"THE" CHURCH CHARACTERIZED #2

Here we are once again and we continue our study on "The" Church as described in The N ew Testament. So let's begin;

As we begin today, let’s clearly define the question: "Is one church as good as another?" If "the church" in question means the church Jesus died for and built, then the question makes no sense because Jesus has only one church. Jesus said in Matthew 16:18," . . . I will build My church . . ." How many churches did Jesus say He would build? "One" is the Bible answer (You need only reading glasses to see that)! The Bible says in Ephesians 4:4, "There is one body . . . " The apostle Paul told what the body is in Ephesians 1:22-23, " . . . the Church, which is His body. . ." The body of Christ is His church. How many bodies does the Lord have? "One" is the Bible answer. Since the Lord has only "One" church, how can His church compare to another church He does not have? If the church in question means a denominational church comparing to another denominational church, then yes, they are just as good as each other because one is just as unacceptable to God as is the other one. One denominational church will do you just as much spiritual damage as another one will because they are both wrong! Every man made church is lost! If the question is asking whether or not where a person attends church makes any difference, the Bible answer is a definite "Yes!" Denominational churches are not as good as the Lord’s church! The only church, which is made up of saved people, is the Lord’s church. The people who advocate that one church is just as good as another need to compare their opinion with the Word of God (no special glasse required).

If one church is just as good as another, or in other words, if what a person believes really makes no difference, then that means falsehood is just as good as truth, disobedience is just as good as obedience, division is just as good as unity, and man’s way is just as good as God’s way. When one statement contradicts another, both cannot be right. For example, when one church teaches that salvation is obtained without baptism (immersion), and another church teaches that a person cannot be saved without baptism, both teachings cannot be right. One teaching cannot be just as good as the other. When one church teaches that once a person is saved he can never be lost again, and another church teaches that a person can lose his salvation after he has been saved, both teachings cannot be right. One teaching cannot be just as good as the other.

The words of Jesus come to mind as they always should, "You hypocrites, rightly did Isaiah prophesy of you, saying, ‘This people honors Me with their lips, but their heart is far away from Me. But in vain do they worship Me, teaching as their doctrines the precepts of men. Every plant which My heavenly Father did not plant shall be rooted up. Let them alone; they are blind guides of the blind. And if a blind man guides a blind man, both will fall into a pit" (Matt. 15). It does make a difference how we worship and what we believe.

Those who believe and teach that what church an individual attends and is a part of really makes no difference are saying that God will accept a person who picks out a belief which best suits his own particular fancy. Some people are so accustomed to living in a land of choice that they feel a person can choose the church of his choice. Some people say, "You go to your church and I’ll go to mine!" I respond by saying, "You go to your church and I’ll go to His." I do not have a church and neither do you. In Matthew 16:18, Jesus said the church he was going to build was His, not yours or mine or anyone else’s. He also stated that He was going to build His church, not churches. He only built one church. He only has one church. When it comes right down to it, there really is no choice.

I will close for today and pick this up again next time. God Bless as you continue to study HIS Word and DO what He states. Until next time.......