Study of Denomintions 09/12/2010

A Study of Denominations
Cont. from last week

The Lord's Supper

Argument: 1 Corinthians 10:16-17 show the need for one loaf and one cup: unity amongst Christians.

Answer: The text in question:

The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not a communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not a communion of the body of Christ? Seeing that we, who are many, are one bread, one body: for we are all partake of the one bread.


Nowhere in this text is the bread limited to one loaf, nor is the fruit of the vine limited to one cup. As we have seen above, Paul is in Ephesus and the Corinthians in Corinth, and yet Paul includes himself in the discussion-- how can it be that they all share one loaf and one cup when they are separated by the Aegean Sea? We all partake of the "one bread", just not the same loaf; the "one cup", just not in the same cup. The emblems themselves, not the containers, are the thrust of the Lord's Supper, and the fact that we partake of the same type of emblems across the world is the basis of the communion in Christ.

We can see, therefore, that there is no Scriptural basis by which to bind one loaf and one cup for the Lord's Supper. God has established the number of loaves and cups as a liberty for His disciples.
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The Church Treasury, I: Benevolence

Statement of Belief
The Scriptures teach that the church is to give benevolence to any needy saint,
Now concerning the collection for the saints, as I gave order to the churches of Galatia, so also do ye. Upon the first day of the week let each one of you lay by him in store, as he may prosper, that no collections be made when I come ( 1 Corinthians 16:1-2 ),


and also to provide for evangelism,

And ye yourselves also know, ye Philippians, that in the beginning of the gospel, when I departed from Macedonia, no church had fellowship with me in the matter of giving and receiving but ye only; for even in Thessalonica ye sent once and again unto my need ( Philippians 4:15-16 ).


It is also the responsibility of the individual Christian to help saints in need,

If any woman that believeth hath widows, let her relieve them, and let not the church be burdened; that it mat relieve them that are widows indeed ( 1 Timothy 5:16 ),


but the duty of assisting any others in need falls upon the individual Christian,

Pure religion and undefiled before our God and Father is this, to visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world ( James 1:27 ).


The Scriptures do not teach that the church may fund evangelism through the use of an extra-church organization or for a group of churches to fund evangelism through one church alone.
Sections

● The Individual and the Church
● Church Benevolence to Non-Saints
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○ Scriptural Considerations
○ Expediencies?
○ Distinction Between Duties
○ The Ends Justify the Means?
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● The Missionary Society
● The Sponsoring Church Arrangement


The Individual and the Church
When discussing the responsibilities of the church and the individual in regards to benevolence, there often seems to be confusion regarding the relationship of the individual and the church. Many feel that since the church is made up of individual Christians, whatever the individual is commanded to do is something the church is allowed to do. Does Scripture show this to be true?
While it is certainly true that the church is the collective of individual Christians with Christ at its head ( Colossians 2:18 ), we see that the roles of individual and collective are differentiated in 1 Timothy 5:16 :
If any woman that believeth hath widows, let her relieve them, and let not the church be burdened; that it mat relieve them that are widows indeed.


The individual first has the responsibility, and only when there are no individuals to assist, then the church is to step in and care for widows. If the church had the same responsibility as the individual, this distinction in 1 Timothy would not be necessary.

Furthermore, we have the example of the Judgment scene in Matthew 25:31-40 :

"But when the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the angels with him, then shall he sit on the throne of his glory: and before him shall be gathered all the nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as the shepherd separateth the sheep from the goats; and he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left.
Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, 'Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: for I was hungry, and ye gave me to eat; I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink; I was a stranger, and ye took me in; naked, and ye clothed me; I was sick, and ye visited me; I was in prison, and ye came unto me.'
Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, 'Lord, when saw we thee hungry, and fed thee? or athirst, and gave thee drink? And when saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee? And when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?'
And the King shall answer and say unto them, 'Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it unto one of these my brethren, even these least, ye did it unto me.'"


As we can see, the sheep collectively represent the church, yet the judgment is based on how each person as an individual helped those in need.

The church exists for the assistance of its members, spiritually, physically, and emotionally ( Hebrews 10:25 , 1 Corinthians 16:1-2 ). Yet, as we have seen from the above in Matthew 25, the saints are saved not by virtue of the church with whom they assemble, but because they have been found righteous in the eyes of the Lord. We work as a collective to assist each other in this walk, but in the end, the judgment shall be made on an individual basis, as seen clearly from Romans 14:10 :

But thou, why dost thou judge thy brother? Or thou again, why dost thou set at nought thy brother? For we shall all stand before the judgment-seat of God.


Therefore, as we have seen, the individual has more responsibility than the collective church, for the individual can act in one of three ways:

1.Individual as an individual [i.e. evangelizing ( Matthew 28:18 ), being an example ( Matthew 5:13-16 )]

2.Individual as part of the collective church [i.e. Lord's Supper ( Acts 20:7 ), collection ( 1 Corinthians 16:1-2 )]

3.Individual as either an individual or as a part of the collective church [i.e. singing ( Colossians 3:16 / James 5:13 ), praying ( 1 Thessalonians 5:17 )]


All of these acts, done in accordance with the Scriptures, will lead to the building up of the individuals and the Body of Christ. When we blur or destroy the lines that God has made, we place ourselves in danger of apostasy (2 John 9).
Church Benevolence to Non-Saints
Many groups and denominations teach that the church is authorized to use part of its treasury to assist non-saints in some way, either through direct subsidy or through some institution established for this purpose. Do the Scriptures teach that the church is allowed to assist non-saints through benevolence? Let us examine the Scriptures.
Scriptural Considerations
Many arguments are made using the Scriptures to justify the use of the funds of the Lord's treasury to assist non-saints. Let us examine these now.
Argument: 2 Corinthians 9:12-14 shows that the church gave to more than just saints.
Answer: The passage in question:
For the ministration of this service not only filleth up the measure of the wants of the saints, but aboundeth also through many thanksgivings unto God; seeing that through the proving of you by this ministration they glorify God for the obedience of your confession unto the gospel of Christ, and for the liberality of your contribution unto them and unto all; while they themselves also, with supplication on your behalf, long after you by reason of the exceeding grace of God in you.


This passage does say that the church gave to "them and to all," but who is contained in the "all?" We know from verse 14 that "they" (referring back to the phrase "to them and to all") were "pray[ing] on [their] behalf." Who prays but the believers? Therefore, it is certain from this passage that Paul is referring to the giving to the saints, and to the saints alone.

Argument: We are to do good to "all men" in Galatians 6:10 . The letter to the Galatians is written to the churches of Galatia, therefore, the church is to do good to "all men."

Answer: The text in question:

So then, as we have opportunity, let us work that which is good toward all men, and especially toward them that are of the household of the faith.


When considering this verse, we must examine the context of the letter to the Galatians, especially around the sixth chapter. Throughout the sixth chapter, Paul makes reference to individuals, that they should bear one another's burdens (verse 2), bearing your burden (verses 3-5), that the individual should teach the things of Christ (verse 6), that one will reap what he sows (verses 7-8). Therefore, as we can see, the individual Christian is the focus of this portion of the Galatian letter; it stands to reason that verse 10 thus also refers to the work of the individual, and not the work of the church.