God's Church Today
Hamilton Smith
Table of Contents
God's Church Today
Many Christians today are confused about the Church. Hundreds of denominations are in existence the world over, all claiming to be the true Church. The popular slogan, "Attend the Church of your choice" accepts this condition, assumes that the Word of God fails to prepare us for these times to give direction within this confusion. The choice seems of little importance and consequence.
But did the Lord Jesus intend His followers to be left in such a state of confusion? Let us go directly to the Scriptures to show what God says about His Church today.
TI 2:20{The first Epistle to Timothy presents the House of God in a condition according to the mind of God. The second Epistle presents the "house" when it has become ruined by the failure of man, and, in its ruin, likened to "a great house" in which "there are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood and of earth; and some to honor, and some to dishonor" (2 Tim. 2:20). The believer who has once seen the truth of the Assembly as the House of God as taught in Scripture may see nothing on earth that answers to the truth. That which can be mainly seen in Christendom is "a great house" containing vessels to honor and dishonor. The Word of God gives directions for God's people in a condition such as this.
If we desire to walk through this world according to the mind of God, we must learn that, however great our natural intelligence, however great our knowledge of Scripture, however sincere our desires, we cannot, if trusting to our own minds, find God's path for His people in the midst of the confusion of Christendom. We are not competent in ourselves to find our way through the increasing difficulties, to face the continual opposition to the truth, or to solve the various questions that constantly arise.
Having discovered our utter incompetence, we can learn that we are not left to find our way as best we can and that God never expected that we should have any wisdom or competence in ourselves to walk according to His mind. The Lord said, "Without Me ye can do nothing" (John 15:5).
God has made provision that we might be intelligent in His mind. There are three things to remember:
We have a Head in Heaven; Christ in glory is the Head of His Body, the Church—and all wisdom is in the Head. We have no wisdom in ourselves. It is of the first importance to look to Christ as "the Head" to guide us. If we trust our own heads, we are "not holding the Head" (Col. 2:19).
The Holy Spirit, a Divine Person, is on earth. The Lord knew that His people would not be able to support themselves in a world from which He is absent. Before He left, He said, "1 will pray the Father, and He shall give you another Comforter, that He may abide with you forever, even the Spirit of truth" (John 14:16, 17). "He shall teach you all things" (verse 26). The preservation and maintenance of the truth is not dependent upon the believers but upon the abiding presence of the Spirit of Truth.
We have the Holy Scriptures "given by inspiration of God and profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly furnished unto all good works" (2 Tim. 3:16,17). "The House of God Which is the Assembly of the living God" is "the pillar and base of the truth" (1 Tim. 3:15). But when the House of God has become a ruin and we no longer have the truth in reality, the man of God still has the infallible authority of Scripture by which to prove all things.
But no ruin in Christendom can for one moment alter Christ, or the Spirit, or the Scriptures. Christ remains the Head in Heaven, with all needed wisdom for His people, as much in these last days as in the first days of Christianity. The Holy Spirit abides with unaltered power to guide and control. The Holy Scriptures remain with absolute authority.
Yet Christendom has, by and large, set aside Christ, the Spirit, and the Scriptures. The great religious systems of men have retained the name of Christ, but have set aside Christ as the Head in Heaven by appointing earthly heads. Rome has its Pope; the Greek Church, its Patriarch; the Protestant churches, their kings, archbishops, presidents or moderators. Then in these great systems there is little left for the Spirit. The religious machinery and carnal devices of men have shut out the Spirit. Lastly, men have made the most deadly attack upon the Scriptures until there is hardly a sect in Christendom that holds with any degree of unanimity that "all Scripture is given by inspiration of God."
What are we to do? Scripture very definitely answers that we must maintain and act upon two great principles:
Separation from all that is contrary to the truth of God—all that is a denial of the truth of the Church, of Christ as the Head of His Church, of the Holy Spirit as our all-sufficient Guide, and the Scriptures as our absolute authority.
After we have separated from evil, Scripture insists upon another equally important principle—association with all that is according to God. We must "Cease to do evil: learn to do well" (Isa. 1:16-17).
What does Scripture say as to separation from evil? All would admit that separation from this evil world has ever been necessary for the people of God. But in a day when Christianity has become corrupted, we have special instructions for a threefold separation.
EB 13:13{Separation from every religious system which is a denial of the truth of Christ and the Church. "Let us go forth therefore unto Him without (outside) the camp, bearing His reproach" (Heb. 13:13). "The camp" was part of the Jewish system originally set up by God. It was composed of people outwardly in relationship with God, with an earthly order of priests. It is clear that the religious systems of Christendom have been formed after the blueprint of "the camp." They are often composed of a mixture of converted and unconverted people. They make a definite appeal to the natural man. They have their worldly sanctuaries, their ritual, and their humanly ordained priests that stand between the people and God. But in imitating the camp, Christians have set aside Christ as the Head, the Holy Spirit as Guide, and the Scriptures as authority. If we would give Christ His true place, we must, in obedience to the Word, "go forth unto Him without the camp, bearing His reproach."
TI 2:19{Scripture plainly teaches separation from evil doctrine. "Let every one that nameth the name of the Lord depart from iniquity" (2 Tim. 2:19). Every one who confesses the name of the Lord is, by profession, identified with the Lord and is responsible to withdraw from iniquity. The iniquity may take many forms, but the preceding verses (2 Tim. 2:17,18) plainly show that evil doctrines are in view. We must not link iniquity with the name of the Lord. It may cost us much to separate from iniquity, but how much does He mean to us?
Scripture demands separation from evil persons. Verse 20 speaks of "vessels to honor and to dishonor", and in verse 21 we are told to purge ourselves from the vessels to dishonor in order to be "sanctified, and meet for the Master's use." Here persons are in view, not merely doctrines. It is always in proportion to our separation from these vessels—persons, not their doctrines merely, that we are sanctified and meet for the Master's use. It is not enough not to hold their doctrines—but their association contaminates. Every effort has been made in Christendom to weaken the force of this passage.
Scripture plainly teaches separation from religious systems that are a denial of the truth, from false doctrines that undermine the truth, and from vessels to dishonor, persons who do not practice the truth.
Separation, however necessary, is only negative; there must be also that which is positive. This leads us to the second great principle: association with good. We are to "follow righteousness, faith, love, peace, with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart" (2 Tim. 2:22).
Righteousness must come first. Whatever profession a man may make, if there is not the evidence of practical righteousness, there cannot be a walk according to God. But righteousness is not enough; right and wrong is not sufficient to determine the Christian's path. He must indeed do right, but to take the path of the Lord requires faith. Therefore with righteousness, faith must be followed. But righteousness and faith make way for love. If love is not guarded by righteousness and faith, it will degenerate into mere natural affection and be used as a plea for the allowance of laxity and the passing over of evil. Then these three qualities lead to peace—not a dishonorable peace that compromises with evil, unbelief and hatred, but peace, the outcome of righteousness, faith, and love. But if we follow these beautiful qualities, we shall find others who are doing the same -those who "call on the Lord out of a pure heart"—and with such we are to associate.
Therefore separation is not isolation. Scripture shows that there will always be those with whom we can associate.
Today the Scriptures still give definite instruction for the people of God. It is not once suggested that we should go outside the House of God. To do so would involve leaving the world altogether. But while we can not go outside the House, we are responsible to separate from the evil in the House. We are not told to reconstruct the House. But it is our responsibility to walk in the light of that which was in the beginning and which still exists under the eye of God in spite of all the failure of man.
These three are necessary:
the recognition of Christ as the Head,
the control and guidance of the Holy Spirit, and
to act according to the Scriptures.
"Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for it" (Eph. 5:25).
Is there a response in your heart?
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