New Testament Churches Of God

by T.M. Hyland, Birkenhead | Category: New Testament Churches Of God | Nov 1967

We conclude the series of articles by various writers on New Testament Churches of God, which has appeared in Needed Truth during the present year, with some general comments and then pass on to review the relevance of this important subject to our own times.

In the introductory article to the series in January last we drew attention to the importance of the subject by emphasizing that apostolic teaching and practice were based on the authority of the risen Lord. It was during the forty days between His resurrection and ascension to the Father that the Lord gave to His apostles the blueprint of the kingdom of God for the present age. We also pointed out that the establishment and preservation of the New Testament churches was a cause to which the apostles devoted their lives in the service of God. This is evident from the prominence given to this subject in the New Testament writings. And the apostles passed on to faithful men the pattern they had received, and that pattern was observed wherever churches of God were established.

It is perfectly clear from the New Testament that the extension of the kingdom of God which occurred in apostolic days was achieved because the apostles and those who laboured with them were faithful to the charge they had received. The work of God through these men was bound up with the churches of God they established in various parts of the world. As the Lord promised, the power of the Holy Spirit was behind the movement, and the churches became a chain of witness throughout the world. They were golden lampstands of divine testimony under the authority of the Lord Jesus Christ (Revelation 1.20). Each church was composed of baptized disciples, added together and separated from the world (Acts 2.41,42;5.13). They were God's husbandry (or tilled land), God's building and God's temple (1 Corinthians 3.9,16). Here disciples were planted, nurtured and brought to spiritual maturity, being cared for by pastors and teachers. In a hostile world they were required to continue steadfastly in the Faith. A high standard of moral rectitude was demanded of them, and discipline was imposed in varying degrees for specified offences extending in certain cases to the extreme action of excommunication from the church (1 Corinthians 5). They were also to be a worshipping people, and instructions were given to regulate their collective activities at the public gathering of the church on the first day of the week. The breaking of the bread was the focal point of the gathering of the church on that day, and was followed by worship, praise and thanksgiving, and by the exercise of the gifts for the edification of the church under the presidency of the Holy Spirit.

The unity of the New Testament churches of God was ensured by a united elderhood. This important aspect of our subject is considered in the articles which appeared in April and May issues of Needed Truth. As a means of preserving this unity, the procedure followed at the Jerusalem conference of apostles and elders is worthy of careful study (Acts 15). There is abundant evidence in the New Testament of joint action by groups of churches, and the use of letters of commendation among them is further confirmation of the unity of those churches in one fellowship. This unity went far beyond mere association; it was a c~ partnership which accepted joint responsibility and inter-dependence. We believe this to be crucial in the New Testament pattern. We cannot develop the subject further here. Readers are referred to the articles which appeared in our April and May issues. A booklet, entitled Churches of God in Apostolic Teaching, which may be obtained from our Publishing Office, also gives fuller treatment of the subject.

In our introduction, in January last, to this series of articles we raised the question, Does the authority of the word of God apply to church constitution and practice in our times? We did so because there are large numbers of believers who acknowledge Holy Scripture to be the sole basis for faith, and yet seem indifferent to this important subject. If the principles on church constitution enunciated by our Lord and His apostles were intended for the entire age from Pentecost to His return, and surely this is beyond dispute, then the neglect of these important matters by the present generation of believers is a serious reproach.

We have referred in former articles to the gradual departure from the Faith which occurred towards the close of the apostolic period. Following the death of the apostles the process of departure gathered speed until the light of the New Testament churches was finally extinguished. Last month our contributor drew attention to the gradual recovery of divine truth which began about the time of the Reformation. We owe a great debt, under God, to the Reformers and to the martyrs of those days who laid down their lives in that great movement. It is not unfair criticism of these worthies to point out their failure to recover the New Testament pattern of church constitution. Indeed, most of them were working inside apostate systems and their objective was to reform rather than to rebuild. To bring a clean thing out of an unclean thing was an impossible task, and the futility of the attempt was exposed in the centuries which followed. In our own times the strength of the ecumenical movement proves the unsoundness of the argument that Christendom can be reformed from within. Believers inside the denominations are powerless to stem the tide. The greater number of leaders in the main denominations seem quite prepared to barter the truth recovered by the Reformers in exchange for the great religious combine they are hoping to construct. Such is the predicament facing many believers at the present time.

It was left to other men, in quieter times, and away from the

main stream of the major denominations, to recover from the New Testament the pattern of church constitution which the Reformers had disregarded. The work of these men, although less spectacular than that of the Reformation, was none the less a recovery of divine truth of inestimable worth. It soon became evident that those who desired to put into effect the divine principles on church truth which had now come to light would be unable to do so in their sectarian associations. If they were to build on a divine foundation it would be necessary for them to leave their associations and begin afresh. This would mean separating themselves from many of their dearly beloved brethren and sisters in Christ. It was a high price to pay, but there was no other way if they were to follow the new light. Many counted the cost and decided it was too high.

One of the early brethren used by God to clarify New Testament teaching on church truth was a young man, F. A. Banks. He was a godly expositor of the word, and his spiritual stature can be measured by the fact that at his lamented death, at the early age of twenty-five, he left behind a collection of writings on scriptural subjects which reveal a remarkable spiritual insight into the great doctrines of Holy Scripture.' Among his writings, first published in 1883, was a pamphlet, entitled The Church, and the Churches of God: A suggestive outline of truth. This was appraised by many godly and competent students of the New Testament as a great step forward in the understanding of church truth. We do not claim that each detail of this outline can necessarily be established. Since those days further truth on this subject has been mined from the New Testament. But nothing has appeared in the intervening years to disturb the main thesis laid down by this able exponent of the doctrine of the Lord. It set forth with clarity and power what many had been groping after for a long time.

This pamphlet has been out of print for some years. Because of its historical importance, we propose to re-print it without amendment in the December issue of Needed Truth. Thereafter it will be available in pamphlet form from our Publishing Office.

It is not surprising that this new light which exposed the error of many firmly entrenched theories should be resisted and opposed. The "religious" Press of those days did not welcome exposition of Scripture on the lines we have indicated, and those who wished to spread abroad the precious light they had received found themselves without an adequate publishing medium. It was in these circumstances that Needed Truth was born. It first appeared as a quarterly in 1888. In the introduction to the first issue these words appear:

"Despite all that has been written and published; despite the fact that many minds are ever at work in many forms of worthy diligence; it cannot be denied that one of the most important and most needed lines of truth that have been given by revelation of God, yet remains without exponent in the Press, certainly without serial exposition... As we embark on our enterprise we cast us upon our God, seeking His favour and His help, asking from our fellows only that they will read before they judge, and seek to understand before they venture to condemn."

In the years 1892 to 1894, after much searching of heart, a number of believers withdrew from their former associations and came together as churches of God in accordance with what they deemed the apostolic pattern. Many did so at great personal cost, and no other reason than loyalty to the revealed will of God would have induced them to do so. It demanded great courage. They were ridiculed and maligned but the movement survived. By divine grace, Needed Truth has continued its witness throughout the past 80 years, and churches of God are in existence in various parts of the world today.

When attempting to give effect to newly revealed truth it is always necessary to guard against spiritual pride. Once a scriptural position is reached, it does not follow that it is secure. Israel's sad failure in the past stands on record as a salutary warning for all time (Romans 11.21). Even after stepping out in faith in obedience to God's word, constant vigilance is necessary lest legality and formalism displace spirituality, and true separation degenerates into mere isolation. These are ever-present dangers and, no doubt, because of them many believers elevate devotional teaching to a higher plane than positional truth. They regard it as pride and arrogance for any company of people to claim divine authority for their church position. But whatever dangers there be in taking up a positive attitude on New Testament teaching on churches of God, we dishonour our beloved Lord if we avoid the challenge of His clear instructions relating to the kingdom of God in the present age.

It is necessary for all who wish to be loyal to the teaching of our Lord and His apostles to take care not to over-stress one part of truth at the expense of another. There are many examples of this evil in history, and in the denominations of our times. The Faith of our Lord Jesus Christ is indivisible, each part being necessary to the whole. Failure to grasp this has been the cause of much failure and, we suggest, the present divisions among believers may be traced to this defect. There has been a tendency to regard New Testament truth on church position and practice as unprofitable and divisive. This was emphasized in an important address by a well-known evangelical leader some time ago. He recalled that for 30 years he had been associated with evangelical work in London, but "had always found it impossible to hold a discussion on the doctrine of the Church in case someone was offended and divisions caused". Why? Surely because many cherished and deeply engrained practices in the denominations are exposed as error when the light of New Testament teaching is applied to them.

Such is the position today. What of the future? How will believers in the various denominations react as the ecumenical movement gathers strength, as it surely will? Will they remain hoping still to bear effective witness inside the great religious combine? As we have pointed out, Scripture and history testify to the futility of such a policy. Surely the call to the faithful is now, as it will be in future days when the great apostate system of the end-time is about to be judged,

"Come forth, My people, out of her, that ye have no fellowship with her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues" (Revelation 18.4).

In closing, we face the solemn question, Is it possible even in these perilous times to take up a church position conforming to the New Testament pattern? We believe this to be the supreme challenge facing believers today. The analogy of Scripture and the teaching of the New Testament point the way. There is no alternative consistent with loyalty to our Lord Jesus Christ than to go forward. The struggle for truth will intensify as the coming of the Lord draws near. Ridicule and contempt will need to be faced, but let us not be daunted. We need faith and courage equal to that of the Reformers. Weakness and failure there may be, as there was in the New Testament churches, but in the fear of God, humbly depending on His gracious Spirit, we can prevail and serve the counsel of God in this generation.

T.M. Hyland, Birkenhead | Nov 1967
New Testament Churches Of God