The Church (Assembly)
and the Kingdom of God
Part 2 of a study - by
Bob Allgood
In
part one I believe I sufficiently established these Biblical precepts:
1.
The terms “kingdom of heaven” and “kingdom of God”
are New Testament terms and cannot be found in the Old Testament.
2.
The terms “kingdom of heaven” and “kingdom of God”
are often, if not generally, synonymous and interchangeable. Proof text: Matthew
19:23-24
3. The “gospel of the kingdom” as preached
by Jesus in Matthew 4:23, is the same “gospel of the kingdom of God”
as preached by Jesus in Mark 1:14.
4.
One aspect of the Kingdom of God, and there may be several aspects, is that it is
“spiritual”, and not physical or material. The kingdom comes not with
observation (natural visual sight) and is within you or in your midst (Luke 17:20-21).
The kingdom of God is “not meat and drink; but righteousness, and
peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost” (Romans 14:17). In this sense “the kingdom” is the realm
in which the will of God is being done in the power and demonstration of the Holy Spirit.
5.
The sovereign dominion of God over his creation, including the human race and the
universe, encompasses that which is called in the New Testament, the “kingdom of God”
and “kingdom of heaven”, and this “kingdom” encompasses the New Testament Church
(Assembly).
IF I have not erred so far, then I believe the following to be true.
Since the terms “kingdom of God” and “kingdom of heaven” are
synonymous with the terms “kingdom of Christ” (Eph. 5:5) and “the kingdom
of his dear Son” (Col. 1:13), and the “kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus
Christ” – and since this is the kingdom prepared from before the foundation of
the world as the inheritance of the saints, (Matt 25:34) for all of the elect of God, THEN
this INHERITANCE is not limited to those blessed to see and enter the New Testament Church
(Assembly). In other words, those true believers who are in the NT gospel church are in
the spiritual kingdom, but everyone in the spiritual kingdom of God is not
in the NT gospel church.
I know of NO scripture that ever speaks of the New Testament Church (Assembly) as being the “inheritance” of
the elect (i.e. saints) of God. If you do, I would appreciate hearing from you so that I
may become enlightened on this matter. It seems to me that if the NT church is an
inheritance for the saints of God then they would not need to “repent and be
baptized” in order to enter the NT church (assembly). An inheritance is received not
earned. On the other hand, in Matthew 25:34,
Jesus said to his Sheep “Come, ye blessed of my Father, INHERIT the kingdom prepared
for you from the foundation of the world”. What the Sheep had done in verses 35-40
was evidence proving they were Sheep and not works by which they earned their inheritance.
This inheritance is for ALL of God’s elect, not just those who have been
blessed to find the New Testament Church (Assembly). Peter wrote, “Blessed be the God
and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten
us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, To an
inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for
you, Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in
the last time” (1st Peter 1:3-5). Surely no one but the Calvinist will
argue that ONLY those elect IN the NT Church (assembly) are “kept by the power of God
through faith unto salvation”.
ALL of God’s elect who have been born of God’s Spirit have His Spirit
bearing witness with their spirit that they are children of God. Paul wrote, “For ye have not received the
spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we
cry, Abba, Father. The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the
children of God: And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ;
if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together” (Romans
8:15-17). Surely no one will claim that ONLY the elect IN the NT Church (assembly) are
“heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ”.
It seems obvious to me, from the context of the scripture, and from other
scriptures, that the words in 1st Corinthians 6:9-11 is talking about the
eternal kingdom of God and not the NT Church (assembly). Paul wrote, “Know ye not
that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters,
nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, Nor thieves, nor
covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God”. None who have not been made the righteousness of
God by the imputed righteousness of Christ shall inherit the “kingdom of God”.
And so Paul added these words, “And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye
are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of
our God”. Since the NT Church (assembly) is IN the inherited Kingdom, then those who
have been washed, sanctified, and justified – and have repented and been baptized are
also IN the NT Church which is IN the kingdom.
This same principle is taught in Ephesians 5:5-10. Paul wrote, “For this
ye know, that no whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater,
hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. Let no man deceive you with vain words:
for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience. Be
not ye therefore partakers with them. For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light
in the Lord: walk as children of light: (For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness
and righteousness and truth;) Proving what is acceptable unto the Lord”. Paul makes
it clear that God the Father, “hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance
of the saints in light: Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath
translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son: In whom we have redemption through his
blood, even the forgiveness of sins -” (Col. 1:12-14).
It seems to me that those who have been translated into the “kingdom of
Christ and of God” which is the “kingdom of his dear Son” and then blessed
to hear and understand the “gospel of the kingdom” (which they inherited), then
they are to walk “as children of light” – even in the NT Church (assembly)
if they have been blessed of God to be added to it.
IMO, much confusion would be eliminated if everyone who reads the word
“church” in the scriptures would mentally insert the word “assembly”,
and think of a “called out assembly of born again (from above or by the Spirit of
God), believers (in Jesus the Christ), who had been properly baptized in water”. But
this will not happen, and religious people, including most Primitive Baptists, will
continue to refer to a “building” as “the church”. IMO, the phrase
“church kingdom” (which is not found in the scriptures) would never have been
imagined if the Greek word "Ekklesia" had been translated “Assembly”.
But let me explain and continue to provide more proof of the above proposition.
With one exception, the words CHURCH and CHURCHES as translated in the KJV
Bible come from the Greek word "Ekklesia" meaning "A Called Out
Assembly" of people. King James set down a set of rules for the translators and
the third
(3rd) rule required "the old ecclesiastical words to be kept," such
as "church" instead of "congregation" or “assembly”. The
word Ekklesia is translated Assembly 3 times in Acts 19, and Church or Churches 115 times
in the rest of the KJV; 36 times as church (singular), and 79 times as churches (plural). The one exception is found in Acts 19:37 where the
“town clerk of Ephesus”
said, “For ye have brought hither these men, which are neither robbers of churches,
nor yet blasphemers of your goddess”. The word “churches” in this passage
is the Greek word “hierosulos“ and refers to buildings such as
“temples”. Of the 115 times the word
“Ekklesia" is translated Church or Churches, 114 times it is referring to
a local, New Testament visible church or churches. Only one time in Acts 7:38 it
speaks of Moses being with “the church in the wilderness with the angel which spake
to him in the mount Sina”.
When considering the word Church or Churches in the New Testament, using a
contextual method of interpretation, IMO, the primary application should always be FIRST
to the local, visible church or churches to which the words are written. In only a few
cases does the context of the scripture allow for a SECOND application to the invisible
body of Christ, referred to as the Bride in the Revelation, to be assembled in heaven or
eternal glory. The word “Bride” is found five (5) times in the NT, once in John 3:29, and
four (4) times in the Revelation of Christ. In Revelation 21:2 John saw “the holy
city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for
her husband”. It will take a study within itself to discern what John saw or what is
being talked about by John, and the Lord willing, that will be done in due course.
Jesus was the first to use the Greek word "Ekklesia" in the New
Testament. In Matthew 16:18 we read, “And I say also unto thee, That thou
art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not
prevail against it”. IMO, Jesus is
speaking generically of the local, visible, New Testament assembly that HE will build on
Himself as the Rock, and the spiritual revelation that HE is “the Christ, the Son of
the living God”. This is the church (the house of God) that is the “pillar and
ground of the truth” (1 Tim. 3:15) in this time world.
Some may wish to argue that Jesus was speaking of the “mystical church or
invisible church” – which terms cannot be found in the scripture, but the rest
of the context does not support this argument. For Jesus went on to say in verse 19,
“And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou
shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth
shall be loosed in heaven”. Jesus gave to the First Church
the keys of the “kingdom of heaven” which IMO, proves the church was IN the
kingdom but the kingdom was not limited to the church.
These “keys” represent the authority to open or close, bind or loose,
only within its own assembly, things that pertain to the kingdom of God on
earth. This precept in taught by Jesus when HE again used the word "Ekklesia" in
Matthew 18:17 when dealing with internal church discipline. Jesus
said, “And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto the church: but if he
neglect to hear the church, let him be unto thee as an heathen man and a publican”.
This 2nd and 3rd use of the word “church (assembly)”
cannot refer to a non-existent “mystical church or invisible church”.
The next time we find the word "Ekklesia" used in the New Testament is in
Acts 2:47. We are told that “they that gladly received his word were baptized: and
the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls” and “they
continued stedfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of
bread, and in prayers. And fear came upon every soul: and many wonders and signs were done
by the apostles. And all that believed were together, and had all things common; And sold
their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need. And they,
continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house,
did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart, Praising God, and having favour
with all the people. And the Lord added to the church (assembly – ba) daily such as
should be saved”.
IMO, this passage lays the foundation for the characteristics – doctrine and
practice – of a New Testament church, and proves that those IN the church are IN the
kingdom, but not all who are IN the kingdom are IN the church. |