EVERY CHRISTIAN IS A MEMBER OF THE CHURCH OF CHRIST

There are those today who claim that the Bible teaches that there are Christians who are not members of the church of Christ.  But I have no hesitation in affirming that the Bible teaches that every person who is a Christian is, a member of the church of Christ.  This means, obviously, that I am affirming that the Bible teaches that there are no Christians who are not members of the church of Christ.  The church of Christ is the body of Christ (Ephesians 1:22-23; Colossians 1: 18). The saved are those who have been reconciled unto God, and those who have been reconciled unto God are members of the body (church) of Christ (Ephesians 2:13-18).  The matter is really just that simple, but in the light of the importance of the matter, let us say a bit more about it.

The Bible teaches that salvation is in Christ (II Timothy 2:10).  To be in Christ is to be in His church (Galatians 3:26-27; I Corinthians 12:13; Mark 16:15-16; Acts 20:28; Acts 2:38; Ephesians 1:7; et al.). The Bible teaches that it is impossible for one to “cross the line” into salvation without “crossing the line” into Christ.  The Bible also teaches that it is impossible for one to “cross the line” into Christ without “crossing the line” into the church.

The crucial relation of the church to salvation is seen in the statement, “And the Lord added (Greek imperfect “was adding,” TBW) to the church daily such as should be saved” (Acts 2:47, KJV).  The English Revised Version, in an excellent treatment, translates Acts 2:47 in this way: “And the Lord added to them day by day those that were being saved” (Greek present participle).

In short, the Bible teaches that there are no Christians outside of the church for which Jesus died. When one obeys the Gospel, being baptized (as a penitent believer) in the name of Christ (that is, by His authority), the Lord adds him to the church.  He never fails to do this (cf. Acts 2:41, 47; I Corinthians 12:13).

Thomas B. Warren

The Spiritual Sword (April 1985), p. 6

An Acrostic of the Word “Church”

C

Stands for Christ’s. The church belongs to Christ by right of purchase, Acts 20:28. “Take heed unto yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit hath made you overseers, to feed the church of the Lord which he purchased with His own blood.” The church is peculiarly Christ’s.

H

Stands for Head. The we read about in the Bible has only one head – that head is Christ. Ephesians 1:22f, “…and gave Him to be head over all things to the church, which is his body….”

U

Stands for Unity. The church must be found in unity – Christ prayed that “…they may all be one…” (John 17:20ff). Compare: Acts 4:32; I Corinthians 12:20; 1:10; 12:13. Unity!

R

Stands for Revealed. The kingdom the prophets wrote about and foretold was made known, hence revealed in Acts 2 – a fulfillment of Daniel 2 and Isaiah 2 and others. Acts 2:16, “This is that….”

C

Stands for the Cross. We have noted that Christ paid the price. He died on the cross for the sins of the world – Romans 5:8; Galatians 5:24; John 3:16. Song: “I Gave My Life for Thee,” “He Paid It All.”

H

Stands for Haven. The church is a haven for the saved. The Bible tells us that Christ is the Savior of the body (Ephesians 5:23); that means the body is made up of the saved. Acts 2 tells us “…the Lord added to the church those that were saved….” It is our haven now; our hope for the future in a place reserved for the faithful in Christ, our Heavenly Home. Haven – Hope – Heaven!

Jess Whitlock

HOW DO YOU SPELL C-R-O-S-S

“See”

Look at Calvary. Don’t turn away. I know it’s not easy. What is done to Him is shameful. I know. But look closely! Past the spittle. Beyond the blood. There. In His eyes. Friend, that is love. It is love for you! See the nails in His hands and feet, fastening Him to a tree He created for man’s use. Look at the love He has for you!

“Are”

Are you able to see that He bled for you? Are you willing to admit that you are lost without Him? Are you ready to submit to His will, to obey Him, and to live for Him? Are you prepared for eternity? Are you convinced?

 “Oh”

Hear His cries of pain and agony. The death of a thousand deaths. Bitter moans of His disciples. The gasp of heaven’s angels. The sorrow of a Father for His only begotten Son! The gasps and exclamations of a hateful mob.

“SS”

That’s the hiss of the beguiling serpent. The one who is bruising the heel of the perfect One (Genesis 3:15), putting God the Son in the tomb. This is the moment of his triumph. Though resurrection will soon bring the ultimate victory for Christ and hope for man, at the cross of Calvary the devil must be enjoying his front row seat. Doesn’t he anger you? Disgust you? Motivate you? Live for Jesus. Don’t live for the snake!

Friends, the cross spells the difference between heaven and hell, hope and helplessness, joy and sorrow, day and night! The cross spells life!

“And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross…” (Ephesians 2:16).

Author Unknown

THE GLORIOUS CROSS

The centerpiece of God’s plan to redeem sinful mankind—yea, of history—is the cross of Jesus Christ. The Gospel is the “word of the cross” (I Corinthians 1:18). The cross is “the power and wisdom of God” (23–24). The cross is the great “peacemaker” between Jew and Gentile and between God and sinful men (Ephesians 2:16; Colossians 1:20). Christians should therefore glory in the cross (Galatians 6:14).

The cross significantly demonstrates so many extraordinary facts

• The awfulness of sin. Most people glorify and laugh at sin, but God and His Son did not and do not. Sin is so repugnant to Deity it took the horrors of the cross to save us from it. The Righteous One suffered on the cross for the sins of the unrighteous (I Peter 3:18). Without His shed blood there is no forgiveness (Hebrews 9:22b). Only by His sacrifice could He “put away sin” (v. 26b).
• The love of God and Christ for Mankind. God’s love caused Him to give His Son to save us (John 3:16). God demonstrated His love for sinners in the death of His Son (Romans 5:8). Christ expressed His love for us on the cross (II Corinthians 5:14). God so loved us that He sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins (I John 4:10). God’s love and the cross are inseparable (John 3:16).
• The price of redemption. Christ gave himself a ransom for all (I Timothy 2:6). He “purchased” the church with His blood (Acts 20:28). He “gave himself up” for the church (Ephesians 5:25; Titus 2:14). He redeemed us “with precious blood” (I Peter 1:18–19). He “gave himself for our sins, the he might deliver us out of this present evil world” (Galatians 1:4). There could be no redemption without the cross.
• The wickedness and cruelty of men. Isaiah foretold that Jesus would be “despised and rejected” (Isaiah 53:6–8). Judas betrayed Him for 30 coins. At Jesus’ first trial, Peter, one of his “inner circle,” denied three times he knew Him. The Jewish rulers so hated Jesus that they violated the law and ignored justice. A frenzied and irrational mob cried for His crucifixion. Pilate and Herod abused Him, and Pilate delivered Him to the cross, publicly admitting He was innocent. The cross revealed the depths of cruelty and wickedness to which sinful men can plunge as they slew their only Savior.
• The nobility of meekness. To the many taunts and wild charges, “he opened not his mouth” in self-defense (Isaiah 53:7; Matthew 27:14). Although His captors spat upon Him, struck Him, mocked Him, scourged Him, and finally nailed Him to the cross, He offered no resistance or defense. “When he was reviled, he reviled not again” (I Peter 2:23). He refused to call the angelic army, awaiting His orders, to rescue Him (Matthew 26:53). Truly, they did not take His life; He laid it down (John 10:18). Jesus on the cross is meekness perfected.
• Unqualified obedience to God. Jesus came to do His Father’s will (John 6:38). He went to the cross because God required it for our redemption—there was no other way (Mat. 26:39). Jesus’ obedience took Him to the cross—the ultimate demonstration of obedience (Philippians 2:8).

The first stanza of John Bowring’s poem says it well for every saint:

In the cross of Christ I glory,
Tow’ring o’er the wrecks of time;
All the light of sacred story
Gathers round its head sublime.

Dub McClish

The Nails of the Cross

John tells us that Christ has “prints of the nails in his hands” (John 20:25). Matthew tells us that the mob on the hill of Calvary challenged Christ to “come down from the cross” (Matthew 27:40). What was it that held Christ to the cross?

1. It was not the nails that held Him to the cross. He had power to remove the nails. He could have called “more than twelve legions of angels” to help and remove Him from the cross (Matthew 26:53). He who had the power to still the storm, feed the multitude, and raise the dead could have removed the nails. That crowd could not have killed Christ if He had not wished to do His Father’s Will. “Therefore, doth the Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it up again. No man taketh it away from me, but I lay it down of myself” (John 10:17-18).
2. The Father’s will and wish held Him to the cross. Jesus prayed in the garden and said: “My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass away from me: nevertheless, not as I will, but as thou wilt” (Matthew 26:39). It was the will of God that His Son became the “propitiation,” that is, an atoning sacrifice for our sins (I John 2:2). The Savior’s love and your sins held Christ to the tree.
3. God’s eternal purpose held Christ to the cross. Jesus died to purchase the church with His own blood (Acts 20:28). The church is the institution through which the eternal purpose of God is to be made known to the world (Ephesians 3:10). Without the death of Christ, God’s purpose for the world have been aborted. Thus, His love for God and man held Him to the cross – not the nails.
4.  The joy set before Christ held Him to the cross. In the Hebrews letter we learn that the “author and perfecter of our faith” disregarded His suffering and “for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame” (Hebrews 12:2). The mocking by the angry mob at the foot of the cross was ignored by Christ because of the “joy set before Him.”

Neither the lack of the power nor the nails held Jesus to the cross. His resignation to the Will of God and His love for the souls of mankind bound Him to the tree on which He died. Our love for God and His Son should cause us to remain faithful to the kingdom of God, despite the mocking of all who would have us depart from the path of duty.

G. K. Wallace