What Is The Assembly?--Part 2

“I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church [assembly]; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; and whatever you bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall have been loosed in heaven” (Matt. 16:18-19 NASB Update). We are answering these questions: (1) What is the assembly? (2) What is the kingdom? The Scripture passage that is quoted covers the very heart of the Bible.

There is no more support for the succession of the assembly/kingdom than there is for the succession of the apostles (I Cor. 9:1). The theory of the assembly/kingdom is without Biblical support. Assembly (church), ekklesia, and kingdom, basileia, are not synonymous terms. Christ distinguished between the assembly and kingdom by the fact that no keys were given to the assembly. The kingdom is future, occurring when Christ comes as King of kings and Lord of lords. The assembly is the appointed means of becoming heirs of the kingdom. James said, “Listen, my beloved brethren: did not God choose the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the Kingdom which He promised to those who love Him?” (James 2:5 NASB). The distinction is clear—(1) “…I will build [progressive future tense Greek verb] My church [assembly]…” and (2) “I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven…”, subsequent to the completed and perfected Bride (Matt. 16:18, 19 NASB). Christ is continuing to build His assembly. He will continue to do so until the last person that the Father gave to the Son in the eternal covenant of grace (Heb. 13:20, 21) has been brought into the ark of safety.

It is very important at this point of our study to see what has happened to national Israel. Subsequent to the chief priests and elders manifesting their opposition to Christ, the Lord Jesus said to them, “Truly I say to you that the tax-gatherers and harlots will get into the kingdom of God before you” (Matt. 21:31 NASB). In Matthew 21:43, Christ said, “Therefore I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you, and be given to a nation producing the fruit of it” (NASB). The original choice of one nation by God and the continued selection of a nation (Deut. 5, 6) in some sense identified with Abraham enables us to appreciate the reason why God confined the acceptance of the kingdom to one nation and ultimately gives it to one people from all nations. God is not through with Israel. In Romans 9, Israel’s past is the subject; Romans 10, Israel’s present; and Romans 11, Israel’s future. In Revelation 7, there will be 144,000 sealed from every tribe of Israel. There will also be many from every nation under heaven. Therefore, it is a logical sequence from the premises laid down that so long as one nation is chosen from many nations and the kingdom is covenanted by oath to that nation, it is impossible for other nations—in their national capacity—to be thus elected.

Prophecy does not predict a kingdom to exist between the first and second advents of Jesus Christ. If the grammatical sense of ekklesia and basileia is retained, it will be impossible to erect out of the ekklesia the predicted basileia. Spiritualizers of Scripture have tried, but there has been nothing but failure. Christ’s building of the assembly is a process that began with Christ and His disciples, and it will continue until the last one is added who constitutes Christ’s Bride. Peter said, “The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance” (II Pet. 3:9 NASB). The word “promise” in II Peter 3:4, 9, and 13 refers to Christ’s coming, not salvation. The key to II Peter 3:9 is found in the words “patient toward you.” These are the persons whom God would not allow to perish.

Christ’s sheep cannot resist God’s will. Paul said, “So then it does not depend on the man who wills or the man who runs, but on God who has mercy. For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, FOR THIS VERY PURPOSE I RAISED YOU UP, TO DEMONSTRATE MY POWER IN YOU, AND THAT MY NAME MIGHT BE PROCLAIMED THROUGHOUT THE WHOLE EARTH. So then He has mercy on whom He desires, and He hardens whom He desires. You will say to me then, Why does He still find fault? For who resists His will?” (Rom. 9:16-19 NASB). God is not willing that any of those included in the eternal covenant of grace should perish, but He wills that they will come to repentance.

II Peter 3:9 and Romans 9:16-19 do not apply to all men without exception. What about the “vessels of wrath” (Rom. 9:20-22)? “To this doom they were also appointed” (I Pet. 2:8 NASB) and “were long beforehand marked out for this condemnation” (Jude 4 NASB). When God chose some, He passed by those He did not choose. Let us never forget that God’s delays, from our perspective in time, do not spring from an unwillingness or impotence to perform.

Informed believers acknowledge that there has always been a witness for God through the local aspect of the assembly on earth since the time of Christ. Paul and Barnabas preached at Iconium (Acts 14). Their persecution did not discourage or restrain the apostles from performing their duty. This was the fulfillment of Acts 9:16—“For I will show him how much he must suffer for My name’s sake” (NASB). In writing to Timothy, Paul refers to these very days of Satanic fury. “But you followed my teaching, conduct, purpose, faith, patience, love, perseverance, persecutions, and sufferings, such as happened to me at Antioch, at Iconium and at Lystra; what persecutions I endured, and out of them all the Lord delivered me! And indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted” (II Tim. 3:10-12 NASB). Amidst the strong opposition, the Lord’s purpose was fulfilled not only in the lives of the servants, but also in the lives of the sheep who heard the preaching.

There is a curious paradox in the coming of the gospel to men. Paul said, “But thanks be to God, who always leads us in His triumph in Christ, and manifests through us the sweet aroma of the knowledge of Him in every place. For we are a fragrance of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing; to the one an aroma from death to death, to the other an aroma from life to life. And who is adequate for these things? For we are not like many, peddling the word of God, but as from sincerity, but as from God, we speak in Christ in the sight of God” (II Cor. 2:14-17 NASB). The apostle shared in Christ’s victory. He avoided any reference to himself as a victor; the victory was Christ’s. One may be humanly energetic without being Divinely energized. The apostle is simply saying that the gospel and those who preach it are well-pleasing to God, whether the message is received or rejected.

The Greek word ekklesia means to be called out of this evil world. Christ said, “If [since] the world hates you, you know that it has hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you” (John 15:18, 19 NASB). Since our study is restricted to the ekklesia that Jesus Christ is presently building, then we are confined to what the Savior is doing during the age of the new covenant, the covenant of grace.

In the New Testament, the word ekklesia is used 115 times. It is used in the following ways: (1) It is the assembly Christ is continuing to build (Matt. 16:18). The assembly began with Christ and His disciples, not at Pentecost. (2) Stephen used the word assembly when referring to the congregation in the wilderness (Acts 7). (3) The word assembly is used when speaking about a local discipline problem in Matthew 18:15-20. (4) Luke used the word assembly when speaking of the Ephesian mob (Acts 19:32, 39, 41). Therefore, assembly may refer to the foundation consisting of Christ and His disciples or to the totality of Christ’s body (Eph. 5:22-33).

There are not two kinds of Christians, those whose interest is in the “invisible” aspect of the assembly, and those who are concerned for the visible aspect of the assembly. In the early assembly, there was no such thing as believers being uncommitted to the responsibilities of the local aspect of the assembly (Acts 2:41-47). Salvation is not the only thing that is essential. It is essential for one to become a part of the body of Christ; and having been regenerated, the local assembly is essential for fellowship, edification, and discipline.

It must be admitted that there are strange views on the subject of the assembly. However, that is a fact with every Biblical subject. For example, did Christ die for the visible or invisible assembly? If He died just for the visible assembly, then He died for Judas, Simon, and others who either have died or will die in their sins (John 17:12; Acts 8:8-25; John 8:24). Some professing Christians think being a member of the invisible aspect of the assembly eliminates any need for the local aspect. Others believe the invisible is made up of only the members of the visible. There are also others who think that being a member of the visible makes one a member of the invisible.

On the surface, such statements and questions may seem to be foolish and nonsensical. However, they are not as absurd as some might think. Answering the questions Biblically gives one a clearer understanding of the body of Christ. For example, is the “one body” of Christ visible or invisible? Paul said, “There is one body and one Spirit, just as also you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all” (Eph. 4:4-6 NASB). The unity of the body in eternity is the goal for which the local aspect of the assembly strives in time. All seven features of unity, according to the context, must be spiritual. Thus, the one baptism must be spiritual, but not in the sense of referring to the new birth. It refers to the one baptism in the Spirit at Pentecost. Baptism in the Spirit applies to the invisible body of Christ. Baptism in water applies to the local assembly. If the one body is the local assembly, then local assembly membership would be essential to salvation. That is not true. Furthermore, since baptism in water is a prerequisite to local church membership, that would make water baptism essential to salvation. That is also not true. This demonstrates how far religionists will go with their heresy.

Before we leave the statement “baptism in the Spirit,” let us point out what the Greek text says about the subject. There are only seven references to baptism in the Spirit: Matthew 3:11; Mark 1:8; Luke 3:16; John 1:33; Acts 1:5; 11:16; and I Corinthians 12:13. The first five of these references are prophetical. Look at what Luke says in Acts 1:4, 5—“And gathering them together, He commanded them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait for what the Father had promised, Which, He said, “You heard of from Me; for John baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with [in] the Holy Spirit not many days from now” (NASB). This was the fifth time the prophecy had been declared by Christ’s disciples. All five of the references pointed to the day of Pentecost (Acts 2).

Subsequent to Pentecost, Peter had to report his finding concerning Cornelius and the Gentile believers. The charge against Peter was that he lived among the Gentiles. One of the great Puritans said, “Men ahead of their time awaken envy and alarm.” The truth of that statement is experienced by every believer to some degree. Scripture represents the Jews as the repository for truth (Rom. 3:2). Israel had been taught that through her and her Messiah all nations would be blessed. However, due to prejudice, the believing Jews were slow to learn that the truth of the gospel, which came first to them, must go beyond them to the Gentiles. The same can be said concerning Pentecost. It was for the Gentiles, as well as the Jews.

The last reference to Pentecost is I Corinthians 12:13—“For by one Spirit we were all baptized [aorist passive indicative of baptidzo] into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free, and we were all made to drink [aorist passive indicative of potidzo, infused or inspired with the same Holy Spirit] of one Spirit” (NASB). If the Holy Spirit is the Agent of this baptism, that would mean the Spirit baptized the members of the body into Himself. All other references represent Jesus Christ as the Agent who has baptized all the members of His body into the sphere of the Holy Spirit. Christians are not identified by names, creeds, or denominations, but by the possession and fruits of the Spirit. There are two “alls” in I Corinthians 12:13—“all” baptized and “all” made to drink. Both verbs are aorist tense which expresses punctiliar or point action in the indicative mood, and it is a snapshot of past action. The passive voice represents the subject as being acted upon by someone or something else which denotes the subject receiving the action. The indicative mood affirms the reality of the action. Both “alls” are of equal extent. Compare this with Romans 8:29 and 30 for a good Bible answer of God working out His eternal purpose by grace.