The Identity of the Church
By
Shelby G. Floyd
Christ Promised
To Build His Church
Jesus
Christ definitely promised to build his church. When he was in the area of
Caesarea Philippi, he said to his disciples, “...and upon this rock I will
build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” (Matthew
16:18.) Christ emphatically stated that nothing could keep him from
building his church, not even his death on the cross, nor the gates leading in
and. out of Hades could prevail over his power in building his church.
According to promise, Christ built his church, and it had its beginning in the
city of
The
Meaning of the
Today, there are well over 250 different
religious institutions, which all claim to be the church Jesus promised, built
and purchased with his blood. Is
it possible after all these years, and in the midst of this confusion, to
identify the Lord’s church? We believe that the Lord’s church can be identified
by various marks which distinguish it from all other institutions on the face
of the earth. The word “church” is translated from a compound word which means
“to call out.” Therefore, the church is composed of people who have
been called out by the gospel into one body. (2 Thessalonians
2: l4; Colossians
The Church Began in
There are many marks
by which we may be able to distinguish this wonderful blood bought institution
today. Any church which did not begin in the city of
The Same Doctrine Was Taught In All the Congregations
Many religious leaders today are trying to promote unity while at the same time holding on to conflicting doctrines. To the Corinthians Paul wrote a letter, in which he said,
“Wherefore I beseech you, be ye followers of me. For this cause have I sent unto you Timotheus, who is my beloved son, and faithful in the Lord, who shall bring you into remembrance of my ways which be in Christ, as I teach every where in every church.” (1 Corinthians 4: 16-17.)
Paul preached the
gospel to the Corinthians, established the church in that city, and then stayed
with them approximately a year and a half edifying them in the knowledge of the
Lord. After he left them, he desired on many occasions to return into their
midst and be with them, but he was hindered from
doing so; therefore, by inspiration he wrote them a letter and told them he
was sending Timothy, his beloved son, to remind them of his ways, which were in
Christ. Timothy would also remind them that Paul’s ways were taught every where
in every church.
What
Paul preached and practiced in one church, he preached and practiced in all
churches; therefore, there was unity of doctrine in all the churches of Christ.
The only scriptural basis for unity today is to preach the same thing in all
churches. The apostle Paul was so emphatic about this that he said to the
Galatians, that though an angel from heaven preaches unto them any other gospel
except that which he had preached unto them that they were to be accursed.
(Galatians 1:6-9.)
The
Church is Identified by the Worship
We can
identify the church of the Bible by the worship. The Bible declares that God is a Spirit and
must be worshipped in spirit and truth. (John 4:24.) Since Paul taught the same
thing in all the churches, we should find some reference to the use of
instrumental music in their worship assemblies, which we do not; therefore,
instrumental music is a practice which is outside of the doctrine of Christ.
The
Bible clearly forbids us to have any fellowship with those who would go beyond
the doctrine of Christ. John said,
“Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth
not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth
in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son. If there come
any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house,
neither bid him God speed. For he that biddeth him God speed is partaker of his evil deeds.” (2 John 9-11.)
Since
Paul preached and practiced the same thing in all the churches, we may clearly
identify the