Churches of Christ -- Sermons; Sermons, American -- 20th century
Why should one exalt the name of this one aspect of Christian activity
to the point of adopting it as a religious title? One can be methodical
without being a Methodist. Just as one can be systematic without being a
Systematist. One can be just a plain Christian and practice everything
the Bible teaches in reference to order and system.
When I was attending the Union Theological Seminary, one of my
professors told me that the New Testament churches were “congregational
presbyterian.” He explained his statement by saying that each
congregation was independent of all other congregations and that each
was overseen by a group of men known as elders or presbyters. I agree
with him exactly. According to his explanation his statement was
entirely correct. But I am not a member of the Presbyterian Church. One
can believe all the Bible teaches upon the presbytery and practice the
same without belonging to the Presbyterian denomination. Why should this
characteristic of church government or organization be exalted by using
it as a religious or denominational title? One can be just a Christian
and still believe and practice what the Bible teaches in reference to
the presbytery. One does not have to be a member of the Presbyterian
Church to obey God concerning the presbytery.
One can believe in the universality of the Gospel without being a
Catholic or Universalist. One can believe in the second coming of Christ
without belonging to the Adventist denomination. One can teach and
practice holy living without belonging to the Holiness Church. If one
had to join the Baptist Church because he believed in baptism and the
Methodist Church because he believed in method and the Presbyterian
Church because he believed in the presbytery of the local congregation
(1 Tim. 4:14) and so on down the list, what would he be when he had
finished? One can agree with the denominations on the very truth from
which they have taken their names, insofar as they have taken their
names from truth, without belonging to any of them.
IV
Some Important Conclusions
One can believe all truth and obey every commandment of God without
belonging to any denomination. Can you think of an exception to this
statement? Can you think of any truth which you cannot believe or any
commandment that you cannot obey without joining a denomination? I don’t
believe you can. Can you think of any truth which you cannot accept or
any commandment which you cannot obey while being just a Christian?
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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