“Revolving Around The Bible”

Friday, May 17, 2013

      Do you attest that the church in its current form of worship has existed since its inception (including perfect acts of worship and correct use of funds)?  I have been told that before the 50's, all churches of Christ gave to orphans homes until we figured that out.  If the church is still restoring itself, how can you claim that it has existed as God intended since its inception?  Proof please.

Sincerely,
Authenticity Review

Dear Authenticity Review,

The desire to serve God according to His perfect Word isn’t the same thing as churches behaving perfectly.  On any given day, a local congregation may do something wrong, but if it is honestly and humbly seeking to live and worship by Bible principles, it would still be a faithful church.  Just because many congregations (or even all) in the early Restoration movement of America got the orphan home question wrong doesn’t mean they weren’t trying to be faithful to the Bible – and when the issue did come up, congregations faced it head-on even when it hurt.

The church has always been about imperfect people following a perfect pattern.  Even in the seven churches that we read about in Revelation 2 and 3, we find that there were struggles.  In fact, almost all of Paul’s letters to churches addressed things they were doing wrong.  However, those letters also reaffirm that the apostle Paul considered churches like Corinth and Galatia to be real, faithful churches… as long as they were willing to address their faults instead of ignore them.

Which brings us to the true heart of the church.  Faithful churches alter to match the Bible whenever they realize there is a difference between God’s pattern and how they are behaving.  America is not the first country to contain people who wanted to go back to God’s Word for all that they said and did.  Even within the Bible, we see people seeking to restore Bible-based worship.  King Josiah found a copy of the Law and told the people to return to God (2 Kgs 22:10-13).  Jesus told the Jews to go back to the Scriptures and understand what God was telling them (Mk 12:24).  Jesus warned against making traditions that usurped the authority of the Scriptures (Mk 7:10-13).

The church has never been destroyed, and throughout many ages, cultures, and countries, there have been people who have sought to honestly and humbly serve God.  The Restoration Movement in America is merely one story of people that have sought to put God’s Word back into its rightful place.  The Bible is the seed of the church (Lk 8:11).  When a group of people commits itself to do what the Bible says – no more and no less – a church is formed.

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