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"And the
Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved." Acts 2:47b.
"I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved." John
10:9a.
"And he is the head of the body, the church." Col. 1:18a.
"Know ye not that your bodies are the members of Christ?" I Cor.
6:15a.
"For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body." I Cor.
12:13a.
"But now hath God set the members everyone of them in the body, as
it hath pleased him." I Cor. 12:18. "That there should be no schism
[division] in the body" verse 25. "Now YE ARE THE BODY OF CHRIST,
and members in particular. And God hath set some in the church,
first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that
miracles, then gifts of healing, helps, governments, diversities of
tongues," verses 27, 28.
"But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living
God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of
angels, to the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which
are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the
spirits of just men made perfect." Heb. 12:22,23. "Except a man be
born again [or, from above], he cannot see the kingdom of God." "Ye
must be born again." John 3:3,6. See Verse 7.
Note:Thus we see that a member of the church has the following
qualifications:
-
He is
a saved man.
-
He was
added by the Lord, not some preacher. He came through the door,
Christ Jesus.
-
He has
become a part of the actual BODY OF CHRIST. The church is the
body of Christ today. His body is in this world and we can
become a part of it. The church is that body and He is its head.
-
His
body is now a part of the BODY OF CHRIST.
-
That
body is ONE (not divided up).
-
His
name is written in heaven.
-
He is
a just man.
-
He is
a perfect man.
Membership
in the Church of God is a matter between the individual and Christ.
One may become a member all alone, far removed from human contacts.
If an individual is convicted by the Holy Spirit of his sins, and he
calls on God for mercy, repenting and forsaking all sin, and
believing in the atoning blood of Christ, placing his sins on Christ
by faith, he is born into the family of God. The new birth is the
only entrance into the church. You cannot join it, be baptized into
it, or be accepted by vote of the other members. You may not join by
letter, nor by any other means than the new birth. All who
experience the new birth are automatically members of the Church of
God. You need to get acquainted with your brothers and sisters, but
they have nothing to do with your becoming a member of the family.
Do the children of ANY earthly family come together when a little
brother or sister is born into their home and VOTE as to whether it
shall be accepted into that family? Certainly not! The analogy is
perfect concerning the child of God. Neither does that infant need
to seek a "home," for it is God's own child. God is its Father. If
this. new child of God goes and joins some "church" it has moved
that much out of God's will, and will have to forsake that which it
joined if it desires to remain in fellowship with God.
This born-again individual will remain in the Church of God as long
as he remains free from sin. Sin brings death to the soul. Sin will
cause God's child to die, and that child will be separated from God
as truly as physical death causes a separation in the earthly
family. We may not become "unborn" after being born again, but we
may DIE. "The wages of sin is DEATH."
Is The
Church a Visible Body, Or An Invisible Mystical Body?
"And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved."
Acts 2:47b.
". . . And at that time there was a great persecution against the
church WHICH WAS AT JERUSALEM. . . ." Acts 8:1.
"And when they had ordained them elders in every CHURCH, and had
prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord. . . And when
they were come, and had gathered the church TOGETHER, they rehearsed
all that God had done with them. . . ." Acts 14:23,27.
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