[The true Church] is a Church whose existence does not depend on forms, ceremonies, cathedrals, churches, chapels, pulpits, fonts, vestments, organs, endowments, money, kings, governments, magistrates, or any act of favor whatsoever from the hand of man. It has often lived on and continued when all these things have been taken from it; it has often been driven into the wilderness or into dens and caves of the earth, by those who ought to have been friends. Its existence depends on nothing but the presence of Christ and His Spirit; and they being ever with it, the Church cannot die. This is the Church to which Scriptural titles of present honor and privilege, and the promises of future glory, especially belong; this is the body of Christ; this is the flock of Christ; this is the household of faith and the family of God; this is Gods building, Gods foundation, and the temple of the Holy Ghost. This is the Church of the first-born, whose names are written in heaven; this is the royal priesthood, the chosen generation, the peculiar people, the purchased possession, the habitation of God, the light of the world; the salt and wheat of the earth; this is the Holy Catholic Church of the Apostles Creed; this is the One Catholic and Apostolic Church of the Nicene Creed; this is that Church to which the Lord Jesus promises, the gates of hell shall not prevail against it, and to which He says, I am with you always, even to the end of the world (Matt. 16:18; 28:20).-The Fundamentals Volume 2, Torrey, p. 316, 317. the church must stand firm on the two foundational concepts now under attack: morality and truth. The ultimate proof of the sinner, said Luther, is that he doesnt know his own sin. Our job is to make him see it. Proclaiming Gods Law can bring conviction of sin; at that point, our job is to proclaim the gospel of salvation in Jesus Christ. This proclamation requires a commitment to truth. The church of the living God, says the Apostle Paul, is the pillar and bulwark of the truth (1 Timothy 3:15 RSV). The church is to be a pillar; then it must support truth and hold up it teachings and by its actions. [ In every area of the church from administration, to doctrine] This truth, the text makes clear, is not merely the knowledge of human reason, but it is the far richer truth of the mystery of godliness, namely the incarnation, glorification, and efficacy of Jesus Christ (1 Timothy 3:16), who is Himself the Truth (John 14:6).--POSTMODERN TIMES A Christian Guide to Contemporary Thought and Culture, Gene Edward Veith Jr. p.228,229.
Posted on: Mon, 27 Jan 2014 07:39:28 +0000
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