THE NATURE, POSITION, AND RESPONSIBILITY OF THE CHURCH
By George Ide Butler
Thoughts on Church Government.—No. 2.
THE NATURE, POSITION, AND RESPONSIBILITY OF THE CHURCH.
By the church, I mean an organized body of believers in Jesus Christ who take the Holy Scriptures for their rule of faith and practice, and labor for the salvation of their fellow-men, who receive additions to their membership upon proper professions of faith, who accept the ordinances which Christ gave for his church, and who have repented of their sins, and believed on the Lord Jesus as their Saviour, and are trying to carry out the principles of holy living taught by him. To such a body of believers, the Bible gives rules for its government, directions for its guidance, powers and authorities to exercise, enables it to appoint proper officers for its management, prescribes their duties and privileges, and threatens penalties to those who shall refuse to listen to its counsels. The church is the human agent through which God educates and saves man. Having introduced to man the principles of his government through his law and word, and having sent his own Son to set man a perfect example, as well as to die for him, and thus make his salvation possible, God’s work in the world is represented by the church. Its course must be a matter of deep concern to him, and its members will be objects of his solicitude. He will own and accept such a church, manifest in them his Spirit, work the work of grace upon the hearts of its members, and affect other souls through their instrumentality, as long as they are true to the principles of Bible religion. When they become so far apostatized from them that they no longer correctly represent that religion in vital principles, he will withdraw himself from them, and they will be left a dead, fallen church, having all the outward forms and mockery, perhaps, left in proper order, but lacking that inward life, power, and vitality, ever present where God’s Spirit is working. Such a church, then, becomes a worldly church, dangerous to the unwary, who may mistake the form for the substance, and be satisfied therewith. The world has seen many such in the past and present, and millions of unbelievers have stumbled over their unconverted example, senseless forms, and dry formality, thinking they represented the Lord and Saviour. The truly wise need not mistake in this matter, for the Bible gives plain characteristics by which the true church of God may ever be identified. The true church of the Lord is much like a school, receiving constant accessions of scholars, giving them lessons more or less perfect, in proportion as it stands in the light of God. Apt pupils who will be submissive to proper discipline, and learn faithfully the lessons of virtue and purity, will graduate with eternal honors at the close of their probation. The church is not made up of perfect beings. We cannot hope that all of its members will be true children of God. As those who receive members into the church are human and fallible, and cannot read the heart, they could not always tell the true character of those desiring admission. And, further, we well know that the church is designed to instruct and save poor, imperfect human beings. People who are perfect and fit for Heaven do not need any church to save them. We should never therefore consider the church as a place in which perfect souls are to retire from active life, and lie still doing nothing. But it is an institution where men are trained to battle with sin, and the passions of their own hearts; where they are to learn to overcome, and where they need the help of all other followers of the Lord Jesus. The Scriptures plainly teach that both classes will exist in the church. They represent the church as a temple or building, erected upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ being the chief corner-stone. Upon this foundation the edifice is erected of various materials, gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble. In the house are vessels of honor and of dishonor. 1 Cor. 3; 1 Tim. 2:21. We must understand these materials to mean persons with different characters. Therefore, we can but conclude that there will be more or less unworthy members received into the church. But we should never forget that the reception of such members is a calamity, just as unworthy scholars are an injury to a school. All reasonable precautions should be used to keep the church pure, and keep out those who are unworthy. But the great object of the church should never be lost sight of. That object is to save men. Better a score of unworthy persons be received, even if they have to be cast out again, than that one worthy person who might be saved be discouraged and lost. Persons should be received as members who give reasonable evidence of repentance of their sins, faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, and a determination to lead a holy life. Members of the church should be thoroughly instructed in the principles of pure religion, according to the rules of the Scriptures. The standard of righteousness should ever be exalted, and all urged and entreated to come up to it. When members walk contrary to sound doctrine, they should be labored with and reproved, according to the rules laid down in the Scriptures. And when it is demonstrated that there will be no effort for improvement, then they should have their connection with the church dissolved, as they are no benefit to the church, or the church to them. In this way the church may keep itself pure and accomplish the objects of its institution. If these general principles are neglected, there will be a constant deterioration, and soon it will be a curse instead of a blessing to the world. But let it faithfully discharge its responsibilities, and the importance of its position cannot well be overestimated. It stands as a visible representative of the Lord Jesus. It then presents the highest example of moral purity seen among men. “Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set upon a hill cannot be hid. Ye are the salt of the earth,” says our Saviour. Here he is speaking of his church. But if that light become darkness, or the salt lose its savor, then indeed it becomes worthless. But while it retains its high position, and is owned and acknowledged by its divine Lord, its position is an eminent one. Through the church, then, the world receives its light. They have nowhere else to look for the right example. The apostle Paul adds, speaking to Timothy, “that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.” 1 Tim. 3:15. The word “ground” is here used in the sense of a foundation, and is so translated by some. The church then serves as the column, or pillar, supporting the edifice, and the foundation upon which it stands. Thus God’s truth is borne aloft by the church; and upheld before the world. When it ceases to do that, it no longer answers the purpose of its formation, and is rejected. But what an elevated position is this which is assigned the church by the Saviour and the great apostle. It is to enlighten the world with the rays of divine truth. Not only is the church as a whole to be the light of the world, but each and every member should be a body of light, contributing to the grand result. Says Peter, “To whom coming as unto a living stone, disallowed indeed of men, but chosen of God, and precious. Ye also, as lively stones are (or be ye, margin) built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God, by Jesus Christ.” 1 Pet. 2:4, 5. These lively stones are stones which emit light themselves. What a beautiful figure is this, which the apostle has given us. Fancy a building composed of such material. Could anything be more suggestive. And what a terrible thing when the members become bodies of darkness, instead of light, for poor souls to stumble over to eternal ruin. But we have not yet noticed, by any means, all the particulars entering into the eminence of the church. Great power is committed to her hands. After our Saviour had given instruction how to labor with those who had been guilty of wrong in the church, he says, “If he neglect to hear the church, let him be unto thee as a heathen man and a publican. Verily I say unto you, whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in Heaven; and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in Heaven.” Matt. 18:17, 18. These words are spoken of the church as a whole, not merely to ministers. We know words similar to these were spoken to Peter, upon an interesting occasion, when he had forcibly declared the great truth that Jesus was the Son of God. This was the truth upon which the church was built. The Saviour said to him, “I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of Heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in Heaven,” &c. Matt.6116:19. It is said that when the Jews made a man a doctor of the law, they put in his hands the key to the closet in the temple where the sacred books were kept and also tablets for writing, signifying that they gave him authority to teach and explain the Scriptures and the law of God to the people. Quite likely the Saviour intended some such meaning as this, as Peter was to be a leading man in explaining the gospel of Christ through which men were to be saved. However that may be, we know that the power to bind and loose was committed to the whole church in the language we have quoted. How is this to be exercised? We understand in the following manner: when the church deals with an individual according to the instruction of the word of God and guided by the Holy Spirit, that Spirit sanctions the act of the church. This is the connecting link between the body and the Head. Under these circumstances, the decision of the one is the decision of the other. The offending individual therefore will have to make his peace with the church if they have dealt justly with him. Here is a principle reasonable and consistent. But this is a high and powerful prerogative and shows plainly that God has committed a power to his church by no means to be despised. Thus it is seen that through the church God has designed to save men. By associating together in this capacity, we may help each other on in the way to life. In union there is strength. It is important in every worthy enterprise that those having the same object in view labor together for the same result. And although there will always be much imperfection in the church, as in everything else that is human, yet on the whole, it is the best means that could be devised to lead men from sin up to God. The responsibility resting upon the church is immense, if its nature and position be what I have assigned to it. If it be God’s great school of morals and religion, the divinely appointed lightbearer to the world, with the power to bind or loose, according as the Spirit of God should direct; if it be that to which the eye of the world should be directed to find the nearest approximation to the life of holiness taught by the Son of God; then, indeed, is its responsibility almost fearful. The world have a right to expect of members of the church of God a high example of living. No one has a right to become a member of it who has not in his soul determined to set such an example. There is a great, a terrible, responsibility resting, not only on members of the church, to set a proper example, but upon the church itself, that it see to it that its members walk worthy of their calling. While the church tolerates members in its fold who are guilty of iniquity, and makes no adequate effort for their improvement, the church itself is just as responsible as the member for that iniquity. It tolerates what the member does. Here is a branch of responsibility which, in my judgment, has been most sadly neglected in all time past, as well as in the present. The church does not exercise its high prerogative. The very means which God designed for the purpose of keeping the body pure is not put in exercise. There is a constant accession of those who are unworthy, and who, upon trial, are found unwilling to conform to wholesome principles; and, as there are not adequate efforts made to reform them, or to get rid of them when they will not reform, they are left in the body to cast an influence detrimental to the truth of God. They are a load upon the hearts of the faithful ones who are striving for purity and holiness; and honest souls who are looking on to see if the church really does amount to anything for good become disgusted at what they behold, and have no desire for a closer relationship with it. Under such a state of things, God’s Spirit is hindered, the progress of affairs is rapidly downward, until the worldly level is reached. Any one who will look around in the world can see this result fully developed, and it is becoming a serious question whether we, as a people, are not going over the same track. It is a very easy track to pass over. The tendency of the age is all in the direction of laxity. There is a great prejudice of public sentiment against bringing anybody to account in church matters especially. False sympathy is always ready to step in, and personal feelings to be aroused. But there is a great responsibility resting upon the church of God, to set before the world such principles, by precept and example, as will give no uncertain token of where God’s true church is to be found. God will not smile in those assemblies where every kind of iniquity is tolerated. Souls will go to ruin unless the church sets the proper example before the world. And it is high time that we were examining our position carefully, to see if we are doing our duty faithfully. Our responsibility is immense in this age of peril and laxity. In succeeding articles I will endeavor to show more clearly the Bible directions upon this point. Government, embracing instruction, labor, reproof, correction, discipline, and faithful dealing generally, is demanded by the nature, position, and responsibility, of the church. It cannot be neglected with safety any more than it can be in the nation, the family, or the school. The issues involved are of a magnitude second to no other. While it is important to give evidence of our desire to welcome those to a place among us, whom it is reasonable to hope can be helped, our duty is not then done. The main work is yet to be done. It is only commenced. Members should watch over each other for their mutual good. With the deepest love, officers should labor to help those under their watchcare, and not suffer sin upon them, and thus bring disgrace upon the cause and leave souls to go to ruin. And as a solemn duty to the individuals, as well as to the cause of God, those who are incorrigible, who will not submit to right principles, should be cut off from the fellowship of the church.