• Is The Church Of Christ A Denomination?
• Part Two
• Introduction
• As we saw in the previous lesson, many people do not understand the
difference in the church and the denominations.
• Most all believe that all of these groups are just a part of Christendom,
each traveling a different path to the same location.
• But Denominationalism is wrong and divisive and against scripture.
• We saw that division is described and condemned in the scriptures.
• We saw the writers of scripture warn against such.
• Let us now make our next point, by showing the true nature of the church.
• The Nature Of The Church
• The scriptures always present God's intended message about the nature
of the church in a positive way, a way that demonstrates its uniqueness and
its non-denominational nature.
• There are so many passages that reflect this theme that it would be
impossible to cite all of them, but consider the following few examples from
Ephesians.
• Ephesians 3:11
• “This was in accordance with the eternal purpose which he carried
out in Christ Jesus our Lord”.
• The church exists "according to the eternal purpose which He accomplished
in Christ Jesus our Lord.
• There has never been a time when the church did not exist in the mind
of God.
• God had been dropping bread-crumbs throughout the Old Testament period
that would lead people to the Messiah.
• Ephesians 1:22-23
• “And He (God) put all things in subjection under His (Jesus) feet,
and gave Him (Jesus) as head over all things to the church, which is His (Jesus)
body, the fullness of Him (God) who fill all in all”.
• The church is the body of Christ (Colossians 1:18, 24;
• Ephesians 4:4 “there is one body;
• 1 Corinthians 12:12-31, Romans 12:4-8 (Many members, yet one body).
• The intimacy of the head/body illustration concerning Christ and the
church entails inherent closeness not found in any other religious relationship.
• Ephesians 1:10
• “with a view to an administration suitable to the fullness of
the times, that is, the summing up of all things in Christ, things in the heavens
and things upon the earth…”
• The church is the culmination of all things being gathered together
in Christ.
• The law of Moses, the psalms and the prophets all spoke of its coming
(Luke 24:44ff),
• and Christ, its founder (Matthew 16:18; Ephesians 2:20),
• was the end (goal) of the law (cf. Romans 10:4; Galatians 3:24ff).
• Ephesians 1:3
• “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has
blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ"
• (i.e., in His body, the church-cf. 1:22-23) are all spiritual blessings
(1:3),
• including acceptance by God (1:6),
• redemption and the forgiveness of sins (1:7),
• an inheritance (1:11)
• and the seal of the Holy Spirit of promise (1:13).
• There are no spiritual blessings outside of the body, or church, of
Christ (cf 2:12).
• Ephesians 3:10
• “in order that the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known
through the church to the rulers and the authorities in the heavenly places”.
• God's wisdom is made known by the very existence of the church.
• Paul told the Corinthians that "eye has not seen, nor ear heard,
nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for
those who love Him." (1 Corinthians 2:9, citing Isaiah).
• Paul speaks of "the wisdom God in a mystery" (2:7), language
similar to Ephesians 3:8-11 and 5:29.
• The church is thus a declaration of God's infinite wisdom.
• Ephesians 3:21
• “to Him (God) be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to
all generations forever and every, Amen”
• God is glorified in the church by Christ Jesus.
• That God is glorified in this manner (i.e. by the church in Christ)
is proof of the uniqueness of the body of Christ.
• No glory is brought to God by means of denominations that exist without
scriptural authority (cf Matthew 15:13; Psalm 127:1).
• Ephesians 5:23-24
• “For the husband is the head of the wife, as Christ also is the
head of the church, He Himself being the Savior of the body. But as the church
is subject to Christ, so also the wives ought to be to their husbands in everything”.
• Christ is the head of the church (5:23),
• and the church is subject to Christ (5:24).
• Christ only has one body, His body-the church.
• He is, therefore, only head over one body, and Savior of only those
in that body, the church.
• Only the church he died for is truly subject to him.
• That all denominational religious groups exist without His authority
confirms they are not subject to Christ.
• It is inconceivable, even impossible, for any unauthorized religion
(including all "world" religions and all denominations) to legitimately
claim to be subject to Christ.
• They are not subject to Christ because they will not obey Christ.
• By their very nature, they do what they want to do whether it is in
the Bible or not.
• Ephesians 5:25
• “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church
and gave himself up for her” Christ loved the church and gave himself
for it.
• Jesus died for only one body.
• He did not die for any other, nor does He love any other in the way
He does His one body.
• Our human challenge is to determine which of these churches are the
church for which Christ loved and died for.
• Ephesians 5:27
• “that He might present to Himself the church in all her glory,
having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she should be holy and
blameless”.
• The church will one day be presented to Christ pure and without blemish
(cf Revelation 19:7-9).
• On the day of judgment, the tares (including all false religions resulting
from error that has been sown) will be separated from the wheat (cf. Matthew
13:24ff),
• and only the righteous will stand (cf Matthew 25:46).
• The nature of husband and wife is an earthly approximation of the relationship
between Christ and His church (5:32).
• No closer relationship exists among mankind than the husband-wife relationship,
• yet the one between Christ and His bride is greater.
• To have such a close relationship with Christ requires an intimate relationship.
• One of love and respect and both working to keep it pure and holy.
• Conclusion (Part Two)
• We do not have to make a list of everything the church is not.
• All we have to do is show what the church is.
• Everything else not listed is eliminated and proven to be error.
• The Church of Christ is the result of the plans God made from before
the foundation of the world.
• It is the organization that Christ is the head of.
• If we wish to be saved, we must be a part of this church.
By Carey Scott from an article by Jody Apple
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