A New Testament Christian
I attend an independent Christian Church, part of what is called The Restoration Movement. If you are at Southern Heights Christian Church, so do you. A “back to the Bible” movement dating to the early 1800’s. We are only “independent” in terms of not relying on a denominational headquarters, with each congregation overseen by a group of local elders, no governing authority beyond the local church, reliant on the Lord, guided by his Word. As part of this group of churches, you might hear people referring to being a “First Century Church.” What they mean by that is we seek the doctrines and practices of the early Christians, not complicated by the creeds and detailed traditions that get codified within many churches. The Bible, the New Testament in particular, provide our blueprint for living. You might hear those espousing such to say, “We want to be a New Testament church.”
Some clarification might be needed. Yes, we want to be a New Testament church, but the New Testament provides us with very honest details about the early Christians. Like the Old Testament, there is no elevated and glorified version of the church presented. We see those who make up the church with all their warts and mistaken ideas. In fact, the letters written that follow the gospels (Matthew, Mask, Luke, and John), along with the book of Acts, all are written not only to encourage, and instruct, but to correct the many errors being made. The 1st Century Church is far from perfect. So, when we say we want to be a 1st Century Church, a New Testament church, we must qualify that.
To be such a church means we want to follow the Lord, and we recognize that to do so we must know what he taught, and what his authorized apostles taught. Jesus said the greatest commandment is to love God with all our heart, mind, and soul. What does that really mean? It is more than mushy feelings for God, or sound-bite Christianity. It means we truly seek him, truly study what he said and determine how it should impact our daily lives. When the Apostle Peter preached the first sermon after the resurrection of Jesus on Pentecost, he told the crowd, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” So, we don’t tell people to say a little prayer to invite Jesus into their heart, not found in the New Testament. Instead, we tell them what Peter told them, “Repent and be baptized” and when they do so their sins are forgiven, and they receive God’s Holy Spirit to live within. Each time we encounter teaching or practice like this, we seek to teach and do, as they taught and did.
But that’s just half of the story if we wish to be New Testament Christians. The letters to the churches that make up the bulk of this guidebook, much like the prophets of old, provide rebuke and warnings, correcting where many were in error. One example, in the book of 1st Corinthians Paul writes that they are in disunity because they align themselves behind different teachers, some following Paul, some Apollos, some Peter, etc. In fact, all those teachers should be following Christ, and so should their students. He goes on later to write about sexual immorality within the church. They are even arrogant about it! For such, he writes, it may require formal discipline, removing them from the church. When we say we want to be New Testament Christians, we certainly don’t mean that we want to be guilty of following our preacher instead of Christ or becoming sexually immoral, etc.
We desire to be New Testament Christians. Let’s understand that means obeying the teaching of Jesus and his apostles, while also refraining from the teaching and practices they condemn.
Cross Point: “Now disclosed through the prophetic writings, made known to all nations, according to the command of the eternal God, to bring about the obedience of faith” (Romans 16:26).
Rick’s blog: rickwilliswrites.wordpress.com (Vetus Via)
Or go to the SHCC app under “Connect” for Cross Points
Some clarification might be needed. Yes, we want to be a New Testament church, but the New Testament provides us with very honest details about the early Christians. Like the Old Testament, there is no elevated and glorified version of the church presented. We see those who make up the church with all their warts and mistaken ideas. In fact, the letters written that follow the gospels (Matthew, Mask, Luke, and John), along with the book of Acts, all are written not only to encourage, and instruct, but to correct the many errors being made. The 1st Century Church is far from perfect. So, when we say we want to be a 1st Century Church, a New Testament church, we must qualify that.
To be such a church means we want to follow the Lord, and we recognize that to do so we must know what he taught, and what his authorized apostles taught. Jesus said the greatest commandment is to love God with all our heart, mind, and soul. What does that really mean? It is more than mushy feelings for God, or sound-bite Christianity. It means we truly seek him, truly study what he said and determine how it should impact our daily lives. When the Apostle Peter preached the first sermon after the resurrection of Jesus on Pentecost, he told the crowd, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” So, we don’t tell people to say a little prayer to invite Jesus into their heart, not found in the New Testament. Instead, we tell them what Peter told them, “Repent and be baptized” and when they do so their sins are forgiven, and they receive God’s Holy Spirit to live within. Each time we encounter teaching or practice like this, we seek to teach and do, as they taught and did.
But that’s just half of the story if we wish to be New Testament Christians. The letters to the churches that make up the bulk of this guidebook, much like the prophets of old, provide rebuke and warnings, correcting where many were in error. One example, in the book of 1st Corinthians Paul writes that they are in disunity because they align themselves behind different teachers, some following Paul, some Apollos, some Peter, etc. In fact, all those teachers should be following Christ, and so should their students. He goes on later to write about sexual immorality within the church. They are even arrogant about it! For such, he writes, it may require formal discipline, removing them from the church. When we say we want to be New Testament Christians, we certainly don’t mean that we want to be guilty of following our preacher instead of Christ or becoming sexually immoral, etc.
We desire to be New Testament Christians. Let’s understand that means obeying the teaching of Jesus and his apostles, while also refraining from the teaching and practices they condemn.
Cross Point: “Now disclosed through the prophetic writings, made known to all nations, according to the command of the eternal God, to bring about the obedience of faith” (Romans 16:26).
Rick’s blog: rickwilliswrites.wordpress.com (Vetus Via)
Or go to the SHCC app under “Connect” for Cross Points
Posted in Cross Points