A.It is the distinct privilege of Christians to be counted a part of Christ’s holy body, His church.
B.Presently, let us consider what membership in the church of Christ really means in word and in practice.
II.THE UNIVERSAL CHURCH AND THE LOCAL CHURCH
A.The word “church” is from the Greek word ekklesia, which simply means “the called out.”
1.This word was generic when the New Testament was written and could refer to any assembly or gathering of people called out for a specific purpose.
2.In the New Testament, “church” is used almost exclusively to refer to groups of Christians.
B.The term “church” is used in two different senses in the Scriptures to describe different groups of Christians.
1.Christ’s church in the universal sense is the whole company of Christians throughout the world.This is the sense in which Jesus said, “I will build My church” (Matt. 16:18).
2.Christ’s church in the local sense is a congregation of Christians in a particular place, such as “the church of God which is at Corinth” (1Cor. 1:2).
C.It is important to recognize the distinctions between the universal church and local churches as they are revealed within the Scriptures.
1.There are distinctions between the organizational structures of the universal and local churches.
a.The universal church is simply organized with Christ as the Head (Eph. 1:22-23) and all Christians as the members of the body.
i.There is no physical assembly of the universal church on earth.
ii.There is no distinct work of the universal church other than the individual work of its members.
iii.In this sense only, there is one church of Christ (Eph. 4:4; “one body,” which is Christ’s church), and all true Christians are members of it.
b.Local churches are organized from within their own limited memberships.
i.Each local church is composed of Christians who live in a particular locality.
ii.The local church has Christ for its Head just as the universal church does, but it is also overseen by elders (also called overseers, pastors, shepherds, or bishops) and served by deacons who work only within the local church.See Acts 14:23; Philippians 1:1; 1Timothy 3:1-13; Titus 1:5-9; Hebrews 13:17; 1Peter 5:1-4.
iii.Each local church is autonomous, meaning that each has its own organization and functions independently from other local churches.
iv.A local church has the distinct, collective works of evangelism (1Thess. 1:8), edification (1Cor. 14:26), worship (1Cor. 11:17-34), and benevolence (1Cor. 16:1-4).
2.There are also distinctions between the membership of the universal church and local churches.We will consider this in more detail below.
III.MEMBERSHIP IN THE CHURCH
A.When we consider membership in the church, we must consider two distinct issues: membership in the universal church and membership in a local church.
1.Let us understand that membership in the universal church and membership in a local church are two distinct matters.Membership in one does not constitute membership in the other.
2.It is a common misunderstanding to think that the universal church is composed of all of the local churches.In truth, the membership of the universal church is composed only of individuals.
B.Let us contrast the differences between membership in the universal church and membership in a local church.
1.Membership in the universal church:
a.Is determined by Christ.
i.It is the Lord who adds the saved to the number in His church (Acts 2:47).The terms by which we become Christians are the terms by which we are added to the church (i.e., faithful obedience to Christ’s gospel, Acts 2:37-41).
ii.It is Christ who cuts off fruitless branches from Himself (John 15:1-8).
b.Is continuous; it does not depend on location or the acceptance of men.
i.When Christians relocate to a new area, they remain within Christ’s church.
ii.The opinions of men have no bearing on whether or not Christ accepts one into His church.Consider the example of Saul in Acts 9:26.
c.Ensures salvation.
i.Because Christ adds the members Himself, His acceptance is assured.
ii.Therefore, all members are safe as long as they remain faithful to Him.
2.Membership in a local church:
a.Is determined by men.
i.The members of a local church decide whether or not to accept others into the local church based upon their own limited and fallible knowledge.
ii.The limitations and weaknesses of men can cause them to accept some whom Christ rejects and reject some whom Christ accepts.Consider 1Corinthians 5; Acts 9:26; 11:1-18.
b.Changes depending upon location or the acceptance of men.
i.When Christians relocate their homes from one location to another, they will also move their membership from the church at the first location to the church at the next location.
ii.Men may mistakenly reject certain faithful Christians from being part of a local church, forcing them to join another local church in a different location.
c.Does not ensure salvation.
i.The fact that a local church has accepted a person does not necessarily mean that Christ accepts him.Again consider 1Corinthians 5.
ii.Many may be surprised at Judgment to find that Christ never knew them even though they were part of a local church (Matt. 7:21-23).
IV.PRACTICAL LESSONS REGARDING MEMBERSHIP
A.A Christian’s physical presence is a component of his membership in a local church.
1.Whereas membership in the universal church is exclusively a spiritual matter, membership in a local church is a spiritual matter with a physical component.
2.Local churches have physical assemblies, so a Christian’s presence in those assemblies is a necessary part of his membership.See 1Corinthians 11:17-34; 14:26; Hebrews 10:23-25.
3.Therefore, membership in a local church is more than simply having one’s name in the church directory.Membership requires us to be part of the physical assembly.
B.Membership in the church is manifested by working as part of the body.
1.Membership in a local body of Christ requires that one not only be present in the assemblies, but also be a functioning part of the body at all times.
2.God equipped the members of the church with various abilities in order to build up the entire body (1Cor. 12:12-31; Eph. 4:11-16).Without the efforts of the members, the body will not function.
3.Whether we are considering the universal church or a local church, Christ expects His members to bear fruit (John 15:1-8).Those who do not are to be cut off as dead branches.
C.The local church will be characterized by the character of its members.
1.The responsibility for a local church before Christ falls upon each member.Notice 1Corinthians 12:27 – “Now you are Christ’s body, and individually members of it.”
2.It is not only the responsibility of the members to keep themselves free from sin individually, but it is also their responsibility to keep the entire body free from sin.
