Today I'll go over a topic that relates to the series I've been sharing. To fully comprehend what I'm about to share with you, it is vital to read my last 3 brief blog entries pertaining to Christ, the Anointed One, our King, and His kingdom as they are all related. What I'm sharing today is brief as well, yet should help your understanding and studies.
A 501c3 is a corporation. A corporation is considered an artificial, fictitious person, a legal entity that exists on paper as an individual being. They can enjoy many of the same rights as real persons, like buy and sell property; the right to enter into contracts, and the right to take some one to court.
One might say that the main incentive for the "institutionalized church" to form one is to provide for its members limited liability, which means the fictitious person may be held responsible while it's members are not liable. Yet, is limited liability for God's assembled people Scriptural? How does this legal concept compare to examples like Mt. 5:39-40; Lk. 9:51-56; Rom. 12:17; Col. 3:12-13; 1 Th. 5:15; etc?
"A corporation derives its existence and all of its powers from the State and therefore, has only such powers as the State has conferred upon it. Power is used here to mean the legal capacity to execute and fulfill the objects and purposes for which the corporation was created, and the source of this power is the charter and the statute under which the corporation was organized." - Len Young Smith and G. Gale Roberson, Smith and Roberson's Business Law. West Publishing Company, 1966.
"Corporate existence is a privilege granted by the sovereign upon compliance with specified conditions." - Len Young Smith and G. Gale Roberson, Smith and Roberson's Business Law. West Publishing Company, 1966.
Just to clarify a point here concerning the word sovereign, according to Dictionary.com:
sovereign noun
1) a monarch; a king, queen, or other supreme ruler.
2) a person who has supreme power or authority.
adjective
3) belonging to or characteristic of a sovereign or sovereign authority; royal.4) having supreme rank, power, or authority.5) supreme; preeminent; indisputable:a sovereign right.6) greatest in degree; utmost or extreme.
Now compare it with Strong's definition of "head:"
2776 kefalh, kephale {kef-al-ay'}
Meaning: 1) the head, both of men and often of animals. Since the loss of the head destroys life, this word is used in the phrases relating to capital and extreme punishment. 2) metaph. anything supreme, chief, prominent 2a) of persons, master lord: of a husband in relation to his wife 2b) of Christ: the Lord of the husband and of the Church 2c) of things: the corner stone Jesus is the head [king, chief, supreme, sovereign] of the ekklaysia (Acts 4:11; Eph. 1:22; 4:15; 5:23; Col. 1:18; 2:19; 1 P. 2:7), [an assembly of citizens summoned, Php 3:20 - the commonwealth of citizens - S# 4175].
4175 poli,teuma politeuma {pol-it'-yoo-mah}
Meaning: 1) the administration of civil affairs or of a commonwealth 2) the constitution of a commonwealth, form of government and the laws by which it is administered 3) a state, commonwealth 3a) the commonwealth of citizens.
Interesting how Paul used this Greek word to define the ekklesia's citizenship. Is the non-profit corporation "church's" citizenship of man or God? Like the tribute money in Mt. 22:17-22, where Jesus replied, "Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar's; and unto God the things that are God's." Or like the time in Mt. 21:23-27 when the Pharisees questioned Jesus about where He received His authority to administer, He replied, "The baptism of John, whence was it? from heaven, or of men?" So by what authority has the 501c3 non-profit corporation, a.k.a., the "church" received it's existence? From heaven, or of men?
I'm sure you can see parallels between Jesus and His ekklesia with the government and their non-profit corporations. Therefore, when an assembly of believers decides to go to another sovereign in hope that that sovereign will grant to them the right to exist and have it's powers conferred to them, taking it's nature and characteristics, it has decapitated itself from Christ and has attached itself to another head.
It is as if we would take a He-Man doll and remove it's head from the body and replace it with a Strawberry Shortcake doll's head. It's absurd! They are foreign to each other. They have taken on different characteristics! The He-Man doll now looks hilarious! He no longer "has the power!" Yet, if you give it time, it will grow on you and seem natural. Such is the state of what we have grown to understand of the so-called "church" today. When an assembly of believers choose to go to the State desiring it to grant them their right to exsist - in essence, they hand over their identity in Christ to assume an entirely different one and in time, it no longer seems odd or foreign, but rather, right and normal. Like Samson, not realizing that the Spirit of God left him (Jdg 16:20), so those that incorporate don't realize they have removed their rightful Head from them for an inferior head.
God surely wouldn't allow His body to be corrupted like this, right? Think again! The Scriptures give plenty of examples of this very thing! He even admonishes us not to do such a thing! (2 Cor. 6:14-7:1) The OT is filled with them. One example is found in 1 Sam. 8 where the children of Israel rejected God as their Sovereign and wanted a different sovereign like the other nations. Why did God permit this and why does He still permit it today? Romans 1:17+ gives a good answer.
21 Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.
22 Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,
23 And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things.
24 Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves:
25 Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen. - Rom. 1:21-25
What may also be interesting to you is that the Latin term "persona ficta" which means an artificial or fictitious person, originated in the 13th century by none other than Pope Innocent IV. Let that sink in! I can hear you now - WOW!
When it comes to the word ekklesia it is important to grasp that it is from two Greek words: ek: out from among + kaleo: to call or summon assembly. The Greek word ekklesia dates back to around 400 BC by the Greeks, of course. It meant "an assembly of citizens summoned by the cries, the legislative assembly."
Later when the Roman Empire came to power they adopted the ekklesia. It became a means for them to infuse culture and customs into new territories they conquered.
There is an example of this in Acts chapter 19. It would be good for you to read and study it to get familiar with Roman ekklesia. The word ekklesia appears in this chapter in verses 32, 39, and 41.
Therefore, why would Jesus use this Greek word saying, "I will build, [establish, promote growth in Christian wisdom, and piety - S#3618] my ekklesia [an assembly of citizens summoned]?"
I'm trying to help you relearn your understanding on what ekklesia actually means. I don't know if you have a Septuagint (LLX) available but let me show you a number of OT passages that ekklesia was used in to help you better understand how the 1st century believers understood ekklesia. Remember that the Septuagint was used by the Jews when Jesus was on the earth.
Before I share some of those verses it is important for you to understand that ekklesia refers to an EVENT and PEOPLE gathered, not to a place of gathering.
1) Event: Dt. 9:10, Acts 19:29-32, 41
2) People: Jdg. 20:2, Acts 14:27
3) Required physical presence within the assembled group, not merely a 'membership' or 'association.'
It is important to note that only when believers are gathered together are they an ekklesia. Once the gathering has concluded, it has stopped being an ekklesia.
It is also impotarnt to note the difference between an EVENT and PEOPLE. If ekklesia speaks of an EVENT it is an ABSTRACT term. If it speaks of PEOPLE it is a CONCRETE term. I'll reiterate this to bring further clarity to your understanding.
A CONCRETE word is a noun denoting something material. By contrast, an ABSTRACT word is a noun denoting something immaterial.
One way to understand CONCRETE words is that they refer to any person, place, or thing that you can experience with your five senses.
ABSTRACT words are intangible things that exist as ideas or concepts.
Some examples of CONCRETE words are man, woman, John, Jane, city, Tampa, state, Indiana, book, and Bible.
Some examples of ABSTRACT words are religion, government, time, bias, love, hate, fear, joy, Thursday, Thanksgiving Day.
I hope these examples will aid you as you study ekklesia throughout the Scriptures.
Continuing on with point #3 above, we'll look at the ensuing distinctions.
Membership vs. discipleship:
1) Membership is transactional;
2) Discipleship is relational.
"Members" of a "Clique of Christ" may mistake themselves as genuine disciples belonging to Christ's ekklesia because they follow the duties prescribed to them according to the by-laws of the corporation their membership belongs to.
Alright, now for some of those OT verses I mentioned:
Dt. 23:2, 3; Jdg 21:5, 8; 1 Sam. 17:47; 1 K. 8:14, 55, 65; 1 Chr. 13:2, 4; 29:1, 20; 2 Chr. 1:3, 5; 7:8; 20:5, 14; 29:28, 31, 32; 30:2, 13, 23, 24, 25; Ezra 2:64; Neh. 7:66; 13:1.
When looking into the NT it is important to see the only two places it is used in the Gospels. Even more important in understanding ekklesia, the context of those places are important. Therefore I will include them here. Also, I'll highlight portions of the texts to emphasize what I'm attempting to expound to you on the ekklesia with more clarity.
15 He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am?
16 And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.
17 And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.
18 And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build [establish; promote growth in Christian wisdom and piety S#3618] my church [an assembly of citizens summoned]; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
19 And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.
20 Then charged he his disciples that they should tell no man that he was Jesus the Christ. - Mt. 16:15-20
Notice the next instance when ekklesia is used in reference to how administer judgment among their assembly.
15 Moreover if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother.
16 But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.
17 And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto the church [an assembly of citizens summoned]: but if he neglect to hear the church [an assembly of citizens summoned], let him be unto thee as an heathen man and a publican.
18 Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.
19 Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven.
20 For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them. - Mt. 18:15-20
Of note, be sure to learn what "keys" are pertaining to. Start with Scriptures such as Is. 9:6-7; 22:22; Mt. 23:13; Rev. 3:7, etc. In short, they represent authority granted to them by their sovereign.
Now see the function or role of the ekklesia played out among the Corinthian brethren.
4 In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when ye are gathered together, and my spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ,
5 To deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus. - 1 Cor. 5:4-5
12 For what have I to do to judge them also that are without? do not ye judge them that are within?
13 But them that are without God judgeth. Therefore put away from among yourselves that wicked person. - 1 Cor. 5:12-13
1 Dare any of you, having a matter against another, go to law before the unjust, and not before the saints?
2 Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world? and if the world shall be judged by you, are ye unworthy to judge the smallest matters?
3 Know ye not that we shall judge angels? how much more things that pertain to this life?
4 If then ye have judgments of things pertaining to this life, set them to judge who are least esteemed in the church [an assembly of citizens summoned]. 5 I speak to your shame. Is it so, that there is not a wise man among you? no, not one that shall be able to judge between his brethren?
6 But brother goeth to law with brother, and that before the unbelievers.
7 Now therefore there is utterly a fault among you, because ye go to law one with another. Why do ye not rather take wrong? [Again I ask, doesn't this go against limited liability?] why do ye not rather suffer yourselves to be defrauded? [Again I ask, doesn't this go against limited liability?]
8 Nay, ye do wrong, and defraud, and that your brethren. - 1 Cor. 6:1-8
A pattern of the ekklesia in action, even as the following passages reveal to us how an ekklesia is to administer according to the authority given to it by it's Head, Jesus Christ.
11 And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;
12 For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:
13 Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:
14 That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;
15 But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:
16 From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love. - Eph. 4:11-16
27 Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular.
28 And God hath set some in the church [an assembly of citizens summoned], first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, governments, diversities of tongues. 29 Are all apostles? are all prophets? are all teachers? are all workers of miracles?
30 Have all the gifts of healing? do all speak with tongues? do all interpret?
31 But covet earnestly the best gifts: and yet shew I unto you a more excellent way. - 1 Cor. 12:27-31
26 How is it then, brethren? when ye come together, every one of you hath a psalm, hath a doctrine, hath a tongue, hath a revelation, hath an interpretation. Let all things be done unto edifying.
27 If any man speak in an unknown tongue, let it be by two, or at the most by three, and that by course; and let one interpret.
28 But if there be no interpreter, let him keep silence in the church [an assembly of citizens summoned]; and let him speak to himself, and to God. 29 Let the prophets speak two or three, and let the other judge.
30 If any thing be revealed to another that sitteth by, let the first hold his peace.
31 For ye may all prophesy one by one, that all may learn, and all may be comforted.
32 And the spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets.
33 For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches [an assembly of citizens summoned] of the saints. - 1 Cor. 14:26-33
These concepts may seem foreign, yet as I disclosed earlier, the way we were programmed to believe the so-called "church" to be, is not according to the truth as exhibited in the Scriptures.
For further study on the function and role of Christ's ekklesia, look at the 7 ekklesia's in Revelation chapters 2 and 3. You will see the same principles above in them as well.
With that I'll close, since I've given you plenty to chew on and try to digest. Next time I will continue along the same course.
Grace and peace,
Joe
No comments:
Post a Comment