What I Like about the Church of Christ

Wednesday Night Bible ClassApril 3, 2013

Jay Guin, Substitute Teacher

Remember

• I like the Church of Christ because of its respect for the authority of the Scriptures

• I also like the Church of Christ because of its zeal for unity

• The question is: What is the biblical path to unity?

Unity

• The Restoration Movement was founded as a unity movement, calling Christians to leave the sects and be united

• “Christians only but not the only Christians.”• The two most popular sermon topics in the

early Restoration Movement were —– The 7 Ones in Ephesians 4– Jesus’ prayer for unity in John 17

Unity

• Restoration Movement is also known as the Stone-Campbell Movement

• Results from merger of separate movements founded by Barton W. Stone and Thomas Campbell

Barton W. Stone

• The Stone movement was earlier, beginning at the Cane Ridge Revival in 1801

• Stone saw people converted to Jesus by preachers of many differing denominations, and very late in life, declared that none had fallen away.

Barton W. Stone

• Stone and others were excommunicated by the Presbyterian Church because they recognized the salvation of believers in other denominations

• The founding document of the Restoration Movement is the “Last Will and Testament of the Springfield Presbytery,” adopted in 1804.

Barton W. Stone

• Last Will & Testament of the Springfield Presbytery —

Imprimis. We will, that this body die, be dissolved, and sink into union with the Body of Christ at large; for there is but one body, and one Spirit, even as we are called in one hope of our calling.

Barton W. Stone

Item. We will, that preachers and people cultivate a spirit of mutual forbearance; pray more and dispute less; and while they behold the signs of the times, look up, and confidently expect that redemption draweth nigh.

Barton W. Stone

• The Stone movement churches —– Had a strong sense of the indwelling Spirit– Insisted on congregational autonomy– Rejected denominationalism– Rejected creeds as tests of fellowship– Practiced believer baptism by immersion but did

not require immersion for someone to be considered a Christian, considering the presence of the Spirit the ultimate test of salvation

Thomas Campbell

• Thomas Campbell moved to western Pennsylvania from Ireland in 1807, leaving Alexander behind to attend school in Scotland

• Like Stone, Campbell was a Presbyterian — in fact, an Old-Light, Anti-Burgher, Seceder Presbyterian.

• He was excommunicated for serving communion to Presbyterians of other branches

Thomas Campbell

• Campbell wrote the “Declaration and Address” in 1809 in an effort to end the divisions in God’s church — including the divisions within Presbyterianism.

• The Declaration and Address does not address baptism or instrumental music. It’s entirely about unity despite disagreements.

Thomas Campbell

“PROP. 1. THAT the church of Christ upon earth is essentially, intentionally, and constitutionally one; consisting of all those in every place that profess their faith in Christ and obedience to him in all things according to the scriptures, and that manifest the same by their tempers and conduct, and of none else as none else can be truly and properly called christians.”

Thomas Campbell• 6. That although inferences and deductions from

scripture premises, when fairly inferred, may be truly called the doctrine of God’s holy word: yet are they not formally binding upon the consciences of christians farther than they perceive the connection, and evidently see that they are so; for their faith must not stand in the wisdom of men; but in the power and veracity of God — therefore no such deductions can be made terms of communion, but do properly belong to the after and progressive edification of the church. Hence it is evident that no such deductions or inferential truths ought to have any place in the church’s confession [i.e., be tests of fellowship].

Alexander Campbell

• Alexander Campbell moved to the US to join his father in 1807.

• His father was concerned how Alexander would react to his excommunication and non-denominational writings. He was surprised to learn that Alexander had come to similar conclusions while in school in Scotland.

• Stone and Thomas Campbell had chronic health conditions, and so Alexander quickly became the most prominent leader of the movement.

Alexander Campbell

• Alexander Campbell published a periodical called the “Christian Baptist” in which he argued many of the themes found in the “Declaration and Address.”

• He also argued against many elements of Calvinism and pushed for a return to New Testament church practices.

• However, he insisted that New Testament practices must not be a test of fellowship.

Merger of the Two Movements

• The Campbells began their work in western Pennsylvania and West Virginia.

• Stone worked largely in Illinois.• The two movements spread and met in

Kentucky.• Two churches in Louisville, Ky chose to merge

in 1832.• Soon churches merged across the frontier.

Merger of the Two Movements

• The mergers took place even though Stone and Alexander Campbell disagreed regarding—– The name of believers (Christians vs. Disciples)– The indwelling of the Spirit– Whether unimmersed believers should be treated

as in full fellowship– Stone rejected the orthodox doctrine of the Trinity– The nature of the atonement

The Christian System• Alexander Campbell published The Christian System in 1832 —

• “The principle which was inscribed upon our banners when we withdrew from the ranks of the sects, was, ‘Faith in Jesus as the true Messiah, and obedience to him as our Lawgiver and King, the only test of Christian character, and the only bond of Christian union, communion, and co-operation, irrespective of all creeds, opinions, commandments, and traditions of men.’”

• “Preface,” The Christian System (1831), p. 8 (emphasis in original).

The Christian System• “Every such person is a disciple in the fullest sense of the

word, the moment he has believed this one fact, upon the above evidence, and has submitted to the above mentioned institution; and whether he believes the five points condemned, or the five points approved by the Synod of Dort, is not so much as to be asked of him; whether he holds any of the views of the Calvinists or Arminians, Presbyterians, Episcopalians, Methodists, Baptists, or Quakers, is never once to be asked of such persons, in order to admission into the Christian community, called the church.”

• “Foundation of Union,” The Christian System (1831), p. 122 (emphasis added).

The Lunenburg Letter

• Campbell taught baptism of believers by immersion for the remission of sins. But he was active in the ecumenical movement and often suggested that believers might be saved despite an erroneous baptism.

• In 1837, he dealt directly with the question in response to a question from a reader living in Lunenburg, Virginia

Lunenburg Letter• “In reply to this conscientious sister, I observe, that if

there be no Christians in the Protestant sects, there are certainly none among the Romanists, none among the Jews, Turks, Pagans; and therefore no Christians in the world except ourselves, or such of us as keep, or strive to keep, all the commandments of Jesus. Therefore, for many centuries there has been no church of Christ, no Christians in the world; and the promises concerning the everlasting kingdom of Messiah have failed, and the gates of hell have prevailed against his church! This cannot be; and therefore there are Christians among the sects.”

Lunenburg Letter

• “But who is a Christian? I answer, Every one that believes in his heart that Jesus of Nazareth is the Messiah, the son of God; repents of his sins, and obeys him in all things according to his measure of knowledge of his will. …”

Lunenburg Letter• “I cannot, therefore, make any one duty the

standard of Christian state or character, not even immersion into the name of the father, of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, and in my heart regard all that have been sprinkled in infancy without their own knowledge and consent, as aliens from Christ and the well-grounded hope of heaven. …

Lunenburg Letter

• “There is no occasion, then, for making immersion, on a profession of faith, absolutely essential to a Christian–though it may be greatly essential to his sanctification and comfort. … But he that thence infers that none are Christians but the immersed, as greatly errs as he who affirms that none are alive but those of clear and full vision.”

Instrumental Music

• The Restoration Movement began as a unity movement based solely on faith in Jesus and a commitment to obey God.

• Believer baptism by immersion came later, but was not considered an absolute barrier to salvation.

• Instrumental music was not an issue during the lives of Barton W. Stone or the Campbells.

Instrumental Music

• Alexander Campbell wrote extensively on the pattern of worship in a series called “Search for the Ancient Order”

• Campbell maintained that the “Ancient Order” was no creed precisely because he had “never made them, hinted that they should be, or used them as a test of christian character or terms of christian communion” (Christian Baptist 5 [3 September 1827] 369-370)

The End of Unity

• Positive Law– Benjamin Franklin (second-generation RM editor)

taught that God’s positive laws (laws that aren’t moral laws) are more important than moral laws because they are tests of faith.

– Therefore, a failure to be properly baptized or errors in worship would be outside of grace, whereas errors in how to love others, evangelism, benevolence, etc. were moral laws only and so within the realm of grace.

The End of Unity

• In debates over instrumental music, missionary societies, and other issues, many preachers borrowed the “Regulative Principle of Worship” from Zwingli and Calvin.

• Thus, scriptural silence became a prohibition.• Because the debates were over positive laws, not

moral laws, these issues became salvation issues.• Thus, there was a greater penalty for violating a

silence than a direct, plainly worded command

The Address and Declaration

• In 1888, Daniel Sommer led a group to divide over —– Located preachers– Fund raising other than free will offerings– Missionary societies– Instrumental music

• All who disagreed on these points were considered damned

1906 Division

• By 1906, David Lipscomb, as editor of the Gospel Advocate, advised the US Census Bureau that the Restoration Movement had become two denominations due to the split over the instrument and missionary societies.

The End of Unity

Today, the Churches are divided over —– Instrumental music– Located preachers– Freewill offerings– Missionary societies– Preacher notes, Bible class

materials– Pre-millennialism– Orphans homes– One cup– Sunday schools– Re-immersion of Baptists– Use of “community” in the

name

– Fellowship halls– Elder re-affirmation– Female deacons– Women wearing hats– Women speaking in class– Special music (solos, etc.)– Kitchens in the building– Children’s church– Support for Christian colleges– Support for campus

ministries– Etc.

Is There a Solution?

• The Churches of Christ do not have an answer for: “How do we know which doctrinal disagreements damn and which are covered by grace?”

• The result is great subjectivity — with the heat of emotion determining the boundaries of fellowship more than serious Bible study

• You may be right, but does that mean those who disagree are damned? Why?

Is There a Solution?• The path out of salvation is the same as the path into

salvation• If we’re saved by faith in Jesus, repentance, confession

of our faith in Jesus, and baptism, trusting Jesus to save us, then we fall away —– when we no longer have faith in Jesus

(John 4:2-3) or – when we surrender our penitence

(Heb 10:26-27) or – when we no longer trust Jesus to save us because of our

faith (Gal 5:1-7).

Bad Assumptions Produce Bad Conclusions

• Franklin’s teaching about “positive law” being higher than moral law could not be more false.

• (Mat 22:35-40 ESV) 35 And one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him. 36 "Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?" 37 And he said to him, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. 38 This is the great and first commandment. 39 And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. 40 On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets."

Bad Assumptions Produce Bad Conclusions

• (Rom 13:8-10 ESV) 8 Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. 9 For the commandments, "You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet," and any other commandment, are summed up in this word: "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." 10 Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.

The Regulative Principle Is Not Scriptural

• Jesus celebrated Passover with elements not commanded by the Law — such as multiple cups of wine.

• Jesus celebrated Hanukah at the Temple— which is a manmade holiday.

• Jesus taught in the synagogue — a manmade institution.

• But each of these honored God — despite the absence of command, example, or inference

The Regulative Principle Is Not Scriptural

• Silence is not the pivot point of doctrine. Faith and love are.

• The scriptural question isn’t “Is the text silent?” but “Would this practice honor faith in Jesus and the command to love?”

• (Gal 5:6 ESV) 6 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything, but only faith working through love.

• (Gal 5:14 ESV) 14 For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: "You shall love your neighbor as yourself."