Restoration — Re-Establishment — Or What?
"The work of Restoration is not complete. "(Reuel Lemmons in Firm Foundation, April 26, 1966.)
"Restoration: a putting or bringing back into a former normal or unimpaired state or condition. Restore: to re-establish something which has passed away, as a custom, system of government, etc." (Webster's New 20th Century Dictionary, page 1544.)
In pondering what many, including myself, have presented on restoration concepts, I wonder if perhaps we have missed the point at which we were actually trying to arrive. Brother Lemmon's editorial statement drawn as a conclusion to the body of this paper, helped me to solidify this thinking.
What are we trying to restore? The ideology of brethren has been that we must bring forth or re-establish that which once was — the church that existed 1900 or so years ago, That thinking must, of necessity, include only the local congregations that existed then, It cannot be the general or universal church which is made up of all the saved of earth, for that has never ceased or fallen into a state of disrepair and never shall. If we are not contemplating the local aspect of the churches of that day, then what is it that we do have in mind? We certainly cannot restore something that never did exist.
So, when we talk and write about "restoring" the church of the New Testament, I am afraid we have before us only a clouded image of what is actually in our mind. Carl Ketcherside and his cohorts constantly harp on restoration and how we have fallen short in our movement toward such, and most of his stripe head their bulletins and papers with something pertaining to "restoration." What do they mean? In fact, what does anyone mean?
We can very quickly restore the independent nature of the congregations that existed then. We can restore completely the organizational structure of the Philippian church. We can restore the worship of the churches in Troas and Jerusalem. We can restore the work of the churches as it was in Macedonia, Achaia and Antioch. We can, and have, in many places, done all that. There were departures from that simplicity then just as there is now. And surely these congregations need to turn back, need to "be restored" to their original state NOW just as the ones which departed THEN needed local restoration. But this is a congregational matter, not a matter for the "movement" to be concerned with. There were troubles in the churches then just as there are now. So, what are we talking about and what HAVE we been talking about, as we speak torrents and write reams concerning this matter? Do we want to restore ALL they had in the church at Corinth? or Antioch? In fact, do we want to restore ALL they had in the church at Jerusalem?
Actually, I think we all have in mind one thing when we talk about restoring the church of the New Testament: that is, we mean that we are interested in establishing congregations built according to the pattern we can find only in the New Testament. That pattern is made known, of course, by commands and stated facts; by the divinely inspired examples; by necessary inferences. And, surely, this needs to be done. This is not, however, a work of restoration nor of RE-establishing, but a work of evangelization and edification that results in the building of something in a certain place that has never been there before---a local congregation established in harmony with the scriptures.
"None will ever be able to say 'we have arrived'." (ibidem) In context, brother Lemmons is really dealing with individual growth. He is exalting study, knowledge, education. Not secular education. Truly there is "no premium on (secular or any kind of-- RLC) ignorance," (ibid.) but Lemmons was talking specifically about spiritual education that brings about individual growth in the child of God. We begin our journey toward heaven completely justified in God's sight, "as new-born babes," Actually, the only part restoration has to play in our lives is this: every day we learn, we apply our knowledge, we grow, we press toward perfection. But each day we must look at ourselves and realize that we may have retrogressed or fallen back and thus need to "confess our sins" realizing that "he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." (1 John 1:9) Thus we are restored to our original state of complete justification in God's sight. And John did not mean, when he said "confess," to wait until Sunday or the big meeting or campaign and "walk the aisle" and tell the preacher.
Yes, we are all imperfect and need to recognize it. Therefore, we need education---all kinds. We must not stop our spiritual, educational process by learning the few laws that some congregation set up. Jesus is our law-maker and law-giver---there is no other. We must not bog down and stop this process with the old saying, "we have been doing this, lo, these many years" therefore it must be right. Let us "go onward" ever learning in any way we can, but, remember, this is an individual process.
When we have differences among ourselves, and surely we do have such right now, let's talk about those differences; let's study together; let's sit together in open forum; let's have the light that often comes in debate, Let's never close any avenue in the process of learning because "we have (not) arrived" at a full and complete knowledge of God's will. And if we close that avenue, that door of learning, who knows — we may have closed our door of heaven!
-Box 1294 Crane, Texas