Matthew Calling Again

by Hope, A. M. | Category: General | Oct 1993

Matthew wrote a teaching gospeL He is clearly concerned with the spoken words of the Lord Jesus. He is the only gospel writer to mention the church specifically, which he does three times.

Here is his record of church truth coming from the lips of the Lord Jesus

Himself:

I WILL BUILD MY CHURCH. Matthew 16:18

ThLL IT UNTO THE CHURCH.

IF HE REFUSE TO HEAR ThE CHURCH. Matthew 18:17

When Matthew wrote these words did he grasp their meaning? Did Peter, when he first heard them? What about us; have we tried to grapple with our Lord's introducfion to church truth? Let us have a question and answer session. It will help if you keep your Bible open at Matthew 16.

This, then, is how the Lord Jesus introduces, us to His teaching about the church:

Matthew 16:18-19. And I also say unto thee, that thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of hades shall not prevail against it. I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven.

WAS PETER THE ROCK, THE FOUNDATION OF THE CHURCH?

It is taught by the Roman Catholic church that Peter became the first bishop of Rome and the power that Peter had exists today in the Pope. This we reject. The word "rock" used by the Lord means a "massive rock", like Gibraltar. The name "Peter" is a different word meaning "a stone". Peter cannot be the foundation of the church. ThE ROCK is a title of God. Two verses from the Psalms prove this:

"Who is a Rock beside our God?" Psalm 1&31.

"0 Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer" Psalm 19:14.

When the Lord speaks here about the rock He is clearly referring to Himself. The writer of the hymn, "Rock of Ages: cleft for me. Let me hide myself in Thee" possibly had before him the text in 1 Corinthians 10:4 which says, "The rock was Christ".

WHAT DID IT COST TO BUILD THE CHURCH?

The price God demanded was the death and resurrection of His Son. This can be proved from verse 21 of Matthew 16 where the Lord Jesus explained for the first time that He was going to Jerusalem to "suffer, bleed and die". At that time He was at Caesarea Philippi over a hundred miles from Calvary. What a price! What a Saviour!

WAS THE CHURCH ESTABLISHED WHEN THE LORD JESUS WAS

UPON EARTH?

No. He gathered disciples and taught them, among many other things, church truth. The church did not commence until PentecosL Notice the future tense, "I will build My church".

WHY WERE THE KEYS OF THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN GIVEN TO PETER?

Three answers have been suggested:

1. Peter used the keys to open doors when he preached the gospel first to Jews in Acts 2 and later to the Gentiles in Acts 10. Doors of faith were opened. The keys, therefore, have served their purpose.

2. Keys also symbolize authority. Peter was given authority by the Lord to:

"bind and loose". An example is found in Acts 5 in the death of Ananias and Sapphira. What was bound in earth was first bound in heaven. Peter therefore bound their sin upon them and God recognized this authority.

3. Of the twelve aposfies Peter is the chief (Matthew 10:2). When the Lord Jesus comes back in His kingdom some believe that Peter will be invested with authority to administer, as symbolized by the keys. Perhaps ail these answers have part of the truth in them.

Now turn to Matthew 18 for more church truth. Here is our text:

If he (the offending brother) refi~se to hear them (witnesses), tell it unto the church: and if he re~se to hear the church also, let him be unto thee as the Gentile and the publican.

WHAT CHURCH IS THIS?

This cannot be the Church, the Body of Christ, which includes all believers dead or alive in Christ. It can only refer to a church of God. We shall try to make this plain towards the end of this article. Meanwhile:

IF SOMEONE OFFENDS US WHAT STEPS SHOULD BE TAKEN?

The Lord Jesus explained: verse 15: The dispute can be settled in private. Verse 16: If not resolved, the validity of the accusation is to be assessed before two or three witnesses. Verse 17: If still not resolved after forgiveness is offered and forgiveness refused then the matter goes wider. It is to be bronght before the church.

HAS THE CHURCH POWER TO EXCOMMUNICATE?

Yes. Excommunication is a strong word: there is something final about iL The offending brother is to be treated as a Gentile. He has ignored the church and must now take an outside place. There can be no fellowship with such a person. Does thisseem hard? The teaching of the chapter would emphasize the importance of a spirit of forgiveness.

IN WHAT SENSE CAN THE CHURCH '~IND AND LOOSE"?

We suggest there is a comparable verse in John 20:23 where the Lord Jesus says:

"Whose soever sins ye forgive, they &e forgiven unto them; whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained". When an offending brother is put away, the church binds the sin upon him (or retains the sin). Should the person subsequently repent and return, the church looses the sin (or forgives). An example of this is found in 1 Corinthians 5 when the sinning man was put out of the church. Thank:fully, he found a place of repentance and forgiveness as recorded in 2 Corinthians.2.

TWO PEOPLE IN THE CHURCH AGREE TO ASK GOD FOR SOM~ THING (VERSE 19). WHAT DOES THIS MEAN?

Notice that the Lord is speaking a second time - "again I say unto you". This may well refer back to the two witnesses who are acting in harmony in an attempt to gain their brother. Perhaps here is an example of united prayer. If the supplication of a righteous man means much to God, and it certainly does, more so the supplication of two.

'~OR WHERE TWO OR THREE ARE GATHERED TOGETHER IN MY NAME THERE AM I IN THE MIIDST OF THEM". WHAT DO WE UNDERSTAND BY THIS?

The verse is linked to the previous one by the preposition "for". So the "two or three" could refer back again to the witnesses. Such willl know the Lord's presence among them by carrying out His teaching. Perhaps Paul knew of this saying when, as mentioned already, the sinning brother was put away from the Church of God in Corinth. He says, in 1 Corinthians 5:4, "In the name of our Lord Jesus, ye being gathered together, and my spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus".

TO SUM UP:

Some define the church of Matthew 16 as the church universal, while in Matthew 18 it is the local church. Some believe it is the church in two aspects, One heavenly and one earthly. Others maintain, including ourselves, that the two verses refer to two distinct churches. One thing is plain, namely, that the Church the Body of Christ has no recognisable houndiries, but in Matthew 18 there is a recognized circle with boundary lines.

The Lord's teaching about the churches became operative at Pentecost. Later, this teaching was enlarged upon by the apostles. All who read this magazine regularly will know that we hold strongly to the view that, in the New Testament, the word church applies to two separate groups. God's Word is very pure (Psalm 119:140). God has revealed the Church, the Body of Christ and the church of God. These are scriptural terms.

We conclude that the Church of Matthew 16 is the Church the Body of Christ, and that of Matthew 18 is the church of God. Each church of God is part of a fellowship of churches. These distinctions are not just academic. All church truth is important, and we are indebted to Matthew for introducing us to the plain words spoken by the Lord Jesus.

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by faith. It is referred to in Ephesians 5:5 "this ye know of a surety, that no fornicator, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, which is an idolator, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God". That is the kingdom of God over which Christ has been placed in absolute authority, and obedience to His Word and resulting conformity in holy living is required if we would continue to hold our inheritance in it.

We can see then the need for diligence on our part. When Jude set out to write about our common salvation the Holy Spirit directed him to write instead about contending earnestly for the faith once for all delivered to the saints. The difference between the two subjects is important to notice. Our common salvation has to do with the inheritance which is reserved for us in heaven. There is no need to contend for thai But the faith which has been entrusted to us has to be contended for, beeause our Adversary is doing his utmost to undermine it. Certainly it is worth contending for, and as we do

so we come into our inheritance of divine service within God's house and kingdom.

Guarding his inheritance cost Naboth his life, for queen Jezebel conspired to have him slain and then Ahab walked into the vineyard to take possession of it; or so he thoughi But God in heaven had other thoughts. And that is the point where Elijah comes into the story again. It is the old Elijah we are so familiar with. No trace of fear now, not even of queen Jezebel. "God gave us not a spirit of fearfulness; but of power and love and discipline", and in that spirit Elijah approached the king with his solemn message of God's judgemeni Young Elisha, never far from his side, wQuld take note of how fearlessly and faithfully God's servant delivered the message. It is required in stewards that a man be found faithful and Elisha was learning this sort of faithfulness from a man who had been true to it nearly all his life. May God help us also to similar faithfulness for it is something which God rates very highly indeed.

Hope, A. M. | Oct 1993
General