THE CHURCH OF GOD

Pacific Press Publishing Company · OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA · Jun 7, 1899

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 25, No. 23.

THE CHURCH OF GOD.

The Called-Out Ones.

LET us remember that the word church in the New Testament comes from the Greek word, ekklēsia, from the verb ekkaleō, defined by Liddell and Scott's Standard Greek Lexicon, "call out or forth, to summon forth;" ekklēsia is defined to mean, "An assembly of the citizens regularly summoned, the legislative assembly," opposed to a sullogos, a mere crowd or concourse, which might be "legal or riotous;" and therefore the church of the living God is composed of the citizens of heaven, regularly summoned or called. Jesus Christ is the head of this church; He is the "Called of God" and the "Sent of God" to call forth others.

Out of what is the church called? It is called out of the world, out of sin, out of darkness and wo and misery and death. "I have chosen you out of the world." John 15:19. "Who hath called you out of darkness." 1 Peter 2:9.

"Wherefore come out from among them [the unbelieving, the unrighteous, the children of darkness, the idolaters], and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and I will receive you." 2 Cor. 6:17. "Come out of her [Babylon], My people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues." Rev. 18:4. This does not mean that the called of God shall not mingle with the unbelieving, with the idolater, with the worldlings; it is his duty, his privilege to remain in this world for a season, among the people of the world; but he is not to be of the world. He is not to be actuated by its spirit, its aims, or objects, or purposes. This is shown by the means which God uses to call him out of the world, and the work and station to which He calls him.

By what are we called out? It is not by the voice of men or councils of men. Men have called during the whole sad history of mankind; thousands, millions, have heeded their incoherent calls, and have been led to darkness, confusion, blindness, and ruin. It is God's voice in Christ which summons His assembly. It is the good Shepherd which calls His sheep by name, and leadeth them out. He speaks in different ways but pre-eminently through His Word, the test of all other voices professing to be His. This voice which calls, this message which invites, is the Gospel of God; for says the apostle to the church: "He called you by one Gospel" (2 Thess. 2:14); and "called me by His grace" (Gal. 1:15), "the Gospel of the grace of God" (Acts 20:24); God calls to "repent and believe the Gospel" (Mark 1:15); and His Gospel ever testifies, "Repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ" (Acts 20, 21).

To what are we called? Not unto a wilderness of desolation; not to take a certain definite name, calling ourselves the elect and all others reprobate; not to an old and superstitious creed; not to a prescribed ritual and ornate service; not to a certain mountain or temple of earth; not to a certain line of priests or succession of priests according to the flesh; not to one or all these does the blessed Gospel call us. It calls us—all (for God is no respecter of persons; this Gospel is to every one)—to better things. It calls us out of sin "to be saints." Rom. 1:7. It calls out of the fellowship of the world, "unto the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord." 1 Cor. 1:9. "God hath called us to peace," from the strife and unrest of sin. 1 Cor. 7:15. From bondage He has "called unto liberty." Gal. 5:14. He has "not called us unto uncleanness, but unto holiness." 1 Thess. 4:7. He has "called us with an holy calling." 2 Tim. 1:9. He has "called you out of darkness into His marvelous light." 1 Peter 2:9. He has called us from the infamy of sin "unto His eternal glory." Chapter 5:10. He has "called you unto His kingdom and glory." 1 Thess. 2:12. Thus being separated from sin, and by His grace translating us "into the kingdom of His dear Son" (Col. 1:13), He calls us "sons and daughters" (2 Cor. 6:18), "sons of God" (1 John 3:2); "and if children, then heirs; heirs of God and joint-heirs with Christ" (Rom. 8:17); "fellow citizens with the saints, and of the household of God" (Eph. 2:19); whose "citizenship is in heaven, from whence also we wait for a Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall fashion anew the body of our humiliation, that it may be conformed to the body of His glory, according to the working whereby He is able even to subject all things unto Himself" (Phil. 3:20, 21). He calls us to the keeping of the "commandments of God and the faith of Jesus." Rev. 14:12.

And this is the church of God, the called-out ones by His Gospel unto Himself, separate from the world, unto Himself, separate from sin unto holiness. Those who heed that call, the "regularly-summoned" ones according to God's Word, in each age form the church for that age, whatever may be said by any ecclesiastical body to the contrary.