The Church, the Falling Away, and the RestorationShepherd, J. W. (James Walton)
Religion
The Church, the Falling Away, and the Restoration
Shepherd, J. W. (James Walton)
Churches of Christ -- Doctrines; Disciples of Christ -- Controversial literature; Disciples of Christ -- Doctrines
8. That as it is not necessary that persons should have a particular
knowledge or distinct apprehension of all divinely-revealed truths in
order to entitle them to a place in the Church, neither should they,
for this purpose, be required to make a profession more extensive than
their knowledge; but that, on the contrary, their having a due measure
of scriptural self-knowledge respecting their lost and perishing
condition by nature and practice, and of the way of salvation through
Jesus Christ, accompanied with a profession of their faith in the
obedience to him, in all things, according to his Word, is all that is
absolutely necessary to qualify them for admission into his Church.
9. That all who are able through grace to make such a profession, and
to manifest the reality of it in their tempers and conduct, should
consider each other as the precious saints of God, should love each
other as brethren, children of the same family and Father, temples of
the same Spirit, members of the same body, subjects of the same grace,
objects of the same divine love, bought with the same price, and
joint-heirs of the same inheritance. Whom God hath thus joined
together no man should dare put asunder.
10. That divisions among the Christians is a horrid evil, fraught with
many evils. It is anti-Christian, as it destroys the visible unity of
the body of Christ; as if he were divided against himself, excluding
and excommunicating a part of himself. It is anti-scriptural, as being
strictly prohibited by his sovereign authority, a direct violation of
his express command. It is anti-natural, as it excites Christians to
condemn, to hate and oppose one another, where bound by the highest
and most endearing obligation to love each other as brethren, even as
Christ has loved them. In a word, it is productive of confusion and of
every evil work.
11. That (in some instances) a partial neglect of the expressly
revealed will of God, and (in others) an assumed authority for making
the approbation of human opinions and of human inventions a term of
communion, by introducing them into the constitution, faith or worship
of the Church, are, and have been, the immediate, obvious and
universally acknowledged causes of all corruptions and divisions that
ever have taken place in the Church of God.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account