The Bride of Christ
Disclaimer: To avoid the impression by any person that this is a pointed attack to them I would first like to say that this post is not composed as a result of or in response to any person in particular. Rather I would like to respond to a trend I have noticed across the board particularly in what I affectionately refer to as "sub-culture Christian circles" and from people who I know and love individually as well.
That said my statement is this: It is not ok to say that one loves Christ but not his church, or to say one does not like Christians though one is one himself.
The bible is rather explicit on this and it is something I have had to work through myself so I just wanted to address it briefly. I see in the New Testament three main reasons why this is true:
The first and formost reason I believe the bible says this is a wrong attitude is that the church, like it or not, actually IS the body of Christ on earth. Not just metaphorically but physically. Now, unlike Christ, the church is not perfect becuase it is comprised of imperect individuals - but these are individuals who God has called and chosen and who he is in the process of redeeming and making new. So to devalue the church as a whole or Christians as a whole (because that's what the church is) is to devalue the work of God. And to say it more strongly, to hate the body of Christ is in fact to hate Christ himself. By the church I do not mean some veague concept but rather the physical existance of the body of Christ on earth which we english speaking people commonly refer to as "Christians".
Second, unity and love for other believers is possibly the most commonly preached concept in the whole of the New Testament. Repetition in the bible generally corolates with importance so it is therefore obvious that this is a concept we are supposed to pay very careful attention to.The reason for this drive to unity is manifold but I believe the heart of it lies in John 13:35 where Jesus said "By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another." The greatest witness to the world we can give concerning the gospel of Christ is not primarily by our love for the world but even more emphasised is the importance of our love for ONE ANOTHER. Do you doubt this assertion? Check your concordance for all of the verses in the New Testament containing the word love - the majority of them, and there are MANY, refer to love for other believers.
Thirdly I appeal to the anology of the church as "the bride of Christ." This is simple: how many married men do you know who will allow you to devalue their brides? As my pastor/friend Peter says "You say anything bad about my wife Jen and I will probably punch you in the face. God feels the same way about His bride."
So what am I saying? Do we idly stand by and watch the church spiral into destruction, unable to speak out against the wrongs we see being committed because of this concept? No. But the surest way to destroy the church is to devide it, devalue it, and to generally diss on it. Just as Christ drew each of us to repentance through his love for us, so a church that is active in that love - love not only for unbelievers but even more among its own members - would quite likely be the true solution to those problems which we are seeing in the first place.
Feel free to comment and even to disagree - but please consider all of this before you do so, and please don't use this as an opportunity to point out the "grievous wrongs" you see being committed in the church. If anything use it as an opportunity to praise God for the wonderful miracle that you and I, being so wretched and sinful as we are, should be given the great honor of being admitted as members of the beautiful and profound mysetery that is the Body of Christ.
That said my statement is this: It is not ok to say that one loves Christ but not his church, or to say one does not like Christians though one is one himself.
The bible is rather explicit on this and it is something I have had to work through myself so I just wanted to address it briefly. I see in the New Testament three main reasons why this is true:
The first and formost reason I believe the bible says this is a wrong attitude is that the church, like it or not, actually IS the body of Christ on earth. Not just metaphorically but physically. Now, unlike Christ, the church is not perfect becuase it is comprised of imperect individuals - but these are individuals who God has called and chosen and who he is in the process of redeeming and making new. So to devalue the church as a whole or Christians as a whole (because that's what the church is) is to devalue the work of God. And to say it more strongly, to hate the body of Christ is in fact to hate Christ himself. By the church I do not mean some veague concept but rather the physical existance of the body of Christ on earth which we english speaking people commonly refer to as "Christians".
Second, unity and love for other believers is possibly the most commonly preached concept in the whole of the New Testament. Repetition in the bible generally corolates with importance so it is therefore obvious that this is a concept we are supposed to pay very careful attention to.The reason for this drive to unity is manifold but I believe the heart of it lies in John 13:35 where Jesus said "By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another." The greatest witness to the world we can give concerning the gospel of Christ is not primarily by our love for the world but even more emphasised is the importance of our love for ONE ANOTHER. Do you doubt this assertion? Check your concordance for all of the verses in the New Testament containing the word love - the majority of them, and there are MANY, refer to love for other believers.
Thirdly I appeal to the anology of the church as "the bride of Christ." This is simple: how many married men do you know who will allow you to devalue their brides? As my pastor/friend Peter says "You say anything bad about my wife Jen and I will probably punch you in the face. God feels the same way about His bride."
So what am I saying? Do we idly stand by and watch the church spiral into destruction, unable to speak out against the wrongs we see being committed because of this concept? No. But the surest way to destroy the church is to devide it, devalue it, and to generally diss on it. Just as Christ drew each of us to repentance through his love for us, so a church that is active in that love - love not only for unbelievers but even more among its own members - would quite likely be the true solution to those problems which we are seeing in the first place.
Feel free to comment and even to disagree - but please consider all of this before you do so, and please don't use this as an opportunity to point out the "grievous wrongs" you see being committed in the church. If anything use it as an opportunity to praise God for the wonderful miracle that you and I, being so wretched and sinful as we are, should be given the great honor of being admitted as members of the beautiful and profound mysetery that is the Body of Christ.
posted by Pamela Joy at 1:30 PM
4 Comments:
Pam, uh um..it was more of a thought about general Christian fades in their social opinions..sorry. i go to an amazing church that i love and the people there really know what it means to love other people. i'm trying to do the same. i separate people's opinions from who they are, and hate their opinions and not them. i'm not sure if that's the best way to go, but if i want to talk polictics or philosophy, i kinda have to.
i need to be more careful with my words. i apologise sincerely.
"You cannot care for me with no regard for her - if you love me you will love the church" Beloved, Derek Webb.
This is one of my favorite songs by him about how we should care for the church.
I agree with all you guys. I've been disconnected from any sort of church since the summer and it's killing me. It's also affecting how I view people, in a bad way. I found myself just today bad-mouthing other Christians so the people in my class wouldn't think I was some religious fanatic. What I should have done was stand up for them, even if it meant things were worse for me.
Pamela I LOVE YOU SO MUCH. I guess just thanks for being a touch of the Holy Spirit on me today. I applaud your convictions and hope that soon they will become mine.
hmmm. thanks.
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