Part 1: The Unity of Christ’s Body
“‘To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: These are the words of
him who holds the seven stars in his right hand, who walks among the
seven golden lampstands: ‘I know your works, your toil and your patient
endurance. I know that you cannot tolerate evildoers; you have tested
those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them to be
false. I also know that you are enduring patiently and bearing up for
the sake of my name, and that you have not grown weary. But I have this
against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first. Remember
then from what you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at
first. If not, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its
place, unless you repent. Yet this is to your credit: you hate the works
of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. Let anyone who has an ear listen
to what the Spirit is saying to the churches. To everyone who conquers,
I will give permission to eat from the tree of life that is in the
paradise of God.’”
-Revelation 2:1-7
Fundamentalists have their place among the churches of Christ. It is
Christ who is Lord of all and judge of all. Whether one wants to be a
fundamentalist or not, that is a different story. To a great degree, the
Christian’s choice in this matter depends on a number of factors
including where they began to learn of Christ and certain psychological
needs—but this is a topic for another time.
In the book of Revelation chapters 2 and 3 we find seven letters
addressed to seven churches in Asia Minor: Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum,
Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea. It has often been posited
that these seven churches, in order, represent stages that the church
will go through from the time of the apostles to the return of Christ.
Whether that is true or not is debatable, but what is certain is that
these letters are intended to address seven entirely different churches
with entirely different strengths and weaknesses. I believe that we can
see parallels between the seven churches of Revelation 2 and 3 and
Christian churches today.
Where fundamentalism has taught on these letters, the focus has
typically been to smear all other Christian churches as Laodicean and
worthless, and to occasionally claim that fundamentalists are like the
church at Philadelphia. They would like to see themselves as a
Philadelphian remnant in a Laodicean age. It should suffice to simply
reply that situation is much more complex than that—there are seven
types of churches, not two; and anyone with a passing familiarity with
fundamentalism knows better than to accuse them of the type of brotherly
love that the Philadelphian church was commended for!
Moving past any misinterpretations of the seven letters to the churches,
we see a pattern in each letter. There is a description of Christ that
is particularly relevant to the church, praises for what the church is
doing well, warnings over things that need to corrected, and finally, an
eternal promise that fulfills what the church is seeking. Each of the
seven letters follows this pattern except for the letter to
Philadelphia, which contains no warnings.
It is my belief that the church at Ephesus is representative of today’s
fundamentalist churches. In a series of articles, I hope to shed light
on the spiritual condition of fundamentalism in light of what Christ had
to say to Ephesus. In this article, we will examine the identification
of Christ as the steward of the churches.
Christ begins by reminding the Ephesian church that He fellowships with
all of the churches—He “holds the seven stars in his right hand [and]
walks among the seven golden lampstands”. This is not the only time in
Scripture were the Ephesians are reminded of this truth. In Ephesians
2:17-22, the Apostle Paul tells them:
“So he came and proclaimed peace to you who were far off and peace to
those who were near; for through him both of us have access in one
Spirit to the Father. So then you are no longer strangers and aliens,
but you are citizens with the saints and also members of the household
of God, built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with
Christ Jesus himself as the cornerstone. In him the whole structure is
joined together and grows into a holy temple in the Lord; in whom you
also are built together spiritually into a dwelling place for God.”
The unity discussed here is more than unity within a single assembly.
Paul begins by teaching that through Christ, both he and the Ephesians
have access to the Father by one Spirit. Because of this, all of us in
Christ are being “built together” as a “whole structure” with Christ as
the “cornerstone”. (Some fundamentalists will object to the idea of a “universal” church
and a refutation of such arguments will have to wait for another time.
However it is already pretty easy to see that the New Testament teaches a
“universal” church.)
Paul elaborates further in Ephesians 4:1-7:
“I therefore, the prisoner in the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of
the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and
gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, making
every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one
hope of your calling, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and
Father of all, who is above all and through all and in all. But each of
us was given grace according to the measure of Christ's gift.”
“One body and one Spirit”—Christians who have access to the Father
through “one Spirit” also constitute “one body”, as seen here and in
Ephesians 2. The church of Christ was always intended to be ecumenical
in nature—the universal membership of her members in a relationship with
the Father through the Son by the Spirit. The Gospel is supposed to be a
unifying force.
“A life worthy” of the Christian calling is one that bears others in
love, and maintains unity and peace. The Ephesians needed to be reminded
of the necessity of the unity of the universal church. Today’s fundamentalists need the same reminder. Ecumenism is derided by
fundamentalists, with some of them even rejecting the concept of a
“universal” church. Some Baptist fundamentalists go even further and
claim that the only legitimate churches are those Baptist churches that
have descended in an unbroken line from apostolic times.
The Gospel is the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ which
allows us to enter into a relationship with the Father through the Son
by the Spirit. It is this relationship that ensures our membership in
the body, not any creed or code of conduct. It is a relationship that is
begun under the conviction and enlightenment of the Spirit of God and
continued in the same manner. This enlightenment involves sin, and
righteousness, and judgment. It manifests as faith in Christ and works
toward men.
Both faith and the works are the manifestation of being indwelt with the
Spirit of God. Pitting “works salvation” against “grace salvation” is
missing the broader reality of our salvation being brought to pass
through birth into God’s family through the Spirit. Salvation is wrought
neither by works nor by mental assertion to propositional truth but by
the regenerating power of the Spirit of God. Works and faith follow this
regeneration. We are saved by an initial act of grace on God’s part,
not faith or works (Ephesians 2:8-10; Titus 2:11-14).
Being a part of the family of God is enough to command unity with others
who have been regenerated in like manner. It is truly the baptism of
the Spirit that unites as one. Denominational divisions may be necessary
to provide order within each local assembly, as each denomination
follows different traditions and interpretations. However there is no
excuse for inter-denominational condemnation.
Ultimately, the Lord Jesus Christ will bring every church into judgment.
Christ warns every church except Philadelphia that unless they repent,
He will remove their “lampstand from its place”. Fundamentalist churches
stand in danger of this as much as any other church.
David Thatcher
