What is the Christian community?

"Were the question put to a person of plain understanding, unacquainted with the controversies which have arisen on the subject, What, according to the Apostolic Epistles, is a Christian Church, or, how is it to be defined? he would probably, without hesitation or difficulty, reply, that a Christian Church — as it appears, for example, in St. Paul's epistles — is a congregation or society of faithful men or believers, whose unseen faith in Christ is visibly manifested by their profession of certain fundamental doctrines, by the administration and reception of the two sacraments, and by the exercise of discipline. He would direct attention to the fact, that the ordinary greeting of St. Paul, at the beginning of each epistle, is to the 'saints and faithful brethren' constituting the Church of such a place, fellow-heirs with himself of eternal life; and that throughout these compositions, the members of the Church are presumed to be in living union with Christ, reasonings and exhortations being addressed to them, the force of which cannot be supposed to be admitted, except by those who are led by the Spirit of God; in short, that the members of the Corinthian or the Ephesian Church are addressed as Christians; and a Christian is one who is in saving union with Christ."

77 Here, then, is the Church formed on earth by the Holy Ghost descended from heaven, after the glorification of Christ. It is united to Christ, its heavenly Head; and all true believers are His members by means of the same Spirit. This precious truth is confirmed in other passages; for example, in Romans 12, "As in one body we have many members, and all the members have not the same office; so we who are many are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another."

3 All important and precious as is the first-named point, we will for the present leave it in order to say a few words on gifts. The Holy Spirit is upon earth, in virtue of the finished work of redemption, and of the session of Christ at the right hand of God. There He acts, by means of the gospel, so as to proclaim the love of God, to gather together the elect, and to form of them one body, the body of Christ. Every converted soul, which has received the life of Christ and been sealed with the Holy Spirit, is a member of Christ, of the heavenly Head. We can consider then the gifts as either the gifts of Christ, or as the operation of the Holy Ghost now upon the earth. The holy scripture gives us both of these aspects. In Ephesians 4 it speaks of the gifts of Christ. In 1 Corinthians 12 and 14 it speaks of the unity of the body, and of the gifts as produced by the Spirit in the different members. In each case, the gifts are in connection with the unity of the body, as may be easily seen by reading Ephesians 4.

Coupled with the apostles' doctrine is fellowship. Fellowship is a beautiful word, and one of peculiar significance to the church of God. Briefly it just means that everyone who is in the church of God has a common interest and a common title founded upon the person and the work of the Lord Jesus Christ. Hence those who are in the church of God are irresistibly drawn together; and the Holy Spirit works in them all for the spiritual well-being of the community as a whole.

If I am looking out for a person that I like, who has a fellow-feeling with myself, for whom I have a personal affinity, probably I can find but very few who are suitable. Fellowship in that sense would necessarily be very limited, but in the church of God there is no limitation of that kind at all. The fellowship that is spoken of here in Acts 2 is that all who were brought together into that new company loved the Lord Jesus Christ, all had been equally cleansed and redeemed by His precious blood, all had been put on a common platform as belonging to Him, all had received the Holy Spirit, and each and all formed part of that new creation by Him. The apostle Paul speaks later on of the church under the figure of the body, and we know that each member of the body of Christ is a member of the body equally with the rest. It may have to perform a special function of its own, but so far as the common interest and interdependence are concerned all are alike. And this fellowship is the particular feature of the assembly that we find here.

Third, faith values fellowship. "The LOCUSTS have no King, yet go they forth all of them by bands." A child may crush an individual locust; but an army of them is irresistible. Desolation attends their progress. There is no individualism in Christianity. By the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven a divine unity has been created between believers here and Christ in glory. Every saved soul belongs to that great spiritual organisation called in Scripture "the Church of the living God." Abraham, and all other pious ones in the world's earlier ages, were just believing units; one of the reasons for which Christ died was that He might "gather together into one the children of God that were scattered abroad" (John 11:52). One of our choicest privileges here is Christian fellowship. When Peter and John were released from prison "they went to their own company." In the assembly of the saints they found their consolation and strength.

These new converts were brought into this fellowship. The only fellowship that is owned upon earth at this present moment is the fellowship of God's Son. I know that in localities we make little gatherings and say, 'This is the fellowship for the young people'. We have no quarrel about that sort of thing. It is a simple idea, it is a term to indicate we are coming together. The only fellowship the Holy Spirit gives unqualified support to is the fellowship of God's Son; there is no other fellowship. Any other fellowship that is arranged by man has its origin in man; this fellowship has its origin in heaven. Christ is the centre of this fellowship and everyone brought to Him is part of it. All believers are in all the dignity of it and, of course, as the Corinthian epistle teaches, they are responsible to act truly in the light of it.

Christian fellowship is essentially the fellowship of the death of Christ. That distinguishes it from all material considerations. The one who participates therein recognises that he can have no peace or soul prosperity apart from the death of Christ as a basis. That fellowship is not defiled by the idolatrous associations of the world. That fellowship is also invested with the character of the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. The apprehension of the excellencies of Christ on the part of one becomes the property of all. Hence prosperity of soul is shared by all in the fellowship. The fellowship of the Church of God is worldwide. It comprises all Christians. There are people who restrict the thought of fellowship to a local company of Christians. There are undoubtedly phases of the matter which relate to local responsibility. But the essential aspect is relative to the whole church of God.

The importance of the subject may perhaps justify some additional remarks of a practical kind on Church-fellowship, and that discipline of God which is its regulating spring. Whoever is in Christ is both in and of the Church of God, His Church being but another name for the general assembly of His saints as gathered out of the world by the gospel. But all true believers are in Christ. A true believer is, then, in the sight of God, a living member of Christ's body; a member, therefore, whether recognized or not, of each and every genuine assembly of God's saints. He is in fellowship with God's people, because he is in fellowship with God.

Christians are not to regard themselves as mere individuals, as isolated atoms, as independent persons. This cannot be, seeing that Scripture declares, “There is one body” and we are members thereof. This is a divine truth — a grand fact — a positive reality. We are not to stand out in lonely individuality. We are living members of a living body, each one having to do with other members with whom we are connected by a bond which no power of earth or hell can sever. In a word, there is a relationship formed by the presence of the Holy Spirit who not only dwells in each individual member, but is the power of the unity of the one body. It is the presence of God the Spirit in the Church that constitutes that Church as the one living body of the living Head.

Now this is all very simple in so many terms, but I know that when we come to study the detail of this matter, we find that complications have crept in, and yet we would seek to understand this great and glorious truth. It was all clear enough at the beginning. There were Jews; there were pagans; and from those two classes of people, God by the gospel called out to Himself, one here and one there. Through one common object, faith in Christ, through one united power, the power of the Spirit, He formed them into one united company, hav­ing the same object, the same desire, the same affection, the same nature, for we are all partakers of the divine nature. He formed His assembly. And in spite of all the complications, all the opposition, all that has been against it, the assembly, the house of God abides; it is here today; it re­mains, in virtue of the power and presence of the Spirit of God. We cannot enjoy the presence of God if we are worried about our sins; we cannot enjoy the presence of God if we are torn asunder by en­mities or national or social distinc­tions; it all has to go in the death of Christ and we only find our true place in the presence of God be­cause we have one common object, Jesus our Saviour, our glorified Lord; we have one common power, the Spirit of God. In that way God uses His material for His building by bringing in persons who are entirely set free from guilt, from national dis­tinctions, from social distinctions. Everything goes by the death of Christ, and persons are fitted in care­fully, one here and one there, all put in together to form this wonder­ful structure.