“He is also head of the
body, the church; and He is the beginning, the
first-born from the dead; so that He Himself might come
to have first place in everything.” Colossians 1:18
Several months ago a friend
of mine, who puts on seminars, publicly pointed out the
errors of several well known teachers who promote mystical
practices. Shortly thereafter he invited me to attend a
meeting with some leaders of his church to clarify his
relationship with the church and determine whether his
ministry was welcome there. ...
The leadership told him that
his teaching did not comply with their practices. They do
not practice correcting false teachers. In the course of
the conversation, the leaders cited the basic mission of
that church. It was a good mission and had to do with
bringing people to Christ; but it did not include correcting
error or false teachers. Thus my friend’s seminar is not
compatible with their purposes.
As a result of the meeting I
found myself pondering that situation in light of the many
emails I have received from people around the country.
These people often are unwelcome in churches in which they
had been members for many years. What seems so strange is
that the unwelcome members were not accused of sin or
heresy; they were accused of not supporting the church’s
mission or program. In some cases the mission and program
had recently been changed and the long standing members had
resisted the change. Ultimately most of these people left
willingly, but with sadness of heart. Some who decided to
stay and fight were eventually removed from fellowship.
What has happened that
evangelical churches are willing to lose solid Christian
members who have not fallen into sin or heresy? In this
article I will propose that evangelical churches have
changed the way they view themselves and their
organizations; and that this change has lead to practices
and emphases that build large visible churches, but neglect
and abuse Christ’s “little flock” (Luke 12:32) -- the true
body of Christ.
The Invisible Church
At the time of the Reformation, the Reformers made a
distinction between the visible and invisible church..... Louis Berkof describes the reason for
the terminology:
"It [the distinction between the visible and invisible
church now on earth] stresses the fact that the Church
as it exists on earth is both visible and invisible.
This Church is said to be invisible, because she is
essentially spiritual and in her spiritual essence
cannot be discerned by the physical eye; and because it
is impossible to determine infallibly who do and do not
belong to her. The union of believers with Christ is a
mystical union; the Spirit that unites them constitutes
an invisible tie; and the blessing of salvation, such as
regeneration, genuine conversion, true faith, and
spiritual communion with Christ, are all invisible to
the natural eye; -- and yet these things constitute the
real forma (ideal character) of the Church."2
Before the Reformation, the Roman church saw its
ecclesiastical system as the Church. As the Roman church
gained influence over nations and kingdoms, she believed
that thereby the Church was growing. Berkof describes the
issues at the time of the Reformation that led to this
terminology:
"The Bible ascribes certain
glorious attributes to the Church and represents her as
a medium of saving and eternal blessings. Rome
applied this to the Church as an external institution,
more particularly to the... hierarchy as the
distributor of the blessing of salvation, and thus
ignored and virtually denied the immediate and direct
communion of God with His children, by placing a human mediatorial priesthood between them. This is the
error which the Reformers sought to eradicate by
stressing the fact that the Church of which the Bible
says such glorious things is not the church as an
external institution, but the Church as the spiritual
body of Jesus Christ, which is essentially invisible at
present, though it has a relative and imperfect
embodiment in the visible Church and is destined to have
a perfect visible embodiment at the end of the ages."3
Various scriptures show that this distinction is valid.
In the following passage from Ephesians, Paul is not
speaking of a visible congregation, but those who are
cleansed by Christ whoever they are:
"Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved
the church and gave Himself up for her; that He might
sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of
water with the word, that He might present to Himself
the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle
or any such thing; but that she should be holy and
blameless." (Ephesians 5:25-27).
This “church” cannot be seen now, nor can this one:
“to the general assembly and church of the first-born who
are enrolled in heaven” (Hebrews 12:23a). The
church is a spiritual building: “you also, as living
stones, are being built up as a spiritual house for a holy
priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to
God through Jesus Christ” (1Peter 2:5). As such
it is invisible.
We cannot be certain who make up the invisible church but
the Lord knows: “Nevertheless, the firm foundation of God
stands, having this seal, ‘The Lord knows those who are
His,’ and, ‘Let everyone who names the name of the Lord
abstain from wickedness’” (2Timothy 2:19).
...
Not
everyone who “names the name of the Lord” is truly
regenerate. Some will say, “Lord, Lord” and He will answer,
“I never knew you” (see Matthew 7:22, 23). We cannot
have absolute knowledge of who truly knows the Lord, but God
does. No matter how strict a local church’s membership
requirements may be, there is no certainty that someone who
has all the external evidences of being a Christian may join
who may not truly know the Lord. Thus the invisible church
is hidden in the visible one.
John says this: “They went
out from us, but they were not really of us; for if they had
been of us, they would have remained with us; but they went
out, in order that it might be shown that they all are not
of us” (1John 2:19). Before they went out, they
were part of the church and it was not clear then that they
were not truly Christian.
How Christ Builds His Church
God puts people into His invisible church, man does not.
Paul said the following to the Ephesian elders: “Be on
guard for yourselves and for all the flock, among which the
Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church
of God which He purchased with His own blood” (Acts
20:28)....
Paul did not stop with preaching the gospel in Ephesus
and seeing God add people to the church. He told the
Ephesian elders: “... I did not shrink
from declaring to you the whole purpose of God” (Acts
20:25-27). Having preached the gospel and taught the
whole counsel of God, Paul had discharged his duty. He was
turning the church over to the guidance of these elders. It
was their duty to nurture and preserve this flock through
being “on guard” and caring for them as pastors (the word
“shepherd” in verse 28 is the verb form of the noun
translated “pastor”).
Paul explained why their solemn duty
was so important: “I know that after my departure savage
wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; and
from among your own selves men will arise, speaking perverse
things, to draw away the disciples after them” (Acts
20:29, 30). False teachers were sure to arise and those
who have the duty of shepherding the flock must protect the
blood bought church from them.
Christ builds His church through gospel preaching that
God uses to graciously grant repentance and faith in those
He has chosen (see Acts 11:18; Philippians 1:29;
2Timothy 2:25). The invisible church grows through
conversions: “And the Lord was adding to their number day
by day those who were saved” (Acts 2:47b).
Paul wrote this: “For since in the wisdom of God the
world through its wisdom did not come to know God, God was
well-pleased through the foolishness of the message preached
to save those who believe” (1Corinthians 1:21).
Every time a person is regenerated by the grace and power of
God, the invisible church grows.
Therefore, those who are concerned with the growth of the
invisible church, which is the one that ultimately will be
assembled for the marriage supper of the Lamb, will preach
the gospel clearly and boldly. They will declare the terms
of entrance into the kingdom of God. This includes the
message of the cross: “but we preach Christ crucified, to
Jews a stumbling block, and to Gentiles foolishness, but to
those who are the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the
power of God and the wisdom of God” (1Corinthians
1:23, 24). The message is universally unpopular to the
unregenerate mind, but Christ uses it to build His church.
We cannot know who “the called” are. We must faithfully
preach the gospel knowing that the called, whoever they are,
will respond to it. They respond because of God’s
supernatural grace, not because of human wisdom....
The Visible Church
The visible church consists of people who have professed
faith in Christ and have agreed to live accordingly. Berkof
makes some important clarifications:
"It is possible that some who belong to the invisible
Church never become members of the visible organization,
as missionary subjects who are converted on their
deathbeds, and that others are temporarily excluded from
it, as erring believers who are for a time shut out from
the communion of the visible Church. On the other hand
there may be unregenerate children and adults who, while
professing Christ, have no true faith in Him, in the
Church as an external institution; and these, as long as
they are in that condition, do not belong to the
invisible Church.5
Since humans cannot
infallibly know who the elect are, churches must receive
those who profess Christ, confess belief in true Biblical
doctrines, and are willing to live lives in accordance with
the teachings of the Bible. This is good and proper.
However, we cannot be sure that every member of the external
organization is also a member of the invisible church, the
true body of Christ. Anyone can see who belongs to the
visible church....
...a visible “church” must
corporately confess the essential truths of the gospel to be
a church and not merely a religious institution. This is
necessary because at this point in history there are Mormon
“churches,” New Age “churches,” Universalist “churches,” and
other such groups that deny the Biblical doctrine of
Christ. Such groups should not be considered visible
churches nor should it be expected that the invisible church
is within them.
Visible churches that at least
superficially confess the key doctrines of the Bible are
massively diverse. Every major Christian denomination
confesses these doctrines in their official documents. Even
when the modernist movement swept through most of the main
line Protestant church during the late 19th century and
early 20th century, not one of those denominations
officially denied their historical creeds. I grew up in a
liberal denomination and was required to confess the truth
about the person and work of Christ in order to join the
church at age 12. Later I found out that many pastors in
that denomination did not believe in the resurrection of
Christ, though every one of them had to swear he or she did
to be ordained.
This means that visible churches exist that in some
regard have the light of the gospel, if not in their
pulpits, in their hymnals and creedal confessions. Inasmuch
as some light is there, these churches likely contain a few
of the invisible church. However, inasmuch as the Word is
not purely taught and the gospel not clearly preached,
people are much less likely to be converted. They have to
find the gospel hidden within an organization that no longer
has it on its agenda....
Yes
one can be saved in a visible church that is mostly gone
astray; but it does not follow that such a person should
stay and support false teaching.
End Notes
- Louis Berkof,
Systematic Theology, (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1938,
1996 edition) 565.
- Ibid. 565, 566.
- Ibid. 566.
- See the previous
Issue of CIC about this:
http://www.twincityfellowship.com/cic/articles/issue84.htm
- Berkof, 566.
Copyright © 1992-2005 Twin City
Fellowship
Other articles by Bob DeWaay:
Faulty Premises
of the Church Growth Movement
“Church Health
Award” from Rick Warren or Jesus Christ?
Bob DeWaay is
the Pastor of
Twin City Fellowship, a
non-denominational evangelical Church in Minneapolis, MN:
"We are a
body of believers who attempt to live our Christian
faith according to Acts 2:42 by devoting ourselves to
prayer, fellowship, searching the Scriptures, and the
Lord’s Supper. Our mission is to equip the saints for the work of
ministry and to reach the lost with the Gospel of Jesus
Christ. We do this through expository preaching, study
of the Scriptures, publications, our website and
neighborhood outreaches."