The "Modern" Concept of the Church
We noted last week the comments of John MacArthur, from his book, Twelve Ordinary Men, concerning the church. He wrote: "Peter preached at Pentecost, and three thousand people were added to the church" (69). It is absolutely a fact that Peter preached on that day (Acts 2:14, 37-38), and three thousand who gladly received his word were baptized and added to the church (Acts 2:41, 47). Notice how skillfully MacArthur mentions that 3,000 were saved and added to the church without mentioning the part about their being baptized. That's a very clever but disingenuous approach to interpreting the Scriptures.
The reason is that he does not believe water baptism has anything to do with salvation. On the very next page of his book, he talks about how "Moody then and there gave his heart to Christ" (indicating salvation), but he never mentions what Acts 2:41 does (70). He does not say that Moody gladly received the word and was baptized. He has obviously substituted the Scriptural description of salvation with his own version of the gospel—"giving one's heart to Jesus." He did not cite a Scripture for that because nowhere in the New Testament did anyone preach, "Give your heart to Jesus." If anyone truly gave his heart to Jesus, he would have done what Jesus taught (Mark 16:16).
The Church
We should also ask why someone who claims the church is 2,000 years old is not a member of it. He agrees that the church has existed since Pentecost and that it was "built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone" (Eph. 2:20) (169). So, why is he not a member of the church of Christ? How does he view the church?
Where in the Scriptures can one find the phrase, "Reformed Protestant"? People are never embarrassed to tell others, when they are asked, "I'm a Christian." "Yes, but what kind?" "The kind you read about in the New Testament." That's easy and accurate to say. But what meaning, in light of New Testament doctrine, does, "I'm a Reformed Protestant," convey? Is there a Grace Community Church in the New Testament somewhere?
Why isn't MacArthur concerned about that 2,000-year-old church that he writes about? Protestantism did not begin until 1,500 years later. Reformed Protestantism, according to Wikipedia,
is a major branch of Protestantism that follows the theological tradition and forms of Christian practice set down by John Calvin and other Reformation-era theologians…. Calvinists broke from the Roman Catholic Church in the 16th century.
Now where does the New Testament speak of branches of Protestantism? The truth is that it cannot be found in the pages of inspiration. MacArthur is "pastor" of Grace Community Church, which claims to be a non-denominational religious group. They are described as an evangelical megachurch founded in 1956 and located in Sun Valley, a neighborhood in the San Fernando Valley of Los Angeles, California.
No congregation of God's people in the New Testament is called Grace Community Church. How did they arrive at that name; they admit they made up the first two words: While 'Grace' and 'Community' were our choice in defining who we are, 'Church' was mandated by God." But this doesn't follow the pattern of the New Testament. Consider the following descriptions.
Paul addressed Romans "to all who are in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints" (Rom. 1:7). Later, Paul references "the church in Cenchrea" (16:1), and at the close of the letter he informs the congregation that the "churches of Christ greet you" (16:16).
Paul wrote "to the church of God which is at Corinth" (1 Cor. 1:2). He instructs brethren that they should give no offense "to the church of God" (10:32). He later mentions "the churches of Galatia" (1 Cor. 16:1) and "the churches of Asia" (16:19).
Paul addresses his second letter to the Corinthians by calling them "the church of God which is at Corinth" (1:1).
Paul writes to "the churches of Galatia" (1:2).
Paul writes to "the saints who are in Ephesus" (1:1), in Philippi (1:1), and in Colosse (1:2).
Paul addresses "the church of the Thessalonians in God the/our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ" (1:1:1 and 2:1:1).
In addition, all the letters to the churches in Asia are addressed to the angel of "the church" in a particular location. None of them is addressed to Grace Community Church. Furthermore, in the book of Acts the usual designation is "the church" (Acts 2:47; 5:11; 8:1, 3; 11:22, 26; 12:1, 5; 13:1; 14:27; 15:3-4; 18:22; 20:17, 28). So, how do we get to dozens (if not hundreds) of religious groups with all manner of names—and not notice there is something wrong with such confusion?
In other words, how do we get from such descriptions as "the church," "the church of God," "the churches of Christ," which all refer to the same thing, to dozens of names that few people recognize or know the meaning of? And people act like it's normal!
The Statement of Belief
The following paragraph comes from Grace Community's own web page. They call all of the topics they cover: The Doctrinal Statement of Grace Community Church. Concerning the church, they have several paragraphs. Below is the first of these.
We teach that all who place their faith in Jesus Christ are immediately placed by the Holy Spirit into one united spiritual Body, the church (1 Corinthians 12:12-13), the bride of Christ (2 Corinthians 11:2; Ephesians 5:23-32; Revelation 19:7-8), of which Christ is the Head (Ephesians 1:22; 4:15; Colossians 1:18).
This tenet of their beliefs is severely flawed. First, nothing is said of repentance and baptism. What do they mean by people "who place their faith in Jesus"? Is that simply mental assent, or must they be genuinely convinced that Jesus is the Christ, the Divine Son of God? But even if it does mean the latter, do they not need to repent of their sins? Do their sins not need to be washed away? MacArthur is fond of saying that Peter preached on Pentecost and three thousand were saved and added to the church, but he is not too keen on describing the means by which they were added, which are repentance and baptism (Acts 2:38, 41).
Second, Peter did not tell the multitude that, if they believed his message, the Holy Spirit would place them in the one body. Acts 2:47 says that the LORD (not the Holy Spirit) "added to the church daily those who were being saved." Grace Community's doctrine does not come from the New Testament. No one's statements should be accepted without proof.
Third, what is that "one united spiritual Body, the church"? The Scriptures he cites absolutely teach that there is one body, but how does he square the abundance of "Christian" denominations with those passages? And since some of those sprinkle infants while others immerse believers, in what sense is that unity? Hello! Where is the authority for "branches" of Christianity? What New Testament book teaches that?
The doctrinal statement says that the church began on Pentecost (which is true) and "will be completed at the coming of Christ for His own at the rapture…." Not all agree with pre-millennial ideology; how can the one spiritual body be united on that?
In their third paragraph, Grace Community affirms that the church is made up of all born-again believers. What is that supposed to mean? The phrase "born again believers" is redundant. No one becomes a Christian without being born again (John 3:3, 5; Rom. 6:2-7). When one is buried with Christ in baptism, his sins (and he has repented of these, which equals dying to sin) are washed away, and he arises to walk in newness of life. In other words, he has been born again. The old person was crucified and buried with Christ—then raised with Him.
Conspicuously Absent
Other paragraphs contain correct Biblical principles such as churches being autonomous and organized as directed in the New Testament. MacArthur actually agrees with the Scriptures on a number of teachings. But he does not offer any explanation for all the denominations that exist or explain how he can fellowship them when they disagree in doctrine. For example, consider the following paragraph.
We teach that two ordinances have been committed to the local church: baptism and the Lord's Supper (Acts 2:38-42). Christian baptism by immersion (Acts 8:36-39) is the solemn and beautiful testimony of a believer showing forth his faith in the crucified, buried, and risen Savior, and his union with Him in death to sin and resurrection to a new life (Romans 6:1-11). It is also a sign of fellowship and identification with the visible Body of Christ (Acts 2:41-42).
Neither baptism nor the Lord's Supper are called ordinances in the Scriptures. While baptism may be a demonstration of one's faith (in that he is responding to the gospel), he is being baptized because he wants his sins to be forgiven (Acts 2:38). Baptism does mean "immersion," but what about all those who do not know that fact? Does MacArthur fellowship those who have been sprinkled? And if he does, in what sense does the church have unity—when they teach two different doctrines concerning salvation?
The doctrinal statement also advocates that Christians keep the Lord's Supper, but not a word about frequency appears. Should it be done daily, weekly, monthly, or semi-annually (say, at Christmas and Easter)? If no information is provided on this matter, are Christians supposed to fellowship all who call themselves Christians?
Likewise, is every entity that calls itself a church actually a church of Christ? Even when they originated more than one thousand, five hundred years after Jesus ascended into heaven? Do we not recall that Jesus said that He would build His church (Matt. 16:18)? So, did He decide to name it after Luther or the Wesley brothers? Did He choose to call it after the office of the leaders—Presbyterian or Episcopal? No, that's why we see it called in the New Testament "the churches of Christ" (since He is the builder and the Head over it) or the church of God (since He is Deity).
But it is also referred to as "the church" because He only established one—not hundreds—one. Paul says as much in Ephesians 4:4-6 when he is providing reasons for brethren to remain united. He begins by saying, "There is one body…." He has already identified the church as the body (Eph. 1:22-23), and he will do so again in Ephesians 5:23. This one church cannot teach different doctrines regarding salvation. It is either "faith only" or baptism for the forgiveness of sins (Acts 2:38). Which of these do the Scriptures clearly teach?