There’s a current trend of people wanting to go “high church” or to a gathering that’s highly liturgical. From what people are saying, the reason seems to be to get away from personality-driven churches. With so many moral failures in church leadership, there’s a big draw to go somewhere the moral character of the leader isn’t even part of the experience. I don’t know if that’s practical or even attainable, but I completely understand the motivation. There’s this desire to return to something more stable and secure than just your local telephone technician deciding to plant a church and then teach whatever he’s decided is biblical truth… or maybe even not.
We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts: Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost. – 2Pe 1:19-21
But why, instead of just going back to something more stable… why not go all the way back to what is completely stable? The Anglican Church has changed over the centuries, the Eastern Orthodox Church has had many councils introducing extra-biblical understandings, and the Catholic Church is at the whim of papal authority. Granted, these are WAY more stable than the local non-denom down the street: “The Brightest Star in the Current Sky Holy Rolling Church of Jesus Christ and Apostolic Union Church.” But they’re not the original foundation of the church either. Wait, you say—are you trying to tell me you know what the real TRUE CHURCH is??? –take a breath. If you’ve read this far, may I have a few more seconds of your time to explain my point? Hear me out first—then you can send me all the emails you want. Thanks in advance.
PART UNO
Let’s consider the word church and what we mean by it. The Greek word Jesus used that’s translated as “church” is ekkl?sia—it means “a calling out,” or a popular meeting, especially a religious congregation. Church does not mean a denomination or a building. Church is people. I’m sure there are many in EVERY denomination who are part of Jesus’ church. On the simplest level, all those who honestly, without caveat, confess and proclaim that Jesus of Nazareth is the Christ, the Son of the living God, are His church.
He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven. And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. – Mat 16:15-18
That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. – Rom 10:9
I don’t think there’s anything immoral about meeting with other believers who confess this and want to know Jesus better. On the contrary—we’re commanded to do so! It’s our natural state as citizens of the kingdom to not isolate but to live in communion.
Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching. – Heb 10:25
So yes, I alone hold the SECRET OF THE TRUE CHURCH (lol—please note my sarcasm). The true church is that which Jesus says it is. No denomination is the true church—but the true church is those that gather in His name and believe on Him.
And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house. – Act 16:31
For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them. – Mat 18:20 (yes, I know this is about settling disputes, but my point is that it’s in the context of the church—the assembly of believers, the gathering)
PART DUEX
While we should gather and worship together as the “confessing church”—and that can be done in almost every “Christian” church—there are some problems. Throughout history, we’ve always been tempted away from just having the Bible as our authority. We inevitably think we need clarification or boundaries or guidelines in the form of creeds, confessions, or statements of faith. These usually arise in response to heresy—teachings opposed to or perverting biblical teaching. But the Bible warns us about this:
For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. – 2Co 11:13
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; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables. – 2Ti 4:3-4
But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction. – 2Pe 2:1
And there are many, many other such passages. So now let me list all the passages that tell us and advise us to create creeds and authorities in response to this… –Oh right, there are none! God never tells us to place restraints on top of the Bible. The Bible can only mean this or that. The minute we do this, we limit the Bible. God has provided and preserved His word to change us—not for us to try to make it fit in a box we made up. But guess what! What? God does tell us what to do instead of making up confessions to instruct us on how to understand the Bible.
Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world. – 1Jo 4:1
If any man teach otherwise, and consent not to wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which is according to godliness; He is proud, knowing nothing, but doting about questions and strifes of words, whereof cometh envy, strife, railings, evil surmisings, Perverse disputings of men of corrupt minds, and destitute of the truth, supposing that gain is godliness: from such withdraw thyself. – 1Ti 6:3-5
But, beloved, remember ye the words which were spoken before of the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ; … Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life. – Jde 1:17, 21
Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them. – Rom 16:17
He tells us to be vigilant, to test them, to mark them, and to withdraw from them and avoid them. So don’t gather with those who divide, but gather with believers in communion. Whenever we gather, we should separate ourselves from those who place man-made doctrine over the authority of the Word of God and clearly mark it out. We can all have unity—regardless of what gathering you attend regularly—but only in God’s word, not in our distinctives. There is unity in Christ, not in our denominational beliefs. There is unity in God’s preserved word, not in our man-made creeds or doctrines.