The Prophetic Significance of Pope John's Appeal (cont.) The Church is Christ’s possession. He never relinquished that possession to turn it over to anyone else. Speaking on this point Paul said, Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word (Ephesians 5:25,26). All who belong to Christ’s Church acknowledge a Bib lical ecumenicalism. First, what evangelical Christians profess ecumenically is the doctrine of the Apostles as set forth in their writings in the New Testament. On the day of Pentecost, when the Church had its commence ment, we are told that the members “ continued stedfastly in the apostles’ doctrine” (Acts 2:42). True ecumenicity expresses itself in a close adherence to the basic teachings of historic Christianity according to the Word of God. Modernistic Protestantism has changed these doctrines, setting aside the Virgin Birth of Christ on the ground that it involves “ a biological impossibility,” disclaiming the literal bodily resurrection of Christ and substituting in its place a kind of “ spiritual resurrection” (whatever that means). Romanism has added to these apostolic doc trines her own dogma including purgatory, the infalli bility of the Pope, the worship of Mary, the confessional, etc., etc. We believe the only ecumenicalism God recog nizes and approves is that oneness and unity which is based upon the doctrine of the apostles with nothing added and nothing taken away. Second, true ecumenicalism must be recognized for what it is, namely, a spiritual entity and unity and not an organizational unity. The inspired record says, Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace (Ephesians 4:3). Nowhere are Christians told by God to attempt to bring the Church together in unity. The Church is one. Her unity is not dependent upon any external organiza tion or central ecclesiastical authority, but by the fact that her members enjoy the common possession of the Holy Spirit. There is one household of God; there is one family; there is one holy temple; there is one Holy Catholic Church. We are not told to make one Church since the one true Church exists already. We are merely told to “ guard,” or to “ preserve,” that essential unity of the Church. There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in 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 you all (Ephesians 4:4-6). You see, there is one Body. The Bible does not say that we are to create a Body of uniformity. True believers in Jesus Christ recognize the fact of the “ one Body” and leave the preserving of its unity to God. The Body of Christ, which is His Church, has never been rent, nor can it ever be. Dr. H. A. Ironside wrote, The Body of Christ is not composed of all the dif ferent sects and denominations. If you were to gather all the different Catholic sects together, the Roman Catholic, the Greek Catholic, the Chaldean Catholic, the Anglican Catholic, the Coptic Catholic, etc., and then gather all the Protestant sects together and unite them all in one big church, that would not be the Body of Christ. That would contain a great many people who are in the Body of Christ but it would also include a great many who are not. On the other hand, after you had gathered all these denominations and sects together, there would be a great many outside that would be members of the Body of Christ,
for “The Church which is His Body,” and the Church, which some call the visible Body of Christ, are not the same thing. The Body of Christ consists only of those who are regenerated and bom again by the Holy Spirit and linked to Christ in glory by the Spirit’s baptism, and all the divisions in Chris tendom cannot rend that Body. But what have they done? They certainly have denied the unity of the Spirit. The apostle would have us recognize this unity which God Himself has constituted, and so he says, “ Endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.” Third, true ecumenicalism expresses itself in a simple fellowship of kindred minds that have been renewed by the supernatural regenerating work of the Holy Spirit. They continued stedfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship . . . (Acts 2:42). This fellowship was expressed in the apostles’ creed in the words, “ I believe in the communion of saints.” The day the Church was bom “ they were all with one accord” (Acts 2:1), and in the “ one accord” spirit of fellowship they continued. And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart, Praising God, and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved (Acts 2:46,47). This simple fellowship was a prayer-fellowship, for we are told that “ they lifted up their voice to God with one accord” (Acts 4:24). This simple fellowship found expression in sharing their material goods with their brothers and sisters in Christ, for . . . neither said any of them that ought of the things which he possessed was his own; but they had all things common (Acts 4:32). Fourth, true ecumenicalism finds expression in a com mon witness to the crucified, risen, ascended and coming Christ. Read the Book of the Acts and the Epistles of the New Testament, and you will see that the ministry of the apostles was Christ-centered. The early Church was not organized as a clearing house for a world-betterment program. History will prove that wherever Christ was preached in all His fulness, social conditions have im proved, but the main burden of the apostles’ preaching and program was to introduce Jesus Christ as the only hope for the world. And this, my reader, I believe to be God’s program for His Church until Christ returns to take His Bride unto Himself. The ecumenical movements of men are far removed from God’s plan as set forth in the New Testa ment, therefore the true believer in Jesus Christ must shun them. But in the meantime, let us so live that our lives and labors will witness to the exalted Head of the true Church, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
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