From the Pen of Paul

The Church in God's Scheme of Redemption

For the next few weeks we will be considering the question, "What place does the church of our Lord occupy in God's plans to save man?" Just as an idol worshiper thinks of his idol when he hears the word "God," there are millions of folks who think of their denominational churches when they hear the word "church." Untold millions of people have absolutely no scriptural concept of the church we read about in the New Testament. And their manmade churches are just as far away from the concept of the New Testament church as an idol is to the God of the Bible.

The great majority of people also believe that the church of the New Testament is not important; they see it as a detour off the road to heaven; they will tell you that "it does not matter which church you are a member of, because the church really doesn't matter any way." And when they do look at the church, they look at it through their colored and denominational glasses; this causes them to fail to see it without any kind of denominational hang-ups and bias or prejudice; they fail to see the church as it is clearly revealed in God's divine Book. Many see it through their denominational creed books, all of which were written by men of denominational training and error.

The church we read about in the New Testament is the oldest church which in any way claims to be connected with Christianity; the way to learn about this church is by taking the Bible and studying it diligently and carefully. The teaching on the church is plain, clear, and easy to be understood if one will remove all previously held ideas from his mind.

The word "church" in all of its varied forms appears about 110 times in the New Testament. In about 18 of these occurrences the word refers to the church in the universal or general sense as contrasted with the church in the local or congregational sense. About 92 times the word, in its various forms, refers to the local congregations of Christians, as contrasted with the church in its general or universal sense. When the word is used in the universal sense it refers to the whole family of God on earth and therefore includes ALL Christians. It was the general or universal sense of the word that Jesus used this word for the first time in our English Bible when He said, "upon this rock I will build my church" (Matthew 16:18). According to this promise of Jesus, the church built by Christ includes all who have been built on the rock; therefore, unless one can be built upon the sand and still be a Christian, the church built by Jesus includes ALL Christians (Matthew 7:24-27). On the day of Pentecost, as recorded in Acts chapter 2, the Lord added those that were saved to this church on the rock (Acts 2:41, 47). This was almost 2,000 years ago, and was the church that Jesus had promised to build. It was also the only church in existence then, and if men followed the New Testament pattern it would be the only one in existence today!

Thus, we can easily see that in the general or universal sense of the word "church" there was only ONE church in the New Testament. Jesus did not establish, build, or start different kinds of religious bodies or churches. He said, "I will build my church" — singular in number (Matthew 16:18). Jesus meant for this church to continue as long as the earth stands. Paul wrote to the Ephesians and told them, "Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end" (Eph. 3:21).

The church is Christ's body (Eph. 1:22-23; Col. 1:18). In the days of the inspired apostles, and in the New Testament, ALL the saved were in ONE body. Paul wrote, "But now are they many members, yet but one body" (I Cor. 12:20). And he declared, "There is one body" (Eph. 4:4). They did not have hundreds of bodies with their sectarian names and contradictory creeds and doctrines. Again, Paul wrote, "And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think: but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith. For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office: So we being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another" (Romans 12:2-5).

Paul said that Christ died for both Jews and Gentiles and "that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby" (Eph. 2:14-16). Since all are reconciled unto God or saved "in one body"—and since that body is the church, then it follows that ALL the saved are in the one body or church. Obviously then one must be a member of the body, the church, in order to be connected with Christ, the head of the body (Col. 1:18; Eph. 1:22-23). Christ is also declared to be the "saviour of the body" (Eph. 5:23). We must conclude that all of the conflicting and contradictory denominational churches are not of Christ, and therefore are no part of God's plan to save man as revealed in the Bible.
—Paul Wilmoth

From the Preacher's Viewpoint. . .

Women in the Church

Read the Bible carefully, and note the part the women took, the greatest and best of them, as well as all classes, in the Patriarchal, Jewish and Christian institutions, and follow what you find there. It is safe to follow that and for the good of all, both men and women. No improvement can be made upon that. As we depart from that we injure all.

We desire to see women curtailed in no privilege or blessing; nothing that can make them happy, useful, wise or good. But the less they have to do in the business meetings, the ruling or discipline of the church, the better for them and all concerned. They have a natural and scriptural work to do, and men cannot do that work for them, and men do not lose any of their rights, when not appointed to do the natural and scriptural work of women. In the same way women lose no rights, are excluded from no privilege, nor are they in any way degraded in being limited to their legitimate sphere of operation. The Bible gives women the highest honor they can have, and lays down the road to the highest happiness. It has elevated women from the abject slavery in which Paganism had bound them down, and given them the strong arm of the man to protect and support them. The nearer they follow the Bible, the Lord, and the apostolic teaching the better. This is the road to greatness, happiness and goodness.
—Benjamin Franklin

Women were not permitted to be preachers in the New Testament church (I Cor. 14:34). Men were appointed of the Lord to be leaders or pastors in the church (I Tim. 3:1-8). No New Testament church ever had women leaders in it nor were women any part of the leadership in New Testament times. No women were deacons in the New Testament church (I Tim. 3:8-11). It seems that people in general have never understood the place of women in the church according to God's plan. Brother Franklin is right when he states that we need to take the Bible and follow God's plan.
—Malcolm L. Hill