What Is a Local Congregation

What Is a Local Congregation IT IS A LOCAL CONGREGATION?
By K. C. Moser

Whoever speaks upon a Scriptural subject assumes a grave responsibility. He speaks after Jehovah himself has spoken. He must respect Jehovah, therefore, and speak as the “Oracles of God.” Human opinions and prejudices are out of place in such a discussion. It is with a sense of such responsibility, therefore, that I shall speak to you upon the theme, “What Is a Local Congregation ?” Let us first note The Uses of the Word Church
In the New Testament the word church is used in at least two senses. It is used in a universal sense to include all of God’s people in the aggregate. Examples of this use of the word are found in the following pas-sages: “Upon this rock I will build my church” (Matthew 16:18); “I persecuted the church” (Galatians 1:13); “And he is the head of the body the church” (Colossians 1:18).

Then the word church or congregation is used in a local sense to include all of the children of God in a given community, as “The church of God which is at Corinth.” It is in this sense that I shall discuss the word. The Nature of the Church
In approaching my subject directly, there is a fact of fundamental importance which deserves special emphasis. The church is a spiritual institution. It is not political, financial, or social. Please note carefully these Scriptures: “My kingdom is not of this world” (John 18:36); “The kingdom of God is within you” (Luke 17:21); “The kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit” (Romans 14:17).

Furthermore, “God is Spirit”; his kingdom is spiritual; entrance into it is by spiritual birth; the saved compose a “spiritual house,” a spiritual priesthood, to offer up “spiritual sacrifices”; true worship is “in spirit” and “by the Spirit of God”; it is “by the Spirit” that we “walk,” even as it is “by the Spirit” that “we live.” Being a spiritual institution, the church must be de-scribed, therefore, in spiritual terms, “combining spir-itual things with spiritual words.” (Since the church is spiritual, its progress must be spiritual. Growth in numbers, in wealth, in prestige, does not necessarily signify true development.)
Now the congregation is composed of individual Christians. If, then, I shall describe a Christian, I have made progress in the discussion of my theme. Let us inquire, therefore, Who Is a Christian?
A Christian is the product of the “gospel of Christ.” By gospel is meant Christ crucified, buried, and raised for our sins (1 Corinthians 15:1-4). Paul wrote, “I was sent to preach the gospel” (1 Corinthians 1:17). Then he added, “But we preach Christ crucified.” It was the apostle’s determination to preach nothing “save Jesus Christ and him crucified” (1 Corinthians 2:2). Christ crucified is the foundation of the church (1 Corinthians 3:11).

Hence the apostles were commanded to “preach the gospel.” And they did preach it. They did not take the gospel for granted; they did not merely make a passing reference to it. They took the gospel for their subject and discussed it. Paul said he preached it “first of all.” (Some preach it last of all, others, not at all). As the gospel was preached to the Galatians— “before whose eyes Jesus Christ was openly set forth crucified”—so should it be preached to all sinners. Then sinners will be converted to-Christ and not to a mere theory. But the sinner must respond to the gospel. The gospel merely preached will not save. It must be accepted by Gospel Faith

Gospel Faith
By gospel faith is meant a faith compatible with the gospel. “Jesus Christ and him crucified” is the-object of this faith. Our Saviour is a person, not a theory. This person is the Son of God, crucified, buried, and raised for our justification. Simply to believe in God cannot save. Or to accept Christ as a good man and a great teacher is not gospel faith. He must be believed on as God’s Son, and the atonement for our sins.
Faith is composed of at least two elements, belief of facts, and trust. The element of trust is that which is especially fitted to appropriate the benefits of the death of Christ. Faith in the sense of trust in Christ lays hold of the grace of God. One does not believe in Christ till he has trusted in Christ crucified for salvation. Apart from this faith all else is vain. But added to faith is Gospel Repentance

Gospel Repentance
And by gospel repentance is meant a repentance based upon and growing out of the gospel. “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer, and rise again from the dead the third day; and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name” (Luke 24:46-47). On Pentecost, Peter first preached the gospel and then demanded repentance. Repentance based upon the gospel is repentance “toward God.” A repentance growing out of self-respect, or based upon the desires of friends is not gospel repentance.
Here is another reason for preaching the gospel. The sinner should know that it was for his sins that Christ died. A consideration of this fact leads to conviction, and conviction, to repentance.

Gospel Confession
“Because if thou shalt confess with thy mouth Jesus as Lord, and shalt believe in thy heart that God raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved” (Romans 10:9). It will be noted that confession is a statement of one’s faith in Jesus Christ crucified. This is certainly gospel confession.

Gospel Baptism
Just as faith, repentance, and confession must be based upon the gospel, so must baptism. Baptism relates to Christ’s death, burial and resurrection (Romans 6:3-4). The divine order is first to preach the gospel. Then follow faith and baptism. Baptism is the em-bodiment of faith. But faith must be gospel faith. Hence baptism must be gospel baptism. The meaning of all the conditions of salvation is two-fold- They signify ‘‘repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.” The sinner repents toward God against whom all sins are committed, and believes in Christ—trusts in him for salvation. Confession is the embodiment of faith, and baptism is the embodiment of both faith and repentance.Since one is baptized into the name of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, he stands as a justified person related to all three. Christianity is the sum of Spiritual Relationships:

1. The Christian’s Relationship to God. “I will be their God, and they shall be my people.” “I . . . will be to you a Father, and ye shall be to me sons and daughters.” “For we are a temple of the living God; even as God said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them.” Here is a relationship that is real, vital, and spiritual. The child of God . has been really “born of God.” God is. really his Father, and he is truly God’s Son. This relationship is the basis of holiness. “And put on the new- man, that after God hath been created in righteousness and holiness of truth” (Ephesians 4:24). A mere theoretical creation cannot have practical results.

2. The Christian’s Relationship to Christ. He is related to Christ as the saved to the Savior. Christ is the object of his faith, the cause of his repentance, the content of his confession, and the consideration of his baptism. ’’Christ... is the head of the church.” “We are members of his body.” “Your bodies are members of Christ.” As was observed with reference to the Chiistian’s relation to the Father, here is a relationship that is real, vital, and spiritual. Oneness with Christ may be as incomprehensible as the oneness of the husband and wife, but the “mystery” should be freely accepted as a fact. And here again do we find the reason for holy living. Not through fear of the Lord, or mechanically must one refrain from evil, but through respect for our oneness with him. Here is a nobler incentive to holiness than the prohibitions of the lave.

3. The Christian’s Relationship to the Holy Spirit. “The Spirit of God dwelleth in you” (1 Corinthians 3:16). “"iour body is a temple of the Holy Spirit which is in you, which ye have from God” (1 Corinthians 6:19). “But ye are not in the flesh but ili the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you” (Ronv 8:9). “But if by the Spirit ye put to death the deeds of the body, ye shall live” (Romans 8:13). “And because ye are sons, God sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father” (Galatians 4:6). These and inany other scriptures tell us of our relationship to the Holy Spirit as certainly as it defines our relationship to God and to Christ. The indwelling of the spirit is no more a “mystery” than oneness with Christ, or the oneness of the husband and wife. If I accept one, I must accept the other. Has not God said what he meant, and meant what he. said?

Now the church is comnosed of just such persons. Hence I have largely described a local congregation when I have described a true Christian.
In addition to Christians, as such, there are to be found in a local congregation a group of men who have been designated by the terms,

Elders, Bishops, Pastors
These three words refer to one and the same person. While at Miletus Paul sent to Ephesus and called for the “elders of the church.” When they had come the apostle admonished them: . “Take heed unto yourselves, and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit hath made you bishops, to feed the church of the Lord which he purchased with his own blood” (Acts 20:17; Acts 20:28). Elders are expressly called bishops, and bishops are “to feed” the flock. But “to feed” is from the noun translated pastor. Hence either expressly or impliedly the same person is denominated elder, bishop, pastor.
The elders of a congregation are on an equality in every way. The New Testament knows nothing about a chief elder called the “Presiding Elder.” And it knows no more of an elder who is recognized as the permanent “Chairman of the Board.” A permanent “Chairman of the Board” usually renders the other elders mere figureheads.

Deacons
Besides the elders or bishops the congregations of the Lord have within their membership certain special servants of the church known as deacons. Just what their special function is need not be discussed here. The Congregation an Autonomous Body
Each congregation is strictly independent, of every other congregation. The church has no earthly head. Christ is yet the head of the church. The complicated organization of many churches is wholly unknown and unwarranted by the scriptures. When the Lord desired to teach, reprove, warn, or admonish a particular church, he addressed the individual church directly. His message was not delivered to some earthly head of the church and relayed to the congregation. Paul wrote to the “church of God which is at Corinth,” “to the saints that are at Ephesus,” or to “all the saints in Christ Jesus at Philippi, with the bishops (overseers) and deacons.” This local congregation was composed, therefore, of saints (holy persons), bishops and deacons. The bishops and deacons lived at Philippi and were members of. that particular congregation. The independency of the local congregation is to be carefully guarded. The spiritual welfare of the congregation is at stake here. To surrender this principle is to surrender our spiritual liberty in Christ. In order to emphasize this point further, let it be observed that though the elders might sustain other relationships in life, yet in the church they are simply elders. They are not lawyer-elders, banker-elders, mer-chant-elders, professoivelders, doctor-elders. The rights of the elder are in no way dependent upon earthly relationships. He is a spiritual overseer. And in the church he is not to be regarded in any other light.

If a justice of the Supreme Court of the United States were an elder, it would be well for him and all others to forget his earthly honors while he functions as an elder. He would have no special rights as an elder. The courts and the church must be kept apart. Likewise the church and all things strictly secular must be kept separated. It will be a sad day for the church when it is dominated by an outside influence. The church and state, the church and finance, the church school, or the church and any other human affair, while not necessarily antagonistic, are not to be mixed. For ihe sake of yet more emphasis upon the independency of the congregation, let it be said that in no sense is the church to be dominated by a paper or a magazine, by a school or a preacher. Each is good in its or his place. But out of its place a paper, for example, might do much harm. And just so with schools or preachers. The “position” or “policy ” of any religious journal is not to become the standard of orthodoxy of any congregation. After all the “position” of a religious journal is but the “position” of men. And no paper worthy the support of Christians desires to dictate, to the churches. The same might be said of any individual. Regardless of one’s influ ence, financial, social or political, he must not “lord it over God’s heritage.” Regardless of one’s intellectuality or special talents, he must not be regarded as a spiritual lord. For one possessing special influence, therefore, or having unusual advantages over congregations, to attempt to dictate as to faith or practice is anti-Christian. The true church is a “glorious” institution. It is a precious institution. . It is blood-bought and Christ owned. To its own master, its head, and chief shepherd, it stands or falls. Iet us hold it sacred; let us love it; and let us help to keep it free of all destructive influences.

I love thy kingdom, Lord,
The house of thine abode;
The church our blest Redeemer saved
With his own precious blood.
I love thy church, 0 God!
Her walls before thee stand,
Dear as the apple of thine eye,
And graven on thy hand.
For her my tears shall fall,
For her my pray’r ascend;
To her my cares and toils be given,
Till toils and cares shall end.
Beyond my highest joy I prize her heav’nly ways,
Her sweet communion, solemn vows,
Her hymns of love and praise.