom. 6:4), “we were buried with him through baptism into death.” (NKJV) We come up from the water clothed with Christ (Gal. 3:27 NAS). Paul is thus able to say, “For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body…and have all been made to drink into one Spirit.” (1 Cor. 12:13 NKJV)

These then are the terms of membership if one desires to be in the church Jesus built. One can get into churches built by men on other terms, into man-made churches, but there is only one way into the Lord’s church. We must go back to the New Testament and enter the Lord’s church on the same terms of membership that they did back then. The same process that makes one a Christian also makes him a member of the church Jesus built, also adds him to the church, the Lord doing the adding when the requirements are met.

(6) Another mark of the Lord’s church is its organization. Each congregation was on its own, running its own affairs, with no guidance from any kind of national church organization. Each congregation was to have elders appointed who met certain requirements as set out in 1 Tim. 3:1-7 and Titus 1:5-9. This group of men was sometimes referred to under various terms in the same way Christians were as discussed earlier. The terms used were elders, overseers, shepherds, bishops, pastors, and rulers.

One of the requirements for a bishop or elder was that he be “the husband of one wife” (1 Tim. 3:2, Titus 1:6), and thus the church Jesus built was led by men. There were no women in leadership positions in the church. Perhaps the reason is given by Paul in 1 Tim. 2 when he says, “I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man…for Adam was formed first, then Eve. And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived, fell into transgression.” (1 Tim. 2:12-14 NKJV) This is a historical reason that time will never be able to erase and thus it was not a matter of culture as some teach today.

If you find a congregation that is in violation of God’s plan for church leadership, you can be certain that it is not the church Jesus built or it has apostasized, one or the other. The eldership was always made up of a number of men and not just a single individual (Titus 1:5, Heb. 13:17). Thus, in the church Christ built, there were no women in leadership positions or teaching over men (preachers), nor was there any such thing as the modern pastor system. Those things are from men, not God.

There was also a group of men known as deacons who worked or served in the church under the direction of the eldership. Qualifications for these men are found in 1 Tim. 3:8-13. Some feel the 7 men chosen to supervise the daily distribution in the church at Jerusalem, as found in Acts 6:1-6, were the first deacons. They certainly filled the role deacons might well fill.

(7) Worship of the church. What are the acts of worship as found in the New Testament that, when done in the right manner, please God? Partaking of the Lord’s Supper on the first day of the week is one (Acts 20:7), prayer is another, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs (Eph. 5:19-20, Col. 3:16) is included, teaching of God’s word in which exhortation would be a part, and giving. Very few, if any, would object to any of these things for all are pretty much in agreement that these things can be found on the pages of the New Testament as things authorized in worship. We can do all of these things in the name of the Lord Jesus. “Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” (Col. 3:17 NKJV)

But when we talk about the worship of the church, there is more to it than just the correct object of worship--God in heaven. Jesus said we must worship God in spirit and truth (John 4:24). He then says in reference to God that, “Your word is truth.” (John 17:17 NKJV) This means, obviously, that man is not free to worship God just any way he chooses and call it worship, worship that is pleasing to God. God gets to decide what pleases, not man. If you recall, the church at Corinth in 1 Cor. 11 had a worship problem as it pertained to the Lord’s Supper. We are not free, in the Lord’s church, to do things our way.

The problem today, when one is searching for the church built by Christ as far as it pertains to the worship, is finding a church that has not added to the worship. All kinds of entertainment have been made a part of the worship--plays, instrumental music, musical entertainment (generally called in my part of the country “special music”), special events, and around election time even political rallies passed off as worship service. No, if we want the church the saints had in the first century, the one that belonged to Christ, we will have to content ourselves with doing what they did under divine approval and say that is good enough for it is good indeed as it came to us from “the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.” (James 1:17 NKJV)

(8) The works of the church. The church Jesus built taught the gospel, they attempted to build each other up in the faith, and lend a hand to one another as needed; they were encouraged in every good work, and helped the poor and needy. The mission of the church was spiritual, but that did not mean it was divorced from the cares of this world completely. “Whoever has this world’s goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him?” (1 John 3:17 NKJV)

Much of what you see being done in churches today was never a part of the New Testament church. There were no ball teams, no seminars on how to do your taxes or lose weight, no business enterprises to raise money versus giving it out of your own pocket, and the list could go on and on. We need to learn what work the New Testament churches were involved in and get back to it, and forget about everything else.

In this article, I have tried to set forth the marks of identification for the church Christ built. That is the church we need to be in and get back to. If we did all denominations would cease to exist. Men will fight that tooth and nail for it is one thing to say we want Christ’s church and it is another thing to want it enough to give up “our church,” our denomination. In other words, the old saying “talk is cheap” is more than just a saying. A lot of things will have to be given up to get back to Jesus’ church, but it can be done once the will to do it is found. 

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The Washing of Water by the Word--Baptism and Salvation

Baptism is essential to salvation but there are many non-believers, people who do not believe that. I want to deal with one passage today that affirms this doctrine but which is seldom used because the word baptize or baptism is not found in the passage. The phrase used is “washing of water” as found in Eph. 5:25-27.

Eph. 5:25-27 reads as follows: “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave himself for it, that he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, that he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that it should be holy and without blemish.” (NKJV)

The phrase “washing of water” is a direct reference to baptism. “By the word” signifies the reason for the baptism--God’s word. God’s word directs one to be baptized.

Some think they can be saved outside the church. That cannot happen. Why? Because, as the text plainly tells us, that is what Christ gave himself for. Because Christians are the church, and it is Christians who will be saved.

The Bible teaches the church is the body of Christ, Eph. 1:22-23 and Col. 1:18, and “he (that is Jesus--DS) is the Savior of the body.” (Eph. 5:23 NKJV) Nowhere does the Bible teach that one can be outside the Savior (his body, the church) and be saved. If you can be outside the Savior and be saved, then you can be outside the church and be saved, but not until then. Is there anyone who thinks they can be saved outside the Savior? If you could be, the Savior would not be needed.

One must be “in Christ” to be saved. We are baptized into Christ (Rom. 6:3, Gal. 3:27). It is “in Christ” where “all spiritual blessings” are found (Eph. 1:3 KJV). Other translations use the phrase “every spiritual blessing.” If you are not in Christ, you are outside the realm where these spiritual blessings are found.

Eph. 5:25-27 teaches that Jesus sanctified the body and cleansed it by the washing of water (baptism)--that is what it says; read it for yourself. Since you and I are the church, the body, that is how we are sanctified and cleansed. The word sanctify means to make holy; thus, several modern-day translations use the word holy rather than sanctify in the Ephesian passage (see the NIV, CSB, NLT, and the NRSV). For example, the NIV reads “to make her holy” in Eph. 5:26, with reference to the church.

We are told to “pursue peace with all men, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord.” (Heb. 12:14 NKJV) It is essential to be made holy, and that is done by the Lord when we obey him by being baptized based on our faith and repentance. When we do we become “a holy priesthood.” (1 Peter 2:5 NKJV) Of course, holiness must be maintained. We are not to become backsliders and fall away.

Jesus cleansed the church, you and I, by the washing of water--baptism. To argue with that is to argue with an inspired apostle--Paul. If you are thinking that possibly the phrase “washing of water” might mean something else other than baptism then take a look at 1 Cor. 12:13, “For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body.” (NKJV) “By one Spirit” is the same as “by the word” in Eph. 5:26 for the word is the mind of the Spirit, the Spirit speaking to us, leading us to faith and obedience.

Paul also tells us elsewhere how we enter this body of Christ, how we enter Christ himself spiritually speaking. “For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.” (Gal. 3:27 NKJV) See also Rom. 6:3.

Eph. 5:25-27 teaches that baptism is essential for note some things that are true if we fail to be washed of water. If you are not washed by water, then you are not sanctified, not made holy. True, the Bible teaches we are sanctified by a number of things, not just the washing of water, but which one of those number of things given in the Bible by which we are sanctified will you cast aside as of no account on your own authority? Will it be the washing of water? If so it is, indeed, on your own authority.

The wise man says if God said it I believe it, and it is essential to believe and obey to the very best of one's ability. We do not have an option of picking and choosing. We cannot legislate for God. Can you be sanctified without the washing of water, be made holy? Our attitude ought to be that everything that is said concerning sanctification and how it comes is true and essential.

But let us move on for there is more in the text. If the washing of water is the way Jesus cleansed the church, meaning those who became Christians, and that is what the text says, then if I have failed to be baptized I have not yet been cleansed. Cleansed of what? What is there to be cleansed of? Sin.

But there is much more to this washing. In 1 Cor. 6:9-10, Paul lists a number of sins and says that those who do those things will not inherit the kingdom of God. He then goes on and says, “And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God.” (1 Cor. 6:11 NKJV) “By the Spirit of our God” means the Spirit was involved but we are not told how he was involved, not here. We are told in the passage that is the subject of this article--Eph. 5:25-27. It was by means of the Spirit working through the word. The word of God is the sword of the Spirit (Eph. 6:17). It leads a man to faith and obedience. In their washing, the Corinthians were cleansed as much so as the Ephesians.

Of Christians, the Hebrew writer says, “Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.” (Heb. 10:22 NKJV) If a person has not had his body washed with the water of which the Hebrew writer is speaking (baptism), then he is not qualified to draw near. He may well attempt to do it anyway and tell himself he is being successful but he is at odds with the Hebrew writer.

Peter speaks of how to deal with this evil conscience and rid oneself of it. He says, “there is also an antitype which now saves us – baptism,” which he says is “the answer of a good conscience toward God.” (1Peter 3:21 NKJV) That is the man who can “draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith” (Heb. 10:22 NKJV) having his heart sprinkled from an evil conscience. That is the man who has had his body “washed with pure water.” It is the man who was led by the Spirit.

[As an aside, the Heb. 10:22 passage, reread it above, answers those who are always saying, because they do not want to accept baptism, that the word "water" is symbolic and is thus not a reference to water baptism. If they are correct then in Heb. 10:22 the physical body was washed with pure symbolism. When one rejects the truth they will believe about anything.]

There is more. In Acts 22:16, Ananias told Saul to “Arise and be baptized, and wash away your sins.” (NKJV) What was Saul going to be baptized in? Water. What was going to happen as a result? The washing away of sins.

I have heard people who do not understand baptism say things like there is nothing in water that can wash away sins, the idea being that sin is like dirt on the body that can be washed off. Well, no sin is not like dirt on the body where a little water, soap, and a wash rag will take care of it. But, there is something in the baptismal waters that will take care of sin. What? The promise of Jesus, “He who believes and is baptized will be saved.” (Mark 16:16 NKJV) If a man is saved, he has had his sins remitted. The promise of Jesus is in the water.

Naaman, in the Old Testament, had a promise in the water. He found out if you want the promise of cleansing, you must get in the water. You can read about his experience in 2 Kings 5.

In America today, among those who call themselves Christians, not many believe what Jesus said. They believe, “he who believes and is not baptized will be saved” just as well as he who believes and is baptized. They say they are going to be saved by faith but have no faith in what Jesus said. I find deep irony in that.

Baptism is essential to salvation just as much so as faith and repentance and the confession of Jesus but there are non-believers who will neither believe nor obey. They are in God’s hands. “It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.” (Heb. 10:31 NKJV) When you will not obey what God has clearly commanded it is indeed a fearful thing to fall into his hands.

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The Church as the Body of Christ – The Implications

 Relationships Within The Body

The church of the New Testament is referred to in the scriptures under several different designations or appellations, one of which is the body of Christ. “And he put all things under his feet, and gave him to be head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.” (Eph. 1:22-23 NKJV) “I now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up in my flesh what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ, for the sake of his body, which is the church.” (Col. 1:24 NKJV) Paul says, in speaking to the church (see 1 Cor. 1:2) at Corinth, “Now you are the body of Christ, and members individually.” (1 Cor. 12:27 NKJV) To those in Rome, he says, “So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another.” (Rom. 12:5 NKJV)

The body of Christ, the church, is, of course, a spiritual body. Peter describes the church as a building but what he says is applicable here for he says, “you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house.” (1 Peter 2:5 NKJV) The church is spiritual; it consists of men and women and boys and girls of accountable age who, each in their individual spirit, have submitted to Christ in both faith and obedience. “You are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you.” (Rom. 8:9 NKJV) “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are the sons of God.” (Rom. 8:14 NKJV) “If by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body (the fleshly physical body we each possess--DS), you will live.” (Rom. 8:13 NKJV) It is thus spiritual beings who have the Spirit of Christ within them who comprise the church, the body of Christ.

In the description the Holy Spirit gives of the church as a spiritual body, the body of Christ, it is compared to a physical body to provide us with lessons about its nature and what it is to be. He (the Holy Spirit) says, speaking through Paul, “for in fact the body is not one member but many” (1 Cor. 12:14 NKJV) and then begins discussing the foot, the hand, the ear, the eye, the smelling (the nose) with the idea being that each member of the body has its function to fulfill for the profit of the entire body and that each part of the body, each member, contributes to the well being of the body and is needed. (1 Cor. 12:15-22) With the physical body we readily see this need. Remove any part of the body and, to that extent, we become handicapped.

This is a lesson the church needs to learn -- the value of every single member and the fact that they each contribute in one way or another, whether we see it or not. Too often the member that has standing is the one with speaking talent, or the one who is a church leader in one capacity or another, or one who is well thought of in the community while the poor widow with but two mites to cast into the collection plate (Luke 21:1-4) is left out of the social interaction of the membership.

The church that is what God would have it to be is egalitarian. Too often, the church is divided into cliques based on social, economic, or educational status or perceived superiority. This should not be. If men can see such behavior surely God sees it. To show favoritism of one over another is sin. “My brethren, do not hold your faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ with an attitude of personal favoritism” (James 2:1 NAS77) or, as the NET Bible puts it, “do not show prejudice.”

But the reader should not make more of what I have said than what I stated, for I do not mean to imply this is a common practice, but if it is found even once it is once too often. Every congregation is different and the whole body of believers should never be judged based on what one might find in a particular location. Do we think it would be fair to judge all of the congregations that belong to Christ based on the church at Sardis as described by Jesus himself in Rev. 3? I think not.

Here is the body of Christ, the church, as God would have it be--“that there should be no schism in the body, but that the members should have the same care for one another. And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; or if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it. Now you are the body of Christ, and members individually.” (1 Cor. 12:25-27 NKJV) “By this all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” (John 13:35 NKJV)

The church being what it ought to be starts with each individual member being what he ought to be in his relationship both with Christ and with his fellow brethren. We cannot sit back as observers and see how it is going and say the church is not what it ought to be in its love for each of its members when we are, as stated, just sitting back and watching and not becoming actively involved ourselves.

John says, for example, “Whoever has this world’s goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him?” (1 John 3:17 NKJV) We say that it is the church’s duty, the church’s responsibility, to care for the needy. Now, be honest, is that what the passage says, that it is the church’s obligation? It says it is my obligation if I can help to step in and help; the church being what it ought to be as a body begins with me in friendship, in fellowship, in caring, in sharing, in sacrifice, in the depths of love as measured by God’s word. Besides, if we do not care about one another, who will care about us?

Salvation is in The Body

How many bodies does Christ have? That is a foolish question on its face. How many bodies do you have? It makes as much sense to ask one as to ask the other. Besides, even if we were that dull, Paul tells us, “There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling.” (Eph. 4:4 NKJV) There is an idea held by many that each of the individual denominations is a member of the body of Christ and that, taken collectively, they make up the church. Talk about an absolute perversion of scripture and utter nonsense!

Denominations did not exist when the New Testament was being written, thus when Paul wrote to the church at Corinth talking about these matters regarding the body of Christ (1 Cor. 12) he most certainly was not talking about that which did not exist. He clearly was talking to “those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints.” (1 Cor. 1:2 NKJV) How do I know he was talking to them--because I just quoted the passage, because he says so. They, each one individually, each Christian, was a member of the body of Christ to whom he was speaking. “You are the body of Christ (the church at Corinth--DS), and members individually.” (1 Cor. 12:27 NKJV)

Christ is the head of the body, the church (Eph. 1:22-23, Col. 1:18), to whom each member of the body is to hold fast (Col. 2:19). The head always directs the body using the analogy of the physical body. The rest of the body follows the decisions made by the head. In other words, the head rules the body. God never gave man legislative powers in the realm of religion; Christ has all authority. “All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth” (Matt. 28:18 NKJV) were some of the last words Jesus spoke while on earth. He is the king of a kingdom and not the head of some kind of a democratic government. This being the case, and as Christ the head has spoken and given his will in the pages of the New Testament, why have men not been content to be guided by his will and it alone?

Men have arrogated power to themselves and set up conferences, councils, and governing bodies, and tried to make laws for God and in many cases even overrode his will, for their own, setting aside scripture and people say it is okay, all is well, God is pleased, he is satisfied, and we are saved. In religious bodies that have done these things it is safe to say Christ may be spoken of as the head but it is not taken seriously by those of us who have a New Testament and have read it and studied it and believe it.

Man may vote and elect a governing body in a club, or a benevolent organization, or a union, or whatever, but such has no place in the New Testament church, the body of Christ, which already has its head and governing body in place--Christ himself.

Christ is the Savior of the body (Eph. 5:23), but scripture says his body is the church (Col. 1:24). There are an awful lot of people who believe the church does not matter. To their thinking it does not matter whether one is a member of the church or not for their thinking is a man can be saved without church membership. If you can be saved without church membership then it does not matter whether or not you are in the body of Christ for the church is the body of Christ (Eph. 1:22-23). If you are in the church, you are in the body of Christ; if you are not in the church, you are not in the body of Christ.

Now, what is it that Christ is the Savior of? It is his body, the body of Christ (Eph. 5:23). Name one place in the Bible where Christ ever promised or gave hope of saving anyone not in the body of Christ. I am willing to wait for the answer but it will be a long wait as you will not find it.

Here is what causes the confusion: people do not know the truth about how one becomes a Christian. They think becoming a Christian is one process and becoming a church member is another. The truth is that the same process that makes one a Christian also adds him to the body of Christ, the church. If you obeyed the gospel of Christ, in truth and sincerity, you are a member of the church, whether any in the church accept you or not. God adds you to the church (see Acts 2:47 NKJV), not men. He does it when we obey the gospel. You cannot obey the gospel and not be in the church.

God adds you to the church, the body of Christ, but on conditions. One condition all agree upon is faith in Christ. That, however, is only one condition. While everything else flows from it and while it must of necessity be the first thing in order (Heb. 11:6) God requires more of man than that even though many do not believe he does.

A second condition is repentance. God is not in the business of saving unrepentant sinners, even if they are believers. If so, where does the Bible teach it? If man can be saved without repentance what did Jesus shed his blood for? If a man can be saved without repentance, meaning he can go on and still live a life of sin and be saved, then why did Jesus shed his blood for the remission of man’s sins if sin does not matter? Repentance is thus required of man for salvation (Acts 2:38).

A third condition is a confession of Jesus with the mouth. “If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes to righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made to salvation.” (Rom. 10:9-10 NKJV) Confession is made before baptism for only believers can be scripturally baptized. It is disciples who are to be baptized, says Jesus (Matt. 28:19), but you cannot know a person has been made a disciple unless that person lets it be known.

The final condition one must meet before it can be said he has entered the body of Christ, of which Christ said he is the Savior (Eph. 5:23), is baptism. “For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body--whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free--and have all been made to drink into one Spirit. For in fact the body is not one member but many.” (1 Cor. 12:13-14 NKJV) We enter the body of Christ by baptism. “For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.” (Gal. 3:27 NKJV) To be baptized into Christ is to be baptized into his body.

I have quoted the passage from Eph. 5:23 a few times in this article where it is said Jesus is the “Savior of the body.” If you will read but 2 verses on down you will begin reading as follows, “Christ also loved the church and gave himself for it, that he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, that he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that it should be holy and without blemish.” (Eph. 5:25-27 NKJV)

Let me ask you one thing. What did Christ cleanse the church of “with the washing of water (baptism--DS) by the word”? To ask is to answer--sin. If you think spiritual cleansing of sin does not come by “the washing of water by the word,” then you must explain why the Holy Spirit said it did while not meaning what he said. Would you question his integrity?

Those who think they can enter the body of Christ some other way than by being baptized, as Peter said, for the remission of sins (Acts 2:38), will search in vain for the passage that teaches it. No one is a Christian who has not been baptized, despite years of man-made tradition that teaches otherwise. One can either choose to believe the Bible or believe men.

I grow weary of hearing men talk of faith who have no faith, who will not believe plain statements of scripture. I can find several passages that say we are baptized into Christ, it is for the remission of sins, that it saves, etc.–teachings along those lines. Those who oppose this teaching oppose every passage I produce and yet can find no passage in support of their own proposition that it does not save or have anything to do with man’s salvation.

If one enters the body of Christ by baptism (1 Cor. 12:13), that is where salvation is found for his body, the church, is what Christ is saving, then what do you think you ought to do with regards to baptism? If you think one can enter that body without baptism why not teach us all how? Teach us how that while Jesus said, “He who believes and is baptized will be saved” (Mark 16:16 NKJV) the truth is “He who believes and is ‘not’ baptized will be saved.”  Whether Mark 16:16 is authentic or not is debated but, nevertheless, be that as it may, the teaching of many is “he who believes and is not baptized will be saved.” That is an exceedingly dangerous doctrine in light of Bible teaching on the subject. Who is so reckless to do it?

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Jesus The Rock The Church Was Built On

The reader is likely aware that the Roman Catholic Church does not believe the church was built on Christ but rather upon Peter. In this article, we will examine what the Bible teaches and then let the reader decide whether to follow the Bible or the Catholic Church.

After Jesus' arrest he was brought before the Jewish council where he was asked, "'Are you then the Son of God?' And he said to them, 'You rightly say that I am.'" (Luke 22:70 NKJV) This fact was earlier confessed by Peter in Matt. 16 when he said, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." (Matt. 16:16 NKJV) Jesus, being the Son of God, is the rock Jesus built the church on. No one can enter the church built by Jesus who does not believe this foundational doctrine, that Jesus is the Son of God. Jesus, as the Son of God, built the church upon himself.

Jesus is described by Peter as a living stone rejected by men but chosen by God and precious (1 Peter 2:4). He goes on a couple of verses later to say, "It is also contained in the Scripture, 'Behold, I lay in Zion a chief cornerstone, elect, precious, and he who believes on him will by no means be put to shame.'" (1 Peter 2:6 NKJV) The chief cornerstone (a rock) is a reference to a man. I ask the reader to decide for themself whether this man Peter is describing, that if a man believes on him he will not be put to shame, is meant by Peter to be a reference to himself or to Jesus. The church cannot be built on both Jesus and Peter. Both cannot be that rock upon which the church is built. Who did Peter consider to be the chief cornerstone, himself or Jesus?

But let us compare 1 Peter 2:6 just quoted above with Isaiah 28:16 where God had said hundreds of years before Peter's time, "Behold, I lay in Zion a stone for a foundation, a tried stone, a precious cornerstone, a sure foundation; whoever believes will not act hastily." (NKJV) The stone God laid was Christ, not Peter. Isaiah was not prophesying about Peter.

But what does it mean when the text says "whoever believes will not act hastily"? The idea that both Isaiah and Peter present is that the rock God laid in Christ is so solid and so secure under the feet of the true believer that there is no insecurity. The rock you stand on when you stand on Christ is solid and secure, safe and reliable, and will not fail you. Some translations instead of “not act hastily” use the phrase “not be disturbed” (NAS), “never be stricken with panic” (NIV), or “will be unshakable” (CSB).

If Peter is the rock does this sound like Peter, you stand on Peter as the rock and you become unshakable. No, I think we would all rather stand on Christ than on Peter if we were to be unshakable.

Very early in the history of the church when Peter and John were taken into custody, a consequence of their teaching at the temple, and were placed before the Jewish rulers, elders, and scribes, as well as the high priest and as many as were of his family, Peter testified of Jesus saying, "This is the 'stone which was rejected by you builders, which has become the chief cornerstone.' Nor is there salvation in any other." (Acts 4:11-12 NKJV) In verse 10 Peter names Jesus as being the one of whom he speaks.

“Let it be known to you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, by Him this man stands here before you whole.

“This is the ‘stone which was rejected by you builders, which has become the chief cornerstone.’ ’’ (Acts 4:10-11 NKJV)

Does that sound like Peter was declaring himself to be the one upon whom the church was built as the Catholics claim?

Paul said of Jesus, "No other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ." (1 Cor. 3:11 NKJV) The foundation of the faith, of the church, the spiritual body of Christ, is Jesus--Jesus not as a man per se but as the Son of God. In writing to the Ephesian brethren Paul says they were members of the household of God (Eph. 2:19) "having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief cornerstone." (Eph. 2:20 NKJV) One has his choice--he can either believe the Catholic Church that Peter is the rock upon which the church is built or he can believe the Bible which makes it plain that Jesus as the Christ, as the Son of God, is that rock.

Yes, Peter is a stone in the church but so is every other Christian. Hear Peter, "You also, (he says speaking to Christians--DS) as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ." (1 Peter 2:5 NKJV) The church is the spiritual body of Christ, a spiritual building being built up. Peter is a stone in the church just like every other Christian but he is not the cornerstone, the stone upon which the church was built.

The church is Christ's body--"his body, which is the church" (Col. 1:24 NKJV - see also Eph. 1:22-23 and Col. 1:18). "He is the Savior of the body." (Eph. 5:23 NKJV) This is the body which he sanctified and cleansed "with the washing of water by the word" (Eph. 5:26 NKJV), a reference to baptism, so that "he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that it should be holy and without blemish." (Eph. 5:27 NKJV)

Paul calls the church "God's building" (1 Cor. 3:9 NKJV) and says he laid the foundation to that building. He did so by preaching Christ and him crucified. "We preach Christ crucified, to the Jews stumbling block and to the Greeks foolishness, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God." (1 Cor. 1:22-23 NKJV) If a man is going to be laid as a living stone into this spiritual building called the church, which Jesus has built and continues to build by adding new stones onto it, then he must be laid on top of this foundational rock that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, who came into the world as the lamb of God to give his life as a sacrifice for all of mankind's sins to bring salvation to all who will believe and obey the gospel message.

What kind of building is the church? Paul describes it as "the temple of God" (1 Cor. 3:16 NKJV) and says that the Spirit of God dwells in it (1 Cor. 3:16) and says it is "holy" (1 Cor. 3:17 NKJV). In Ephesians he describes it thus, "the whole building, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together for a habitation of God in the Spirit." (Eph. 2:21-22 NKJV)

Paul makes a statement in connection with the church being God's temple that ought to frighten all those who think they are free to tinker around with doctrine and practice in the church. He says, "If anyone defiles the temple of God, God will destroy him." (1 Cor. 3:17 NKJV) He says it is holy. One has to remember who built the church. Jesus said, "I will build my church." (Matt. 16:18 NKJV) He did this by his sacrifice on the cross making the church possible and then through the medium of the Holy Spirit in the Spirit's teaching the word (the gospel) through the apostles and New Testament prophets.

The work of building continues today and will until the end of time not by means of inspired men still living but of inspiration completed and placed in the book we call the New Testament. The Holy Spirit continues the work of preaching the gospel and building the church every time the word is read or accurately conveyed in teaching and preaching.

The church was built up by men and women and boys and girls of accountable age (old enough to be responsible) hearing, believing, and obeying from the heart the gospel of Christ. Every time such an individual obeyed the gospel another living stone was added to the building of the church and such building continues on today. Shortly after Pentecost the Bible says, "The Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved." (Acts 2:47 NKJV) Now note who was adding to the church. It was the Lord; the Lord built the church and continues to build it yet today in the manner previously described.

But I want to go back to something mentioned earlier that needs more emphasis. I speak specifically of the great danger inherent in defiling the church, the temple of God, of which Paul says that the one who does so God will destroy (1 Cor. 3:17). God (Jesus) built the first century New Testament church. Do we think we can do better than he did? Men are trying continually to change the church from what it was in the first century and modernize it. Do we think that is wise? How do you know as a mere man that the changes that seem good and right to you or me are fine with God? Jesus is a perfect builder. Can you do better than he did without defiling the church? Remember the penalty for being mistaken is severe, not a slap on the wrist.

We might respond and say I have read the New Testament and I know not all of the churches back in the first century were what they ought to be. True! The church at Corinth had all kinds of problems and then we can read about the seven churches of Asia (Rev. 2 and 3) of which most had one thing or another wrong with them. Yes, that is correct but we also see in our reading they were rebuked for their error and told what to do to get their house in order. In other words, we were given a blueprint for what the church ought to be. Who among us believes that any of those congregations could have continued in error forever without eternal consequences? The rebuking was to bring about repentance and thus salvation.

Here is our situation today. We are not going to get a letter to our church, the congregation of which we are a member, directly from the Lord or an inspired apostle. When we start deviating from the blueprint (New Testament teaching) deceiving ourselves that all is well with what we are doing there is not going to be a rebuke directly from inspiration other than from the New Testament itself. If we are or have deviated from the teachings of the New Testament we have convinced ourselves it is okay, we have justified ourselves in doing so. This makes it nearly impossible to repent, impossible because we have convinced ourselves we are doing the right thing.

No religious group knowingly goes into error. God's people in the Old Testament went into all kinds of sin and even into idolatry. When they were going down that path did they go thinking I want to commit spiritual suicide? They did what they did because they had convinced themselves it was the right thing to do and all of God's prophets could not keep them from it. They saw their error as not being an error but as being their salvation. They had gradually lost their faith in God's word until there was no faith left in it at all save on the part of a tiny remnant of believers.

How does one defile the temple of God, the church? I know of no other way other than by departing from that which governs the church -- the word of God. When a group of people (a congregation or church) begins to practice things not found in the New Testament, allows liberties God does not permit in his word, begins to teach things contrary to the direct word of God, adds to the worship things unheard of in the pages of the new covenant, tolerates sin in the church winking at it or worse begins to call sin righteousness then I would fear being a member of such a congregation. God doesn't just talk to be talking or because he is bored. He said he would destroy him who defiled the temple of God (1 Cor. 3:17) and I for one do not want to be in the vicinity when that happens, do you? Do you want it to be said that you went along with the defiling even if you did not initiate it?

Christ built the church. He is the head of the church (Eph. 5:23). The church is to be subject to Christ (Eph. 5:24). Those things being true then if I come into your worship service and you are doing something I cannot find in the word of Christ (the New Testament) I want to know why you are doing it and upon whose authority. Don't tell me it does not matter for "whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus." (Col. 3:17 NKJV) How do you do a thing in the name of the Lord Jesus when the Lord Jesus has never said a word about the thing that you are doing? Do you think you a mere man can take the authority upon yourself to initiate things into the worship service unknown to the word of God? The sad truth is yes most in Christendom believe that very thing. The church cannot be defiled by doing what the scriptures teach but it certainly can by adding things not found in scripture.

In closing, Jesus is the foundation of the church, the rock upon which the church was built but it is his church, not mine, not yours. He built it and he built it the way he wanted it and not the way you or I might like it to be. It is what it is. Our choice is to accept it, reject it outright, or defile it as many have done. The church belongs to Jesus. If we would remember that we would perhaps quit trying to make it ours. We get to be a part of it, a living stone, but we do not own it or rule it and we have no part in making rules for it unless we want to get into the defiling business.  

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Parable of the Tares -- No Middle Ground

The story of the parable of the tares is found in Matt. 13:24-30 and explained by Jesus in verses 36-43. I quote the parable as follows:

"Another parable he put forth to them, saying: 'The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field; but while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat and went his way. But when the grain had sprouted and produced a crop, then the tares also appeared. So the servants of the owner came and said to him, 'Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have tares?' He said to them, 'An enemy has done this.' The servants said to him, 'Do you want us then to go and gather them up?' But he said, 'No, lest while you gather up the tares you also uproot the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest, and at the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, 'First gather together the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them, but gather the wheat into my barn.''" (Matt. 13:24-30 NKJV)

There has been debate over the years about this parable as to whether or not the kingdom referred to is the church or the entirety of the world, all of humanity, over which God rules. It is the world for in Jesus’ explanation of the parable he says as much, “The field is the world.” (Matt. 13:38 NKJV) The emphasis in the parable is the contrast between the wheat and the tares. There is no middle ground to be had. One is either a tare (a weed in the newer translations) or wheat and which one it is makes all the difference.

Let us say for the sake of argument the parable is a reference to people in the church. It is not but let us say for the moment it is. There is no middle ground there to reside in. You still have an either/or scenario. If the ungodly in the church are not to be saved then what hope does that leave for the ungodly outside the church? The answer is none. All outside the church are ungodly in that they have never obeyed the gospel and are sinners in God’s sight. If you have not obeyed the gospel and you are old enough to do so then you are still in your sins.

All the godly are in the church. One cannot be godly and be outside the church for the same process that saves a man (gospel obedience) makes him, by God’s grace, godly. God adds the saved, the godly ones, to the church. "And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved." (Acts 2:47 NKJV) The church is that which Jesus is the Savior of. "Christ is the head of the church; and he is the Savior of the body." (Eph. 5:23 NKJV) The "body" is the church. "And he put all things under his feet, and gave him to be head over all things to the church, which is his body." (Eph. 1:22-23 NKJV)

If a person is saved he is in the church, the body of Christ, but this does not mean once saved always saved for a Christian can fall away and become ungodly, even become a disbeliever, later in life.

In a practical sense as far as what will happen in the last day, the Day of Judgment, everyone is a tare who is not saved whether in the church or outside it. All outside the church are going to be gathered together to be burned along with any tares that are found in the church. Again, the parable is not about the ungodly in the church but those who are ungodly in the church will not be saved.

While Peter may have had (?) reference to the Roman invasion and destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70 when he penned the following passage he nevertheless made a point we all need to give consideration to. He said, "For the time has come for judgment to begin at the house of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the end of those who do not obey the gospel of God?" (1 Peter 4:17 NKJV) What indeed? When one obeys the gospel the Lord adds that person to the body of Christ, the church, where the saved abide.

Paul talks of Jesus' second coming and says this, "When the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with His mighty angels, in flaming fire taking vengeance on those who do not know God, and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. These shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his power, when he comes, in that day." (2 Thess. 1:7-10 NKJV) We see no middle ground. One has either obeyed the gospel or he has not.

It brings me great sadness to know people I care about and realize that to them gospel obedience and faithfulness is no big deal. What are they thinking? Do they think the Bible is a fairy tale and there is no judgment to come? Do they believe you cannot trust God's word, that all the talk about eternal fire and gnashing of teeth is just so much hyperbole? Have they followed hook, line, and sinker the common opinion that as long as you are a decent human being you will be saved? Do they think they are special and God is going to give them a free pass despite their shunning of him, disrespect, and lack of love for him? Or, is it that they are just so "this-worldly" that they cannot give spiritual matters the time of day? What are they thinking? I do not know but does it matter what the motive for disobedience is when the result is the same regardless?

They live their lives giving God little to no consideration. "The wicked in his proud countenance does not seek God; God is in none of his thoughts." (Psalms 10:4 NKJV) No, to you and me they do not seem "wicked" as we generally think of wicked people but we must remember we do not think as God thinks nor do we see or understand as he does. "For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways," says the Lord." (Isa. 55:8 NKJV) Besides, if we are honest, and we stop and think about it, we know a person who does not seek God is proud in that he thinks he can do fine without giving God a primary place in his/her life.

If we don't care about God while living why should we think we shall be saved in the Day of Judgment? Whatever other lessons are to be found in the parable of the tares this one stands out to me -- there is no middle ground. One is either wheat or a tare, saved or lost, has obeyed the gospel or hasn't obeyed the gospel, loves God or does not love God. How we desire middle ground, if not for ourselves for others, but there is no middle ground to be had. It is finally heaven or hell.

"Therefore as the tares are gathered and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of this age. The son of man will send out His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all things that offend, and those who practice lawlessness, and will cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth." (Matt. 13:40-42 NKJV)

There is no middle ground but unlike in the physical realm where a species cannot help but be whatever it is in the spiritual realm a tare can be changed into wheat if the desire is there to make the change. God's desire is to save, not to cast into the furnace of fire. "The Lord … is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance." (2 Peter 3:9 NKJV) "Do I have any pleasure at all that the wicked should die?" says the Lord God, "and not that he should turn from his ways and live?" (Ezek. 18:23 NKJV) "For I have no pleasure in the death of one who dies," says the Lord God. "Therefore turn and live!" (Ezek. 18:32 NKJV)

Yes, turn and live for there is no middle ground.

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