The Doctrine of the Church - Research Paper Example

1. Gathering together as a church Hebrews 10:25 instructs us to “not forsak[e] our assembly as is the custom of some, but exhorting one another, and this all the more as you see the Day drawing near.” (Hebrews 10:25). Christians should not give up assembly to worship and praise God for several reasons. First, God instructed, through Moses, that the sabbath day is a day of observation of the lord, and the people shall not do any work on this day, on penalty of death. (Exodus 35:2). The Old Testament also speaks of a joyful assembly whose purpose was to thank God and exalt in Him - “Those times I recall, now that I pour out my soul within me, when I went with the throng and led them in procession to the house of God, amid loud cries of joy and thanksgiving, with the multitude keeping festival. Why are you so downcast, O my soul? Why do you sign within me? Hope in God! For I shall again be thanking him, in the presence of my savior and my God.” (Psalm 41:5-6). Through these two biblical passages, we can conclude that God intended for the people to set one day aside for His worship, a day in which there can be no other distractions. God also encouraged the people to assemble in a “procession to the house of God,” in order to give thanks and to lift the soul - for hope in God, and thanksgiving in the presence of God, with others in a throng, is the antidote to a downcast soul. God clearly intended that the people not forget Him, which is why He instructed the people to set aside a day to remember him each week, and the encouragement to assemble, both in the Hebrews passage and the Psalm passage shows that assembly is the chosen way to remember Him. The Lord also meant for the assemblies to be a way for people to gather together to “arouse one another to charity and good works.” (Hebrews 10:24). This is the first part of the epistle in which the Lord exhorts the people to not forsake assemblage. The Lord clearly wants us to be mindful of charity and good works for others, and He clearly intends that the assemblage be a way for people to gather together to arouse one another to perform these works. This is one of His intentions for these assemblies, along with remembering and worshiping Him, and giving Him thanks. Hebrews 10:25 also contained the phrase “and this all the more as you see the Day drawing near.” (Hebrews 10:25). This, of course, is part of the larger admonition to not forsake assemblage. The passages that follow speak of sinning willfully after receiving “knowledge of the truth,” and how those individuals will not be saved by Jesus' sacrifice. They are considered to have “insulted the Spirit of Grace.” (Hebrews 10:26-30). Since this is all part of the same passage of Hebrews, the passage entitled “To Perserverance in Faith - First motive: The Judgment,” the Lord clearly meant for this passage to be read together. Therefore, the failure to assemble, by His view is a sin that is committed after receiving “knowledge of the truth”, a sin that will condemn a person to hell – “the fury of a fire which will consume the adversaries.” (Hebrews 10:27). A further passage that speaks to assemblage is 1 Thessalonians 5:11, which states “Wherefore, comfort one another and edify one another, even as indeed you do.” (1 Thessalonians 5:11). Also, Hebrews 3:13 states that we are to “Exhort one another every day, while it is still Today, that none of you be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.” (Hebrews 3:13). This is another purpose for assembling – that we are to give one another comfort, and, at the same time, steel one another's resolve against sin. (What Does Hebrews 10:25 Teach Us?). The modern era, however, is an era when many are “unchurched.” (Porritt). Rick Porritt argues that the solution to the phenomenon of so many people being unchurched, in that they do not observe any kind of assembly, instead practicing their Christianity in a solitary manner, or with small groups, is a return to preaching the New Testament word instead of liberalizing to accommodate the skeptical. (Porritt). According to Porritt, the churches are trying to be mainstream, and this is not the way to attract more congregationists. To Porritt, church is sometimes a place for a non-believer to assemble with others, and this is not what worship should be about. It would be better for true believers to congregate amongst themselves, even if not in a church, then for them to congregate in a church that does not preach the gospel and is too accommodating. (Porritt). I believe that this might be a harsh admonition and a bit too rigid. Yes, there are reasons why non-believers might want to attend a church - perhaps they have a new business that they want to market, maybe they are new in town and want to meet people, maybe single people see church as a way to meet somebody to date, etc. They should be welcomed, however, as they might see the good word as something that they can relate to, after all. Also, they might have beliefs that conflict with the literal word of the Bible, yet still have an interest in being spiritual and have the basic beliefs in Christian tenets, but there is not a harm in letting them know that they are welcomed along with those who believe in the inerrancy of the Bible. For God really wants us to observe Him, encourage others to do charity and good works, give Him thanks, give one another comfort in their beliefs and help one another forsake sin. These broad goals leave room for accommodation of all of those who want to seek the word, and it is really unreasonable to basically say “either you believe in the literal truth of the Bible or you get out.” 2. Ordination of women To ordination means different things to different faiths. According to the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches, ordination is “a sacrament instituted by Christ and conferring grace upon the recipient.” (Elwell, 1984, p. 802). To the Lutheran and Reformed churches, one must be called by God in order to be ordained. The Church of England and the Episcopal Church give “great prominence to ordination, some of their number believing in apostolic succession.” (Elwell, 1984, p. 802). Other churches, such as those observing the “Free Church” movement see ordination as just a group approving an individual who has been doctrinally examined. (Elwell, 1984, p. 802). There is not NT precedent that states either way, that women can or cannot be ordained. Indeed, there is not an NT blueprint for church leadership, as all churches must decide their own leadership. (Elwell, 1984, p. 1181). However, there are instances where women held a leadership role, such as Phoebe, who was “in the ministry of the church at Cenchrae.” (Romans 16:1), and Junias who was considered to be “distinguished among the apostles,” (Romans 16;7), which implied that she was an apostle. (Elwell, 1984, p. 1181). Thus, the NT would seem to condone the ordination of women, as these women held high leadership roles. Some commentators state that women cannot be ordained because of the passages that state that they must be silent in churches. (“What About The Ordination of Women to the Pastoral Office”; 1 Corinthians 14:33-34, 37). Yet other commentators point to the passage in 1 Corinthians that states that “every woman praying or prophesying with her head uncovered disgraces her head...”(1 Corinthians 11:5) as indicating that women were welcome to speak in mixed church gatherings. (Elwell, 1984, p. 1182). To Elwell, the admonition against women speaking in church as most likely written to address a specific problem, such as some women were interrupting congregation with distracting questions, not written as a blanket admonition against all women speaking in church. (Elwell, 1984, p. 1182). Elwell also stated that The Bible mentions “four orders of female church officers,” - that of deacon, widows, eldresses and virgins. Elwell cites numerous passages throughout The Bible for all of these orders, as well as stating that early frescoes and paintings show women in roles such as bishop, and also giving communion. (Elwell, 1984, p. 1183). This would imply that, early on in church's history, women were given a prominent leadership role, which would, in turn, imply that there are really no parameters by which women leadership need abide. Elwell states that the reason why women were forced out of leadership positions in the church, after apparently enjoying such positions early on, is because of the oppression of women and a rejection of sex in favor of monasticism – women are merely temptresses for men, and men who desire to be “pure” should “avoid their company.” (Elwell, 1984, p. 1181). According to this more liberalized view, women were originally intended to have leadership roles in the church, from the role of bishop on down. Phoebe was a deacon, and Junias was apparently an apostle. Women also followed Jesus and travelled with him, and theirs was considered to be a “significant ministry” in spreading his word. They also attended the crucifixion and witnessed his burial and resurrection, which is “biblical testimony essential to the formulation of the church's basic beliefs.” (Elwell, 1984, p. 1182). Therefore, there does not seem to be a biblical admonition against women serving, unless one takes discrete passages out of context, as some churches have done. If the basis for keeping women out of church leadership positions is not biblical, but based upon cultural oppression against women and sex, then there is not a need to keep women out of the ministry and they do not need to have any restrictions over their leadership roles. 3. Evangelical and Catholic cooperation The Evangelical and Catholics Together mission basically acknowledges that the Evangelicals and the Catholics have common goals, and they must not be divided, but must come together to seek a resolution to these goals. They both agree that Christ is our savior; they both hope that all people will accept Christ as their savior; they both search for a clear understanding of God's word; they both contend against those who oppose Christ and his cause. (Evangelicals & Catholics Together). Further, they agree that there is not a need to convert people to the other's faith, as it is only important that the two groups carry out the missions that are stated above, and it does not matter if one if Evangelical or Catholic, as long as the mission is achieved. (Evangelicals & Catholics Together). The statement can be evaluated as stating that both groups have the same biblical core beliefs, and the carrying out of these beliefs takes precedence before all else. The Evangelicals and Catholics consensus statement is girding for the end of days, and they agree that all people should be converted to the Lord Jesus Christ, and seek a clearer understanding of God's purpose for us, and that is the only thing that is important. While each group has clear disagreements with the other, as all churches have disagreements with other churches, otherwise there would not be multiple churches, these disagreements are less important than the agreement and the need to work together to achieve these goals. 4. The Boundaries of the True Church Evangelicals might be considered to be a type of christian, although their ranks is considered to be transdenominational, in that there are Roman Catholic evangelicals, Methodis evangelicals, Luthern evangelicals, etc. (McGrath, 1994, p. 122). The four assumptions that evangelicals share are “1) the authority and sufficiency of the Scripture; 2) The uniqueness of redemption through the death of Christ upon the cross; 3) The need for personal conversion; and 4) The necessity, propriety, and urgency of evangelism.” (McGrath, 1994, p. 122). Evangelicals are not committed to one theory of a church, or any one form of church government, but just believe in the gospels as a whole. This creates a natural affinitiy between Evangelicals of every faith. (McGrath, 1994, p. 122). The beliefs, convictions and characteristic of a genuine Christian are inherent in the beliefs of the evangelicals, but in no way to evangelicals have the exclusive right to call themselves a Christian. Genuine Christians need only to believe in the teachings of Christ, and accept Jesus as the son of God. (Erickson, 1983, pp. 20-21). Among Christ's teachings are the need for “love, humility, adoration and worship.” (Erickson, 1983, p. 21). These are the basic tenets that all genuine Christians must observe, and anybody who adheres to a religion that observes these tenets, and hold these tenets dear, can call him or herself a Christian. 5. A Peculiar People: The Church in Post-Modern times Post-modernism is characterized by “the precommitment to relativism or pluralism in relation to questions of truth.” (McGrath, 1994, p. 114). Inherent in this is that The Bible is does not have a true meaning, and that all interpretations of The Bible are valid. It encourages creativity in interpreting scripture. (McGrath, 1994, p. 114). Commentators have attacked Biblical interpretations because of the power imbalance between the interpreter and the community; because of the conflicting texts; and because of the view that The Bible is nothing more than secular admonitions, and personal prejudices, put into narrative. (McGrath, 1994, p. 115). For instance, some might believe that Paul's scriptures came about because he had a problem with women's rights, Solomon's scriptures came from a place of personal bitterness, and John's scriptures were based upon John's personal belief that he was Jesus' favorite. (Cantelon, 1988, p. 173). Therefore, the post-modern heart cries for The Bible to have truth, not just be open to individual interpretation, nor discounted as the rantings of a secular world or discounted as merely the powerful victor's interpretation of the truth. As the church instructs the faithful that The Bible is inerrant, and not open to individual interpretation, but is the word of God, this is the way to keep the people believing in the inerrancy of the text. Furthermore, the church can clarify the seeming contradictions within the text, and explain how these contradictions can be resolved. In this way, The Church serves God's purpose in encouraging the people to not lose faith in God's word, and to continue to believe in God's word as interpreted through The Bible, and to drown out the skeptics who state otherwise. Despite the post-modern stance about The Bible and the word of God, Christians can discover, through the church, that newer is not necessarily better, and that “The Christian faith has no good news in it unless the Bible is true: unless it is both God's book and ours, uncoerced human testimony and unconditional divine grace; unless the initiative experienced and witnessed to by the Bible's human authors and their fellows - persons not unlike ourselves – really happened, and happens still wherever men and women, touched and made expectant by that witness, are willing to let God be God.” (Averill, 1989, p. 163). In other words, believe in truth, not the relative truth, of the Bible. 6. Baptism – The Waters That Unite and Divide Hilary of Poitiers stated that baptism enables the Holy Spirit to descend upon us, and enable us to become “sons of God, having been adopted by the voice of the Father.” (McGrath, 1995, p. 293). Baptism should be administered upon an individual's confession of faith and penitence, and symbolizes the cleansing of sins and a transformation, and considered to be an “absolute necessity to salvation except in very special circumstances.” (Elwell, 1984, p. 114). Baptism is symbolic of the transition from the old to a new way of life, renuciation of the past, obedience and a specific promise. (George, 2005). Baptism also symbolizes the blood of Christ, and when the baptismal waters wash over us, it is as if Christ's blood is washing over us, which bestows grace. It brings the person to faith in Christ's work, thus “accomplishing regeneration to the life of faith.” (Elwell, 1984, p. 114). Because of its special significance, the mode of putting the individual into the water must be accompanied by a spoken word. (Elwell, 1984, p. 114). Because Baptism is a rite that converts an adult believer, and has transformative powers, there is some controversy over whether an infant should be baptized. Infants cannot respond to grace, therefore the meaning behind the practice is negated when it is practiced upon infants. Also, there is some thought that the practice of baptizing infants bestows Christianity upon that infant, and this though is “disastrous,” as it is a means of “cheap grace” that “devalues the grace of God and reduces Christianity to a purely social phenomenon.” (McGrath, 1994, p. 515). Benajah Harvey Carroll, a leading Southern Baptist figure, states that baptism is only appropriate with the proper authority, the church; a proper subject, a penitent believer who has converted; a proper act, total immersion in water; and the proper design – baptism is not meant to effect conversion, but, rather, symbolizes that somebody has already converted. (McGrath, 1994, p. 518). As infants cannot convert, and cannot be penitent, they should not be baptized. 7. The Presence of Christ at Communion The term sacrament means, literally, a sign which bears a relation to the thing signified. It must be physical or material, must bear a likeness to the thing signified, must be authorized to signify the thing in question and it must be efficacious to confer the benefits of a sacrament.(McGrath, 1994, p. 498). Thus, the wine resembles the blood of Christ, it is material, it is authorized by Christ himself to represent his blood, therefore it is efficacious to confer the benefits of a sacrament. Therefore, it has all the vestiges of a sacrament and can be properly understood to be a sacrament. Same with the bread, representing the body of Christ. On the other hand, ordinances are a means of grace, and are congregational as opposed to individual acts. (Elwell, 1984, p. 123). Therefore, according to those who believe in ordinances as opposed to sacraments do not believe that a priest should convey the blood and body of Christ, but these conveyances should be a congregational thing. If the Lord's Supper is a sacrament, then this is a symbolic offering that bestows special significance to the congregants, in that they receive the body and blood of Christ as a way to affirm their belief. Sacraments convey grace, strengthen faith, enhance unity and commitment to the church, and reassure the congregants of God's promise. (McGrath, 1994, pp. 507-508). On the other hand, if they are viewed as an ordinance, then they are a means of grace (Elwell, 1984, p. 123) which is different from conveying grace. If they convey grace, then they symbolize that the person who is accepting the sacrament is already in grace. If they are a means of grace, then they are the mechanism by which a person may come to grace, such as with baptism or receiving the spoken word. The Lord's Supper has a particular importance in the Christian faith, in that it represents Christ's death, thus enabling congregants to receive Christ's grace and know the truth about Christ's sacrifice. When a Christian eats the bread and drinks the wine, he or she is remembering Christ's sacrifice and taking part in it as well. Christ is present through these rituals in a spiritual way, in that we encounter him by consuming his body and blood, and by getting the benefits from these acts. He may also be considered to be present in an influential way, as opposed to metaphysical, in that the rite is commemorative of Christ's death, as opposed to literally eating the body and blood of Christ. Erickson (1983) contends that we should look upon the sacrament as not a way to be in Christ's presence as much as a way to divine his promises to us, and to effect a closer relationship with Him. (Erickson, 1983, p. 1131). SOURCES USED Averill, L.J. (1989). Religious right, religious wrong: A critique of the fundamentalist phenomenon. New York, NY: Pilgrim Press. Cantelon, J. (1988). Theology for non-theologians. New York, NY: Macmillan Publishing Company. Elwell, W.A. (1984). Evangelical dictionary of theology. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House Company. Erickson, M.J. (1983). Christian theology: Second edition. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Publishing Group. Evangelicals and Catholics together: The Christian mission in the third millennium. Retrieved from: http://www.leaderu.com/ftissues/ft9405/articles/mission.html George, T. (June 9, 2010). Is Christ divided? Christianity Today, pp. 1-4. Retrieved from: http://www.christianitytoday.com/article_print.html?id=34197 McGrath, A.E. (1994). Christian theology: An introduction. Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishers, Inc. McGrath, A.E. (1995). The Christian theology reader. Cambridge, MA: Blackwell Publishers, Inc. Porritt, R. Hebrews 10:25 & the 'unchurched'. Retrieved from: http://www.newtestament pattern.net/christianarticle/hebrews 10-25a What does Hebrews 10:25 teach us? Retrieved from http://www.pinolechurchofchrist.com/ resources/WHAT+DOES+HEBREWS+10.pdf Read More