Leaves Of Gold

A Call To Return To Biblical Teaching

"…to contend earnestly for the faith…"

Year One, number 8                                                                 August                                                                                                                  2006

 

 

MASTER OUTLINE NUMBER SEVEN

(These studies are taken from "The Christian Life Bible", Thomas Nelson Publishers,  Porter L. Barrington)

 

The Deity of Christ: His Person

      If Jesus is God, and you believe with your understanding that He is the God-Man, and you have truly, purposefully, by an act of decision committed your life to Him as Lord and Savior, then every­thing is settled forever. But if Jesus is not God, then nothing is settled, and we are lost in sin, without hope.

      Now the question is, do we have biblical evidence that Jesus is the God-Man, God in the flesh?  The answer is a joyful yes! Throughout Christ's ministry His enemies made every effort to disprove His messianic claims and expose Him as a deceiver. They failed completely.

      On one occasion the Pharisees, Sadducees, and Herodians, who had nothing in common but a religious hatred for Jesus, came to Him with questions designed to entangle Him in His teaching and to expose Him as a fraud (Matt. 22:15-40). The omniscient God-Man, Jesus, answered all their questions without getting caught in their web of deceit. Then He asked the Pharisees a ques­tion, in order to give them evidence from the Scriptures that He was the Messiah. His question was, "What do you think about the Christ [Messiah]? Whose Son is He?" They answered, "The Son of David:' Their reply was correct, but they were not ready for the next question. Jesus continued, "'How then does David in the Spirit call Him "Lord;' saying: "The LORD (Yahweh) said to my Lord, 'Sit at My right hand, till 1 make Your enemies Your footstool' "? If David then calls him "Lord;' how is He his Son?' "(Matt. 22:41-46. cf. Ps. 110: 1). They had no answer to this profound ques­tion because they did not know, or would not accept, the biblical teaching about the Messiah.

      How could King David refer to his own Son as his Lord? Was it illogical? Not in this case. Jesus is David's Son' according to the flesh (Rom. 1 3), as attested by the genealogies of Matthew and Luke. He is also David's Lord according to His God deity. He is the God-Man, "the only begot­ten of the Father, full of grace and truth" John 1 :14). Jesus is unique in that He is both David's Son and David's God. His humanity began with His conception by the Holy Spirit in the womb of Mary, but His deity is from all eternity. Jesus is God manifested in the flesh (Rom. 8:3).

      Jesus, as God, is David's Lord. Jesus, as man, is David's Son. Again Jesus said, "I am the Root and the Offspring of David" (Rev. 22:16). Jesus was saying, as it were, "Since I am David's God, I am His Root; he is My son spiritually. But in the flesh 1 am David's offspring. David is My son, and I am David's Son:' He is the God-Man.

 

      7-A. Jesus Is the "I AM" of the Old Testament (Exodus 3:13-15)

      Moses led his father-in-law's flock to the "back of the desert, and came to Horeb, the mountain of God" (vv. 1-6). There he saw an unusual sight, a desert bush enveloped in flames but not consumed. In his curiosity he turned aside to see this phenomenon; "and the Angel of the LORD (Yahweh) appeared to him in a flame of fire from the midst of a bush" (v. 2), saying, "Do not draw near this place. Take your sandals off your feet, for the place where you stand is holy ground" (v. 5). Then the Angel of the LORD (Yahweh) revealed His identity: "I am the God of your father-the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob" (v. 6). In John 8:58 , Jesus looked back in time to that event and identified Himself as the great "I AM." Jesus did not say, "Before Abraham was, I was." He said, "Before Abraham was, I AM." When Jesus said, "I AM," He made the following claims:

b. 

(1) He claimed more than prior existence to Abraham; He declared Himself to be the eternally self existing One.

(2) He claimed to antedate everything that had a beginning. He antedates the multiplied thousands of galaxies that make up the universe.

(3) He claimed to be the Creator of everything in God's universe. "For by Him [the I AM] all things were that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him" (Col. 1:16).

      Moses said to God, "Indeed, when I come to the children of Israel and say to them, 'The God of your fathers has sent me to you,' and they say to me, 'What is His name?' what shall I say to them?" Then God said to Moses, "I AM WHO I AM ... say to the children of Israel, 'I AM has sent me to you'" (vv. 13, 14).

      What is the meaning of "I AM WHO I AM"? God is saying, I am self-existent, eternal Jehovah God. I arm immutable, I do not change (Mal. 3:6). There are only two ways to change: for better or for worse; God cannot do either, because this would be inconsistent with His absolutely perfect character. He is infallible; He errs not; He is incapable of sin (James 1 :13). He is the great I AM.

 

7-B. Jesus Is the "I AM" of the New Testament (John 8:56-59)-

      Jesus fully disclosed His deity (i.e., that He was the God-Man) when He said, "Before Abraham was, I AM." In response, the Jews prepared to stone Him (vv. 58, 59). On another occasion Jesus said, "I and My Father are one." When the Jews again took up stones to stone Him, Jesus asked, "For which of those works do you stone Me?" They answered, "For a good work we do not stone You, but for blasphemy, and because You, being a Man, make Yourself God" (John 10:30-39). Had they only known that He was indeed the God-Man, they would have believed in Him and worshiped Him. But they did not know, because the god of this age (Satan) had blinded their minds (2 Cor. 4:3, 4). Satan continues to blind the minds of unbelievers to the glorious fact that Jesus is God.

      Now think on this awesome question. If Jesus is not God, then who is He? He is either the Deity or demonic! (Mark 3:22). Either He is the truth, or He is the chief of all liars (John 14:6; cf. 8:44). Either He is God, or He is the world's greatest blasphemer (Matt. 9:1-13). If Jesus is not the God-Man, He is not a good man: He is a hopelessly lost soul.

      Let us look at the "I AMs" in the Gospel of John, where He declared that He is Yahweh God.

(1) "I AM the bread of life:' (6:32-35).

(2) "I AM the light of the world" (8:12-20).

(3) "I AM the door of the sheep" (10:7-10).

(4) "I AM the good shepherd" (10:11-16).

(5) "I AM the resurrection and the life" (11:25-27, 38-44).

(6) "I AM the way, the truth, and the life" (14:6).

(7) "I AM the vine" (15:1-8).

 

7-C. Jesus Is Immanuel (Isaiah 7:14-16)-

      As we study the prophecies of the Old Testament, we discover that some have a dual fulfillment. The first event is often close at hand, and its greatest value is in its typology,. that is, in its typifying a greater, future event or truth. The second event might be hundreds-even thousands-of years in the future.

      God spoke to the house of David saying, "Before the Child shall know to refuse the evil and choose the good, the land that you dread [Syria and Israel] will be forsaken by both her kings" (v. 16; cf. Is. 7:1-7). So the child in verse 16 is not the virgin-born Immanuel. He is a type of Immanuel. He is the son that was to be born to Isaiah and to the unnamed virgin he would marry (his second wife). This virgin is a type of the Virgin Mary who would give birth to Immanuel.

At the time God gave this prophecy to the house of David, Isaiah's betrothed was a virgin (Is. 8:3, 4). When Isaiah's son became old enough to refuse evil and choose good, the Lord said, "The land that you dread [Syria and Israel] will be forsaken by both her kings" (v. 16). Soon after, Syria and Israel were indeed defeated by Assyria. The defeat was the fulfillment of an impending. event; but the definitive fulfillment of this wonderful prophecy would not occur for seven hundred years.

Read how Immanuel was born of the Virgin Mary, and fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah. "So all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the lord through the prophet [Isaiah], saying: 'Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,' which is translated, 'God with us.' Then Joseph, being aroused from sleep, did as the angel of the lord commanded him and took to him his wife, and did not know her till she had brought forth her firstborn Son. And he called His name JESUS" (Matt. 1:18-25). The virgin-born Jesus, our Lord and Savior, is Immanuel, GOD WITH US.

 

 

7-D. Jesus Is the Father's Gift to Us (Isaiah 9:6, 7)

      "For unto us a Child is born" (v. 6). The "us" is the Hebrew nation and all believers of all nations. John tells us, "He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him. But as many as received Him [individuals, Jews or Gentiles], to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name" (John 1 :11, 12).

      "Unto us a Son is given" (v. 6). "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son" (John 3:16). Jesus, "who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree" (1 Pet. 2:24) is God the Father's gift to us. This portion of the prophecy was fulfilled when the Virgin Mary "brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger" (Luke 2:1-7).

      The rest of the prophecy (vv. 6, 7) will not come to pass until Jesus the Messiah returns to earth (Acts 1:9-11; cf. Matt. 24:44).

(1) When He comes again, "the government will be upon His shoulder" (v. 6). What a great day that will be, when He carries the government upon His all-powerful shoulders! Only then will the world know righteous government (Heb. 1:8).

(2) When He comes again, His kingdom name (not names) will be "Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace" (v. 6).

      (a) "Wonderful." Before the days of His flesh, when Christ manifested Himself as "the Angel of the LORD" announcing the birth of Samson to      Manoah and his wife, Manoah asked, "What is Your name?" Christ answered, ''Why do you ask My name, seeing it is wonderful?" (Judg. 13:17,      18).

      (b) "Counselor." Jesus is the perfect counselor. Therefore, He never sought or needed counseling from any man (Rom. 11:33, 34).

      (c) "Mighty God." in the kingdom, Jesus is "the great God, mighty and awesome" (Deut. 10:17). When Jesus, the "Mighty God," sits on the    throne of His glory in His kingdom, all nations will come before Him to be judged. He will separate the righteous from the unrighteous. The unrighteous will learn what it means to stand in judgment before God (Matt. 25:31-46).

      (d) "Everlasting Father." Jesus is the Father Eternal who watches over His own. He said, "I and My Father are one" (John 1 0:30). Jesus did not    say that the Son and the Father are one person; they are two persons in one substance. When Jesus was baptized in the Jordan River, God His Father spoke from heaven, saying, "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased" (Matt. 3:17). Philip said to Jesus, "Lord, show us the   Father." Jesus answered Philip, "He who has seen Me has seen the Father. ... Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me?"    (John 14:7-11, page 1074). The Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit are one God in three persons.

      (e) "Prince of Peace." Until the everlasting kingdom is established, there will be no lasting world peace (Matt. 24:4-8; cf. 1 Thess. 5:1-3). But   Paul tells us that, in the midst of a world in which there is no peace, we can have "peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ" (Rom. 5:1).

(3) When He comes again, there will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace (v. 7). His government will not become stagnant; there will be no end to its growth, and we will continue to grow in grace and knowledge with it (2 Pet. 3:18).

(4) When He comes again, He will sit on the throne of David. David's throne will be an actual throne. He is not on David's throne now, but when He comes He will rule the world in righteousness. He is now seated with His Father on His Father's throne (Rev. 3:21), and He will remain on the Father's throne until His bride, the redeemed, is ready (2 Cor. 11 :2).

      Verses 6 and 7 cover both the first and second coming of Jesus. It is one of the clearest and most revealing messianic prophecies in the Old Testament.

 

7-E. Jesus Is God, According to God the Father (Psalm 45:6, 7)-

      "Your throne, 0 God" (v. 6). In the New Testament we learn that this is a messianic psalm, that Jesus is God the Messiah. "But to the Son He [God the Father] says: 'Your throne, 0 God, is forever and ever'" (Heb. 1 :8,9). Only the spiritually blind (2 Cor. 4:3, 4) can read God's Word and fail to see that Jesus is God (Col. 2:9, 10).

      "Your throne, 0 God, is forever and ever" (v. 6). The throne of the Lord Jesus Christ is forever and ever; it will never terminate. Jesus is no usurper; the kingdom throne is His according to God the Father. The Son and the Father are inseparable in essence, in attributes, in eternity, and in authority (John 10:30).

      "Your throne, 0 God, is forever and ever; a scepter of righteousness is the scepter of Your kingdom" (v. 6; d. Heb. 1:8). A scepter is a rod or a staff used by a sovereign to symbolize his royal authority. According to God, the scepter of King Jesus is a righteous scepter. Do not think that righteousness is weakness. It never is. When Jesus returns to this earth He will come as King of kings and Lord of lords, to war against the wicked, and His righteous scepter will be as strong as iron (Rev. 19:11-16).

      When the King of righteousness comes, He will continue to love righteousness and hate wickedness. His righteous kingdom is one of everlasting joy-joy unspeakable and full of glory (1 Pet. 1 :7, 8).

 

 

7-F. Jesus Is the God-Man (John 1:14)-"And the Word became flesh" (v. 14).

      But who is the Word? John the Baptist provides the answer: "This was He of whom I said, 'He who comes after me is preferred before me, for He was before me'" (v. 15). Jesus Christ is the Word. The apostle John confirms this in the Revelation: "Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True ... and His name is called The Word of God .... He Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS" (Rev. 19:11-16). In this Scripture Jesus is called "Faithful and True," "The Word of God," "Almighty God," and "KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS." The Word is the lord Jesus Christ, the God-Man.

      In John 1 :1-18  we have eternal truth embodied in the Word. The Word is "God ... manifested in the flesh" (1 Tim. 3:16), a visib1e manifestation of the invisible God who cannot be seen in His essence, but was revealed to us when "the Word became flesh" (v. 14). John said four things about the Word:

(1) "In the beginning was the Word" (v. 1)-the fact of His timeless existence.

(2) "The Word was with God" (v. 1)-the fact of His timeless relationship with (literally "face to face with") God the Father and God the Holy Spirit.

(3) "The Word was God" (v. 1 )-the fact of His absolute deity.

(4) "The Word became flesh" (v. 14)-the fact of His incarnation. When He became flesh, He did not begin as a new person, but continued His timeless existence, relationship, and deity. When "the Word became flesh" in human form, He revealed God to man. Jesus is the God-Man. .

 

7-G. Jesus Is Sovereign (Luke 4:31, 32)-

      When Jesus was rejected in Nazareth, "He went down to Capernaum, a city of Galilee, and was teaching them on the Sabbaths. And they were astonished at His teaching, for His word was with authority" (vv. 31,32). Throughout His ministry, all that He did and taught was with total authority.

At the conclusion of the Sermon on the Mount, "the people were astonished at His teaching." Why were they so amazed? Because they heard the Messiah King deliver His kingdom manifesto. "He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes" (Matt. 7:28, 29). He did not derive His authority from the high priest, the Sanhedrin, the Pharisees, or the ancient rabbis, as the scribes did. His authority came from Himself, from His own divine nature.

      On another occasion, while He was teaching in the temple, the chief priest and the Pharisees sent temple officers to arrest Him. But they returned without Jesus, explaining, "No man ever spoke like this Man!" (John 7:40-46). Even the officers sent to arrest Jesus were captivated by His words, which were spoken with supreme authority.

      His authority was based on truth. Jesus is the embodiment of truth (John 8:32, page 1063), declaring "I am the way, the truth, and the life" (John 14:6). By contrast, Satan personifies all that is false and evil (John 8:44). No wonder that during His earthly ministry He impressed people with the profound validity of His teaching. It rang simply, but deeply, true-because He is true.

      In His resurrected body He appeared to His disciples on a mountain in Galilee, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth" (Matt. 28:18). This means that He has all authority, is over all authority, and is over all the universe; Jesus is sovereign. He has this suprem77e authority because He is

(1) Omniscient . Peter said to Him, "Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You" (John 21:17). Paul said of Jesus, "In whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge" (Col. 2:3);

(2) Omnipotent. The book of Hebrews describes Him as "upholding all things' by the word of His power" (Heb. 1:1-3). This means that Jesus has ultimate power. He has all power in heaven and on earth. The word of His power sustains the universe (Col. 1:16, 17);

(3) Omnipresent. In His deity He fills the universe. He promised to be with all believers always; He said, "lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age" (Matt. 28:20).

      Only the almighty God is omniscient, omnipotent, and omnipresent. Both the Old Testament and the New Testament are filled with evidence for the deity of Christ.  (These studies will continue)

 

 

The Four Gospels

(Taken from the book: "Rightly Dividing The Word" by Clarence Larkin)

(To see the charts, go to:    http://members.citynet/morton/charts.htm   )

      The word "Gospel" means "Good News," and is so familiar that its application is supposed to be uniform. When, therefore, we read of The Gospel of the KINGDOM,  The Gospel of the GRACE OF GOD, The GLORIOUS GOSPEL, and  The EVERLASTING GOSPEL

it is taken for granted that they all refer to 'One and the same thing. But this is not true.

1. THE GOSPEL OF THE "KINGDOM."  Matt. 24: 14.

      This is the "Good News" that God purposes to set up a Kingdom on this. earth over which David's San, JESUS, shall reign, as prophesied in Luke 1: 32-33. Two preachings 'Of this Gospel are mentioned, 'One past, begin­ning with the ministry 'Of John the Baptist, and preached by Jesus and His Disciples, but it ended with the rejec­tion 'Of Jesus as King. This Gospel is to be preached again after the Redeemed are taken out. It will be the fulfillment 'Of Matt. 24: 14, where it says: "This Gospel 'Of 'THE KINGDOM' shall be preached in all the world for a WITNESS unto all nations; and then shall the end came." This has no reference to the Gospel that is now being preached ta the nations. It is the Gospel 'Of SAL­V ATION, but the "Gospel 'Of the Kingdom" is not far "Salvation " but far a WITNESS, that is, it is the an­nouncement that the time has come to SET UP THE KINGDOM. It will be preached by Elijah the forerun­ner (Mal. 4: 5-6), and by 'Others who shall be commis­sioned to bear the news to all nations as a proclamatian of the coming 'Of Christ as King to occupy the "Throne 'Of David," and far the purpose of regathering Israel ta the Promiseed Land.

 

2. THE GOSPEL OF "THE GRACE OF GOD:' Acts 20: 24.

     This is the "Good News" that Jesus Christ, the re­jected King, died on the Cross for our SALVATION. This form of the Gospel is described in many ways. It is called the "GOSPEL OF GOD" (Rom. 1: 1), because 'it has its source in the LOVE OF GOD. John 3: 16. Its Character is GRACE. Acts 20: 24. Its Subject is ·CHRIST (Rom. 1:16; 2 Cor. 10:14), and it is the POWER OF GOD UNTO SALVATION. And it is the '''GOSPEL OF PEACE," because it makes peace between the sinner and God, and brings peace to the soul. Eph. 6: 15.

 

3. THE "GLORIOUS" GOSPEL. 2 Cor. 4.: 4; .1 Tim. 1: 11.

     The ·'GLORIOUS GOSPEL" is that phase of the Gospel of "The Grace of God" that speaks of Him who is in the GLORY, and has been GLORIFIED, and who is bringing many sons TO GLORY. Heb. 2: 10. It has special reference to His Second Coming, and is especially comforting to those who are looking for His GLORIOUS APPEARING (Titus 2: 13), and it is to this Gospel that Satan, the "God of this Age," is particularly anxious to "blind the minds" of those who believe not in the Pre­Millennial coming of the Lord. 2 Cor. 4: 3-4.

 

4. THE "EVERLASTING" GOSPEL, Rev. 14 : 6.

     This Gospel will be proclaimed just before the "Vial Judgments," and by an angel. I t is the only Gospel com­mitted to an angel. It is neither the Gospel of the "King­dom," nor of "Grace." Its burden is not SALVATION but JUDGMENT-"Fear God, and give glory to Him; for the HOUR OF HIS JUDGMENT IS COME."

     It is "Good News" to Israel, and all who are passing through the "fires of Judgment," because it declares that their troubles will soon end in the Judgment and Destruc­tion of Antichrist and his followers. I t calls on men to worship God as "CREATOR," and not as "Saviour" and so it is called in the Revised version-"THE ETERNAL GOSPEL," the Gospel that has been proclaimed from Eden down by Patriarchs and Prophets, and not an "Everlasting Gospel" in the sense that it saves men for all eternity. Its burden is not "Repent," or "do this" or "do that," but-"FEAR GOD, and give GLORY TO HIM; for the HOUR OF HIS JUDGMENT IS COME; and WORSHIP HIM THAT MADE HEAVEN, AND EARTH, AND THE SEA, AND THE FOUNTAINS OF WATERS." From this we see how important it is to distinguish between the various Gospels, not only as to their message, but the period to which they apply, other­wise there will be confusion and false teaching. See Chart, "The Four Gospels." Page 60.

      There is also "ANOTHER GOSPEL" (Gal. 1: 6-12, 2 Cor. 11: 4), which is not another, and which Paul re­pudiated. It is a perversion of the true Gospel and has many seductive forms. and in the main teaches that "FAITH" is NOT SUFFICIENT to Salvation, nor able to keep and perfect, and so emphasizes "GOOD WORKS." Col. 2: 18-23, Heb. 6: 1, 9: 14. The Apostle Paul pronounces a fearful "Anathema" upon its preachers and teachers. Gal. 1: 8-9.   (These studies will continue)

 

The Marks of a New Testament Church

(From the book:  Missionary Baptist Distinctives, by L.  M. Branch, published by the Bogard Press, Texarkana, Texas)

INTRODUCTION: If you were seeking to locate something among hundreds of things, similar in many ways to that for which you were seeking, you would look for CERTAIN KNOWN MARKS that would properly identify the thing sought. Even so, in searching for a New Testament church, like Jesus built, among all the hundreds of churches, similar in some ways but very different in most important qualities, one MUST identify her by certain scriptural marks. In addition to a scriptural measurement, history will attest to the marks that properly identify a scriptural church. Jesus said that the church would be on the earth until He came back (Matthew 16: 18) and that He would be with her, Matthew 28:20.

       Now, to the marks one by one. No doubt, there could be many given, but in this lesson only six will be given which are believed to be very basic and principally essential.

I.  CHRIST MUST BE THE HEAD, FOUNDER, AND BUILDER OF HIS CHURCH, Colossians 1: 18

      The pope of Rome, head of the Catholic Church, could not be the head of the New Testament church because there is no head but Jesus. Furthermore, the doctrines of the Catholic Church were not by Jesus or His apostles. The Catholic religion developed over hundreds of years beginning about 200 A.D. The spirit of division was present in the times of the apostles. Read III John.

      Martin Luther was the founder of the Lutheran Church in 1530.

       John Calvin started the Presbyterian Church in 1535.

      The Episcopal (English) Church was founded in 1540 by King Henry the 3rd.

      George Fox headed the organization known as Quakers (or Friends) in 1648.

      The Methodist Church had its beginning in 1729 by John Wesley and his brother, Charles.

      Alexander Campbell started what is known as the Christian Church and Church of Christ in 1827.

      The Mormon religion was begun in 1830 by Joseph Smith.

      Daniel Parker was the founder of the Primitive (Hardshell) Baptist Church in 1832.

      The Seventh Day Adventist movement had its beginning in 1832 by William Miller.

      The Jehovah's Witnesses started in 1884 by one called "Pastor Russell."

      Mary Baker Glover Patterson Eddy (wow) started the Christian Science movement in 1879.

      The holiness groups (Pentecostals, Nazarenes, Church of God, Assembly of God, etc.) all had their origin in America (S. F. Breese was one of their founders) in 1885.

      Unitarianism had its beginning in this country in the 19th century by a Dr. Channing. This religion does not believe in the Trinity or Divinity of Jesus Christ.

      None of the above religions, or founders of religion, could be the one for which we search in our identification of the true church. Jesus MUST be the head and founder, Ephesians 1:22, 23.

 

II. THE CHURCH MUST HAVE THE RIGHT GOVERNMENT-CONGREGATIONAL

1. In the congregational form of government which Jesus established in His church, the equality of members is stressed-no one being over the other, etc., Matthew 20:25-28, II Corithians 8:13-15.

2. Under this principle of government it is necessary for the majority to prevail. This is not to say that a majority is always right, but this procedure must be followed in the exercise of democracy, or, congregational government, II Corinthians 2:6 and Acts 1:26.

3. The church, as such, is to execute the laws of Christ, not just certain ones in the church:

      a. The church, as a congregation "looked out seven men" for deacons, Acts 6:1-7.

      b. The church at Jerusalem was the authority for the first mission work, Acts 15:22, 23.

      c. Above all, the church is not to have the kind of Government in Revelation 2:6, 15. This is the kind most religions have, the kind that       "rules over" or "conquers people." When the wrong government is allowed and practiced, the church principles will fall apart.    Government is the first church principle the Devil invaded when he started false churches.

III. THE CHURCH MUST HAVE THE RIGHT OFFICES IN ORDER TO BE A NEW TEST AMENT CHURCH

1. Pastors and deacons are the only two offices of the church, Philippians 1: 1. Their qualifications are found in I Tiinothy 3 and inTitus 1.      The pastor is to care for the spiritual welfare of the church, and the deacon is to care for the material welfare of the church. A separate study of these offices is very helpful, but this is to show that these are the only two ordained, permanent offices left in the church institution today.

2. Obviously, the office of apostle fulfilled its purpose, and no one could qualify for it today. Read Revelation 2: 2 and II Corinthians 11: 11-15. Then read the qualification of an apostle in Acts 1:21, 22. Surely no one could claim these qualifications in our day.

 

IV. THE CHURCH MUST HAVE THE RIGHT ORDINANCES GIVEN HER BY THE LORD

(Pictorial Ordinances)

1. Baptism is a pictorial ordinance. By "Pictorial" it simply means that it PICTURES something.

  a. Jesus told His church to go, make disciples, and BAPTIZE them, Matthew 28:19,20.

  b. John's Baptism, that which has been administered by constituted authority, is the only baptism "from heaven" (Matthew 21:25), good even after John and Jesus had finished their earthly work (Acts 1:22). It is the only baptism in the unity of the faith, Ephesians 4: 5.                         c. This ordinance is to picture the burial and resurrection of Jesus. The Scriptures say the believers are buried "with Him" in baptism, in the "likeness of His death," that "Like as" Christ was raised from the dead, so should the believer also walk in newness of life as His children (Romans 6:4).

  d. Therefore, burial in water of a saved person at the hands of a New Testament church is the proper way to be baptized in this day. Notice the order in Acts 2:41,42.

2. The Lord's Supper is a pictorial ordinance that pictures the death of Christ. The Bible is plain in Matthew 26: 26-30 and I Corinthians 11: 23-26 that believers "Do show forth the Lord's death till He comes" in this ordinance. Thus, these two ordinances picture the gospel. One can say of a truth that the church has pictures of her Lord's death, burial, and resurrection. She observes them, keeps them, cherishes them, and thereby is reminded of her hope for eternity. These two-no more, no less-are the pictorial ordinances left for the church today. Foot washing would be one too many. To leave off either of these is one too few. So, this is definitely a mark of a New Testament church. The ordinances and the restrictions around them help identify the Lord's churches in this evil world of religious confusion.

 

V. THE CHURCH MUST HAVE THE RIGHT HISTORY BEHIND HER

1. Jesus said in no uncertain terms, and without reservation, "The gates of hell shall not prevail against my church" (Matthew 16:18). He also said that, as sure as she went and preached His gospel, "He would be with her always, even unto the end of the age" (Matthew 28:20). Thus, His kind of a church institution has continued from then until now. He told truth.

2. Paul said God was to receive glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages (Ephesians 3:21). With these promises, believers know that His churches have continued from then until now.

3. But then, the student may wish to know if there is any way they can be traced through history. The answer is, "Yes." To mention a few historians who have written history of churches and have given evidences of Baptist churches down through the ages, the reader is referred to histories by John T. Christian, H. V. Vedder, Benedict's History, Thomas Armitage, A. H. Newman, Haynes' History, Jones' Church History, Cook's Baptist History, George C. Lorimer, Schaff History, Mosheim, Orchard, and many others. But above all, one should get and study a copy of the little booklet called, The Trail of Blood, by Carroll. The Lord's true churches most definitely have a trail of history for proper identification.

 

VI. THE NEW TESTAMENT CHURCH MUST TEACH THE TRUTH IN ORDER TO BE SUCH

1. The church must teach the truth about the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, Matthew 28:19,20 and Acts 20:26, 27.

  1. The Bible does not teach many Gods (Polytheism), but One God (Monotheism); and that God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are a three-in-one God, John 14:4-9 and I John 5:7; and

  2. About the Holy Spirit conception, Virgin birth, incarnation, sinless life, and divinity of Jesus Christ the Son of God, Matthew 1:18-25; then His substitutionary death and bodily resurrection and ascension, Romans 4:25 to 5:21.

  3. The Holy Spirit is everywhere, Psalm 139:7-13. He makes the truth of God real to the believers' hearts, thus convicting of sin, John 16:8. He also leads the child of God in this life, Romans 8:14. He is the comforter to the church, John 14:15-18. The fruit of the Holy Spirit is named in Galatians 5: 22, 23. He is master of the unity in Ephesians 4:1-6.

2. The church MUST teach the truth about sin and salvation from sin in order to witness the redemption of people from its awful consequences. (See lesson number one for this truth.) If a church is wrong in this teaching, she could not possibly be a New Testament church.

3 The church institution MUST teach the truth about the church itself: her origin, faith, purpose, and destiny. Failure to do so will eventually cause her to be lost in a world of religion without proper identification. Timothy was made aware of this in I Timothy 3:14, 15.

4. Then, the church must teach the truth about the very HOPE of believers, namely, the Coming of Jesus, John 14:1-3 and I Thessalonians 4:13-17, et al. God will deal with people, nations, and the world in due time, Acts 17:29-31. The church of our Lord teaches this.   (These studies will continue next month)

 

      The editor of this publication is James A. Nelson.  He and his wife are members of the Messiah Baptist Church, Wichita, Kansas.  You may contact him a:  jan@twinvalley.net.  The webmaster is Martin Gutzmer, mrgutzmer@gmail.com  The sponsor of this page is David Pickett, dr_pickett@hotmail.com.  Your comments are welcomed.