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Landmarkism Under Fire
A Study of Landmark Baptist
by Elder J.C. Settlemoir Chapter 12 - What Actually Constitutes A Church? Is it a mother church which quickens a church? Is it something done on earth? Is it the words spoken by an elder, a prayer offered? Is it the presbytery? Is it the act of a bishop or an elder? Is it when a preacher says “I pronounce you a church of the Lord Jesus Christ”, as some brethren say?[401] Is it the mother church which actually constitutes a church? Is it the people themselves? Or is it something the Lord Himself does? Or is it a combination of what the Lord does and what the mother church does or what the group itself does? How does a church get church-life, church-light and church-status? What actually makes a group of baptized saints into an assembly of Christ? Church Constitution Is a Divine Act I contend the act which actually constitutes a church is a divine act. When some of the saved, baptized, citizens of Christ’s kingdom[402] are led by the Holy Spirit to desire to form a church and they gather together in covenantal unity for this stated purpose, then, the Lord Himself constitutes that group a church. It is His prerogative alone but it is manifested when these disciples gather together in gospel order according to Mt. 18:20. He led them to take this action by His Holy Spirit and it is an honor and a glory to His holy Name when they do so.[403] Only when Christ takes up His dwelling in the midst of a group does it become a church.[404] This is church constitution. When a group so meets they are founded on Christ[405] and they are founded by Christ, Mt 18:20, and Christ is in them! Christ takes this action without any other requirement than what is given in this Matthean text. He himself constitutes the church and lights another church candlestick.[406] The new church is not dependant upon any other church, presbytery, elder, or entity. They look solely to Christ. This is what I mean by self-constituted. These disciples follow the Word of Christ and Christ keeps His promise, “For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.” There seems here to be three things required: first, the gathering together. That is they actually meet together. A non-assembling assembly is a contradiction of terms. Secondly, they covenant together. There must be this covenant, an agreement, an arrangement or a compact between them so they can function as a church and carry out the will of Christ. They “gather together” with a stated purpose and in submission to Christ. Without such a covenant there can be no church. I do not mean that this must be a formal or written covenant. It may only be understood, but it is necessary. Thirdly, this must be done in the “name” of Christ, that is by His authority for without His authority there can be no church. Of course if they meet in His name, there are other things which are done, one of which is to have a creed, that is the doctrine of what the new church believes. When these things are done in gospel order, the Lord Himself constitutes a new church. The constituents of the new church are prepared and prepare themselves because they are under the leadership of the Holy Spirit. And from the Lord’s side He indwells them in accordance with this promise and they are placed as one of His churches[407]. Every other act, whether of elders, helps, association, presbytery, pastors, deacons, church or churches, singularly or in plurality does not, cannot, produce, nor can they prevent, the constitution of a church. Hiscox says: If a Council[408] should decline to recognize a newly constituted Church, deeming the organization unwise and uncalled for, still that Church would have the right to maintain its organization and to continue its work and its worship. The Council could not unmake it, and it would as really be a Church without, as with their sanction.[409] This is the Divine prerogative and is analogous to marriage. As the covenant between one man and one woman constitutes marriage, and it requires no other authority on earth except that given by Lord in the original charter of the home in Gen 2:23-24, yet the act of marriage is that of God and not of men. “.... It was the Lord’s act and deed, and to him Christ ascribes the act of marriage.”[410] So it is in the constitution of churches. In Mat. 16:18, Christ Himself tells us He Himself “will build up His church,” which I understand to mean the generic institution manifested in local congregations. This was not only the case while He was upon the earth in the days of His flesh but this “building up” shall continue to the end of the age, as He expressly declared in this text. Furthermore, Daniel 2:44 speaks of the inceptive form of His Kingdom, and plainly says, “The kingdom shall not be left to other people...” It will not be extinguished. It will not be taken over by another kingdom. Thus, He never delegated or passed on, but retained, this authority for the constitution of His churches. Every such assembly which meets in His name, by His direction and in gospel order, is one of His churches. In Mat. 5:1 we have just such an assembly. J.R. Graves says concerning this meeting: The first full church–meeting–a gathering together of his
disciples into one place for general instruction–is recorded by Matthew (5:1). The disciples, in the wider sense, including those of the apostles already called, and all who had, either for a longer or shorter time, attached themselves to him as hearers.** The discourse was spoken directly to the disciples. etc. And seeing the multitudes, he went up into a mountain: and when he was set, his disciples came unto him: And he opened his mouth, and taught them, saying. These ‘disciples’ were not the twelve apostles, nor yet the seventy merely, for they had not yet been chosen from the whole body, but the multitude of his disciples. So Alford: Here, then, is a real church meeting; a visible assembly of men, possessing certain qualifications, called out from the oklos (multitude) for a specific purpose, and this is the essential signification of ecclesia in Greek. We may add an organized assembly, since they recognized the supreme authority of Christ over them.[411] Now that Christ so assembled His disciples and that He constituted
these disciples into a church without any authority from any other source whatsoever
indicates this is His pattern of church constitution to the end of the age.
He did not get authority from the high priest of “For where two or three
are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.” Thus the first church was self-constituted because they “gathered together” for the purpose of worship in His Name and under His direction! Gathered together in His name, which has the same sense as “baptize them in the name of,” that is, by His authority which He promises to all who do the same thing in the proper way. This is a covenantal, a purposed, a designated, and not a chance meeting. Nor is it a casual thing but it is the stated purpose of these disciples to submit to the whole of the teachings of Christ and carry out His will in regular meetings.[413] Such is the very essence of a NT assembly. The Greek for gathering in Mt 18:20 is related to the word used in Heb. 10:25,[414] “Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together...”[415] This is Christ’s authority and it is given to those who follow His instructions. The simplicity of His ways is a mark of His wisdom! The Instruction of Mt. 18:20 This is what Christ commanded and to such meetings He has given His promise. When a group of baptized disciples covenant together in His Name, that is, when they come to Him and submit themselves to Him to carry out His will in gospel order, there Christ Jesus is in the midst and this is how churches are constituted. Mark it well, that Christ is in the midst of every self-constituted assembly, no matter if they are refused fellowship, if they are shunned or rejected by others saying, “They have no authority,” Christ is there and they have His authority! They have the highest authority on earth or in Heaven, the authority of Christ Jesus Himself. They have His promise, His authority, His presence, His blessing, and His approval. This is all His disciples want and is all they need! He will meet with them even if there are those who will not! If Christ is in the midst of a people those people are a church and Christ recognizes them as belonging to Him and as constituted in His name according to His word. He owns them now and will manifest this at His coming–“So will Christ in the coming Day. That which has been done in full accord with God’s Word, though despised by man, shall be owned and rewarded of Him. His own words, in the final chapter of Holy Writ, are ‘And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.’”[416] Church-Life Given by Christ Himself Here then is Christ’s own word on church constitution. Nothing outside of the text needs to be added nor can anything be Scripturally added. This is the positive declaration of the Word of God. “Where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.” Whenever He leads men to gather together in His name by His Holy Spirit, then He promises to be in the midst of them. Another church-life is begun and another church-lamp is lit by the Lord Himself.[417] This is how a church begins. He who walks among the lamps is the only one who can give a congregation church-light, and He is the only one who can extinguish that light, and He is careful to tell us how this is accomplished.[418] Keep in mind that this text is in a passage dealing with the church and church authority! These are instructions for all time but given in the infant stage of the church and it will be one of those things which the Spirit will bring to the mind of the disciples of the Lord after He returns to Heaven and churches are multiplied. For this reason it was included in the Scripture by the Holy Spirit. This is not one of those passages that seems to speak of the church. This text and context unmistakably deal with church issues! Note that he speaks of brother trespassing against brother–who are these brothers? They are members of the same church, vss 15-17. They are to settle their problems according to Christ’s laws, between the two, if possible. But if they cannot, they are to get others to help. If this fails they are to tell it to the assembly. And if the offending member refuses to hear the assembly, then they–the assembly–are to count him as a heathen and a publican, vss 15-17. Context is king and here it designates the church as the subject. Therefore you cannot make Mt 18:15-17 refer to the church and deny Mt. 18:20 refers to the church. But then the Lord goes on to speak of the binding of this church-action. It is bound in heaven or loosed in Heaven when done according to His Word[419], on earth, i.e., in one of His assemblies which is on earth. In vs 19 he says that if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in Heaven, vs 19. But He does not stop there but adds: For where two or three are gathered together in my name..., vs 20. Now we will look at this issue from the other side. How is a church dissolved? I have known of a few churches which dissolved. They voted to dissolve in the same manner they voted to constitute. Not one got EMDA to disband. Christ is the one who actually snuffs out the lamp-light of a church just as he is the one who lights the church lamp but he does this through the action of the group itself. Surely constitution is more important than dissolution, yet Christ is the only one who can dissolve a church! Remember therefore from
whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come
unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except
thou repent.[420] Why did not Christ threaten How Churches Are Formed Scripturally Matthew 18:20 For means He is now going to give the reason why the action of such an insignificant gathering (in the eyes of the world) which agrees on earth has binding force–and that is because “Where two or three are gathered together in my Name, there am I in the midst of them.” This is His authority. This is how His churches are formed. This is His promise to come down and dwell in every such assembly formed in this manner. He did not say, nor did He mean that where two or three get authority from another church, from elders, presbytery, association, convention, or any such thing, there am I in the midst of them. In fact, everyone of these have been appealed to and used in the constitution of Baptist churches, but Christ never authorized any of them. No Scripture states this. There is no church promise to a group so formed. But where two or three–this is the minimum number He requires to constitute a church, do covenant, i.e., “in His Name,”–there He gives a promise which is as valid today as it was in AD 30.[422] The Lord Himself condescends to attend every such meeting and grace it with His abiding presence–“There am I in the midst of them.” That is, the first constitutional meeting and every other subsequent meeting to the end of time, if they meet in and with the same standards and for the same purpose. Lest some may think this a private opinion I will submit a few authorities. It [the church] gets its life from the Word and the Holy Spirit.[423] In my name. That is, 1st, By my authority, acting for me in my church.”[424] Similarly, their sumphonia[425] must consist in being gathered together in the name of Jesus. If such be the case, Himself is in the midst of them by His Spirit. It is this presence of the Shechinah, in the real sense of the term, which forms and constitutes His ekkleesia, or Kahal.[426] A generalization of the term church (assembly), and the powers conferred on it...[427] The presence of Christ in the assemblies of Christians is promised, and may in faith be prayed for and depended on; There am I. This is equivalent to the Shechinah, or special presence of God in the tabernacle and temple of old....[428] But we must take care, first of all, that those who are desirous to have Christ present with them shall assemble in his name; and we likewise understand what is the meaning of this expression.... It means that those who are assembled together, laying aside every thing that hinders them from approaching to Christ, shall sincerely raise their desires to him, shall yield obedience to his word, and allow themselves to be governed by the Spirit. Where this simplicity prevails, there is no reason to fear that Christ will not make it manifest that it was not in vain for the assembly to meet in his name.[429] This union between them is made by voluntary consent and
agreement; a Christian society, or a We call attention to the fact that Christ here (Mt 18:20) does not append any stipulations whether of a church giving EMDA, or a bishop bestowing, or a council commanding, or a presbytery presiding, nor the permission of any other entity on earth, for one is as essential and as necessary as the other–but He gives His Word which is as sure as His throne.[431] It does not take ten men to constitute a church as it did to set up a synagogue.[432] Nor does it take any other church or church approval except that of Christ Himself ! This is His direction as to the constitution of a church. All the essential parameters are included here. We dare not exclude anything He included nor can we include anything which He excluded as essential unless we wish to incur His displeasure and teach for doctrine the commandments of men, which is what the advocates of EMDA do.[433] As Matthew Henry says: The commandments of men are properly conversant about the things of men, but God will have his own work done by his own rules, and accepts not that which he did not himself appoint. That only comes to him, that comes from him.[434] The Meaning of Ekklesia The very word church in Greek, speaks of how a church is formed. ekklesia is formed from two Greek words. As Trench puts it: In respect of the first,[435] η εκκλησια...was the lawful assembly in a free Greek city of all those possessed of the right of citizenship, for the transaction of public affairs. That they were summoned is expressed in the latter part of the word; that they were summoned out of the whole population, a select portion of it, including neither the populace, nor strangers, nor yet those who had forfeited their civic rights, this is expressed in the first. Both the calling (the κλησισ, Phil 3:14; 2 Tim. 1:9), and the calling out (the εκλογη, Ro. 11:7; 2 Pet. 1:10), are moments to be remembered, when the word is assumed into a higher Christian sense, for in them the chief part of its peculiar adaptation to its auguster use lies.[436] Why Self-Constituted This is a good question and we seek the Lord’s answer. First let it
be remembered that the altar of God was fired from Heaven by
spontaneous combustion! They were to bring no strange fire, that is,
man-made fire to God’s altar. This was to be supplied by the Lord. We see this
in the dedication of the The self-constitution of churches has many obvious advantages. First, because each church rests on Christ as a foundation and not on the scripturality of fifty or sixty churches, mostly unknown, and unknowable up the line of history. No searching dusty records, no trying to ascertain the records of churches long gone out of existence, as to how they were formed and as to what they believed. Just simply taking Christ at His word is an act of obedient submission. This is Christ’s own ordained method of founding a church. This is building on the Rock![438] Second, because each church is formed in exactly the same wayBthat is according to Mt 18:20. This is a church organization that has a positive command in the Word of God as to the heart of the issue. Third, each church is just as important as every other church! There are no churches with clout while others are considered merely “wart churches.” The house churches mentioned in Scripture were just as important as those with large memberships and the country churches as important as the city churches. The young churches were as valuable as the old churches. Fourth, each church is just as Scriptural as every other church. No “mother churches” giving warnings to “daughter churches” saying “You had better listen to your mother,” or the like, because each church appeals directly to Christ and His Word for its authority. Fifth, each church looks not to a mother church for her origin but to Christ whose promise they believe. Sixth, this prevents boasting because every church must depend not on a long list of precarious mothers but on the firm Word of Christ. This is far better even if other methods were permissible. Seventh, this passage, in Mt. 18:20, must refer to church constitution, that is self constitution, or there is no passage in the NT which tells disciples how to form churches! Terms concerning church constitution and fellowship which are in harmony with this doctrine are as follows: · They gather together, Mt. 18:20 · They covenant together, Mt 18:20 · They are indwelt by Christ Himself, Mt 18:20 · They are in gospel order, Mt 18:20 · They give themselves to the Lord and one another, 2 Cor 8:5 · They are laid on the one foundation, I Cor 3:11 · They are built up as lively stones into the Lord’s building, I Pe 5:1 · They are called by the gospel, Eph 4:4 · They are glued or welded together, Acts 5:13
·
They are compacted, Eph 4:16–“knit together,” · They are Fitted...together, Eph 4:16 · They are a flock, Lk 12:32 · They are joined together, Eph 4:16 · They follow other churches, I Thess 2:14 · They are perfectly joined together, I Cor 1:10 Yet in these many passages we have not one single expression of anything that even sounds like EMDA! We will now turn to the misrepresentation of Landmarkism and Landmarkers by those who embrace EMDA. Footnotes [401] While I have never personally heard this phrase used in a constitution, I am informed by brethren that it is a phrase often used. One brother told me that the pastor of the mother church at the conclusion of an organization said: “The unbiblical cord has been cut. The daughter is now a sister”! [402] That is, they are in gospel order. [403] 2 Cor 8:5. [404] Rev. 2:1. [405] 1 Cor.3:11. [406] Rev. 1:20. [407] Cf. Re 1: 12,13,20; 2:1. [408] A Council of recognition requested by the churchBJCS. Edward Hiscox. New Directory for Baptist Churches, P. 56-57. [409] Edward Hiscox. New Directory for Baptist Churches, p. 57. [410] John Gill. Body of Divinity, p. 711. [411] J.R.Graves. Intercommunion, p. 154. [412] Mt 28:18; 11:17. [413] Mt. 5:1; 6:12. [414] Mt 18:20, sunagw and episunagwgh in Heb. 10:25. [415] I.e.,episunagwgh. Cf. 2 Thess. 2:1. [416] A.W. Pink. Gleanings in Exodus, p. 316. Cf. Rev 22:12. [417] Rev 1:12. [418] Mt 18:20; Re 2:5. [419] This means it is “ratified in heaven, i. e., by God--unless, of course, the decision be in itself wrong.” An American Commentary on the NT, by John A. Broadus. Loco. [420] Re 2:5. [421] Mt 5:1,11, 14-15. [422] 2 Cor 1:20. [423] H.B. Taylor, Why Be a Baptist, p. 50. [424] Albert Barnes. Commentary, Mt. 18:20. [425] Agreeing. [426] J.P. Lange. Commentary, Mt 18:20. [427] Henry Afford. Greek Testament. Mt 18:20. [428] Matthew Henry. Commentary, 18:20. [429] John Calvin. Commentary, Mt 18:20. [430] John Gill. Body of Divinity, p. 623-4. [431] Heb 6:18. [432] John Lightfoot. Commentary on the New Testament, vol. 2, p. 89,90. [433] Mt. 15:9. [434] Matthew Henry. Commentary, Mt. 15:9. [435] I.e., the first stage of this word. [436] Richard Trench. Synonyms of the New Testament, p. 1-2. [437] 1 Cor 14:33. [438] Mt 16:18; 1 Cor 3:11; Mt 7:24. |