The Church (Assembly) and the Kingdom of God

Part 7 of a study - by Bob Allgood

 Precepts versus Concepts – Principles of Truth versus the ideas of men.

    In Isaiah 28:9-11 we read, “Whom shall he teach knowledge? and whom shall he make to understand doctrine? them that are weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breasts. For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little: For with stammering lips and another tongue will he speak to this people.” There are two questions here by Isaiah, and both ask the same thing. Whom shall the Lord teach knowledge and make to understand doctrine (i.e. his teachings)? Isaiah answers the two questions with one answer, “them that are weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breasts”. Paul spoke of this when he wrote to the Hebrews and said, “For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat. For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe. But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil”. 

  If I understand this correctly, Godly knowledge and sound doctrine is taught to God’s people, precept by precept, by the Holy Spirit using the inspired Scriptures as given by God. This is why Isaiah says, “For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little –“. This  is why Paul said, "Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth” (2 Tim 2:15 ). One of the most shameful things I know of is for a minister NOT to rightly divide the word of truth. Solomon in his God given wisdom wrote, “He that answereth a matter before he heareth it, it is folly and shame unto him” (Proverbs 18:13). This teaches me that it is “folly and shame” for a person to pass judgment on a matter or form a conclusion about a matter before hearing all the evidence or knowing all the facts. And it is even more so a “folly and shame” when such a judgment or conclusion is based on a concept contrary to the “Precepts of God’s word”.

    A PRECEPT is a principle of truth. A CONCEPT is only a general idea derived or inferred from some specific instance or occurrence. A Precept is a rule or principle prescribing a particular course of action or conduct, or doctrine. A Concept is merely some thought or notion formed in the mind, usually by a pretext of the scriptures. This is why Paul warned   the church at Colosse, “Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ”.

  In Luke 20:20-21 we read, “And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come” -- our Lord Jesus Christ made the statement “The kingdom of God cometh not with observation: Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you”. Jesus, not Bob Allgood, laid down a PRECEPT concerning the Kingdom of God – and that is “The kingdom of God cometh not with observation - the kingdom of God is within you”. I have already shown that the words “cometh not with observation” mean “without ocular inspection or eyesight”. So in this PRECEPT, Jesus, not Bob Allgood, said, the Kingdom of God cannot be seen with the eye. Paul the apostle, not Bob Allgood, confirms this PRECEPT in Romans 14:17 “For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.”

    It seems obvious to me that the “kingdom of God” under consideration had not yet come, but was nigh or at hand, for this was the message of both John the Baptist and Jesus (see Matthew 3:1-2 and 4:17). Jesus had said earlier to his disciples, “Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom” (Luke 12:32). If the “little flock” represents the visible church in this time world, then what is “the kingdom” the Father was going to give to them if it is not The Holy Spirit of God to abide with them until the end of the ages. Jesus confirmed this in John 14:16-17 when he said, “And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it SEETH HIM NOT, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you”. Jesus went on to say in verse 18, “I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you”.  As I understand it, this is “the kingdom of God – Christ in you the hope of glory”.

  How then do some deny the very words of our Lord and Saviour and the apostle Paul and say the “kingdom of God” (i.e. the realm of God in which his will is being done through the power of the Holy Spirit) is the local, visible NT church (assembly) which can be seen. Would it not be true to say that EACH individual that makes up a local visible NT church (assembly) is IN Christ (i.e. IN the Holy Spirit) and Christ IN him (i.e. the Holy Spirit IN him) and therefore the church is IN the kingdom of God. But not all who are born of God and in the spiritual kingdom of God (i.e. in the Holy Ghost) are in the NT church.  This does mean the evidence of “the kingdom of God” cannot be seen with the eye, but none have ever seen the Holy Spirit of God. Jesus said, “The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit”. 

  Matthew 8:11 has been quoted by me to show the “kingdom of heaven” is not the local visible NT church (assembly) and by another to prove that it is. Let’s look at it and see what is taught there. The context includes verse 5 – 13. Verse 5-10 read, “And when Jesus was entered into Capernaum, there came unto him a centurion, beseeching him, And saying, Lord, my servant lieth at home sick of the palsy, grievously tormented. And Jesus saith unto him, I will come and heal him. The centurion answered and said, Lord, I am not worthy that thou shouldest come under my roof: but speak the word only, and my servant shall be healed. For I am a man under authority, having soldiers under me: and I say to this man, Go, and he goeth; and to another, Come, and he cometh; and to my servant, Do this, and he doeth it. When Jesus heard it, he marvelled, and said to them that followed, Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel”. 

    We should notice that this Centurion had faith. He was a child of God.  When Jesus heard his words, he marvelled, and said to them that followed, “Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel”.  Was not this Centurion in the family of God? Was he not born of God by the Spirit of God?  Was he not in the spiritual Kingdom of God? I believe he was, for Jesus adds to this comment in verse 11, “And I say unto you, That many shall come from the east and west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven”. 

    Had not this Centurion who was NOT in the local visible NT church come to sit down in the kingdom of heaven with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob. Notice Jesus did not say that “Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob” will come to sit down in the local visible NT church, but that “Many shall come from the east and west” – to sit down with them --  “in the kingdom of heaven”. 

    THEN Jesus said in verse 12, “But the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth”. Notice that Jesus DOES NOT SAY, “The children of the kingdom of heaven” shall be cast out of heaven – but the children of “the kingdom” shall be “cast out into outer darkness”. What children and what kingdom are under consideration in verse 12. Are they the same as those who “shall come from the east and west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven”.  I think not, for there is no basis to cast out one whom Jesus just praised for his great faith.  There is no basis to cast out Abraham, Isaac and Jacob or those who are sitting down with them in the “kingdom of heaven”. Besides – NO WHERE can we find that the Jews were cast out of the New Testament Churches – certainly not the church which was at Jerusalem which was made up of Jewish believers. 

    Jesus talked to many Jews who claimed to be “children of God”, but they were not.  Jesus said unto them, If God were your Father, ye would love me: for I proceeded forth and came from God; neither came I of myself, but he sent me. Why do ye not understand my speech? even because ye cannot hear my word. Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it. And because I tell you the truth, ye believe me not”. It seems to me that those to be cast out into outer darkness is in the eternal sense, and they are the “children of the wicked one”.

    Walking in LIGHT versus Walking in DARKNESS

   The word LIGHT appears in the scriptures in 235 verses; 159 verses in the Old and 76 verses in the New Testament. The word DARKNESS appears in 142 verses; 97 in the Old and 45 in the New Testament. To the best of my understanding the word LIGHT is mostly used to speak of understanding the TRUTH. If one has LIGHT, he has some degree of Godly knowledge and spiritual understanding of the truth as it is taught in the Scriptures. I say “some degree” of understanding because none of us understand all things. Paul said, “For we know in part, and we prophesy in part. But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away. -- For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known”.   For the person who claims to KNOW IT ALL and have all the answers to everything, Paul said, “And if any man think that he knoweth any thing, he knoweth nothing yet as he ought to know. But if any man love God, the same is known of him”. DARKNESS is used to speak of a lack of understanding of truth and/or total spiritual blindness to the truth. It will be impossible to consider ALL these verses, but the Lord being my helper, I would like to try and consider the general subject matter, at least to the extent of this precept.

    There seems to be, among some, a “concept” (not a biblical precept) that the saints of God who are not in the true local visible NT church (assembly) have NO LIGHT and are “saints in darkness”. While they may be in “darkness” on some points of doctrine, the Scriptures do not use the term “saints in darkness”. Those who have the Spirit of God dwelling IN them have LIGHT as to the “fear of God” which is the beginning of wisdom. Proverbs 9:10 says, “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding”. I can give three (3) biblical proofs to this precept. Apollos was a man who “was instructed in the way of the Lord; and being fervent in the spirit, he spake and taught diligently the things of the Lord” but knew “only the baptism of John”. Aquila and Priscilla “took him unto them, and expounded unto him the way of God more perfectly” – and then he “mightily convinced the Jews, and that publickly, shewing by the scriptures that Jesus was Christ”. The purpose of teaching the word of God is enlighten (illuminate) them who have LIGHT with more LIGHT. Cornelius was a centurion of the band called the Italian band, (perhaps similar to the Centurion in Matthew 8:5-12). He was a child of God, “A devout man, and one that feared God with all his house, which gave much alms to the people, and prayed to God always”. He was in the kingdom of God but had never heard the gospel and was not in the local visible NT church, because he had never been baptized with water. God sent Peter to remedy this matter and Cornelius was baptized into the church which was at Jerusalem. The Ethiopian Eunuch was a child of God in the kingdom of God who had been to Jerusalem to worship God. He was in the desert of Gaza reading from the book of Isaiah, but he lacked understanding of what he was reading. God sent Philip to remedy this matter and the Eunuch was baptized into the church which was at Jerusalem.  

    The precept that Light is some degree of “understanding of the truth” is taught in the Old Testament as well as the New. In Isaiah 8:20 we read, “To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them”. Again in Isaiah 50:10 we read, “Who is among you that feareth the LORD, that obeyeth the voice of his servant, that walketh in darkness, and hath no light? let him trust in the name of the LORD, and stay upon his God”. Jesus, who is “The Light of the world”, made many comments about the LIGHT. He said in John 8:12 “I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life”. John confirms this precept in 1 John 1:5-8, “This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us”. These statements teach me that the child of God that “follows Christ - shall not walk in darkness” or as John puts it, should “walk in the light, as he is in the light”. But we also know that a child of God may “walk in darkness” and not enjoy the fellowship one has when walking “in the light”.   

  Paul also confirms this precept in his first epistle to “the church of God which was at Corinth”. Paul wrote in 2 Cor 2:11-14 “For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God. Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God. Which things also we speak, not in the words which man’s wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual. But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned”.  The truth of God – the LIGHT of His word, is spiritually discerned.