Devoted to the Propagation and Defense of New Testament Christianity
VOLUME 10
NEED_DATE
NUMBER 49, PAGE 9

Doing Good

Jack L. Holt, Cullman, Alabama

In this age of misconception of, and looseness toward the Word of God, there are many expressions that have crept into the Christian's vocabulary that do not measure up to the divine injunction, "Speak thou the things that become the sound doctrine." (Titus 2:1.) Among these expressions is the one so often heard, "the church ought to do good." Now I am not opposed to the church doing good, but this expression has been used to justify nearly anything and everything man can invent in religion. What is meant by the expression, "the church ought to do good?" Are there any limitations placed upon the church in its activity? Can the church do anything that frail fallible humans decide is good. Or is the church to do only that which is set forth in the law of the kingdom? The idea seems to prevail among those who use the expression that the church can do anything it is big enough to do.

It seems that many members of the church have either forgotten, or never knew the fundamental principles of the gospel, and especially the fundamental truths concerning the church. Jesus Christ is the head of His church and ever will be. He is the Head over all things to the church. One fails to recognize the headship of Christ when he fails to follow the law of Christ, or goes beyond the law. Whenever anyone puts the church into any work that has not been authorized by the Head of the church, he acts presumptuously and sins. (2 John 9.) A recognition and acceptance of these fundamental truths will prevent anyone from attempting to usurp the Headship of Christ over the church. But nowadays vain, silly, proud and presumptuous men have "decided" that the Lord, as head of the church, failed to specify a number of works that the "church ought to do." They act as if they know more about it than the Lord, thus they have perverted the organization and put the church into works the head never authorized the church to do.

In harmony with the truths presented above is the fundamental truth that we can know nothing about the church except as the Word of God reveals it. There is not one truth that can be known about the church except that truth is set forth in the Bible. "The Scriptures furnish completely unto every good work." (2 Tim. 3:16-17.) How can anyone put the church into a work and say that it is "good" all the while having no authority for it from the Scriptures? Does fallible man have this power? Is he able to instruct the Lord? Does the decision concerning what work the church is to do rest with men or God? If man has the right to give the church one work not authorized by the Scriptures under the pretense that he deems it good, then he has the same right to put the church into any work under the sun under the same pretense. If not, why not? The Bible is our guide and it is either a perfect guide or no guide. It is the Bible pattern or no pattern. We must decide whether we are going to walk by human wisdom or divine in religion. Members of the church need to realize that the Scripture "it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps," applies to them as well as to the sects. (Jer. 10:23.) And so does the verse that states: "There is a way that seemeth right unto man (or good) but the end thereof is the way of death." (Prov. 14:12.)

A work itself may be scriptural and thus good from a human or individual standpoint. But there is no work that is a good work for the church to do unless the Word of God assigns it. The church is regulated by divine law and can do nothing except as the One Lawgiver, Christ, assigns it. We need to remember this truth: "The church has no work, but that which God assigns it." If God has not assigned the church that work, the church does not have that work, and cannot scripturally do that work. And this is true regardless of how good men may think that it is or what they may say in favor of it. The church can do nothing for God except that which He has authorized it to do. It is God's part to assign the church the work, and it is the duty of the church to do it. To do what it has been assigned — AND NOTHING MORE. The church has no duty to do anything it is not authorized to do. Men nowadays have reversed the order of God and have assumed to assign the church its work. We must remember that it is God's part to assign the church its work, and our part to do the work. When men become humble enough and obedient enough to let the Lord direct His church, the church will then be what God wants it to be, any not as men would have it.

The expression, "the church ought to do good," is perfectly proper if we keep in mind, and are understood to mean that the church is to do the work God gave it. But if we mean by the expression the church ought to do what we think is good, whether authorized by the scriptures or not, we are wrong. The church can never do good and please the Lord while going beyond His word.