Visible Church
My past few articles were focused on discipline in the church which might very well be the first subject of discussion in how a church works. We function as Christ’s body in the world as we are sanctified for His service. He will not use us unless the requirement of holiness is met. Paul explained to the Corinthians that he needed to restrain his sinful impulses lest he should be disqualified from the ministry (1 Corinthians 9:27). Discipline is an appropriate segue into the other workings of the church.
Paul was unquestionably a church man who concentrated his missionary efforts upon the establishment of churches throughout the Roman Empire. His major reason is quite clear from many examples in his letters, such as Ephesians 3:21 where he wrote that Christ receives glory through the church. A careful reading of Ephesians shows this glory is not achieved through a mystical ethereal, impotent invisible entity but through the concrete efficient means of local, visible assemblies. Accordingly, he writes in chapter 4:11-13: “And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; [12] For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: [13] Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ…” This perfecting of the saints is obviously the church considered in 5:27 that glorifies Christ and is presented as spotless, holy, and without blemish. This is accomplished through the work of ministry entrusted to the leaders of local congregations to which individual Christians make their commitments for fellowship and instruction.
We must be careful not to believe the work of Christ can be satisfied by an invisible entity that cannot preach, cannot participate in ordinances, cannot send out missionaries, nor effectively do any of the ministry ascribed to the church in the word. Least of all can an invisible entity be the support pillars of the truth as envisioned by 1 Timothy 3:15: “But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.” What could Paul have meant by “behave thyself in the house of God” unless his meaning is the visible assembly of God’s people? This is the church of the living God and the church that is the pillar and ground of the truth.
The visible church (as opposed to the nonentity invisible church) cannot be minimized, ignored, nor considered inconsequential for the development of God’s people. I must come back to Paul’s inspired proclamation concerning the glory of Christ. As noted, the critical nature of the local visible church is found in scores of New Testament references. The apostle’s doxology of praise in Ephesians 3:21 is the expression of church’s worth to Christ: “Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.” To this we add our hearty approval—AMEN! We too are churchmen and church women.
Pastor V. Mark Smith