Theology Magazine (Issue 2): The Church, A Union with Christ

S U M M E R 2 019 • T H E O LO GY M A G . C O M

TH E C H U R C H , A

U N I O N

W I TH

C H R I ST

J . T ODD BIL L ING S

M ARC US JOH NS ON

The Body of Christ 20

G .K . B E A L E

The Temple and the Church's Mission 28

JARE D W I LS ON

Cultivating Joy in a Joyless Age 32

FEEL FREE TO JUDGE THEM BY THEIR COVERS For once, a monograph series that’s as pleasing to look at as it is to read. Make some room on your shelves for Studies in Historical and Systematic Theology. Preferably somewhere front and center.

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Contents Letter from the Editor

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Introduction to the Belgic Confession

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by Cornelis Venema

The Belgic Confession #27-29

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The Church, A Union with Christ

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by J. Todd Billings

The Body of Christ

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by Marcus Johnson

On Evaluating Church

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by Paul Louis Metzger

The Temple and the Church’s Mission

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by G.K. Beale

Cultivating Joy in a Joyless Age

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The Church: One, Holy, Catholic, Apostolic

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by Jared Wilson

by Bryan Litfin

Evangelical, Sacramental & Pentecostal: Why We Need All Three

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by Gordon T. Smith

The Importance of the Church

by Stephen Nichols

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The Church Teaching the Church

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by Jonathan Leeman

When You’re Being Hurt by the Church

by Gail Emerson

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Letter from the Editor B Y M AT T L A M A S T E R

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In his cover article, J. Todd Billings points us to the

n these days of digital Babel, the Church

body of Christ himself, and shows that in belonging

desperately needs voices which can offer

to Christ, we belong together. Bryan Litfin sits

something intelligible and accessible. We need

us at the feet of the ancient saints to learn of the

thinkers who have something to say about

“One, Holy, and Apostolic” Church they so loved.

things that matter and a way to be heard by those

Jonathan Leeman directs our attention to the task

who need it. Theology Magazine aims to provide precisely that.

ahead: teaching this body of Christ to be what God

Few topics are in more need of such sustained

guides us through the dark valleys of failure and

has called her to be. All the while, Gail Emerson encourages us with visions of more glorious days

thought for the Church than the “Church” itself. Today, our ecclesial conversations often communicate differing, and contradictory, accounts of what the church actually is, how it ought to be, and what it will one day become. Yet, if the church is the “pillar and buttress of truth” (1 Tim 3:16), surely we need clarity.

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ahead.

Perhaps by the end of our journey, our appreciation for this unwieldy, otherworldly throng will turn to awe, and awe to love, and love to longing, and longing to belonging.

In this issue, Theology Magazine seeks to provide such clarity by providing views of the church from a variety of perspectives. As experienced curators, our authors guide us through the halls of faith and draw our attention to important, and often neglected, features in the rich mosaic that is the body and bride of Christ.

M AT T L A M A S T E R graduated from Moody Theological Seminary. He is a PhD candidate at Concordia Theological Seminary in Fort Wayne, In. He pastors Southern Heights Christian Church (southernheights.co) in Anderson, Indiana.

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Intro to the Belgic Confession

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B Y C O R N E L I S V E N E M A

BACKGROUND AND SETTING

he Belgic Confession is one of the best known and most loved of the

The Belgic Confession was originally written

Reformed confessions. Philip Schaff, the

by a French-speaking, Reformed pastor, Guido

venerable historian of the church and

de Brès, who had been a student of Calvin’s in

her confessions, observes that it is “upon the whole,

Geneva. Though de Brès was principal author of

the best symbolical statement of the Calvinistic

the Belgic Confession, other Reformed pastors and

system of doctrine, with the exception of the

theologians, including Francis Junius, who was

Westminster Confession.” This Confession is known

later to become a well-known Reformed professor

most commonly as the “Belgic” confession because

at the University of Leiden, contributed to the final,

it emerged from the French-speaking Reformed

received form of the Confession.

churches in the southern “Lowlands” or “Netherlands” (now Belgium). It has served historically as

First written in 1561, copies of the Confession

one of the three confessional symbols of the Dutch

were sent to Geneva and other Reformed churches

Reformed churches. Affection for this confession

for approval. The present form of the Confession

among these churches stems as much from the

stems from the time of the great Synod of Dordt in

poignant circumstances suffered by its original

1618–19, when the text was revised and officially

author and subscribers as from its rich statement of

approved in four languages (the original French,

the Reformed faith.

Latin, Dutch, and German). Not long after it was first written, the Belgic Confession was presented

In our brief sketch of this confession, we will

to Philip II of Spain, who exercised sovereignty over

address both of these features: first, the background

the Netherlands at the time, in the vain hope that

and setting within which the Belgic Confession was

toleration would be extended to the Reformed faith.

produced; and second, the distinctive content of its

From the beginning, this confession enjoyed ready

classic statement of the Reformed faith.

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acceptance among the Reformed churches of the

his faith and witness to the great suffering on the

Netherlands.

part of evangelical and Reformed believers in the Netherlands. These sturdy believers, who could

Shortly before his death as a martyr, the principal

speak of “joy and gladness” even in the midst of

author of the Belgic Confession, Guido de Brès,

severe persecution, declared in the preface to the

wrote from prison the following words to his wife

Confession that they would “offer their backs to

Catherine: “Your grief and anguish, troubling

stripes, their tongues to knives, their mouths to

me in the midst of my joy and gladness, are the

gags, and their whole bodies to the fire,” rather than

cause of my writing to you this present letter. I

deny the truth of the Gospel. That these words were

most earnestly pray you not to be grieved beyond

no idle boast is attested by the fact that an estimated

measure.… If the Lord had wished us to live together

100,000 Reformed believers lost their lives during

longer, He could easily have caused it so to be.

the struggle for the Reformation of the church in the

But such was not His pleasure. Let His good will

Netherlands.

be done then, and let that suffice for all reason….

I pray you then to be comforted in the Lord, to

The purpose for the preparation of the Belgic

commit yourself and your affairs to Him, for He is

Confession and its presentation to Philip II is

the Husband of the widow and the Father of the

of particular importance. In the face of intense

fatherless, and He will never leave nor forsake

persecution by this Roman Catholic sovereign and

you….Goodbye, Catherine, my well beloved! I pray

his magistrates, Guido de Brès and the Reformed

my God to comfort you, and give you resignation to

believers of the Netherlands were anxious to

His holy will. Your faithful husband, Guido de Brès.”

demonstrate that their faith was in accord with the teaching of Holy Scripture and the ancient

These moving words of de Brès were written

consensus of the holy catholic church and her

shortly before he was martyred by hanging for

councils. Consequently, the Belgic Confession has

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an ironic tone throughout, especially in its careful

the Confession first affirms the truth of the Trinity

demonstration of the Reformed faith’s commitment

and of God’s works of creation and providence

to the great biblical doctrines of the Trinity, as well

(Art. 8–13).The central section of the Confession

as the person and work of Christ. Roman Catholic

sets forth the biblical teaching regarding Christ’s

teaching is rejected at critical points, but the aim

person and work, distinguishing the Reformation’s

of the Confession is to persuade its readers that the

understanding of salvation by grace alone through

Reformed faith is nothing other than the historic

faith alone from the errors of medieval Roman

faith of the Christian church.

Catholic teaching (Art. 14–23). The concluding section of the Confession then offers a summary

Another purpose of the confession, which

statement of the person and work of the Spirit,

distinguishes it from the French or Gallican

which includes several articles on the church and

Confession of 1559, with which the Belgic

sacraments as well as a specific article on the divine

Confession shares many striking similarities,

appointment and ministry of the civil magistrate

was to demonstrate that the Reformed faith was

(Art. 24–37).

distinct from that of the “Anabaptists.” Among the Anabaptists, who had considerable influence in the

For the purposes of our brief summary of the

Netherlands in the early period of the Reformation,

content of the Belgic Confession, we will identify

there were those who not only rejected the practice

two major themes that stand out in its testimony to

of infant baptism but also the legitimacy of the

the Reformed faith.

civil magistrate as a servant of God and instrument for exercising his rule. The Anabaptists sharply

First, like the later Westminster Confession of Faith,

distinguished Christ’s spiritual kingdom, the

the Belgic Confession opens with a classic statement

church, from the civil order, and advocated a strict

of the Reformed doctrine of revelation, particularly

separation from the world, which required a refusal

the doctrine of Scripture. According to Article

of military service, the taking of oaths, and the

2, God is “made known” by two means, general

paying of taxes. Some of the most distinct features

and special revelation. Though the creation itself,

of the Belgic Confession indicate that it was written

and the superintendence of history under God’s

to defend the Reformed faith against the assumption

sovereign purposes, testify to God’s everlasting

that it shared these features of the radical fringe of

power and divinity, as a “most elegant book,”

the Reformation.

this general revelation only leaves sinful man in a state of inexcusable ignorance and rebellion before

DIS T INC T IV E C O N T E N T The Belgic Confession is not a confessional statement like the Canons of Dordt that was written to address a particular doctrinal error. Similar to its precursors, Calvin’s Genevan Confession and the Gallican Confession (both completed in 1559), the Belgic Confession offers a comprehensive statement of the Christian and Reformed faith.

Broadly speaking, the contents of the thirty-seven articles that comprise the Confession are distributed according to the three articles of the Apostles’ Creed. After several introductory articles that set forth the Reformation view of the inspiration and authority of the canonical Scriptures (Art. 1–7),

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God. Therefore, to make known “more clearly” His will and purpose, especially His redemptive work through Jesus Christ in the Gospel, God has provided His church with the Holy Scriptures. These canonical Scriptures, which were produced under inspiration and possess the full authority of their divine Author, are the only norm for the regulation and foundation of the Christian faith.

Second, in its testimony regarding the person and work of Christ, the Belgic Confession not only echoes the ancient consensus of the church but also emphasizes the distinctive Reformed understanding of sovereign and merciful election (Art. 16), and of Christ’s redemptive work for His

people. The doctrine of justification by grace alone through faith alone is clearly articulated. Of special interest is Article 22, which was slightly revised at the Synod of Dordt in the context of debates regarding the nature of Christ’s righteousness that was imputed for the believer’s justification. This Article specifically notes that Christ’s righteousness includes “all His merits, and so many holy works which He has done for us and in our stead,” thereby clarifying that the righteousness imputed to believers includes what is known as Christ’s “active obedience.” While the justification of believers is clearly distinguished from the grace of sanctification, these two benefits of Christ’s saving work are inseparably joined in the communication of God’s grace in Christ to believers (Art. 24).

Though the Belgic Confession bears evident marks of the historical context in which it was first written, it remains among the best historic statements of the faith of the Reformed churches. Evangelical believers would do well to acquaint themselves with this Confession, taking note especially of the difficult circumstances of persecution within which it was written. Sealed with the blood of many martyrs, this sturdy testimony to the Gospel of God’s free and sovereign grace in Christ continues to express for many the “living faith of the dead” (Jaroslav Pelikan).

C O R N E L I S V E N E M A (PhD, Princeton Theological Seminary) is President and Professor of Doctrinal Studies at Mid-America Reformed Seminary, Dyer, Indiana. He is also co-editor and frequent contributor to The Outlook and the Mid-America Journal of Theology.

This article was originally published in Tabletalk Magazine. Used with permission. The Belgic Confession,

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The Belgic Confession #27-29 2 7 . O F T HE CAT H O L I C C H R I ST I A N CHURCH We believe and profess, one catholic or universal Church, which is a holy congregation, of true Christian believers, all expecting their salvation in Jesus Christ, being washed by his blood, sanctified and sealed by the Holy Ghost. This Church has been from the beginning of the world, and will be to the end thereof; which is evident from this, that Christ is an eternal King, which, without subjects, cannot be. And this holy Church is preserved or supported by God, against the rage of the whole world; though she sometimes (for a while) appears very small, and in the eyes of men, to be reduced to nothing; s during the perilous reign of Ahab, the Lord reserved unto him seven thousand men, who had not bowed their knees to Baal. Furthermore, this holy Church is not confined, bound, or limited to a certain place or to certain persons, but is spread and dispersed over the whole world; and yet is joined and united with heart and will, by the power of faith, in one and the same spirit.

2 8 . T HAT E V E R YO N E I S B O U N D TO JOIN HIMS ELF TO THE TRUE CHURCH We believe, since this holy congregation is an assembly of those who are saved, and that out of it there is no salvation, that no person of whatsoever state or condition he may be, ought to withdraw himself, to live in a separate state from it; but that all men are in duty bound to join and unite themselves with it; maintaining the unity of the Church; submitting themselves to the doctrine and discipline thereof; bowing their necks under the yoke of Jesus Christ; and as mutual members of the same body, serving to the edification of the brethren, according to the talents God has given them. And that this may be the more effectually observed, it is the duty of all believers, according to the word of God, to separate themselves from all those who do not belong to the Church, and to join themselves to this congregation, wheresoever God has established it, even though the magistrates and edicts of princes were against it, yea, though they should suffer death or any other corporal punishment. Therefore all those, who separate themselves from the same, or do not join themselves to it, act contrary to the ordinance of God.

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2 9 . O F T HE M A R K S O F T H E T R U E C HURCH, AN D WHEREIN S HE D IF F ERS F ROM THE FA LS E C HU R C H We believe, that we ought diligently and circumspectly to discern from the Word of God which is the true Church, since all sects which are in the world assume to themselves the name of the Church. But we speak not here of hypocrites, who are mixed in the Church with the good, yet are not of the Church, though externally in it; but we say that the body and communion of the true Church must be distinguished from all sects, who call themselves the Church. The marks, by which the true Church is known, are these: if the pure doctrine of the gospel is preached therein; if she maintains the pure administration of the sacraments as instituted by Christ; if church discipline is exercised in punishing of sin: in short, if all things are managed according to the pure Word of God, all things contrary thereto corrected, and Jesus Christ acknowledged as the only Head of the Church. Hereby the true Church may certainly be known from which no man has a right to separate himself. With respect to those, who are members of the Church, they may be known by the marks of Christians: namely, by faith; and when they have received Jesus Christ the only Saviour, they avoid sin, follow after righteousness, love the true God and their neighbour, neither turn aside to the right or left, and crucify the flesh with the works thereof. But this is not to be understood, as if there did not remain in them great infirmities; but they fight against them through the Spirit, all the days of their life, continually taking their refuge in the blood, death, passion and obedience of our Lord Jesus Christ, “in whom they have remission of sins, through faith in him.� As for the false Church, she ascribes more power and authority to herself and her ordinances than to the Word of God, and will not submit herself to the yoke of Christ. Neither does she administer the sacraments as appointed by Christ in his Word, but adds to and takes from them, as she thinks proper; she relies more upon men than upon Christ; and persecutes those, who live holy according to the Word of God, and rebuke her for her errors, covetousness, and idolatry. These two Churches are easily known and distinguished from each other.

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The Church a Union with Christ

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“I BELIEVE IN THE GOSPEL, BUT I CAN’T TRUST ORGANIZED RELIGION.” “I LOVE JESUS BUT NOT THE CHURCH.”

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B Y J. T O D D B I L L I N G S entiments like these are common in our day. They often arise from sharply painful wounds, such as the deep betrayal clergy abuse; a sense that the

church proclaims a message of good news, but lives in such a messy and broken way. How can we unite ourselves to the church when it has hypocrites, when it seems filled with animosity, when divisions threaten its unity?

It is tempting to opt for Jesus and opt out of the church. But here’s the catch: the church, as the people of God, is actually part of the gospel story.

Specifically, the church has been united to the one who is the good news, Jesus Christ. We’ve been adopted as co-heirs of the Son into the household of the Father, through the power of the Spirit. The good news is never less than this union with Christ by the Spirit that brings us into a new family of brothers and sisters. We can’t have a vertical love for Jesus without a communal love for the church, the people of God, warts and all. In the words of John Calvin, “We cannot love Christ without loving him in the brethren.”1 For those of us troubled by the brokenness of the church but committed to being active in its life, we might turn to the imperatives of Scripture to guide us in increasing the church’s faithfulness. What could be a more faithful impulse? And yet, even this can leave us cynical. Following the imperative of Galatians 6 to “bear one another’s burdens” we reform church structures to prevent abuse, and then receive a phone call about another shocking incident of misconduct. We set up new programs for evangelism and church planting, seeking to obey the Lord’s command to “go and make disciples of all

1 Institutes 4:17:38.

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nations” (Mt. 28:19). And then, after years of sweat

and makes me wholeheartedly willing and ready

and tears, we cry out to the Lord about why most

from now on to live for him.” Yes, the church is

of the initiatives failed to reach their goals. What’s

empowered for action for the good of the world.

going wrong?

Faith makes a difference now: through faith, I am “wholeheartedly willing and ready from now

The church is absolutely right to return to scripture

on to live for him.” Yet, our new life seems to

and hear the Lord’s commands anew: bear one

flow from something other than us, individually

another’s burdens, bandage the wounds of the

and corporately. Displacement (“not my own”)

brokenhearted, proclaim the gospel boldly. Again

and union with Christ (belonging to Christ) is

and again, the church is called to repent of her sins,

fundamental. And while the Catechism emphasizes

to seek righteousness, to enter deeply into God’s

that this union is personal (thus, “I belong to him”),

mission for the world. And yet, sometimes we act

it also recognizes that the union is corporate, for a

as if our identity as the church depended upon our

Christian is “a living member” of the community

bold plans and acts of obedience. When that is the

that God “gathers, protects, and preserves for

case, even the pursuit of these faithful paths can

himself” (Q & A 54).

lead to disillusionment and burnout. We need to look deeper: to the gift of our God-given identity,

Why does the catechism emphasize displacement

as adopted sons and daughters of the Father, united

-- I am not my own? That hardly sounds like

to Christ and filled with the Spirit. The fact of this

a promising theme in a culture where self-

identity -- the indicative -- provides the true

actualization has become life’s central goal for

context for the church to live in obedience to the

many non-christians and Christians alike. The

imperatives, the commands of God to the church.

Catechism’s phrase is borrowed from a key passage in Paul’s theology of union with Christ

T HE G IF T O F D I SP L AC E M E N T The Heidelberg Catechism begins with a startling question and answer. In our current context, where the church is so often on the defensive about its image, some might expect a document introducing young people to the faith to start with a call to action, a summons to change the world; or perhaps, a press-release about the good that the church does for the world, so that young people might feel compelled to join.

Instead, the Catechism begins by displacing our ambitious and self-protective hopes.

Q. What is your only comfort in life and in death?

A. That I am not my own, but belong—body and soul, in life and in death—to my faithful Savior, Jesus Christ.

“I am not my own, but belong” to Jesus. Indeed, the answer continues, “because I belong to him, Christ, by his Holy Spirit, assures me of eternal life

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in 1 Corinthians. Specifically, Paul addresses the corruption and sin in the Corinthian church, themes that likely to sound familiar to any churchgoer today. In 1 Corinthians 5, he counsels the church on how to deal with a case of incest among church members -- a case where those involved say that freedom in Christ has set them free from boundaries and rules. Paul will have none of it. Instead, in his argument, extending into chapter 6, he says that the church is united to Christ in a marriage-like union -- both individually and corporately. Paul uses this indicative -- the church’s marriage to Christ -- as the ground for his imperative, to “flee from sexual immorality” (6:18). Because of who we are (those united to Christ), certain consequences for our lives together follow. “Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ himself?” Paul asks. “Shall I then take the members of Christ and unite them with a prostitute? Never! Do you not know that he who unites himself with a prostitute is one with her in body? For it is said, ‘The two will become one flesh.’ But whoever is united with the Lord is one with him in spirit” (6:15-17).

Paul’s quotation from Genesis 2 makes a bold

idea that they belong to themselves, cleaving to the

connection. In Genesis, “a man leaves his father and

Lord, with whom we have been united by the Spirit.

mother and is united to his wife, and they become

For our bodies are not our own but are “members

one flesh” (Gen. 2:24). In the same way, those who

of Christ himself” (1 Cor. 6:15), our true life, our

are in Christ leave behind the sinful flesh and cleave

deepest love.

to Christ, becoming “one flesh” with the Lord. To offer their bodies to sin is to give themselves over to other lovers rather than the true spouse.

AD OP TED AN D S TILL G ROAN IN G

Paul then unpacks this marriage-like union in terms

At this point we reach a critical juncture. Yes, the

of displacement and belonging. “Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price.

church is the bride of Christ; the church has been united to Christ. But how are we to make sense of the church’s breathtaking shortcomings? If the church is united to Christ as God’s adopted

Therefore honor God with your bodies” (6:19-20).

children, why does the church so often seem to act

In other words, don’t act as if you belong only to

Paul uses the indicative, who we are in Christ as the

yourself, or whatever lovers you choose for yourself.

You belong to Christ, your true spouse. Therefore, offer your bodies to God, as a spouse offers his or her body to their beloved in marriage. Indeed, just a few verses later, Paul speaks of marriage in similar terms, that “the wife does not have authority over her own body but yields it to her husband. In the same way, the husband does not have authority over his own body but yields it to his wife.” Likewise, as the church is united to her spouse, our bodies do

as if it belongs to another household? As we’ve seen, church, to ground the imperative to offer ourselves to God. And yet, if this is truly the identity of the church -- that she belongs to God and not to the ways of the sinful flesh -- why is the church still such a mess?

The first response to questions like these may just be a silent pause. No formula, no theory, no plan can cover over the stinging reality that we are completely unable to be the church on our own

not belong to us, but to the Lord.

power. Left to our own resources, we’re stuck in

But is Paul really speaking about the church here?

the temple enables those who are in Christ to be

This passage speaks of our “bodies” as “temples of the Holy Spirit” -- isn’t this just speaking about the individual’s call to holiness? Paul would consider this to be a false dichotomy. Earlier in the letter, Paul made it crystal clear that the church itself is the temple, the dwelling place of God. “Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in your midst?” (3:16) Indeed, “you together are that temple” (3:17). When Paul later speaks of our bodies as “temples” (1 Cor. 6:19), he’s still assuming this ecclesial context. In fact, his main focus, even in chapters 5-6, is the church’s response to immorality in its own corporate life.

The church has been united to Christ by the Spirit in a marriage-like union. Precisely because of this corporate reality, the church, both corporately and as individual members, is called to renounce the

a pit. Scripture speaks movingly of how Christ a temple together, united to one another by the Spirit as the dwelling place of the Lord. “In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit” (Eph. 2:21-22). And yet, rather than experiencing this oneness, we’re often in enmity with one another -- with members of other denominations, other congregations, even our own congregation. We need to join the Psalmist in crying out, “Why, Lord, do you stand far off?

Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble?” (Ps. 10:1-2).

And yet, precisely when we lament to the Lord from a desolate place, we may taste a reality that Paul addresses in his theology of union with Christ. Paul

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speaks of the church as crying out and lamenting as

This Spirit-led lament -- for a fallen creation, which

she awaits adoption. Indeed, she wails aloud before

includes the church -- always looks forward. We

the Lord with the rest of creation, “groaning as in

groan inwardly, but we do so in hope. “For in this

the pains of childbirth” (Rom. 8:22). As strange as

hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no

it may seem, this “groaning” appears to be a sign of

hope at all. Who hopes for what they already have?”

the Spirit’s work. For “we ourselves, who have the

(Rom. 8:24). We know that the church’s true hope

firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait

will not come from our best efforts, but from the

eagerly for our adoption to sonship, the redemption

fact that we are united to Christ, who has already

of our bodies” (Rom. 8:22-23). We ache and groan,

won the final victory over sin, death, and the devil,

because we are awaiting adoption.

and “we are more than conquerors through him who loved us” (Rom. 8:37).

But how could this be? Doesn’t Paul say that the church has been adopted, and that we are already the children of God? Indeed, he does -- just a few verses before these verses about aching and lament: “For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship” (8:14-15). This adoption to “sonship” means that men and women who are united to Christ, the Son, receive the Father’s inheritance and enter into a new family as God’s beloved children. Indeed, by the Spirit, we not only lament, we are also privileged to “cry, ‘Abba, Father.’ The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit

If we hope in this final victory of Christ, we cannot give up on the church. God himself has claimed the church as his own, united her to his Son by the Spirit, and adopted the church into his household.

And yet, should we expect the church to be an “ideal community,” a place free from corruption, and even enmity? We should not. We should expect lament and groan, joining our brothers and sisters in praying “thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”

that we are God’s children” (8:15-16).

Positively, in the church we experience a foretaste.

As the church, we are God’s adopted children,

Christ has promised to meet us in the Word by his

enabled to call out in fellowship to God as Father.

And yet, we are also not yet adopted -- we ache and groan and wail as we “wait eagerly” for our adoption. How could this be? Has Paul contradicted himself over the course of a few paragraphs? Is the

In preaching, baptism, and the Lord’s Supper, Spirit, giving us sweet tastes of communion with God and onew another. God does not act through proclamation and the sacraments because his people are holy or worthy, but because he has claimed them as his own for covenant fellowship. Preaching

church adopted or not yet adopted?

and the sacraments matter because the Triune

The answer to the final question is profound: yes.

worship, the bride of Christ receives a small morsel,

The church, as united to Christ by the Spirit, is the communion of the sons and daughters of the Father in the household of God. And yet, reflecting no blemish in God’s own work, the church is also not yet adopted. It’s a mess, and we should lament.

When we bring our lament for the church to God -wailing over its acts of sin and neglect and enmity -- we join the Spirit’s own groaning. God’s good creation has become corrupted; we have become corrupted.

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HOP E IN CHRIS T AN D THE CHURCH

God is the central actor in Christian worship. In an appetizer, of the great wedding feast to come.

Yet, precisely because we do not hope in ourselves but in Jesus Christ, we can and should expect to lament, not only with, but also for the church in our earthly journey. The church on earth still bears the stains of our sinful corruption, and we wail. Rather than making us apathetic or dismissive toward addressing the church’s shortcomings, lamenting while remembering our God-given identity can

help us persevere. We are not simply trying to prop-up a human institution based on ambitious plans. Thus, we need not hide our public sins when they occur. Groan with the Spirit. Mend the wounds. Call one another to repentance. Reform. As the Lord’s adopted children, hear his imperatives for the church in scripture, and walk in the ways of repentance and new life. Give our whole selves, body and soul, over to Christ.

And in all of this, look to the only true source for life and hope and comfort in the church: Jesus Christ. For we are not our own, but belong -- body and soul, in life and in death -- to our faithful Savior Jesus Christ.

J. T O D D B I L L I N G S (ThD, Harvard) is the Gordon H. Girod Research Professor of Reformed Theology at Western Theological Seminary in Holland, Michigan, and an ordained minister in the Reformed Church in America. He is the author of five books, including Union with Christ: Reframing Theology and Ministry for the Church, and Remembrance, Communion, and Hope: Rediscovering the Gospel at the Lord’s Table.

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The Body of Christ

S

BY MARCUS JOHNSON

point is to engender in us a sense of our mutual

urely the most provocative phrase used in

dependence and an appreciation of the diversity of

the New Testament to describe the nature

our gifts. In other words, the church is to function

and reality of the church is “the body of

as a body would, “so to speak.”

Christ.” At least it would be provocative if

the phrase conjured up in our thoughts the reality to

The problem is not so much in identifying Paul’s

which it refers.

“body of Christ” language as metaphorical. Rather, the problem is with the way in which metaphors

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If Paul meant this phrase to indicate the profound

are typically understood. More often than not, the

reality of the church’s actual participation in

term metaphor is used in reaction against what are

the incarnate, crucified, resurrected, ascended,

seen as overly literal or realistic interpretations of

glorified Jesus Christ, then we have here the most

Paul’s terminology. The use of the term is commonly

sublime expression of the nature of the church

employed to downplay the (literal) reality of

that can be imagined. The problem is that we have

the comparison between the body of Christ and

been told time and again that when Paul refers to

the church-as is evidenced by the tendency to

the church as the body of Christ, he is speaking in

refer to Paul’s language as “purely” or “merely”

merely figurative terms, or metaphorically. This

metaphorical. The consequence is that a metaphor

normally means that the language should not be

ends up functioning more like a simile, having a

pressed too far into reality; it is merely an instance

merely nominal or illustrative function, thereby

of Paul’s transferring the ideas derived from one

implying that something is less than real. But surely

kind of reality, a biological body, to another, the

this understanding does violence to the intention

social functioning of the church. Thus, even if we

of a metaphor. After all, metaphors are linguistic

can derive significant meaning from Paul’s use

devices intended to direct us to, not away from,

of this phrase, he certainly does not intend us to

the realities they denote. There is a great difference

understand him in any sense beyond the figurative:

between asserting that “the body of Christ” is

we are “like” the body of Christ, but not in any

metaphorical (which is technically proper) and

sense “really” the body of Christ. Paul’s principal

the common (mis)undrestanding that associates

extension of the incarnation. On the other hand, if we truncate the metaphor, we may end up divorcing the church from any actual connection with the life-giving flesh of Christ, which he assumed, and will forever maintain, for our salvation. It is this latter view-which is predominant among contemporary evangelicals, for whom the metaphor has become empty, a symbol of an unreality.

Part of what constitutes the so-called crisis in evangelical ecclesiology stems from an underinterpretation of the union that occurs between Christ and the church. In this underinterpretation, the essential nature of the church is lost to view. If the church is the body of Christ in a merely nominal or illustrative sense only, then what exactly is the reality of the church? Are we bound to say no more than that the church is a “voluntary association of like-minded believers” or that the church exists only on the strength of the shared faith experience and commitment of justified individuals? I believe that as evangelicals, we can and must say much more. I believe we can, together with our evangelical forefathers, confess that we are indeedtruly and actually-the body of Christ. And this mysterious reality constitutes the essential nature of the church. The church is what it is by reason of its union with the crucified, resurrected, living Lord Jesus Christ.

Interpretation of the “body of Christ” terminology rests, in large part, on the answer to this question: What is the nature of the union that the church a metaphor with a kind of figurative unreality,

has with Christ? The answer ought to determine

in which case “the body of Christ” functions as a

how far into the realm of being we extend Paul’s

mere simile that bears no realistic connection to

metaphor. If his understanding of the church’s

the actual body of Christ to which it refers, and in

union with Christ is nothing more than a simile (a

which case the metaphor is an empty one.

comparison of two distinct things), then we can assume with good reason that his “body of Christ”

Thus, the question is not whether Paul’s language is

language is employed similarly. If, however, Paul’s

metaphorical; rather, “the question is always how

understanding of the church’s union with Christ

far into the realm of being the metaphor extends.”

is more than this-that the church’s union with

On the one hand, if we over-extend the metaphor

her Savior is, in fact, profoundly real, intimate,

into the realm of being, we may end up with a

organic, and vital; that it is an actual union with the

somewhat wooden identification of the church with

incarnate person for Christ, who has a body-then

Christ’s body, such that the church is viewed as an

we have reason to assume that Paul’s body language

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is similarly realistic (a metaphor that explains a reality). The way in which we understand the nature of our union with Christ ends up determining a great deal about how we understand the nature of salvation. I wish to suggest that the same applies to our understanding of the nature of the church. The way we conceive of salvation ought to determine the way in which we conceive of the church, because ecclesiology is simply the robust application of our christology and soteriology.

MA R C U S P E T E R JO H N SO N (PhD, University of Toronto) is assistant professor of theology at Moody Bible Institute. Along with writing his doctoral dissertation on union with Christ in the theology of John Calvin, he is also the author of One with Christ: An Evangelical Theology of Salvation and the coauthor (with John C. Clark) of The Incarnation of God: The Mystery of the Gospel as the Foundation of Evangelical Theology. He and his wife, Stacie, live in Chicago with their son, Peter, and are members of Grace Lutheran Church.

This article was adapted from One with Christ: An Evangelical Theology of Salvation by Marcus Johnson published with Crossway Publishers, 2013, Used with permission. www.crossway.com.

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On Evaluating Church

P

B Y PA U L LO U I S M E T Z G E R

following reflection provides a few guidelines for

erhaps you’ve read the speech by

measuring the quality of your church’s water. In

David Foster Wallace of two young fish

this article, “church water” refers to your church’s

swimming along. An older fish observes

ethos and values.

them swimming and asks, “How’s the

water?” After the young fish swam a little further,

If it weren’t for the question posed by the older fish

one of them turns to the other and asks, “What…is

in the talking fish story above, the younger fish

water?” We are often unaware of our surroundings,

may never have critically reflected on their liquid

including the air we breathe and the water we swim

surroundings. So, it is with us. Language can reveal

in or drink.

our surroundings. In what follows, consideration will be given to various sets of terms, which will

Now some of us may beg to differ about how aware

help us reflect on the quality of church water and

we are of water. After all, Americans are crazy about

our evaluation of the church.

bottled water. I’ve read that it is the most popular

24

bottled beverage in the States. Our obsession with

I often hear talk of “significant churches” and

bottled water has been labeled “Bottlemania.” Of

“significant church leaders.” In my experience,

course, not all bottled waters are the same in terms

such significance is associated with the size of the

of quality. If we were to bottle and evaluate the

church, name recognition, the number and quality

water your church drinks, what would we find? The

of programs, among other features. Such features

may be good indicators of a church’s health and

frame their priorities relationally rather than by

vitality, but not necessarily so. A church may be

such power encounters: “Behold, I have given you

large, well-known and have numerous thriving

authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and

programs, but the determining factor for analyzing

over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall

their quality must be Scripture. A significant

hurt you. Nevertheless, do not rejoice in this, that

church is one that realizes that its people great or

the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your

small are significant in God’s eyes based on God’s

names are written in heaven” (Luke 10:19-20; ESV).

unconditional love. Such recognition will in turn bear fruit of significant obedience.

Now for those who may think that their names were written in heaven because of their significance

Luke 10 makes clear the right order of our affections

based on wisdom and status, think again. The text

and priorities: God’s significant love leads to

goes on to highlight Jesus’ prayer in this context:

significant obedience. The seventy-two had

“In that same hour he rejoiced in the Holy Spirit

just returned from a mission trip in which they

and said, ‘I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and

performed significant ministry acts. They were

earth, that you have hidden these things from the

ecstatic that even the demons submitted to them in

wise and understanding and revealed them to little

Jesus’ name (Luke 10:17). While they certainly had

children; yes, Father, for such was your gracious

reason to celebrate, their priorities were wrong.

will’” (Luke 10:21; ESV). 1 Corinthians 1 makes a

The Lord Jesus cautions and encourages them to

similar claim: “For consider your calling, brothers:

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not many of you were wise according to worldly

blessed, but that bankers make the best deacons,”

standards, not many were powerful, not many

Jesus favors the widow who in giving her mite gave

were of noble birth. But God chose what is foolish

everything (Luke 21:4; ESV).

in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose

In no way, shape or form does such emphasis on

what is low and despised in the world, even things

relational identity lead to passivity, but rather

that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so

greater activity and involvement in church life and

that no human being might boast in the presence

ministry. In fact, a relationally framed spirituality

of God. And because of him you are in Christ Jesus,

centered in Jesus motivates believers to guard

who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness

against the mindset that separates people into

and sanctification and redemption, so that, as it

“performers and spectators.” In place of a platform

is written, ‘Let the one who boasts, boast in the

for celebrities and entertainers, all God’s people

Lord’” (1 Corinthians 1:26-31; ESV).

are participants and serve at Jesus’ table, where Jesus himself serves—not as a servant leader but

The preceding reflections challenge a status and

lead servant. As Jesus instructed Peter and the other

performance-based spirituality and call for filtering

apostles, “let the greatest among you become as

a church’s ‘water’ so that it is relationally pure,

the youngest, and the leader as one who serves. For

including the nutrients of God’s unassuming glory

who is the greater, one who reclines at table or one

and humble, unconditional love.

who serves? Is it not the one who reclines at table?

But I am among you as the one who serves” (Luke

Such an emphasis on relational identity over

22:26-27; ESV).

against status and performance as the markers of significance also challenges the market ideology

So, how’s your church’s water? What are its values

that defines church members’ value based on

and ethos? How does it define significance? And

how much they give. In place of an emphasis on

which does it emphasize—giving units or priceless

“giving units,” church leadership would do well

union, performers and spectators, servant leaders

to emphasize believers’ priceless union with Jesus

and celebrities on a platform, or participants and

Christ. Who knows? As God’s people are made more

lead servants at a table?

aware of how priceless they are to God, they may give more and share more. After all, they realize

Hopefully, your church has a fish or two who ask,

the price that Jesus paid to purchase them for God.

“How’s the water?”

Peter who no doubt never forgot Jesus’ words to the seventy-two who returned from the amazing missions trip recorded in Luke 12 later puts the matter this way to God’s people: “knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot” (1 Peter 3:18-19; ESV).

In addition to Jesus’ precious, priceless blood, God values the quality of a heart’s trajectory, not ultimately the size of the bank account. Contrary to the quip from Sinclair Lewis’ Elmer Gantry, where the pastor had come to realize “that poverty was

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PA U L M E T Z G E R (PhD, King’s College) is professor of theology and culture at Multnomah Biblical Seminary and director of The Institute for the Theology of Culture: New Wine, New Wineskins.

He is the editor of the journal Cultural Encounters and the author of Consuming Jesus.

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The Temple and the Church’s Mission

H

BY G.K. BE A L E ow does the vision of the worldwide temple in Revelation 21 - 22 relate to the Christians and their role in fulfilling the mission of the church? We, as God’s

people, have already begun to be God’s end-time temple where his presence is manifested to the world, and we are to extend the boundaries of the new garden-temple until Christ returns, when, finally, they will be expanded worldwide.

This is just what Ephesians 2:20-22 asserts: the church has “been built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the cornerstone, in whom you are also being built together into a dwelling of God in the Spirit.”

The church is growing and expanding in Christ throughout the present age (cf. also Eph. 4:13-16) in order that God’s saving presence and “the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known” even “in the heavenly places” (Eph. 3:10). Likewise, quite comparably to Ephesians, after referring to Christ as a “living stone” (1 Pet. 2:4), Peter alludes to Christians as “living stones… being built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood” (1 Pet. 2:5) in order to “proclaim the excellencies’ of God (1 Pet. 2:9). In both Ephesians and 1 Peter the church is an expanding, living temple of witness to God’s saving presence.

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How do we first experience God’s presence? By believing in Christ: that he died for our sin, he rose from the dead, and reigns as the Lord god. Then God’s Spirit comes into us and dwells in us, in a similar manner as God dwelt in the temple of Eden and Israel’s temple.

How do we increase the presence of God in our lives and our churches? How did Adam maintain God’s presence in his life before the fall? Certainly, remembering, believing and obeying God’s word was crucial to a healthy relationship with God. Remember that after God put him into the Garden in Genesis 2:15 “for serving [cultivating] and guarding”, he gave Adam a threefold statement to remember by which he would be helped to “serve and guard” the Garden-temple: in Genesis 2:16-17, God says, “From any tree of the garden (1) you may eat freely; but (2) from the tree of knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, (3) for in the day that you eat from it you shall surely die.” When confronted by the satanic serpent, Eve either failed to remember God’s word accurately or intentionally changed it for her own purposes. First, she minimized their privileges by saying merely “we may eat”, whereas God had said “you may eat, freely”. Second, Eve minimized the judgement by saying, “lest you die”, whereas God said, “you shall surely die.” Third, she maximized the prohibition by affirming, “you shall not… touch it”, becoming the first legalist in history (for God had originally said only that they “shall not eat… it”. Adam and Eve did not remember God’s word, and they “fell”, and they failed to extend the boundaries of God’s Edenic temple.

Jesus Christ, the Last Adam and true Israel, however, knew the word and, by obeying it, established himself as God’s temple. Remember when the devil tried to tempt Christ, in Matthew 4? With each temptation Jesus responded to Satan by quoting from the Old Testament, from passages in Deuteronomy where Moses rebuked Israel for failing in their task. Christ succeeded in just those temptations where Adam and Israel failed because he remembered God’s word and obeyed it. Therefore, Christ is the last Adam and true Israel

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who rules by his word as King over evil in the way

temple. But saints are also true Israelites who are

Adam and corporate Adam, Israel, should have

in exile because they still exist in the exile of this

ruled.

old, fallen world. At the end, this old world will be destroyed, and a new world will be created in

Do we come by faith to God’s word daily, as did

which God’s people will be resurrected, completely

Jesus, in order that we may be strengthened

restored to God, and consummately delivered from

increasingly with God’s presence in order to fulfil

exile. They will take their place as the crown of the

our task of spreading that presence to others

eschatoloigcal creation in Christ, the Last Adam.

who don’t know Christ? Believers express their

They will all be high priests, dwelling eternally in

identification with Christ’s Adamic kingship when

the new creational holy of holies and in the midst

they spread the presence of God by living for Christ

of God’s full latter-day presence. Until then,

and speaking his word and unbelievers accept it,

however, we pray as new covenant priests in the

and Satan’s victorious hold on their heart is broken.

New Testament equivalent of the holy place, which is a spiritual sphere of our ministry and witness as a

In addition to knowing and obeying God’s word,

lampstand in the world. We also pray as exiled new

Solomon’s dedication of his temple underscores

Israelites, as we live as pilgrims on the old, fallen

prayer as a crucial function in relation to the temple

earth. In both cases, our prayer is directed towards

(1 Kgs. 8:23-53). Solomon repeatedly makes the

God in his heavenly holy of holies, until it descends

point that, in response to various circumstances,

to fill and encompass the new earth. Prayer as an

Israel was to “pray toward this place [the temple]”,

activity inextricably linked to the temple is what is

and he petitions God “hear Thou in heaven, Thy

behind Jesus’ words in Matthew 18:19-20:

dwelling place; hear and forgive” (1 Kgs. 8:30; so likewise 8:38-39, 42-43). In fact, the mention

“Again I say to you, that if two of you agree on earth

of “prayer” or “suplication” recurs constantly

about anything that they may ask, it shall be done

throughout the narrative (vv. 28, 29, 30, 33, 35, 38,

for them by My Father who is in heaven. For where

42, 44, 47, 48, 49, 52) The reason prayers were to

two or three are gathered together in My name,

be directed specifically to the earthly temple and

there I am in their midst.”

not directly to God in heaven was because God’s presence in the heavenly temple extended to the holy of holies. This is what Solomon appeals to when he recalls that God had said, “My name shall be there,” to listen to the prayer which Thy servant shall pray toward this place” (1 Kgs. 8:29; so also 1 Maccabees 7:37). God’s name represented his character and his presence. Thus, not merely were priests to offer up prayers in the temple precincts but certainly all Israelites, whether in the temple’s outer court or elsewhere in the land or in territories outside Israel in exile, were to pray towards the

Machen Chair of New Testament at Westminster Theological Seminary. He has published many books, including We Become What We Worship, Handbook on the New Testament Use of the Old Testament, and commentaries on 1-2 Thessalonians and Revelation.

earthly temple, where God’s presence dwelt.

This article was adapted from The Temple and

This role of prayer is enhanced for Christians who

the Dwelling Place of God (NSBT) by G.K. Beale

now are identified with Jesus through the Spirit as part of the end-time temple. From one perspective, all believers are priests and they function as priests by offering up prayers in the sphere of the spiritual

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G . K . B ea le (PhD, Cambridge) is the J. Gresham

the Church’s Mission: A Biblical Theology of published with Intervarsity Press, 2004, Used with permission. www.ivpress.com.

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Cultivating Joy in a Joyless Age “Un ti l n ow y o u ha v e a s ke d no t hi ng in m y n a m e. A s k , a nd y o u w i l l re c e i v e , t hat y ou r j o y m a y b e f ul l . ” – John 1 6 : 2 4

W

B Y J A R E D C. W I L S O N e live in a joyless age. Yet our joylessness is not for a lack of pursuit of it. We simply swim in a culture of high promise and

low delivery, of exaggerated but empty claims, of self-actualization riddled with self-doubt.

Consequently, nearly everyone is unhappy. Why? You and I live daily within an external — and internal — clash of two worldviews. This tension is the exact tension Jesus himself ministered throughout. There is the worldview we might call Materialism that even Jesus’ followers can’t seem to keep themselves away from, and in which the entire unbelieving world continues to swim. And then there’s the worldview of Christianity. So many

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of the disciples’ problems arise from their confusing the worldview of Christianity and the worldview of materialism. And so many of our problems arise from confusing these worldviews too. It’s one reason why taking verses like John 16:23-24 out of context can be so appealing, even though we’re not doing it intentionally.

The worldview of materialism kind of thinks along these lines: 1.

Mankind’s greatest need is to have his desires (or feelings) met.

2. Therefore we need things, experiences, and achievements to meet those desires.

3. Then, we will be happy.

It begins with our desires (or appetites). It assumes

2. Therefore, what we need is not things,

that having “stuff” will satisfy these desires. And

experiences, and achievements, but salvation,

then we have these desires met, we will be happy.

redemption, forgiveness, righteousness, rescue – we need primarily the glory of Christ.

Christianity, on the other hand, isn’t totally

3. And once we have Christ (by faith), regardless

disinterested in our desires or feelings – it definitely

of our circumstances or feelings (happy or sad),

speaks to those things – but it starts much deeper

we can have something that runs much deeper

than our desires, and thus it goes much deeper than

than circumstantial feelings. We can have joy.

any other worldview can. Christianity teaches along

“Fullness of joy,” in fact.

these lines: So materialism offers circumstantial experiences 1.

Mankind’s greatest need isn’t unmet desires but

and temporary things to satisfy superficial desires.

actually unrealized glory. Our biggest problem

Christianity offers the glory of Christ to satisfy the

isn’t unsatisfied feelings but actually sin. We

eternal void inside of our souls. The problem as

are disconnected from God, we fall short of his

I’ve said with the materialistic worldview is that

glory, because of our disobedience and rebellion

it doesn’t go deep enough. We’re all searching for

against him.

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happiness but Jesus is offering a deep, bottomless,

of prayer Jesus offers in John 16:

abounding, everlasting well of forever-joy.

In that day you will ask nothing of me. Truly, We cultivate joy in our joyless age by daily repenting

truly, I say to you, whatever you ask of the Father

and re-following Jesus. We pursue what really

in my name, he will give it to you. Until now you

matters when our vision of him is more satisfying

have asked nothing in my name. Ask, and you will

than our vision for anything else.

receive, that your joy may be full. (vv.23-24)

See, the disciples think they’re treasuring Jesus but they only really see the Jesus they want to see,

Whenever we pray – or whenever we expect

the Jesus they want him to be. And so he knows

something from God – we face the clash of

that when he first dies, they will be undone with

worldviews. Will we walk by sight — materialism –

confusion and pain. And he knows that when he

or walk by faith – true Christianity?

ascends to heaven after his resurrection their joy at the reunion will be complicated by the sorrow of

The key phrase in vv.23-24 is the repeated “in my

seeing him depart.

name.”

He also knows they will have to endure a very

Sometimes people treat this like magic words. “The

difficult life in the expansion of his mission after

reason you still suffer is because you don’t have

he’s gone. They will be threatened, accused, exiled,

enough faith.” Or “because you’re not praying hard

in some cases tortured, and in many cases executed

enough.” Like we can add “In Jesus’ name” and get

for their faith.

what we want. Like God is some kind of vending machine for our hopes and dreams. But the whole

But he makes them a promise. A promise that is far

point of vv.23-24 – in fact the whole point of this

greater than earthly rewards and earthly successes.

entire passage – is that our hopes and dreams are not the point. The point is the glory of Jesus Christ!

Truly, truly, I say to you, you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice. You will be

When you ask anything “in the name of Jesus,”

sorrowful, but your sorrow will turn into joy.

what that really means is that you want the name

When a woman is giving birth, she has sorrow

of Jesus to be magnified more than anything. And

because her hour has come, but when she has

if that means the Father must say “no” to your

delivered the baby, she no longer remembers the

requests – for healing, for comfort, for “stuff” – it

anguish, for joy that a human being has been born

means the no is better than the yes, if only the name

into the world. So also you have sorrow now, but

of Christ is exalted. Whatever you want, Lord, we

I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice,

want! Whatever most brings you glory, Jesus, that’s

and no one will take your joy from you.

what we want.

(John 16:20-22) “Only one life, and soon will pass. Only what’s The pain is a promise. And your pain is a promise.

done for Christ will last.”

One day your tears will not only be wiped away, but

The promise is that if you will align your purposes

they will turn to rapturous joy. He will trade your

and ambitions and prayer requests with God’s

ashes for beauty. Every single hurt your endure will

purposes, you still may fail but he never will. And in

be stored up and returned to you a million-fold in

the end, your sorrow will turn into joy.

heavenly bliss.

With that in mind, let us turn to the little theology

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So many of us have our hearts set on temporary happiness. And that’s fine as far that goes. You’d be weird if you only wanted to be sad all the time. You’d be abnormal if you enjoyed getting hurt! So pray for healing, pray for comfort, pray for things you need. But remember that true joy, which you can have despite your hurt, despite your trials, despite your poverty, despite your lack, can be had in any circumstance because you have Christ, who will never leave you nor forsake you.

He will never let you go.

J ared C. W i l s o n is an Assistant Professor of Pastoral Ministry at Spurgeon College, Author in Residence at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, General Editor of For The Church (and host of the FTC Podcast), and Director of The Pastoral Training Center at Liberty Baptist Church in Kansas City, MO.

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The Church: One, Holy, Catholic, Apostolic

O

B Y B R YA N L I T F I N J A M E S E A E Y ne of the most famous quotes in

you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty” (2 Cor. 6:18).

church history comes from the ancient bishop Cyprian of Carthage,

Although Cyprian wasn’t actually saying what

who lived in the third century AD.

later generations claimed, this doesn’t mean his

Cyprian said, “He can no longer have God for his

statement should be discarded. The pithy quote

Father, who has not the church for his mother” (On

from Cyprian declares something important about

the Unity of the Church 6). What does this mean?

the way the early Christians thought about church—

The spirituals evidence a relationship with Jesus, a

something that can instruct us too, if we’re willing

valued familiarity and companionship with him as

to hear it.

religious subject. Jesus is the one who knows life as the singers knew it, and one who knows them as

The truth is, we never have God as our Father apart

suffering suppliants as well.

from belonging to the church of Jesus Christ. To be saved is to be incorporated into the family of

In a Roman Catholic context, the quote has often

God. There is no such thing as a redeemed person

been used to defend the idea that membership in

who is not part of Christ’s body. Calling the church

Mother Church is necessary for salvation. Cyprian

our “mother” evokes an image of tender care

was supposedly suggesting that a person has to

and constant sustenance. Unsaved people do not

belong to the outward organization led by the pope,

have this maternal nurture available to them. But

or he doesn’t actually belong to God.

Christians do, since everyone who becomes a son or daughter of God belongs to the church which gives

Of course, this isn’t true. A person has God as his

them life.

Father as soon as he believes on the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation. “I will be a Father to you, and

37

What we are talking about here is weighty and

unified body of Christ. In the Roman Empire, to

important. We need to understand the doctrine

say that a slave was equal to a free person was an

of ecclesiology in a richer way. To achieve this,

incredible inversion of social roles. Yet this is exactly

we should look at what the first generations of

what the ancient Christians insisted on, because

Christians thought about the church’s purpose in

their gospel created a radical new unity through

the world. Gleaning some wisdom from the ancients

Jesus.

will help us understand the church’s mission today.

The second key word is holy. Sanctification and In antiquity, the church fathers used to put forth

separation from the world were very important for

creeds that summarized the essentials of the faith.

the early Christians. The ancient church had strict

One of the most important creeds, which many

standards of personal morality. They never coddled

Christians still recite, is the Nicene Creed. The final

sin. Their ethical behavior was the opposite of the

version of this creed comes from the year AD 381. It

pagan world.

provided a fourfold description of the church, using four key words that are still applicable in modern

For example, the early Christians took a strong

times.

stand against abortion and infanticide. When unbelievers threw out their babies whom they

The first key word is one. There is only one church

did not want to raise, faithful believers would

of Jesus Christ. This is obvious when we consider

pick up these castaways from the side of the road

the body language used in Scripture. “For just as

before pimps could come along and collect them

the body is one and has many members, and all the

for prostitution. Unlike Roman society, the early

members of the body, though many, are one body,

church was very devoted to the care of orphans and

so it is with Christ. For in one Spirit we were all

unwanted children.

baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit” (1

The ancient Christians also founded charitable

Cor. 12:12-13).

hospitals. The pagans considered sick outcasts to be cursed by the gods. If someone was rich and could

The ancient Christians realized that doctrinal

afford to hire doctors, clearly the gods had blessed

unity was very important. This meant that all true

them. The poor, on the other hand, deserved their

Christians must hold the same core beliefs, and be

fate. But the Christians disagreed. They founded

baptized into the same story. Creeds were originally

hospitals that gave free medical care to the outcasts

developed for the purpose of baptism. They testified

of society. The church even gave jobs to poor but

to the one Creator God; the Christ whom God sent

healthy men who would go around the streets with

to die and rise again; the existence of the Spirit-

stretchers and carry invalids to hospitals where

filled church; and the promise of Christ’s return

they could receive medical care. Such behavior

for bodily resurrection and eternal judgments or

astounded the pagans and made them marvel. What

rewards. Everyone had to learn the main storyline

merciful deeds do Christians demonstrate today that

of Christian theology before being baptized, then

make unbelievers sit up and take notice?

recite the creed in the water. Doctrinal unity was essential in the early church.

The third ancient word for the church is catholic.

This term means “universal” or “worldwide.” Of

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Oneness also meant unity across various social

course, in the first few centuries of church history,

divisions. Although there will always be different

the Christian faith had not yet spread around

ethnicities in the church (“Jews or Greeks”)

the planet. Yet by the work of the Holy Spirit

or socio-economic statuses (“slaves or free”),

and constant evangelistic efforts, it did spread

everyone was viewed as equal before God in the

throughout the known world, which at that time

meant the Roman Empire. Christianity was a fast-

of the Lord’s original followers—no more, and no

growing movement because the early believers were

less.

always ready to bear witness to their Lord.

To be apostolic also meant that the first Christians The Greek word for “witness” gives us the English

cherished the writings of the apostles, that is, the

word martyr. This highlights that the testimony

books found in the canon of the New Testament.

of the first Christians was not only made with

The new books were joined to the writings of the

words. Many times, the confession of faith came

Jewish patriarchs, the Old Testament. Together,

through brave actions, even to the point of

these two Testaments formed a single Bible that

shedding of blood. By standing strong in the face of

served as the rule of faith and practice for all the

persecution—whether harsh treatment from a slave

ancient Christians. Their brilliant scholars immersed

master, mockery from friends, discrimination in

themselves in these texts, and their pastors studied

business dealings, or even death by the fangs and

and proclaimed the Word of God to their flocks.

claws of a lion—the early Christians bore witness

Although many of the first Christians could not

to the Lord who had won their ultimate allegiance.

read, they were constantly exposed to the Bible

This courageous devotion was very winsome to the

through public readings and the sermons of great

watching world. No wonder Christianity eventually

preachers. Truly, the ancient church was a biblical

spread to every corner of the globe!

church. This was their way of remaining apostolic.

Our fourth and final term is apostolic. The early

The Nicene Creed’s words, “We believe in one, holy,

Christians had a strong sense of connection to the

catholic, and apostolic church,” is an excellent

disciples who had walked with Jesus. The ancient

summary of ancient ecclesiology. Only within this

church wanted to preach the same gospel as

spiritual body can a believer find the gentle care

the original apostles. As each new generation of

that he or she needs to grow up strong. The church

believers emerged, it proclaimed the same central

of Jesus Christ indeed is like a mother: giving us

idea: the Risen Christ. This was exactly what the

our spiritual food, nurturing us in gentleness,

Apostle Peter had preached in the first evangelistic

and chastising us when we go astray. We can be

sermon. He declared, “God has raised this Jesus to

eternally grateful for Mother Church: not a human-

life, and we are all witnesses of it” (Acts 2:32). The

made organization, but the God-ordained means

ancient Christians were apostolic because they held

for us to flourish in the world. Cyprian of Carthage

to the same faith, doctrine, mission, and preaching

would give a hearty amen to that!

B r yan Li t f i n (PhD, University of Virginia) taught theology and church history for 16 years at Moody Bible Institute and is now an editor at Moody Publishers. He has a ThM in historical theology from Dallas Theological Seminary and a PhD in ancient Christianity from the University of Virginia, and is author of several books, including Early Christian Martyr Stories (Baker Academic) and Getting to Know the Church Fathers (Baker Academic). He and his wife have two children and live in Wheaton, Illinois. You can follow him at www.bryanlitfin.com.

39

Evangelical, Pentecostal, and Missional WHY WE NEED ALL THREE

B Y G O R D O N T. S M I T H

G

rowing up in Latin America I was part

It was not just the Catholics; my father was at one

of a Christian community that was

point censored for merely attending a wedding

decidedly and firmly “Evangelical”,

at a Lutheran church because the Lutherans

which meant and was defined as: not

had not sufficiently rejected the “superstitious

Catholic; not Pentecostal.

sacramentality” of Rome. And in terms of the Pentecostals, we assiduously avoided anything that

Our pastor was not ambivalent on this score; he

might indicate that the Holy Spirit was active and

was firm in his denunciations of both. On any

present – in any kind of immediate way. The Holy

given Sunday we could count on him to point one

Spirit had inspired the Bible, centuries ago, and now

direction to the Catholic cathedral or point the

the Spirit was at most present to help us understand

other direction to the “Pentecostal Temple” – and

the Bible. I am almost inclined to say that in my

remind us of the error of their ways. We would be

tribe, we worshiped the Triune God of Father, Son

curious who it would be this Sunday; would he

and Holy Scripture (!).

point to his right or to his left this time around?

And we would joke as young people that on special

This might all seem rather quaint now, but recently

Sundays he would denounce both!

I heard about an Evangelical church that was losing members who said that their church was becoming

What emerged from this whole way of thinking,

“too Catholic” because they were exploring the

when it came to other church groups, is that we

possibility of celebrating the Lord’s Table more

defined ourselves as over against the “errors” of

frequently. When I heard this I was stunned by the

the other. Thus, anything that seemed remotely

continued proclivity to assume that the way we are

Catholic was to be avoided and eschewed: No

and have always been is all we need. Are we still

candles! Nothing at all that seemed to indicate any

doing this – defining us as over against the other?

possibility that the sacraments might be a means

40

of grace. Nothing by way of visuals or paintings

Is it not an urgent need of our day that we ask: what

on the walls. I could go on; we had quite the list.

can we learn from the other? Where in what ways

might there be wisdom that has been “housed”

And what we will learn, for example – I write as an

within another church tradition or spiritual

Evangelical – is that our deep commitment to the

heritage that might be wisdom for our day and that

Scriptures, however good, needs the complement:

could, indeed, be invaluable for us?

the realization that Word and Table go together, that Christ meet us through the preaching but also in the

My suggestion is that we ask this question with

Holy Meal. And, further, that what was essentially

respect to three essential elements of what it means

the truncated pneumatology of my Evangelical

to be the church. This is not the only way to think of

upbringing, urgently needs a corrective: the deep

the church, but it is one way in which we can foster

and full appreciation of the presence and power

our shared learning from another: to think of the

of the Spirit in the life and witness of the Church.

church through three distinct lenses -- liturgical,

And, I would suggest, those of a more sacramental

catechetical and missional.

perspective or Pentecostal perspective might have something to learn from us about the priority

We are a worshipping community: to be the church

and vitality of the Word in the life of a Christian

is to be the gathered people of God who bring

community.

unbounded praise and adoration to the Triune God. My main point is that we need one another. In a We are a catechetical community: to be the church

post-Christian and increasingly secular society,

is to be a teaching-learning community, where

we need to appropriate grace in every which

we engage the ancient faith and the witness of the

way it might be made available to us. Sure, the

Scriptures so that we know the renewing of our

church needs to be evangelical – deeply dependent

minds.

on the Word preached; but, we also need to be intentionally sacramental, embracing rather than

We are a missional community: to be the church is

resisting the rites and means by which our faith is

to be engaged in the purposes of God in the world,

embodied. And further, we cannot afford to have

acting in word and deed as we, in the name of Jesus,

anything but a full expression of the life and witness

bring light and life to our cities, our countries and,

of the Spirit in our midst: in our worship, in our

indeed, our world.

teaching and learning, and in our witness in word and deed to the world.

And on each of these I wonder: where and in what ways can we acknowledge that we do not have all the wisdom we need? Can we ask how we can learn from those within other Christian traditions who might bring a different perspective that would challenge our assumptions, stretch our vision of what it means to be the church and actually encourage and equip us to more faithfully be the

G ordon T. S mith (PhD, Loyola School of Theology) is the President and professor of systematic and spiritual theology, Ambrose University.

people of God? We do not need to fear the other or, of course, denounce the other. We can come to our sisters and brothers from a disposition of an open heart and mind that assumes that we actually need to learn together and learn from one another if we are going to be faithful to the call of God to be the church in our time – as communities of worship, learning and mission.

41

What does the Bible Say about the Church?

M

BY STEPHEN NICHOLS

instruction and teaching about God and his will

ention the church to a group of

for Israel. From the tabernacle and temple, Israel

Christians and you are likely to get

sounded forth loud and joyful psalms of praise and

a mixed response. Some might say

worship to God.

that, while they do love Jesus, they

don’t love the church. Others might respond, “Of

The instructions for building the tabernacle required

course we love the church.”

it to be at the center of Israel’s encampments.

Later, Jerusalem, the site of the temple, was seen

God has ordained the church, a fellowship of the flawed, to carry out his purpose and will in the world. When we consider the biblical teaching on the church, we realize the church is vitally important for growing in Christ. Like a branch that grows because of its connection to the tree, we thrive when we stay connected to the church. To explore this issue, it is necessary to consider what the Bible says about the church.

T h e C h u rch i n t he Bi bl e : O l d Te s t a ment

tabernacle and temple were not only to be viewed as the geographical center of Israel; they were also intended to be the spiritual center of Israel. Like spokes of a wheel that fan out from the hub, what occurred at these worship centers was to affect every aspect of Israelite life.

Th e Ch urc h in th e B ible: Ch r is t a nd the G os pels

Li fe an d Wo r s hi p

The church did not officially come into existence

Before we can look at what the New Testament (NT)

had risen. However, even in the Gospels we learn

teaches about the church, we first need to see what

until the day of Pentecost, after Jesus had died and many things from Christ concerning the church.

the Old Testament (OT) says about life and worship.

Let’s review three.

God instructed Moses to build a tabernacle—a

First, we have Jesus’ declaration, “I will build

portable tent that represented the presence of God dwelling right in the middle of his people. The tabernacle and later the temple were the places where God ordained the sacrifices to be carried out and the festivals to be celebrated. The tabernacle and temple functioned as the central place of

42

as representing the center of the land of Israel. The

my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it” (Matt. 16:18). “Gates” likely represents the power of hell, which is no match whatsoever for Jesus.

Second, Jesus hands the church its mission statement and purpose for existence when he gives

the disciples the Great Commission in Matthew

the Holy Spirit, and with the Spirit they received

28:16-20. As the church goes out into the world, it

power. This same Spirit still binds believers together

is called to make disciples, carrying out the task of

and brings us into the family of God (Eph. 4:1-7).

baptizing the new disciples and teaching them all that Christ has commanded. These activities must

The Holy Spirit graciously gives us spiritual gifts,

characterize every local church’s work and life.

according to Romans 12:3-8 and 1 Corinthians 12:4-11. God has designed the church to be the

The third thing we learn from Jesus concerning the

place where these gifts are discovered, nurtured,

church comes from his high-priestly prayer in John

and used to build up the body of Christ and bring

17. At the end of the prayer, Jesus expresses to the

it to maturity, ultimately for the glory of God (see

Father, “I made known to them your name, and I

1 Corinthians 14). The same Spirit who worked

will continue to make it known” (John 17:26). The

powerfully in the early church continues to work in

NT frequently refers to the church as Christ’s body.

and through the church today.

We are literally the presence of Christ on earth. And the church’s mission is exactly the same as Christ’s

Second, the book of Acts shows how the church

mission: to proclaim God’s name.

functions and what it does. Members of the early church “devoted themselves to the apostles’

The universal church of Christ’s body is visible

teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking

and manifest in local congregations, or churches.

of bread and the prayers” (Acts 2:42). All these

These local churches are to be “incarnational.”

activities are essential to growing in Christ, and all

They are to represent Christ, who was incarnated

occur within the local church.

(that is, born as a human) and walked among us.

The incarnational model of the church means that

Th e Ch urc h in th e B ible: Th e Epis tles

we live and behave with the full realization that we represent Christ to the world and to each other.

Having looked briefly at the tabernacle and temple in the OT, and the church in the Gospels and

T h e C h u rch i n t he Bi bl e : T he B o o k o f

Acts, we now come to the NT epistles. With a few

Act s

exceptions, these books were written to churches, stressing again the God-ordained stature of the

Acts tells the story of the church, from its inception

church. In the Epistles, especially the letters of

on the day of Pentecost in Acts 2, to ch. 28 with

Paul to Titus and Timothy, Paul clearly could not

Paul at Rome. In between, the church experiences

conceive of living the Christian life apart from the

tragedies and triumphs, sorrows and joys. The

church.

book of Acts tells the story of the young church, persecuted but bold.

Paul and the other NT writers often use word pictures to describe the church. At one point Paul

Two things stand out in the life of the early church.

calls the church the household of God (1 Tim. 3:15).

One concerns the power of the Holy Spirit. At

The church is a family (Gal. 3:28; Heb. 13:1; 1 Pet.

the end of the Gospels we see apostles who were

1:22). The church is a building (Eph. 2:20-22; 1 Pet.

scared, even to the point of hiding. Then in the early

2:4-5). The church is pictured as a flock of sheep (1

chapters of Acts these same apostles boldly turn the

Pet. 5:1-4) (And one of Paul’s favorite metaphors is

world upside down.

of the church as Christ’s body (Eph. 4:11-16; 1 Cor. 12:12-27). All of these metaphors contribute to a

The key to understanding what happened to them is

fuller understanding of how to live the Christian life

seen in Acts 1:8 (in Christ’s prophecy), then in Acts

as part of the church.

2 (the prophecy’s fulfillment). The apostles received

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The church is even pictured as a bride (2 Cor. 11:2-

As we come into the church we sometimes imagine

4; Rev. 19:7-9; 21:1-4). It is the bride of Christ—a

that there will be no problems, no conflicts, and no

bride for whom Jesus died. In the context of

frustrations among our community of saints. But we

urging husbands to love their wives, Paul writes

forget that we are a community of flawed people,

that “Christ loved the church and gave himself up

still burdened by our imperfections and failures and

for her” (Eph. 5:25). What more could be said to

sins. It is precisely because of our flaws and faults

underscore and establish the importance of the

that we need each other.

church for the Christian life?

T h e C h u rch a s t he C o m m u ni o n o f S a ints From the very beginning of God’s dealing with his people, the Bible has stressed community. In fact, biblical discussion of godly living is almost always set in the context of growing together, in community, as God’s people. For Christians today, and for the last 2,000 years, God has established the local church as the vehicle for that community.

Some current movements seek to replace more traditional understandings of the local church, seeing a group of friends meeting together, for instance, as church. That’s not quite the picture that we see in the NT. In the NT, we see young and old mixing, as older women and men are to teach younger women and men. We see people coming together to worship who come from different stages in life, different occupations, and different backgrounds. Paul stressed that the social divides typical of most groups in society have no place in the church. The church should be a place of diversity, where each person can contribute to the whole. Limiting oneself to a circle of peers is not sanctioned by Scripture and does not promote spiritual growth.

Sadly, in our day there are churches in which leaders try to dominate their congregations rather than shepherd them in the model of the selfless love of Jesus. But those bad examples do not take away the biblical command to gather and worship as a church. Local churches undoubtedly have their flaws, because they are made up of flawed, sinful people. The Apostles’ Creed refers to the church as a “communion of saints.”

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S teph en J. N ic h ols (PhD, Westminster Theological Seminary) serves as the president of Reformation Bible College and chief academic officer of Ligonier Ministries. He is an editor of the Theologians on the Christian Life series and also hosts the weekly podcast 5 Minutes in Church History.

This article by Stephen J. Nichols originally appeared on Crossway.org and is adapted from the ESV Student Study Bible published by Crossway Publishers, © 2015, used with permission. www.crossway.com.

How to Teach the Church about the Church B Y J O N AT H A N L E E M A N

D

o you teach your church about

members to be the church, or do what God calls the

marriage? What about justification?

church to do, if we don’t do a good job at helping

Or the authority of Scripture? Do you

them understand what the church is.

teach your church about what it means

to be a Christian? My hunch is that if you’re a pastor

Let me give you a few reasons you should regularly

who cares about the Bible and your church, you

teach your church about the church.

teach on these matters regularly.

1 . Why s h ould we tea c h our c h urc h es Okay, last question, do you regularly preach and

a bout being a c h urc h ?

teach about the doctrine of the church?

First, we should teach about the church to help Ironically, the church is something that pastors

Christians understand their identity.

often overlook or take for granted in their teaching ministries. Yet how well can we expect our

We often encourage Christians to join a church

45

because it’s good for them, good for their witness

stage. Instead, we need to teach our people what it

to Christ, good for personal accountability, and so

means when we say the church is a family, a body, a

forth. But fundamentally Christians should join a

temple, and a gathering of kingdom citizens. These

local church because they are members of Christ’s

metaphors show that we all have a job to do: both

body. We join a church because we are the church—

toward one another and toward the outside world.

just like we “put on” righteousness because we have been declared righteous.

2 . Wh a t s h ould we tea c h th e c h urc h a bout being th e c h urc h ?

Paul makes this point in Ephesians 2. The first half of the chapter shows how Christ, in his cross and

First, teach your church sound doctrine—ensuring

resurrection, has reconciled us to God (vv. 1–10),

they understand and embrace the items in your

while the second half shows how we’ve been

statement of faith. Your congregation is responsible

reconciled to one another (vv. 11–22). In Christ, we

to protect, preserve, and promote that doctrine.

are one new man. The gospel produces the church.

Second, teach your church about its mission and

If you would teach the gospel, how can you not

its responsibility to evangelize the lost and make

teach about the church?

disciples. Finally, teach your church about its governance, particularly subjects like membership,

Second, we should teach about the church because

discipline, elder leadership, and congregationalism.

this will help our people do the jobs Christ has given to them. You can’t do your job if you don’t know

But remember, a rightly ordered church isn’t

you have one. When I conduct church membership

enough. Our churches also need to be characterized

interviews, I will say something like the following to

by love. For that reason, pastors must also

a prospective member:

teach their people about having God-glorifying relationships with one another. Not a week goes

Friend, by joining this church, you will become

by without my pastor, John, explaining our

jointly responsible for whether or not this

responsibility for one another, asking us to pray for

congregation continues to faithfully proclaim

unity in diversity, charging us to have meaningful

the gospel. That means you will become jointly

conversations, and encouraging us to be willing to

responsible both for what this church teaches, as

confess sin. In other words, it’s up to you to fill out

well as whether or not its members’ lives remain

a corporate picture of the Christian life. You have

faithful. And one day you will stand before God and

to help your church understand how ecclesiology

give an account for how you used this authority.

shapes the Christian life.

You don’t want to just sit back and stay anonymous, doing little more than passively showing up for

3. Wh en s h ould we tea c h th e c h urc h

90 minutes on Sundays. You should want to jump

a bout being a c h urc h ?

in with the hard and rewarding work of studying the gospel, building relationships, and making

Pastors actually have many opportunities to teach

disciples. We need more hands for the harvest, so

their congregations about ecclesiology. Here are just

we hope you’ll join us in that work.

a few.

We need to remind our people that church isn’t

1. Use your membership class to teach on your

like an exercise class, where they come to get their

church’s statement of faith, church covenant,

spiritual work out, but don’t share responsibility

why Christians should join a church, and the

for the health of the other people in the class. We

responsibilities of church membership.

need to remind our sheep that the local church isn’t an event where they watch a performance on

46

2. Use your membership interviews to reinforce

sound thinking on the church. Charge prospective

as members. It means we should exercise church

members to value their membership and live

discipline. Or are you in Leviticus? God uses food

according to the church covenant. Teach about their

laws to distinguish his people from the world. In

responsibility to give financially, attend member’s

the new covenant era, the church uses discipline

meetings, and celebrate the Lord’s Supper. Also use

to keep that distinction clear. In your sermon

this opportunity to show prospective members how

preparation, think not just about individual

to use the church directory as a prayer guide.

application, think about corporate application.

3. Members meetings are another great place

Yes, you can interrupt your regular preaching

to teach about the church. In my own church,

schedule from time to time and do some topical

one elder regularly takes a couple moments to

sermons on the church. But I think, you’re likely

teach about giving. Another pastor takes a few

to accomplish far more in your congregation if you

minutes at the end of the meeting to encourage the

show how all of Scripture shapes our corporate life

congregation, usually focusing on some aspect of

together. In other words, if you’re doing biblical

church life. We place membership additions and

theology correctly, not only will you preach every

resignations at the beginning of the meeting and

text in a Christ-centered fashion, you’ll also

have an elder explain why it’s the most important

demonstrate how many, if not most passages of

thing we do. Elders teach about church discipline

Scripture, are about God’s corporate people.

when cases of discipline emerge. Every moment of a members meeting is a teaching opportunity.

4. Use social media, if that’s your thing.

Jona th a n Leema n (PhD, University of Wales) is

5. Use personal conversations as teaching moments.

a number of publications and is the author or editor

If you’re rubbing shoulders with your sheep you should have plenty of opportunities to remind folks about the importance of attending members meetings, the value of the Lord’s Supper, or the

the editorial director for 9Marks. He has written for of several books. He is also an occasional lecturer at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary and adjunct professor at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.

importance of preaching.

6. Use Sunday School classes to teach on the church.

Teach courses not only on the doctrine of the church but how those doctrines ought to work out practically in the lives of the members.

7. Most importantly, use your regular weekly sermon to teach about the church. Learn to apply all your sermons corporately. If you’re preaching on holiness in 1 Peter, or fruit of the Spirit in Galatians, or how love leads to obedience in John’s gospel, consider how those passages apply to your whole church, and not just individuals in it.

For instance, what does Peter’s call to be holy because God is holy mean for us as a church? It means we should be careful about who we receive

47

When You’re Being Hurt by the Church

M

BY GAIL EMERSON

48

y husband and I grew up in a church which, at the time, felt like a Christian utopia. We thought we had the right doctrine and the right

practice of Christian life. We had deep friendships and accountability. Our fortress was safe from strife. Eventually, our church endured a messy split.

Through it, we lost many friendships, despite our efforts to hold onto them. Several years later, there was a scandal. Our remaining remnant of friends scattered.

Church pain is one of the worst sorrows. The body of Christ should be a refuge for the wounded. But, as a pastor friend once told me: “Christians can devour their own.” So, how should we respond when we’ve been hurt by the church?

Rememb er yo u ’ re no t a l o ne .

The only utopia that exists is the city God has prepared for us. Being a sojourner means we will

For me, comfort poured through the pages of the

likely not feel at home—even in the one place it

Psalms. It’s raw honesty — anger, depression,

seems we should. This unfulfilled longing isn’t

sadness, and disappointment met me in my darkest

meant to bring despair. It should press us to look

days. I realized I wasn’t alone in my anguish. David

upward to Christ—the One who will make all things

himself was betrayed by his closest friend.

new.

If a n e n em y w e re i ns ul t i ng m e , I c ould

Remember Ch r is t redeems h is br ide.

e n d u re i t; I f a fo e w e re r i s i ng agains t m e , I cou l d hi d e ; But i t i s y o u, a m a n like

Not only has God prepared a city for us, but he

m y s e l f, m y c o m pa ni o n, m y c l o s e s t fr ie nd,

also prepares us, his bride. The flaws we see here

w i th wh om I e nj o y e d s w e e t fe l l o w s hip , at

on earth will be washed away. We will be a bride

th e h ou s e o f G o d , a s w e w a l ke d a m o ng t he

without spot or blemish. There will be unbroken,

w o r s hi pe r s .

unhindered fellowship with our God and with our

Ps a l m 5 5 : 1 2 - 1 4

siblings in Christ.

Suffering is universal and even David experienced

We will join together from every tribe, every nation

the grief of church turmoil. Our world’s brokenness

and sing a new song.

doesn’t suddenly stop at our places of worship. It’s the air we breathe, touching every part of our lives.

And t he y c r ie d in a loud voic e : Salvat ion be longs t o our G od

Rememb er yo u ’ re a s o j o u r ne r.

W ho s it s on t he t hrone and t o t he La mb .

Re ve lat ion 7:1 0

In a season of recalibration, we moved to a different city. We immediately embraced the task of finding

Though I’m no longer in triage, healing is an

friends at our new church. We regularly hosted

ongoing process. Some injuries may never quite

dinners and a small group in our home.

turn to a scar, and that’s okay. They are reminders of the larger, imperfect body I’m connected to—the

Yet, I was continually dismayed. Friendships were

body for whom Christ bled, died and will one day,

not growing at the pace I hoped. I was lonely and

make whole.

I often felt out of place. I longed for the Christian utopia I had known and to feel at home.

Passages in Hebrews remind us; We are always sojourners on this side of heaven: Pe ople wh o s a y s uc h t hi ngs s ho w t he y’re

G a il Emer s on is an undergraduate student in Christian Ministry at Spurgeon College. She lives in the D.C. area with her husband Tim, and their four children.

l ook i n g for a c o unt r y o f t he i r o w n. I f t he y h a d be e n t hi nk i ng o f t he c o unt r y t he y h a d l e ft, the y w o ul d ha v e o ppo r t unit y t o re tu rn . In s t e a d t he y w e re l o ngi ng for a better c o unt r y — a he a v e nl y o ne .

He b re w s 1 1 : 1 4 - 1 6

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