Leaves of Gold

A Call To Return To The Teaching Of The Bible

A ministry of Evangelist James A. Nelson   jan23@cox.net

Year III. No. 3                                                     MARCH                                                  2009

 

 

Master Outline Number Thirty-Eight


Taken from the "Christian Life Bible", Thomas Nelson, notes by Porter L. Barrington.

 

The Nature of the Church

The church was to the Old Testament prophets a mystery; but in the beginning of the dispensation of grace, the mystery was made known "by the Spirit to His holy apostles and prophets" (Eph. 3:3-6). It was first revealed to the apostles after Christ rose from the dead and appeared to them In a mountain in Galilee, and commissioned them to "Go ... and make disciples of all the nations" (Matt. 28:19, 20). The Holy Spirit chose Peter to be the first to take the gospel to the Gen­tiles (Acts 10:1-48). Next Paul and Barnabas were chosen by the Holy Spirit to be the first evangelistic missionaries to the Gentiles. On their first missionary journey, they went first to the Jews (Rom. 1:16). But when the Jews rejected the gospel (Acts 13:1-5), "Paul and Barnabas grew bold and said, 'It was necessary that the word of God should be spoken to you first; but since you reject it, and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, behold, we turn to the Gen­tiles' " (Acts 13:46-49). The mystery that God revealed to Paul was that a Gentile did not have to become a Jew to be in the church. In Christ there is neither Jew nor Gentile, "for you are all one in Christ Jesus" (Gal. 3:28, page 1182). This is the mystery that was hidden from the men of the Old Testament.       .

To help us understand the doctrine of the church, the Holy Spirit, who is the author of the Word of God (2 Pet. 1:21; 2 Tim. 3:16, 17), has given us seven metaphors or illustra­tions to help us understand the eternal relationship of Christ and His church. They are:

(1) Christ the Bridegroom, the Church His Bride.  The bride, in the resurrection, will have an incorruptible glorified body (1 Cor. 15:51-58), and she will be presented to Him as a pure virgin (2 Cor. 11 :2; Eph. 5:25-27).

(2) Christ the Good Shepherd, the Church His Sheep. The Shepherd leads, protects, and feeds His sheep (Ps. 23:1-6). When sheep are slaughtered, they never fight back; they are always de­pendent on the shepherd. When lost, they cannot find their way back to the sheepfold; they must be sought and found by the shepherd (Luke. 15:3-7; John 10:11-16).

(3) Christ the Head, the Church His Body. Christ is the "head of the body, the church" (Col. 1: 18). Nobody can have more than one head; therefore it is wrong for any man, other than the Lord Jesus Christ, to claim to be the head of the church on earth or in heaven. His body has many members, and they are all equal in His sight. His church is one body with only one head, Christ, who has all authority over each member of His body (l Cor. 12:12-26

(4) Christ the Foundation and Cornerstone, the Church His Building. This building is made of "liv­ing stones;' alive with the life of Christ (1 Pet. 2:5). We are built upon Christ, through the teachings of the apostles and prophets (Eph. 2:19, 20).

(5) Christ Our High Priest, the Church His Temple. The church is called a "holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit" (Eph. 2:21, 22). Each member of the church is His temple, and is indwelt by God the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 6:19, 20). A temple is a place of worship-we are to worship our God when alone or with others, who area part of the holy temple (Matt. 28:16, 17). The most important thing we can do is to worship God (see Master Outline Number Twenty-Eight, "Worship".

(6) Christ the Vine, the Church His Branches. Jesus said, "I am the vine, you are the branches" (John 15:5). In this church age, from Pentecost to the Rapture, every branch is to bear fruit. There are three stages of fruit bearing:

(a) Fruit

(b) More fruit

(c) Much fruit (John 15:1-5).

One of the fruits of a Christian is more Christians. You can be a fruit-bearing, soul-winning branch and be rewarded with the joy of the Lord in this life and in the life to come (John 15:11; 1 Thess. 2:19, 20,).

(7) Christ the Last Adam, the Church His New Creation. The first Adam was given life; the last Adam is the life-giver (John 1:4). "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new" (2 Cor. 5:17). The church is the Lord's; it is in the world, but not of it. For almost two thousand years Satan has tried to destroy the church and failed, because Jesus said, "The gates of Hades shall not prevail against it" (Matt. 16:18).

 

38-A. The Church: A Holy Temple (Ephesians 2:19-22)-Solomon's temple was built in 966 8.C. and stood in its glory for almost four centuries, until 586 8.C. when the Babylonians destroyed it. The second temple was dedicated and completed seventy years later, in 516 8.C., and it stood for almost six hundred years. In A.D. 70 the Romans conquered Jerusalem and destroyed the temple.

                The temple of Jehovah in Jerusalem was a permanent building wherein God manifested His holy presence. There sacrifices to cover sin were offered, and there the priests and servants worshiped Him and prayed. It also provided a barrier which separated God's holiness from the world outside.

                Paul calls the church at Ephesus "a holy temple" (v. 21). The pagan Greek world also had its white­ stoned temples where the Greek gods were honored and sought after. The Ephesians understood Paul's figurative language. Note some striking lessons from this and other passages concerning the church as God's temple.

(1) In this age God's temple is His church; it is called "a dwelling place of God" (v. 22). "God is Spirit" (John 4:24) and hence does not live in a house of stone; but He does live in the born-again believer's heart.

(2) God's Spirit indwells the church, His temple (v. 22). Paul wrote to the Corinthians, "your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit" (1 Cor. 6:19). The Holy Spirit indwells every believer, and this indwelling converts the believer's body into a temple of God.

(3) Christ said that He would "build" His church upon Peter's confession that Jesus is "the Christ"-the Messiah (Matt. 16:16-18).

(4) At Pentecost the Comforter (the Holy Spirit) came to indwell all believers, as Christ had promised (John 16:7). Pentecost was the celebration of the fullness of the harvest, fifty days after the "first fruits" (Lev. 23:15-17).Christ was the "first fruits" (1 Cor. 15:20) from the dead, and then came the harvest of His church, fifty days after the Resurrection.

(5) The church, His temple, is now composed both of believing Jews and Gentiles. The Gentiles in Old Testament days were "strangers" and "foreigners "now they are "fellow citizens" and family members "of the household of God" (v. 19).

(6) Jesus Christ is the chief cornerstone; the teachings of the apostles and prophets are the foundation of His temple (v. 20; cf. Is. 28:16) . The psalmist saw the Messiah as the rejected, then the confirmed, cornerstone of God's temple (Ps. 118:22). His death for sin provided the theological basis for God to forgive believers. Jesus laid the foundation for the New Covenant teachings of the apostles whose New Testament writings are the infallible  doctrines for the church.              .

(7) The church was planned as a harmonious temple structure, all parts "being fitted together" (v. 21).

                This was an echo of Christ's command to the church, "that you love one another" (John 13:34, 35). Those who unlovingly disturb the fellowship and unity of the church deface God's temple.

(8) The church is to be a holy temple (v. 21). The original tabernacle and temple provided a place where God, upon the mercy seat, could meet with man and be worshiped, and yet retain separation between His holy presence and sinful man. The church is to be holy, just as Israel in the Old Testament was to be holy (Lev. 20:7). This includes being separated from sin, and set apart for God's service.

(9) The church is to be a temple of prayer. Christ spoke of His earthly temple, and scolded the men of that age for making the temple "a den of thieves" (Matt. 21:13).

(10) The church is to be a temple of teaching. Christ daily taught the truth about God in the temple (Luke 22:53). The early church continued to preach Christ in the temple as well as from house to house (Acts 2:46).

 

38-B. The Church: A Body, 1 Corinthians 12:12-31, "For by one Spirit we were all baptized (speaking of immersion) into one body (the church in Corinth).  The apostle Paul sets forth the wonderful truth that the church (the local assembly) is, in a profound sense, Christ's body now on earth.    Based on this truth, Paul sets forth the following teachings concerning the church:

(1) God specifically commands that no member of His body think of himself as independently important, Romans 12:3. God warns us of this in a direct way because so many are prone to exalt themselves and lesson the worth of other members.

(2) Each member of the body has his own functions.  Sometimes a person who has a gift or interest in one area may criticize others who serve God in different ways.  One may see his own area as of supreme importance; however, other areas are also important and necessary, vs. 125-18.

(3) All members of the body belong to one another.  All members, both prominent and obscure, are accepted servants of God; therefore all are to be honored, vs. 19-23.

(4) Each member has different abilities given to him by God.  It is improper to expect everyone to function well in all areas.  God has given different members different abilities, concerns, insights, and interests.  He did not intend for all to have the same talents and tasks.  Each has a duty to God to pursue his o her own gift for Hi glory, Rom. 12:5-8.  The apostle teaches that each member should concentrate on performing his own job well, and not worry about what other members are doing, John 21:20-22.

(5) Members have a duty to God to care for one another in the body, vs. 25, 26.  It the foot is cut, the mouth does not laugh, but rather calls for help.  We must help one another, not rival one another like immature children, jealousy among Christians a vestige of the old nature, and should not be allowed in the body of Christ.

 

38-C. The Church: Its Mission (Matthew 28:16-20)- The key Scripture passage for the mandate of the church during this present age is the passage we often call the Great Commission (vv. 18-20):

(1) The church is commanded to make disciples of all nations (v. 19).

(a) "Go" implies that the church, as a company of believers, is to be active and aggressive in winning the lost "in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth" (Acts 1 :8). This shows us that our disciple-making must begin at our own home and continue moving outward until eventually, as a church, we reach all the nations of the world. We are to be active-not passive, defensive, or reactionary.

(b) "Make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you" (vv. 19, 20). This is evangelism. Every born-again believer is commissioned to go with the gospel and evangelize the world. We are to teach the lost their obligation to heed the Word of God, to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ.

(2) The church is commanded to baptize its disciples (v. 19). Surely this implies that they be admitted, recognized, loved, and accepted by His church. We are not to win them and then forget them; rather, we are to win them and establish them in the faith. Thus Paul did not merely preach the saving gospel; he also organized his converts into churches. He instructed them, cared for them, and visited and revisited them again and again. He admonished and encouraged them to obey the Lord in their service to Him and in their spiritual growth (Acts 15:36).

(3) The church is commanded to teach its disciples "to observe all things that I have commanded you" (v. 20). Not only must we teach the lost so that they may believe and be baptized "in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit" (v. 19), we must also teach those whom we have won to Christ to obey their Lord and Master Jesus Christ, and grow in grace and knowledge of Him.

 

38-D: The Church: A Mystery, Ephesians 3:1-11. In the ancient world the word mystery denoted a special meaning, different from our modern understanding of the word.  Today we define it as a riddle or unsolved puzzle; but in New Testament times it signified the secrets of a temple which only those who had been initiated were able to understand. With this orientation, the present passage suddenly becomes clear. Paul uses the word mystery three times (vv. 3, 4, 9). It is now clear that he is telling the secrets of God to those (the believers in Christ) who have now entered as full members into His holy temple. This newly revealed secret (the "mystery") is His church (v. 5).

(1) Isaiah, seven hundred years before Christ, saw that the Gentiles would find their .rest in Israel's Messiah (Is. 11:10). That was not hidden. However, the following was hidden:

(a) The Gentiles would not have to become Jews (Acts 15:24).

(b) The Gentiles and Jews together would form one body of God's children through faith in Christ (Rom. 1 :16).

The church was revealed to Paul and the other apostles by the Holy Spirit (vv. 3, 5). That the Gentiles and Jews would form this one holy, redeemed body in Christ was not explicitly revealed through Old Testament prophets-only the New Testament prophets understood this truth (John 10:16).

(2) Through faith in Christ, Gentile believers are to become fellow-heirs of God's promises of eternal blessing (v. 6). Israel, at the close of the age, will be saved; God will not nullify His promises to the patriarchs (Rom. 11:26-28).

(3) "The unsearchable riches" (v. 8) were to be the possession of those who become members of Christ's church. These undoubtedly include spiritual riches such as forgiveness, righteousness, and holiness, as well as eternal life and bliss with Christ forever (Rev. 2:7, 17, 26, 27; cf. 3:5, 12, 21).

(4) Loving fellowship exists in the church between Gentile and Jewish believers and Christ, as was never dreamed of by the ancient world (v. 9). The church will be Christ's loving "wife" throughout all eternity (Rev. 19:7-9).

(5) The church was eternally planned (vv. 9, 11). Since the beginning of the world, God had determined to save penitent people through the death of Christ, and to combine both believing Jews and Gentiles into His church.

(6) The wisdom of God is made known by His wonderful plan of salvation, whereby Gentiles and Jews together are saved by grace, through faith in Christ (v. 10; Eph. 2:8, 9).

(7) The gospel message of salvation is the means of enlarging the church, as more believe in Christ, are cleansed, and are baptized by the Holy Spirit into His eternal assembly. No wonder Paul saw himself as unworthy of bearing such Good News to the Gentiles (vv. 7, 8). Paul says triumphantly, "For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek" (Rom. 1:16).

 

Point 38-E: The Church: It's Builder. Matthew 16:13-20. In this porti9on of Scripture, Jesus continued to reveal more of who He as and what He had come to do.  First He asked His disciples two questions; then, adding to their answers, He gave them new revelation concerning Himself.

(1) "Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?"  They all gave the same answer: "One of the prophets", vs. 13, 14.

(2) "But who do you say that I am?" (v. 15). Peter answered, "You are the Christ [Messiah], the Son of the living God" (v. 16). Peter's answer to this question was itself a revelation from God the Father (v. 17). Note its profound implications:

(a) The incarnation of God's only begotten Son was the fullest revelation of God's plan of salvation. John said, "The Word [Christ, God's Son] became flesh"-the Incarnation (John 1 :14). God the Son was given a complete but sinless human nature, thus becoming the God-Man, having two natures in one person.

(b) The next step in God's revelation of eternal salvation was when God the Father's only begotten Son was made to "be sin" for us. In His incarnation He was made flesh. He was not part God and part man; He was fully God and fully man. In His vicarious death on Calvary, He was made "to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him" (2 Cor. 5:21). To be saved, one must believe in His incarnation (that He was virgin-born, conceived by the Holy Spirit-(Luke 1:26-38), and that He died as our substitute on Calvary, was buried, resurrected, and ascended into heaven with the promise to come again and resurrect the dead in Christ-His church (1 Cor. 15:1-4; cf. Acts 1:6-9).

(3) Then Jesus told them, "On this rock I will build My church" (v. 18). Jesus-who has all authority in heaven and on earth (Matt. 28:18), who walked upon the waters of Galilee (Matt. 14:22-36), who rebuked the wind and the raging of the water, causing the storms to cease (Luke 8:22-25), who spoke as no man ever spoke (John 7:46)-said, "You are Peter [petros-a stone], and on this rock [petra-a rocky ledge] I will build My church" (v. 18). There is no question about it: Christ is the one foundation of His church.

                Christ is not only the foundation of His church, He is its architect and builder. The church is a holy temple, a habitation of God, through the Holy Spirit who indwells every born-again child of God (1 Cor. 6:19,20).  He is building His church "on the foundation [doctrine] of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone" (Eph. 2:19-22, page 1188). Israel drank from Christ, that "Rock" that followed them in the wilderness (1 Cor. 10:4); now He is the foundation and chief cornerstone of His church (1 Cor. 3:11; cf. Is. 28:16). He is building His church upon Himself using only "living stones" -sinners saved by His grace. At no time did Peter believe that he was the foundation of the church. He spoke of Christ as the "living stone ... chosen by God ... a chief cornerstone, elect, precious," but to unbelievers He is "a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense" (1 Pet. 2:4-8).   (These studies will continue each month)

 

Baptist Doctrine, a study course by E. C. Gillentine, Bogard Press, Texarkana, Ark.

Lesson No. 1 "Baptist Doctrine"

By the term "Baptist" we mean that group of people who have had a continuous existence from the days of Jesus Christ and the apostles, down to this present time. By the term "Doctrine" we mean, as is defined by Webster: 1. The act of teaching; instruction; dis­cipline. 2. That which is taught; what is held, put forth as true, and supported by a teacher, a' school, or a sect; a principle or position, or the body of principles in any branch of knowledge; a theological tenet; dog­ma. "Articles of faith and doctrine."

By the term "Baptist Doctrine" we mean, the teach­ings and instructions as set forth, supported and taught by that group of people whom the world knows as "Baptists." It is the interpretation of the Bible as understood and taught by Baptists.

We do not send this book forth in the spirit of con­troversy. It is not the aim of the author to kindle strife, but to impart knowledge of Biblical truth. We are living in a day and age of the world when it seems to be the tendency of many, yea, most teachers, preach­ers and churches to ignore the doctrinal teachings of the Bible. These old ancient "landmarks" for which our fathers stood, bled and many died, are being sadly neglected. The rich instructions contained in them are almost, and in some instances altogether, lost .. It is the prayer of this writer that thousands of Baptists, by reading these pages, may be brought to rejoice again in the resetting of the fundamental principles of God's Word as has been taught by Baptists through all centuries, since the days of Jesus, down to this present time.

I. THE IMPORTANCE OF DOCTRINE.

           In the Gospels "Teaching" is the word used to ex­press what Jesus taught. The apostles had the Living Word, Jesus, and the following generation had the in­spired utterances of the apostles and other Spirit-filled men who wrote the New Testament. In John 7:17 we read: "If any man will "do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself." What is the will of God regarding doctrine? Jesus plainly answers this question in John 5:39:

               "Search the scriptures." It is the Lord's will that all search the Scriptures. In searching them we find that His doctrine, "Shall drop as the rain (and His) speech shall distil as the dew," Deut. 32:2. "The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple," Psalm 19:7. Paul said, "For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greeks," Rom. 1 :16. II Tim. 3:16-17, "All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for DOCTRINE, for reproof, for correction, for instruc­tion in righteousness: that the man of God may be per­fect, thoroughly furnished unto every good work." We understand from this passage that all Scripture is profitable for doctrine; that is for teaching, for in­struction, for the communication of the facts which God desired His people to have. Hence, all God wanted His people to know is revealed to them in His Word. He inspired men to write it down that His people might make no mistake in teaching it. It is written in the Bible. God has made it the duty of His servants to go to His Book and search out His "doctrines" that they might teach it to others. The world is starving to death -spiritually for the plain simple doctrines of the Word of God. They have been fed on chaff and husks long enough-they are lean and weak because there is no real spiritual food in the chaff.

           Christ's doctrine came from God and that is where our should come from. John 7:16. All the true doc­trines are found in the Word of God and can be under­stood by those who seek to know it, John 7:17. Christ taught that those who taught false doctrines-doc­trines that cannot be sustained by His Word should be punished, Matt. 5:19; 15:9, 13. The people were as­tonished at the teachings of Jesus, because He taught them as one having authority, Matt. 7:28; Mark 1:22; 11:18; Luke 4:32. People are no less astonished at true Bible preaching today than they were at the teach­ings of Jesus. God's doctrine astonishes folk today. Christ never failed to preach His doctrine, Mark 4:2. We should be just as faithful in preaching the doc­trines of Christ as He was. Christ warned His people against false teachers and false doctrines, Matt. 16:12, and so did Paul, Gal. 1:6-9; so did Peter, II Peter 2:1­22; so did John, II John 7:11; so did Jude, Jude 3:4. God's "doctrine" will break the hearts of sinners; it will reprove disobedient and rebellious children of God; it will awaken sleepy, slothful, careless Chris­tians. The world needs it. It is the only remedy for this sin-cursed, sin-smitten, sin-ridden world today. "God, help us to give it to it."                       

           So many times people say, "I don't like to hear doc­trinal preaching," or "I don't like a doctrinal preach­er." One of two things is true about such remarks: They either do not know what doctrinal preaching is, or they do not know what the word "doctrine" means. Anything that is held as truth; anything that is be­lieved; anything set forth by a school, a sect, or an in­dividual is doctrine. Would you want a minister to preach what he did not believe to be true? If so you would want him to preach something he did not be­lieve. Baptists are unwilling for their teaching and practice to vary from the Scriptures. Error is a subtil thing. It is like the heavy artillery that is used in the awful wars that rage in the world, that shake the solid earth, and fill the heavens with thunder. Baptists hold that Jesus is the founder of Truth. He said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life," John 14:6.

We need to cry unto God for Him to give us preach­ers who will preach His doctrines; men who will not compromise; men who will not equivocate; men who will not try to tickle the ears of the multitude; but those who will stick to God's Word, regardless of whether they have few or many to preach to.

                The world is in the condition it was in Isaiah's day when the people said, "Prophesy not unto us right things, speak unto us smooth things, prophesy de­ceits," Isa. 30:10. It is in the condition as described by Paul in II Tim. 4:3: "For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, hav­ing itching ears."

                Many of our ministers are cowards. The churches want smooth things, and the preachers, in order to hold their positions, give them to them. Preachers are compromisers; they recognize the ministers of other denominations as being true ministers of God. They do this by mixing with them in ministerial alliances; minister's conferences; union meetings; pulpit affilia­tion; and in many other ways. Such things are dis­pleasing to God. We need men like Zerubbabel, and Jeshua, who said unto the aliens, "Ye have nothing to do with us to build an house unto our God; but we our­selves together will build unto the Lord God of Israel," Ezra 4:3.

                God's people are to be a separate people. He has warned them in many, many places in His Word to make no alliances with alien nations and peoples, and because Ephraim made such alliances contrary to the will of the Lord, he was called a silly dove, Hos. 7:11. When Baptists enter into alliance with other denominations, they are doing as Ephraim did, hence they are, according to God's Word, acting silly. In Rev. 18:4 we read: "Come out of her my people, that ye be not par­takers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues." This is God calling His people out of Baby­lon. Paul in Col. 2:21 and 22 issues a call for true be­lievers in Christ to have no part with idolaters. He said, ("Touch not; taste not; handle not; Which all are to perish with the using;) after the command­ments and doctrines of men." Baptists had better cling to the doctrines of God. "We have an altar, whereof they have no right to eat which serve the tabernacle," Heb. 13:10.

                In II Cor. 6:16, 17 we read: "And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols: for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them: and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you."   (These studies will continue each month)

 

                Evangelist Nelson also publish a web page in Spanish:   www.hojasdeoro.com    and in French:   www.les-feuilles-de-lor.com/

                David R. Pickett  (dr-pickett@hotmail.com) sponsors these pages.

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