Devoted to the Propagation and Defense of New Testament Christianity
VOLUME 12
April 13, 1961
NUMBER 48, PAGE 5,13a

Uncovering The Church

David W. Claypool, Louisville, Ky.

"Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ; And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ: to the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God, According to the eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord:" (Ephesians 3:8-11)

Our subject implies that the church has been covered up and that we need to uncover it. It would also imply that once we have the church uncovered, we should not cover it again. From the passage in Ephesians 3 we realize that God's wisdom is seen in the church and through the church. Many times Ephesians 3:10 is used as proof text for stating that the mission of the church is to preach the gospel. This passage has nothing to do with the church's mission of preaching the gospel. The meaning is that when one views the church (God's scheme of redemption through Christ) that he sees and realizes the manifold (many fold) wisdom of God.

Since our subject implies that the church is now covered up, who is to blame? Man is to blame. God certainly does not want it covered up. The church has been covered up with Creeds, Councils, Traditions, Human Wisdom, etc.

The universe as God created it is so created as to be perfectly adapted to the physical needs of humanity. The universe has been studied and talked about by many generations of people. There have been ideas and theories formulated and adopted about the universe. Some of them have been given up soon after being accepted because they were found to be untrue; that is, new facts were found which pointed out the error of the idea espoused. If an idea or theory actually was true, it was not truth because those who advanced the idea had created truth. They had simply uncovered truth and set it forth. Man cannot create truth, he can discover truth; uncover it. There have been medical discoveries; scientific discoveries, etc. in every generation and especially in the last 20 years. When electricity was discovered — the truth of it was not created but rather discovered and use of it made. Man has had nothing to do with the universe and the truth of it — it is the product of deity — man learns truth that God created. Men marvel at the universe and especially at new discoveries, yet truth is never created — it is only uncovered.

The church as God created it (Matt. 16:18; Acts 2:47; Eph. 3:8-11) was created for spiritual life. It is perfectly adapted to spiritual life and to the spiritual needs of man. There have been many ideas and theories formulated and adopted about the church just as there have been about the universe. Each generation is willing to investigate ideas and progress in the natural realm and is also willing to make even radical changes in things if truth demands such. This willingness is not seen in the religious world about spiritual things. Men are too prone to come to a conclusion and forever hold to it — even if it means being dishonest. Men cannot create truth about spiritual things any more than they can create truth about physical things. Jesus said in John 8:32 "Ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." Truth is designed to make men free. What is truth as it has to do with spiritual things? "Thy word is truth...." (John 17:17) Paul stated in Galatians 1:11. 12 "But I certify you, brethren, that the gospel which w; s preached of me is not after men. For I neither received if of man, neither was I taught it, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ." Even though there have been many theories formulated about spiritual matters, yet all that a person can be sure of has come from God's revelation (the Bible) — from pre-existing truth. If a person opens his Bible and discovers something that neither he nor his generation had realized before — he did not create that truth — he simply uncovered it. If we marvel at the universe and its workings, we should marvel even more at the church of our Lord — both are the product of diety. Men had nothing to do with creating truth about anything.

Eternal plans called for the church — the manifold wisdom of God. (Eph. 3:8-11) Since God's manifold wisdom is seen in the church as he created it, men need to be careful and anxious not to inject man's wisdom into it and thus cover up God's wisdom and glorify man's wisdom. When a man builds a bridge, the human wisdom of the architect and builder is seen. When a carpenter builds a house, his wisdom is seen. When men establish organizations, human wisdom is seen. When men build, establish and maintain churches without consulting the New Testament, human wisdom is seen, not God's. If a church is built by man's wisdom, it must be identified by the same. If a church is established by God's wisdom (the New Testament) it must be maintained by the same in order to have his approval.

Many know the truth about the church of the Lord but it is one thing to know the truth and another thing to apply it. Colossians 1:18 and Ephesians 1:22 clearly and simply set forth the fact that Christ is the head over all things. This is the simplest of statements. The church is a spiritual body — not a human body. There is a popular expression that the church is a "divine institution." This carries with it the idea of the human as far as organizations are concerned. An institutional concept of the church begins to tamper with the body of Christ, a spiritual body. The church is a living organism. Men need to see the church as the spiritual body of Christ. When the church (a living organism) is builded up and strengthened, what has taken place? The common conception is that a larger meeting house has been erected; air-conditioning has been installed; a parking lot has been secured; the auditorium was redecorated; another secretary hired; a new printing machine purchased, etc. Thus the reasoning runs along the lines of the material. All these things are but a means to an end and not an end in themselves. When the church (a living organism) is builded up, there is actual development and strengthening of the faith and ability of the members. The only way the church can be builded up is to strengthen the members in the faith — develop the members of the church in service to God.

There is not one aspect of my physical body that my head is not over. Since Christ is the head of the church (Col. 1:18; Eph. 1:22), every aspect of the church must be under his control. From this Glorious Head (Christ) the whole body is fitly framed and knit together. (Eph. 4:16) Many act as if they have other ideas about the matter. Influential brethren, preachers, journals, etc. sometimes act as if Christ is not the head over all and that human wisdom must be injected or the cause of Christ will fail. No human being (influential or otherwise) is the ruler of the church. Why consult influential brethren and journals instead of the Bible then if this is so? (We should not be-little the matter of studying with and asking the advice of mature individuals.) Christ is now the head over all. We can have no other concept of the headship of Christ. We need to eliminate from our thinking forever the idea that the church of the Lord was planned by human wisdom, brought into existence by human will or ruled by human authority. When Christ gave the Great Commission he said that "all authority" had been given to him. (Matt. 28:18-20) Christ was not to be with his apostles in person. They were to go into all the world and preach the gospel. They were to go by his authority. They needed nothing more. They were going into a hard field but when they went, they ever glorified and magnified Christ. In Acts 2, 3, and 4 we see examples of their preaching the authority of Chirst. Christ is the almighty sovereign of heaven and earth. This arrangement could have continued and would have, had the professed heralds of the Cross but continued to preach Jesus Christ and Him crucified and glorified as the power of God and the wisdom of God. Never since the fall of man did Satan obtain such a great triumph over the cause of truth and righteousness than when he persuaded the church to substitute tradition for revelation; philosophy for inspiration; and the authority of priests, popes and councils for the authority of Christ and His apostles.

The divine order is that Christ shall reign absolutely over the church in his own proper person and through the agency of His apostles as long as time endures. "Unto us a Child is born, unto us a son is given, and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, the Mighty God, the Father of the everlasting age, the Prince of Peace.... of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end. Upon the Throne of David, and over his kingdom, to order it and to establish it, with judgment and with justice, from henceforth even forever." (Isa. 9:6, 7)

Jesus said, "He that rejecteth me and receiveth not my words hath one that judgeth him, the words that I have spoken...." (John 12:48) The one who built the church (Matt. 16:18) has the right to say what will be in that church and how it shall function.

The churches of our religious neighbors have little or no resemblance to the New Testament order. If only all professed believers would open their Bibles and read, the church of the Lord and its simplicity would be uncovered for them. The seed of the kingdom (the word of God), the pattern for the church, lays on nearly every pulpit in the land but needs to be uncovered.