Connecting the DotsRegenerate Church Membership is a direct outgrowth of Biblical Authority. How is that you ask? First, the Bible is only able to be understood by a person who is saved. Second, the Bible is only able to have authority over a saved person. Before we look at some versed let me explain the second reason more clearly. Yes, the Bible does have authority over everyone as far as stating that all have sinned (Romans 3:23). Yes, the Bible does have authority over everyone when it says that the wages of that sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life (Romans 6:23). These two truths are the only authority the Bible has over unsaved people. They are damned but there is hope for them as well. It is a bad news good news deal. The bad and good news is all wrapped up in what we call the Gospel. As far as the rest of the Bible (namely the New Testament) goes there is nothing bearing authority over them. So when I say that the Bible is only able to have authority of a saved person I mean as it pertains to life after salvation. The Bible tells those who are saved that we are to love or enemies, bear each other's burdens, go to church, pray without ceasing and much more. These are only for believers and and can only be done by believers. If mere actions were all that there was to being a Christian then anyone who followed what the Bible says about outward actions would be a Christian, but this is not the case. Actions come from the heart and actions that are in obedience to God. These actions can only come from a heart that has been changed the Spirit of God. We are not to merely change the actions of unbelievers we are to give them the Gospel and see God transform their entire life.
You may think this sounds good and agree with me, but you still wonder about one thing, that one thing being where is the Scripture baking these thoughts? Great question. Remember, if Biblical Authority is our foundations as a Church we need to be able to point to Scripture for doing what we do. So what passages tell us that only the Bible can only be understood and have authority over saved people? I will give you just a few of the many passages and I will let you see what they say.[Romans 8:5-7; 1 Corinthians 2:1-16; 1 Peter 1:23]
I trust that you have looked at the verses and they have connected some dots for you. What we have just done was take Biblical Authority and Show how it naturally leads to Regenerate (saved) Church Membership. In summary. Since the Bible can only exercise authority over a saved individual (understood through the explanation given) and be understood by a saved individual anyone who desires to be a member of a local church of which its foundation/authority is based on Scripture they must be able to understand scripture and be able for it to have authority over them. The only way this is possible is again for that person to be saved.
Regenerate Church Membership in the New TestamentAgain since our authority is found in Scripture we must test and see if Regenerate Church Membership is found is Scripture. It all must go back to the Bible. Our understanding of Church membership found in our church constitution, gives us a formal membership process. We ask for anyone desiring to join as a member to share their testimony (how they were saved). We ask when they were baptized, then and only then they are voted into membership. This formal understanding is not found in Scripture. This does not make Regenerate Church Membership
unbiblical thought. It is very clear in scripture that the entire church body is made up of saved/regenerate people.
1. Patterns of the N.T. Church [Act 2: 37-41]
Peter is preaching to a Jewish crowd and telling them in short that Jesus who they crucified and buried was indeed their Messiah, for he did not remain in the grave but God raised him from the dead, loosing the pangs of death. He went on to tell them that the Jesus who they killed, God has made both Lord and Christ.
After hearing Peter's words they were cut to the heart and many 'repented' (saved) and were 'baptized'. We are told in verse 41 that those who 'received his word' (saved) were also baptized and were added to the church.
2. To whom the Letters of the N.T. are Written [Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians]
When we write a letter we address it so someone. It can be an individual such as; Blaine, Scott or Cara. It can be to a group of people such as; Grace Baptist Youth Group, Student Council or the Underwater Basket Weaving Class. We understand who it is intended for and it is intended for that individual or that group and no one else. The books of the New Testament are all like this. Galatians -Philippians will do to show this but we are able to see this in all the other books of the New Testament as well.
We see in Galatians 1:1-4 that the book is written to the 'Churches of Galatia' those whom Christ gave himself to deliver. Only saved people have been delivered. More specifically, since only saved people have been delivered and it is to these people Paul is writing are a part of the Churches of Galatia. The Churches of Galatia are to be understood as been made up of people who have already been 'delivered' or saved.
Both Ephesians and Philippians are similar to this, but look it up yourself as see.
Summary/ApplicationSeeing that the Bible is our Authority and for the Bible to have authority over the Church all its members saved what are we to do? If we were to stop here and say that this is all the N.T. says about the church it would allow the church to become stagnant. There would be nothing keeping it from being no more that a group of holy people coming together seeking to see what the the bible says about how they are to then live. At best it would be a group of believers sharing the Gospel with the world and seeing people saved to just go to Church. It does not stop here. As we will learn in future lesson the Body of Christ is called to much more than just growing and making disciples of Christ. The church is responsible for discerning the will of God for that local church. The church is responsible for seeking God's will in different areas. Purchasing a building, hiring pastors, supporting missionaries. All actions that the church does are spiritual, from figuring when it is the right time for them to build a new building to hiring a new pastor.
We are in the midst of both of these. It is the members or the congregation that will decide what God's will is for these spiritual matters. As we have learned only saved people can make these spiritual decisions in discerning the will of God. Thus it is important that when people seek to be members of our church we must evaluate if they are saved, because they will have a role in discerning the will of God in spiritual matters for our church.
If you have been saved and have been baptised it is important that you become a member of a church. If you have been saved but not yet baptized, it is time for you to see if you are serious about your salvation and take the next step of baptism and then join the church.
God Bless,
Dave
