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Bro.
Taylor Answers A Question
"Men are born into the family of God by the new birth, but men are not
born into the church" H. B. Taylor, in News and Truths.
The Question
If that is the truth, if men get into the family of God by one
process, and into the church of God by another and different one, it
follows certainly, that the family of God and the church of God are
two different institutions. He who has been "born into the family of
God by the new birth" is a child of God, and, as such is an heir of
God and a joint heir with Jesus Christ: "And if children, then heirs;
heirs of God, and joint heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer
with him, that we may be also glorified together" (Rom. 8:17). Is it
possible that these "heirs of God, and joint heirs with Christ" are
still out of the church of God? Again: he who has been "born into the
family of God" has the remission of sins; for, certainly, God’s
children are not reprobates. Again: He who has been "born into the
family of God" is a new creature. "Therefore if any man be in Christ,
he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things
are become new" (2 Cor. 5:17). We should feel under lasting
obligations to Brother Taylor if he would tell us just what God must
do to this person, or what the person himself must do to become a
member of God’s church, after he has been "born into the family of
God," after he has remission of sins, after he has become a "new
creature." His declaration that "men are born into the family of God"
is entirely correct, but that the family of God is one thing and the
church of God is another thing, is entirely erroneous. "But if I tarry
long, 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 family of God and the house of
God are certainly the same, and the apostle here most emphatically
declares that the house of God is the church of the living God.—Gospel
Message.
The Answer
We gladly answer the questions herein contained. In fact, while we are
at it we go a little further and distinguish between the family of
God, the church of God, and the kingdom of God as used in the New
Testament.
The family of God includes all the children of God in heaven and on
earth. "Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named" (Eph.
3:15). This family includes all believers. "For ye are all the
children of God by faith in Christ Jesus" (Gal. 3:26). All believers
are God’s children. "To him give all the prophets witness, that
through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of
sins" (Acts 10:43), "Therefore it is faith, that it might be by grace;
to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed; not to that only
which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of
Abraham; who is the father of us all" (Rom. 4:16). Since the Old
Testament saints were saved by faith in Christ they are all members of
God’s family.
God’s family is bigger than the kingdom of God or the church of God
for it now contains all the saved from Abel to the last man who has
believed, whether in heaven or on earth. God has only one family. All
believers are children and heirs of God.
The Kingdom of God includes all the saved on earth at any given time.
In Matthew 13 the kingdom is used to include all professors. "Jesus
answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a
man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. Nicodemus saith
unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the
second time into his mother’s womb, and be born? Jesus answered,
Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of
the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God" (John 3:3-5),
"And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and
whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and
whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven"
(Matthew 16:19), "Verily I say unto you, Among them that are born of
women there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist:
notwithstanding he that is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater
than he" (Matthew 11:11), "The law and the prophets were until John:
since that time the kingdom of God is preached, and every man presseth
into it" (Luke 16:16), "For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink;
but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost" (Rom. 14:17).
"Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated
us into the kingdom of his dear Son" (Col. 1:13), "Jesus answered, My
kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then
would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews:
but now is my kingdom not from hence" (John 18:36). The kingdom as
used in the above scriptures is composed of all the born again on the
earth.
"And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a
kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be
left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all
these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever" (Dan. 2:44), "And the
people, when they knew it, followed him: and he received them, and
spake unto them of the kingdom of God, and healed them that had need
of healing. And when the day began to wear away, then came the twelve,
and said unto him, Send the multitude away, that they may go into the
towns and country round about, and lodge, and get victuals: for we are
here in a desert place. But he said unto them, Give ye them to eat.
And they said, We have no more but five loaves and two fishes; except
we should go and buy meat for all this people. For they were about
five thousand men. And he said to his disciples, Make them sit down by
fifties in a company. And they did so, and made them all sit down.
Then he took the five loaves and the two fishes, and looking up to
heaven, he blessed them, and brake, and gave to the disciples to set
before the multitude. And they did eat, and were all filled: and there
was taken up of fragments that remained to them twelve baskets. And it
came to pass, as he was alone praying, his disciples were with him:
and he asked them, saying, Whom say the people that I am? They
answering said, John the Baptist; but some say, Elias; and others say,
that one of the old prophets is risen again. He said unto them, But
whom say ye that I am? Peter answering said, The Christ of God. And he
straitly charged them, and commanded them to tell no man that thing;
Saying, The Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected of the
elders and chief priests and scribes, and be slain, and be raised the
third day. And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let
him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me. For
whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose
his life for my sake, the same shall save it. For what is a man
advantaged, if he gain the whole world, and lose himself, or be cast
away? For whosoever shall be ashamed of me and of my words, of him
shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he shall come in his own glory,
and in his Father’s, and of the holy angels. But I tell you of a
truth, there be some standing here, which shall not taste of death,
till they see the kingdom of God" (Luke 9:11-27), "When they therefore
were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this
time restore again the kingdom to Israel" (Acts 1:6). Those passages
refer to the millennium. That kingdom is yet future.
What is sometimes called the spiritual kingdom is composed only of
those who have been born again, who have been "translated, out of
darkness into the kingdom of His dear Son" (John 3:3-5). "At the same
time came the disciples unto Jesus, saying, Who is the greatest in the
kingdom of heaven? And Jesus called a little child unto him, and set
him in the midst of them, And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye
be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into
the kingdom of heaven. Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as
this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And
whoso shall receive one such little child in my name receiveth me. But
whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it
were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck and
that he were drowned in the depth of the sea. Woe unto the world
because of offences! for it must needs be that offences come; but woe
to that man by whom the offence cometh! Wherefore if thy hand or thy
foot offend thee, cut them off, and cast them from thee: it is better
for thee to enter into life halt or maimed, rather than having two
hands or two feet to be cast into everlasting fire. And if thine eye
offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: it is better for
thee to enter into life with one eye, rather than having two eyes to
be cast into hell fire. Take heed that ye despise not one of these
little ones; for I say unto you, That in heaven their angels do always
behold the face of my Father which is in heaven. For the Son of man is
come to save that which was lost. How think ye? if a man have an
hundred sheep, and one of them be gone astray, doth he not leave the
ninety and nine, and goeth into the mountains, and seeketh that which
is gone astray? And if so be that he find it, verily I say unto you,
he rejoiceth more of that sheep, than of the ninety and nine which
went not astray. Even so it is not the will of your Father which is in
heaven, that one of these little ones should perish. Moreover if thy
brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between
thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy
brother. But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two
more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be
established" (Matthew 18:1-16). "And they brought young children to
him, that he should touch them: and his disciples rebuked those that
brought them. But when Jesus saw it, he was much displeased, and said
unto them, Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them
not: for of such is the kingdom of God. Verily I say unto you,
Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he
shall not enter therein" (Mark 10:13-15). The Master shows very
clearly, that the kingdom is composed of only such as have received
Him, whether children or adults. The family of God includes all the
saved of all the ages, whether in heaven or on earth; the kingdom of
God includes that part of the family of God who are on earth now.
The church of God is never used of any institution, except of an
assembly or congregation of baptized believers in some given locality.
"Unto the church of God which is at Corinth, to them that are
sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all that in
every place call upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs
and ours" (1 Cor. 1:2).
The local individual church is the only kind of church God has on this
earth today. There is only one family of God, composed of all the
redeemed of all the ages in heaven and on earth. There is only one
kingdom of God, composed of all the born again on the earth now. There
are thousands of churches of God on earth. Every individual Baptist
church is a church of God. No others are. When a man is born again he
is born into God’s family. He is in the family of God. The
relationship does not change. Whether in heaven or on earth he is in
God’s family. When he is born again he also enters God’s kingdom. This
relationship is for life. When he dies he passes out of the kingdom of
God on earth and enters "unto his heavenly kingdom to whom be glory
for ever and ever. Amen" (2 Tim. 4:18).
After he has been born again he is not yet in a church of God, but is
now a scriptural subject for admission into a church of God. "Praising
God, and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the
church daily such as should be saved" (Acts 2:47). Church membership
was not something a man gets with salvation but a subsequent blessing
he gets after salvation by being added to the church. Baptism is not
essential to admission into either the family of God or the kingdom of
God: but baptism is essential to admission into a church of God.
Men are born anew into the family of God and into the kingdom of God:
but they are baptized into a church of God: "For by one Spirit are we
all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we
be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit" (1
Cor. 12:13). The "one body" referred to here by Paul was the church of
God at Corinth. "Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in
particular" (1 Cor. 12:27).
That local church at Corinth was the body of Christ at Corinth. The
members of the church at Corinth belonged to only "one body" of
Christ. That body of Christ probably did not contain all the saved at
Corinth: "Unto the church of God which is at Corinth" (1 Cor. 1:2),
and none of the saved anywhere else except at Corinth. Since they
belonged to only "one body" and that was the local church at Corinth,
Christ has no other kind of church or body except a local church. If
they had belonged to a local church at Corinth, which Paul said was
the body of Christ, and then to the kind of church the "Message" talks
about, composed of all the saved everywhere, they would have belonged
to two churches or bodies of Christ, one local and visible, the other
universal and invisible. The New Testament knows nothing of such
confusion as that. God is not the author of any such confusion.
Jesus Christ has only one kind of church or body on this earth, and
that is the local assembly, the organized body of baptized believers
in any given community. "But if I tarry long, 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 very passage cited in the "Message" is in harmony with this
truth. The church of God is there called the house of God; but the
house of God is not used there in the sense of a family, but in the
sense of a building. That the church referred to in that passage is a
local church is clearly evident from even a casual reading of the
context. "This is a true saying, If a man desire the office of a
bishop, he desireth a good work. A bishop then must be blameless, the
husband of one wife, vigilant, sober, of good behavior, given to
hospitality, apt to teach; Not given to wine, no striker, not greedy
of filthy lucre; but patient, not a brawler, not covetous; One that
ruleth well his own house, having his children in subjection with all
gravity; (For if a man know not how to rule his own house, how shall
he take care of the church of God?) Not a novice, lest being lifted up
with pride he fall into the condemnation of the devil. Moreover he
must have a good report of them which are without; lest he fall into
reproach and the snare of the devil. Likewise must the deacons be
grave, not double tongued, not given to much wine, not greedy of
filthy lucre; Holding the mystery of the faith in a pure conscience.
And let these also first be proved, then let them use the office of a
deacon, being found blameless. Even so must their wives be grave, not
slanderers, sober, faithful in all things. Let the deacons be the
husbands of one wife, ruling their children and their own houses well.
For they that have used the office of a deacon well purchase to
themselves a good degree, and great boldness in the faith which is in
Christ Jesus. These things write I unto thee, hoping to come unto thee
shortly" (1 Tim. 3:1-14). Bishops and deacons are officers of local
churches. Paul has just been telling them their duties as officials of
the local church and adds that he writes these things that Timothy, a
young preacher, may know how to behave himself in the house of God,
the local church of which he was bishop (pastor). The church which
Paul called a body of Christ, was a local church. Since Christ has but
"one body" (1. e., one kind of a body) there is no church of Christ
except the local church. The church which Paul called the house of God
was a local church. The church that Paul said was "the pillar and
ground of the truth" was a local church. The church to which the Lord
Jesus promised perpetuity: "And I say also unto thee, That thou art
Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of
hell shall not prevail against it" (Matthew 16:18). This was a local
church, for He never spoke of any other kind. The meaning of the word
ekklesia permits of no other kind. Oh! that we let others more
competent than the writer speak.
Prof. Royal, who taught Prof. A. T. Robertson, of the Louisville
Seminary, when asked if he knew of an instance in classic Greek where
ekklesia was ever used of a class of "unassembled or unassembling
persons," said: "I do not know of any such passage in classic Greek."
With this statement agree Profs. Rurton of Chicago University, Stifler
of Crozer, Strong of Rochester and many other scholars. Joseph Cross
(Episcopalian) says: "We hear much of the invisible church as
contradistinguished from the church visible. Of an invisible church in
this world I know nothing, the Word of God says nothing; nor can
anything of the kind exist, except in the brain of a heretic. The
church is a body; but what sort of a body is that which can neither be
seen nor identified. A body is an organism, occupying space and having
a definite locality. A mere aggregation is not a body; there must be
organization as well. A heap of heads, hands, feet and other members
would not make a body; they must be united in a system, each in its
proper place and all pervaded by a common life. So a collection of
stones, brick and timbers would not be a house; the material must be
built together, in an artistic order, adapted to utility. So a mass of
roots, trunks and branches would not be a vine or a tree; the several
parts must be developed according to the laws of nature from the same
seed and nourished by the same vital sap." Exactly so.
The limbs of a body scattered on a battlefield are not a body. The
material of a house in the woods or quarries is not a house. These
members and this material must be put in place before you have either
a body or a house. So the saved are not a church unless brought
together and organized or builded into a body or house of God. There
is not and cannot be such an institution as a universal invisible
church on this earth, composed of all the saved, because the material
has never been brought together and builded into a house or body.
When the Lord Jesus and Paul spoke of the baptized believers of a
larger territory than a local church they always said churches. There
was no confusion in their speaking though there is much confusion in
modern thinking upon this question.
Once more we try to make the distinction clear. The family of God is
composed of all the saved in heaven and on earth. Old Testament saints
and babies who died in infancy are in God’s family. They are not now,
nor were they ever in the kingdom or in any church of God.
All believers on the earth at any given time since the days of John
the Baptist compose the kingdom of God. "The law and the prophets were
until John: since that time the kingdom of God is preached, and every
man presseth into it" (Luke 16:16). There are no infants in it. All
true believers, whether Catholic, Protestant, Baptist or
non-church-members on earth are in the kingdom; for if true believers
they have been born anew. Only baptized believers or Baptists are
members of the churches of Christ.
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