The Member And The Church
There is a saying that "what proves too much, proves nothing". This is certainly true with reference to the efforts upon the part of some who labor to show that what the individual Christian does constitutes church action. We propose to show so clearly and conclusively in this article the fallacy of such an argument, that there cannot remain a vestige of doubt in the mind of any thinking reader of these lines.
The Term "Church"
The term "church", as used in the New Testament, is a collective noun. Nowhere in the New Testament is the term used with reference to one person. We have, in referring to church action, spoken of such action as being that of the church "as such". This phraseology would be unnecessary where folks understand the meaning of the term, "church". The church, from the time of its establishment, contemplated a plurality of people under the designation of the singular term, "church". On the first Pentecost after the resurrection of Christ, the saved were added together to form the church. (Acts 2:41.) The church consisted of all of the saved. (Acts 2:47.) The saved were those who had been redeemed by the blood of Christ. (Eph. 1:7; I Pet. 1:18,19.) Hence, the church was purchased by the blood of Christ. (Acts 20:28.)
The term "church" is used in two senses in the New Testament. It is used with reference to all of the saved in the aggregate (Eph. 1:22,23), and with reference to all the saved in a locality which form a congregational unit. (I Cor. 1:2.) With regard to church action, there is no authority in the New Testament for church action on the part of the church in its universal sense. All church action which is authorized in the New Testament is in the sense of the congregational unit. But in the sense of the congregational unit, the term, "church" contemplates a plurality of the saved in the "local" sense and is never used with reference to one person.
One Person Not The Church
The church is set forth in the New Testament under a number of figures. Some of these figures are: the kingdom, the house of God, the temple of God, the body of Christ, etc. It is the church as the body of Christ which we wish to discuss just here. Paul makes the argument that the body (the church) consists of members. In I Cor. 12:14 he makes this plain, simple statement, Tor the body is not one member, but many". Now all that has been said and written in an effort to make one member or the action of one member equal to the church or the action of the church is a direct contradiction of this statement of the inspired apostle. Paul says that one member is not the church. And if one member is not the church, then the action of one member could not constitute church action. Paul says further, "And if they were all one member, where were the body?" (I Cor. 12:19.) Thus Paul shows how ridiculous it would be to consider one member as the church.
Addressing The Church
The argument has been made, that because the writing of some of the epistles were addressed to the churches, everything in them related to church action. This is the part which we referred to as proving too much. We propose to show how this is true and also how to distinguish between church action and individual action.
Most of the writing which was addressed Ito the churches had to do with individual action of members of the church. In addressing the churches, the instructions applied to all the members equally; whereas, if individuals were separately addressed, the application would have been to that particular individual. Where there was special application such as to elders, such was indicated as in I Pet. 5:1,2. It would be utterly ridiculous to make application of all that was addressed to the "churches" to church action. There is teaching in regard to marriage which would give authority for the church to function as a marriage bureau (some brethren seem to think this is what should be done). There is teaching relative to civil government which would allow the church to function in that realm. There is teaching in regard to secular labor for profit which would allow the church to function in the business world for profit (there are also some brethren who seem to think this should be done). In fact, there is hardly any phase of private life in which the church could not function if such an application were made that everything contained in the epistles had to do with church action.
Order Of Application
If the proper order of application is observed with reference to individual action and church action, there would be no difficulty at all in distinguishing between the two. Before there can be church action, there must first be individual action. This is in keeping with the very nature of the church. There had to be saved individuals before the church could exist. We believe that all will agree that the relief of the poor saints at Jerusalem on the part of the church at Corinth was church action. But before this church action could take place, the individual action on the part of the members of the church in Corinth was necessary as indicated in I Cor. 16:2. Thus we see that individual action precedes church action. But not all individual action leads to church action.
The application of the teaching as to individual action and church action is very simple when this order is recognized. All action is individual action unless otherwise indicated. To make application of a passage to church action where church action is not indicated, is to go beyond that which is written. To have Bible authority for the church to make a contribution to anyone or anything, there must be a command for a collection in the church for it or an example of such a collection or contribution being made by the church. Otherwise it is individual action and can become no more than individual action with divine sanction.
Church action comes as a result of combining individual action. But this may be done only when there is Bible authority, general or specific, to do so. There is Bible authority for the church to be assembled for authorized purposes. (I Cor. 14:23.) But this is the result of action on the part of individuals to attend. There is Bible authority for the church to support (pay wages) the preaching of the gospel. (II Cor. 11:8.) But this is the result of action on the part of individual members contributing to the common fund of the church. This is true because the church could not pay wages in the absence of such a fund, or treasury as we call it. There is Bible authority for one church to help another church in distress (to relieve the physical needs of the members of the receiving church). (I Cor. 16:1.) But this is the result of action on the part of individual members contributing to the common fund. (I Cor. 16:2.) There is Bible authority for a church to relieve the needs of their own needy members and appoint those necessary to actually serve tables in this relief. (Acts 6:1-3.) But this is the result of the action of individual members contributing to the common fund. (Acts 4:34,35.) There is Bible authority for the individual to help any and all people in distress. (Gal. 6:10.) But there is no authority for combining this action and making the church an agency for the relief of the needy of the world. This is the way the distinction is made. If the Lord had designed the church to be a relief agency for the needy of the world, he would have indicated it as he did in the first four examples we cited.
There are many things which, in the way we have pointed out, are confined to individual action because there is no authority for carrying them any further. But everything which is authorized to be carried into church action may also be engaged in by the individual, such as: helping poor saints, supporting the preaching of the gospel or conducting Bible classes at home. Everything that is church action may also be individual action, but NOT everything that is individual action may become church action.