Jerry C. Brewer
Introduction
There is no greater institution upon the face of the earth than the church of Christ. It is God’s kingdom (Mat. 16:18), His vineyard (21:28-44), His spiritual temple (Eph. 2:19-22), His locus of salvation for men today, and the body and bride of His Son (1:7, 22-23; 5:23). Existing from eternity, the church was purposed and promised by Him, foretold by the Old Testament prophets, prepared by John the Baptizer, perfected by Jesus Christ, and is precious in God’s eyes.
The Church is Precious in God’s Eyes Because it Came From Him
The church had its origin in the mind of God. He is its Great Architect Who purposed salvation in it from eternity.
And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ: To the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God, According to the eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord (3:9-11).
The salvation which God purposed in Christ is salvation that is in the church. Salvation, Christ, and the church cannot be separated. All spiritual blessings are in Christ (1:3), and those blessings are enumerated in Ephesians 1:4-11. God’s chosen people are in Christ (1:4). Those in Christ were predestinated to be children of God (1:5). Men are made acceptable to God in Christ (1:6). Redemption through His saving blood is in Christ (1:7), and our inheritance is in Him. “In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will” (1:11).
To be in Christ, where all of these spiritual blessings are, is to be in His body which is the church. Paul wrote that God’s mighty power,
was wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places, Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come: And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church, Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all (1:20-23).
The Church is Precious in God’s Eyes Because it Cost His Son’s Blood
Jesus Christ suffered the agony of scourging and the excruciating ordeal of Calvary’s cross to provide salvation in the church. Paul told the Ephesian elders: “Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood” (Acts 20:28).
He further told the Ephesians:
Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish (Eph. 5:25-27).
The church is precious in God’s eyes because the supreme price was paid for it—the sinless blood of His own Son. In the annals of mankind, there has never been such a price paid for any institution.
The Church is Precious in God’s Eyes Because of its Function
The denominational industry denigrates and dismisses the church as irrelevant in God’s scheme of redemption with the age-old cry that, “The church doesn’t save.” We are in agreement with that statement, but not as denominations use it. It is not the church which saves. It is Jesus Christ. However, that which He saves is the church (5:23). The church is the body of Christ (1:22-23), and Christ saves His body. The church is the saved.
Denominations teach their doctrines of salvation without the blood of Christ. The church is the Divine institution in which God’s eternal purpose is accomplished. It is the fullness of Christ (1:22-23), and as His fullness, one cannot be saved without being in it. To be in Christ is to be in His church. The two cannot be separated. In Him is where man has “redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins” (1:7). Denominations teach that one is first saved, then “joins” a church. They teach a bloodless religion in that (according to their erroneous claim) one is saved by “faith only.” “Faith only” does not put one into Christ. Baptism does that (Gal. 3:26-27). The saved are added to the church of Christ (Acts 2:47), and those who are added are in Christ where His blood redeems from sin.
To denigrate and dismiss the church as unnecessary to salvation is to oppose Christ Himself. That whatever is done to the church is done to Christ is plainly indicated by Jesus’ question to Saul of Tarsus on the Damascus road: “Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?” (9:4). Saul had never before seen Jesus, but he persecuted the Lord because he persecuted the disciples (the church) of Christ (8:3; 9:1-2). The denominational world, which teaches a bloodless religion of salvation outside of Christ, is as guilty of persecuting Christ as was Saul of Tarsus.
The Church is Precious in God’s Eyes Because of its Mission
The church’s mission was given by the authority of its King, Jesus Christ.
And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you (Mat. 28:18-20).
And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned (Mark 16:15-16).
The mission of the church is singular—to preach the Gospel that men might believe and be saved. In my youth, I heard fine old Gospel preachers say, “The mission of the church is three-fold—evangelism, edification, and benevolence.” Over the years, I have concluded that this statement is not quite correct. There is a vast difference between the “mission of the church” and “the work of the church.”
A grocer’s mission is selling groceries to the public for a profit, but his work may encompass several things, such as pricing the items, sweeping the floor, keeping the books, depositing money in the bank, cleaning the windows, hiring help, paying his bills, and a multitude of other tasks. All of these things are necessary, but do not constitute his mission.
The church’s singular mission is to preach the Gospel of Christ (Mat. 28:18-20; Mark 16:15- 16; Acts 8:1, 4ff). There is no other given to the church in the New Testament, and evangelism is its sole “ministry.” That is the “ministry” of which Paul spoke when he wrote, “And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who hath enabled me, for that he counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry” (1 Tim. 1:12). Paul did not refer to multiple “ministries” but to a single “ministry,” or mission. Paul’s mission was to take the Gospel to the Gentiles, as he told the Corinthians: “For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified” (1 Cor. 2:2).
Paul did many works in conjunction with his mission, such as making tents, and raising funds for the poor saints of Judea among the Gentile Christians but those were not his mission. That was preaching the Gospel of Jesus (Rom. 1:14-17).
Benevolence is a good thing, but there was benevolence before Jesus died on the cross and vast numbers of organizations in our country practice benevolence today. Most denominations practice it, along with a myriad of secular organizations—including the federal government. Jesus did not die for benevolence. He died for His church to save men from sin (Mat. 1:21; 1 Cor. 15:1-4). The church should be benevolent and care for those who cannot care for themselves (Gal. 6:10; Jam. 1:27), but that is not its mission.
It is argued that, “If we feed and clothe people, we can make them more receptive to the Gospel.” Jesus said, “Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled” (Mat. 5:6). It is not the church’s mission to motivate people to hear the Gospel. It is our responsibility to preach that Gospel to those who desire it. Jesus rebuked a multitude for its motivation to follow Him for “the meat which perisheth” (John 6:26-27). When Jesus fed the 5,000, He did not do so to “make them receptive” to His teaching.
The third thing which is often touted as the church’s mission is “edification.” To “edify” simply means “to build up.” The church needs to be constantly edified in the Lord’s cause, and Paul said that comes through the Word of God (Acts 20:32). That is an excellent work of the church, but not its mission.
The Church is Precious in God’s Eyes Because it is His Spiritually Family
Family is one of the sweetest words in the English language. A Biblical understanding of that word immediately brings to mind parents who cared for us when we could not care for ourselves and their loving sacrifices to feed, clothe, shelter, and teach us right things. That is a description of God’s family, of which every Christian is a member. To Timothy, Paul wrote, “These things write I unto thee, hoping to come unto thee shortly: 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” (1 Tim. 3:14-15). “The house of God” is God’s family, as the house of Cornelius was his family (Acts 11:13-14).
Nothing is plainer in the New Testament than that God has only one church, hence He has only one family. The claim that God has children in all denominations is blasphemous and charges God with adultery. God does not have children outside of His family.
God loves all men (John 3:16) and dispenses His material blessings to all, without regard to character (Mat. 5:45). But He loves His family—the church—in a special sense and provides all spiritual blessings to them (Eph. 1:3), which are not provided to those outside of His family. The church is precious to God because it constitutes His spiritual family.
Conclusion
The church is precious in God’s eyes because it was built by His Son (Mat. 16:18), a feat which not even Christ’s death could prevent. Religions of men were established while they lived, but those who built them are still in their graves. Mohammed is, as is Joseph Smith, William Miller, and every other maker of men’s churches. However, the church of Christ was established after He died and left His tomb empty. God annulled
the Jews’ covenant with death and hades by the resurrection of His Son from the dead (Isa. 28:15-18), and 50 days later the church came into existence (Acts 2).
The church is precious in God’s eyes, not because it is part of His plan to save men, but because it is His plan of salvation, and it is without peer.
Work Cited
All Scripture quotations are from the King James Version unless otherwise indicated.
Questions
1. Where did God place salvation?
2. How does denominational teaching affirm a “bloodless” salvation?
3. How do you answer one who minimizes the importance of the church and says, “The church does not save, Christ does”?
4. How are some of the ways religions (even churches of Christ) seek to attract people today, and is this our mission in light of Matthew 5:6 and John 6:44-45?
5. In light of the death of Christ, what is the significance of the church’s establishment in Acts 2?
Reprinted from the 42nd Annual Bellview Lectures, Set Ye Up A Standard In The Land, June 9-13, 2017, Pensacola, Florida, Ed. Michael Hatcher
