THE
CHURCH IS AN ORGANIC STRUCTURE
Therefore when men charge us with
discarding all organizations, they either ignorantly or
willfully misrepresent us. As the Word teaches, so we
teach. The church that Jesus purchased with his own blood,
he also "built" (Matt. 16: 18); that is,
organized. "In whom [Christ] all the building fitly
framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the
Lord." Eph. 2:21. These scriptures and many others
clearly set forth the church of God as a symmetrical and
perfectly organized structure. Of this fact there is no
question; but with regard to who holds the prerogative of
organizing the body, not all so well agree.
The general teaching in sectarian
theology is that God only saves and gathers men out of the
world into a general mass and that it is the duty of
ministers to form the material thus provided into organic
form. But our teaching is that God not only saves men into
his church, but also forms them in due order and really
organizes the church itself. In order to show which
position is correct, we will now appeal to the Word. A few
texts will be sufficient to settle the question. The
church, as we have seen, is a building, a house; that is,
an organic structure. Now, it must be apparent to all that
whoever is the architect and builder of a house is also
its organizer. But "he who hath builded the house
hath more honor than the house." And "he that
built all things is God." Heb. 3:3, 4. "But now
hath God set the members every one of them in the body, as
it hath pleased hire." 1 Cor. 12:18. "And God
hath set some in the church, first apostles," etc.
Verse 28. To furnish with organs, "built,"
"compact," "fitly framed together,"
and to "temper the body together" cover all that
is included in the word "organize." And
"all these worketh that one and the self same
Spirit." 1 Cor. 12:11. Yea, "it is the same God
which worketh all in all." 1 Cor. 12: 6. He, then,
through the Spirit, is the organizer of his own church.
As we view the pure church in her
morning glory, we see her a perfect organized body. She
had law, discipline, and government. This was all
contained in the gospel—the New Testament. The law of
Christ being a perfect rule of faith, the church needed no
other, and it needs no other today. There is no excuse for
the modern creeds of men. Modern sects are of human
origin; hence they need man made rules and discipline. The
Church God is divine; hence the divine law is sufficient
for its government.
Moreover, the Lord calls,
qualifies, and sends forth by his Spirit certain ones for
the ministry. Among these are evangelists, pastors, and
teachers. They prove their call by their ability to
minister. Such are acknowledged by the church, and by the
direction of the Lord are ordained by the imposition of
hands to the important work to which the Lord has called
them. This is all done by the direction of the Holy
Spirit, without voting into office. In every congregation
saved out of the world by the blood of Christ, the Lord
calls certain ones and by his Spirit qualifies them to be
elders or overseers. Others he calls to the work of
deacons. "He sets the members every one in the body
as it pleaseth him." The ministry recognize these
calls and by the laying on of hands, just like the
apostles and ministers of old, dedicate to the various
kinds of work those whom the Lord has chosen and
qualified. This is called ordination. These officers of
the church are in authority, and execute his word. They
are called " overseers. " They are not made so
by man, but "the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers
" (Acts 20: 28). The church is commanded thus:
"Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit
yourselves." Heb. 13:17.
So before the advent of any of the
modern sects God's church was a perfectly organized
structure; and we are happy to say that since we have come
out of and discarded these sects of human origin, and have
been abiding only in the church divine, we have the same
government, rule, discipline, officers authority, and
organization that the primitive Christians had.
