The Church

The church is the bride of the Lord Jesus Christ, joined to Him in the new covenant to receive all of His graces, to grow into His likeness, to worship and to commune with Him forever and ever. When Adam sinned and the whole human race fell in Adam, God could justly have left us all to die in our sins. But instead, He graciously chose a particular people to bring back to Himself. He did not merely choose individuals, but He chose those individuals to be gathered into a people, His church, to bring them back to Himself as a community of redeemed believers.

The church is on a journey back to God (Heb. 12:1–17). We are not alone on this journey, and that is a good thing because we need each other. We need the church—its God-given ordinances, structure, and fellowship—as we travel this perilous road because there are many powerful enemies lurking in the shadows. The church must battle against Satan, the world, and the flesh, who never rest in their efforts to harm us, distract us, and lead us away from the Lord Jesus. We can only battle these enemies successfully with the means God has given to the church, especially the Word of God, the sacraments, prayer, and the communion of the saints. With these weapons, the church makes its way through a wilderness of sin and devils until it reaches the promised land of eternal glory. The destination we are seeking is the knowledge of God and communion with Him in a new and incorruptible kingdom where we will dwell in perfect peace with God and His people. But in this present evil age, together we have to fight under grace to become partakers of the divine nature, to know true joy and real eternal life in Him, to become truly human, just as God made us to be—perfect images who live in real relationships of love and joy with God and with each other, in part here but fully in the hereafter.

That is why the church is so important. We live in a separated, individualistic time. Our phones, televisions, and social media, along with many other distractions and temptations, have the effect of separating us from one another. Our world has become radically individualized, such that our identities are more anchored in our personal desires than in our relationships to God and to one another. But the Bible teaches that Christ is our Brother and the church is our eternal family. The church is at the very center of the Christian’s true identity. If a Christian is asked, “Who are you?” his first two thoughts ought to be “I am Christ’s” and “I am a member of the church.” While a Christian’s identity includes a particular God-given and fixed gender, a family, a calling, and a nation, the primary aspects of a Christian’s identity are first, his relationship to God, and second, his relationship to other believers because no other human relationship necessarily carries on into eternity. This chapter will study the church’s nature, summarizing the Reformed Baptist doctrine of the church.82

The Foundation of the Church

Jesus Christ is the foundation of the church. He is its Creator, Savior, Lord, and Bridegroom. His shed blood as the mediator of the new covenant secures reconciliation to God, the gift the Holy Spirit, and the hope of eternal glory. Matthew 16:13–20 says,

Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” And they said, “Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” Then he strictly charged the disciples to tell no one that he was the Christ. (Emphasis added)

Peter gave the good confession. When Peter said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God” (Matt. 16:16), Christ told him that he had answered well and replied, “On this rock I will build my church” (Matt. 16:18). Christ builds His church upon Peter’s apostolic profession that Christ is the Son of the living God. The apostles’ teachings in the pages of the New Testament explain who Christ is and what He has done, but they also show how the whole Old Testament points to Christ. That is what Peter’s profession is about. Christ builds His church on Peter and all of the apostles as they profess Christ and His teachings (Eph. 2:20).

The Holy Spirit unites the church to Christ by means of Scripture—law and gospel. Through the Word of God, the Holy Spirit fits the church to be the place of God’s presence (not a building, but the people). Because God justifies His church by grace through faith alone, it is just for Him to dwell with His people by His Spirit, and as Christ sanctifies His people through faith, He fits them more and more to enjoy and benefit from God’s presence among them. The church is God’s temple on earth, the people within whom God’s manifest presence dwells by His Word and Spirit.

The Marks of the Church

The Nicene Creed provides the four classical marks of the church. It says, “I believe in (1) one, (2) holy, (3) catholic, and (4) apostolic church.”

The first mark declares that the church is one because there is one covenant of grace, and one people of God, throughout all time. Ephesians 4:4–6 says, “There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call—one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.”

The second mark declares that the church is holy. The church is holy because it is set apart from the world in Christ. God’s people are indwelt by the Holy Spirit and have regenerate hearts. Everywhere the Bible refers to the church as “saints,” it means they are holy (e.g., Rom. 1:7; 1 Cor. 1:2; 2 Cor. 1:1; Eph. 1:1).

The third mark of the church is catholicity. The word “catholic” does not refer to the Roman Catholic church, but to the universality of the true church of the Lord Jesus Christ. It means that no matter where the church exists, no matter when the church exists, and no matter what nationalities contribute to its composition, it is the same church (Gal. 3:28). The true church, which believes the orthodox faith of the past, is one and the same as the true church of today, which means the church of heaven is one with the church on earth (Heb. 12:23). The church in China is one with the church of Brazil and the United States. The catholicity of the church means that everyone, everywhere, who trusts in Jesus Christ, crucified and risen for sinners, is part of the catholic church. Irenaeus describes this in the following way:

The Church, though dispersed throughout the whole world, even to the ends of the earth, has received from the apostles and their disciples this faith: [It believes] in one God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all things that are in them; and in one Christ Jesus, the Son of God, who became incarnate for our salvation; and in the Holy Spirit, who proclaimed through the prophets the dispensations of God, and the advents, and the birth from a virgin, and the passion, and the resurrection from the dead, and the ascension into heaven in the flesh of the beloved Christ Jesus, our Lord, and His [future] manifestation from heaven in the glory of the Father.83

The fourth mark of the church is apostolicity. The apostolic nature of the church means that the officers of the universal or catholic church are the apostles of Jesus Christ who wrote the New Testament to explain Christ’s ministry and the Old Testament Scriptures in light of the coming of Christ (John 14:26). Thus, the true church is grounded in the teachings of Scripture. It reads the whole of Scripture in light of Christ and the inspired apostolic teaching of the New Testament.

The Reformers clarified and expanded this fourth mark. They said that a truly apostolic church is centered on the gospel of Jesus Christ, which declares that we are justified by grace alone through faith alone because of Christ alone to the glory of God alone. This doctrine of justification that lies at the heart of the gospel leads to love for Christ and to a life of gospel obedience.

On the basis of the gospel recovered by the Reformers, they taught that the true church has three distinctives. First, all true churches preach the true gospel. Second, all true churches administer the sacraments as signs of the true gospel. Third, all true churches discipline anyone who formally or practically renounces the true gospel. Any so-called church that does not have all three of these distinctives is no church of the Lord Jesus, but is an imposter, a synagogue of Satan.

The Threefold Purpose or Mission of the Church

The Bible teaches that the church has a threefold mission or purpose: worship, edification, and evangelism. These three elements of the church’s mission represent a comprehensive account of the church’s relationships: God (worship), other believers (edification), and those who do not believe in Christ (evangelism). There is an order of priority among these relationships. Worship describes the church’s relationship to God, which is the most important relationship; therefore, it is the most important aspect of the church’s mission. The other elements of the church’s mission all flow from worship and serve the goal of worship. Edification describes the relationship of church members to one another. Believers edify one another as they worship God together. Evangelism describes the relationship of believers to those who do not believe. Believers evangelize unbelievers so that they might become worshipers of the one true God. Let us consider each of the three elements of the church’s mission.

God-Centered Worship

The Lord Jesus Christ must be the center of Christian worship. Rather than seeking entertainment, warm feelings, or personal gratification, faithful churches seek to receive God’s Word and honor Him in our public worship (Rom. 15:5–6; 16:25–27). The book of Psalms teaches us to sing hymns that declare God’s character, glory, and works. Churches should pray to express their love for God and hear His perfect Word explained in order to live in submission to it (Heb. 4:2). They strive to do all things decently and in order and believe that the acceptable way of worshiping the one true God is instituted by Him and limited by His own revealed will in the Holy Scriptures.

God-Centered Edification

When Christ saves sinners, He calls them to join local churches for the purpose of mutual edification and nurture (Col. 1:28). Christians gather together not for selfish ends, but to serve one another in love. Christians are to pray for one another, to bear each other’s burdens, to live in harmony with one another, to regard one another as more important than themselves, to meet each other’s needs, to rebuke and correct one another when necessary, to exercise their spiritual gifts toward one another, and to glorify God together with one voice, in love and unity that Christ may be all in all.

God-Centered Evangelism

Too much evangelism today emphasizes what God can do for you—give you “your best life now,” pay your bills, eliminate suffering, and make your life easy. Man-centered evangelism turns God into a vending machine who exists to satisfy felt needs, rather than recognizing Him as the Creator, Judge, and Savior of sinners. God-centered evangelism, on the other hand, focuses on God’s greatness as the sovereign Creator (Matt. 28:19–20). He is the righteous Judge who opposes sin. He is the merciful Savior who rescues us from our sins, and the wise King, who defends us and commands our lives in this world. True evangelism calls people to repent of their sins, to believe in Jesus Christ as the only way to escape from the wrath to come, and to obey God’s commandments in every part of their lives. God-centered evangelism seeks to win Christians who will love Christ and keep His commandments for His glory.

Having looked at the mission of the church, we now turn to consider the nature of the church, both universal and local.

The Universal and Local Church

The Universal Church

The universal, or catholic, church includes all of the elect of all ages, which will only be fully assembled in heaven on the last day. Ephesians 5:25 refers to the universal church when it says, “Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her.” Paul isn’t saying that Christ died only for the local church of Ephesus, but for the whole bride of Christ, the church universal. For now, the universal church is invisible because it has no outward or visible structure, though God’s true people, who are part of the church universal, make themselves known by their holy speech and conduct. Second London Confession 26.1 says,

The catholic or universal church, which (with respect to the internal work of the Spirit and truth of grace) may be called invisible, consists of the whole number of the elect, that have been, are, or shall be gathered into one, under Christ, the head thereof; and is the spouse, the body, the fulness of him that fills all in all.

In this present evil age, the catholic church is the church militant. It is engaged in an ongoing battle against the enemies of its soul: Satan, the world, and the flesh (2 Cor. 10:5–7; Eph. 2:1–2; 6:12). But the church of heaven is the church triumphant, Christ having triumphed over all its enemies, and having brought it into a state of everlasting peace with Him (Heb. 12:23).

Local Churches

Individual local churches are the only divinely authorized institutional expressions of the universal church. A local church is a covenanted assembly of credibly professing believers. In order for a local church to exist, its people must have mutually agreed to believe and obey the Word of God together.

The Greek word translated church (ekklesia) means “assembly.” The etymological roots of the word ekklesia mean “called out,” and the word refers to God’s people being called out from a community into a gathering or assembly of professing believers. Think of a church bell summoning people in the community to gather for worship on Sunday. While the church is still the church, whether it is assembled on the Lord’s Day or scattered among various places during the week, the church assembles on the Lord’s Day for corporate worship and mutual edification in the Word of God.

The New Testament teaches that churches are associated with specific locations where they gather to meet and worship according to Christ’s commandments. Paul’s letter to the Corinthians is addressed “to the church of God that is in Corinth” (1 Cor. 1:2). Paul addressed Galatians to a group of churches who were closely connected to each other throughout Asia Minor. He does not refer to that closely associated group of churches as “the Galatian church [singular],” as though an association of churches were only one church. Rather he addressed the letter “to the churches [plural] of Galatia” (Gal. 1:2). He used the plural because each particular assembly was a separate local church. Similarly, when Paul wrote to the church in Thessalonica, he addressed his letter “to the church of the Thessalonians” (1 Thess. 1:1). Second London Confession 26.2 recognizes this and refers to local churches in terms of “particular congregations.” It says,

All persons throughout the world, professing the faith of the gospel, and obedience unto God by Christ according unto it, not destroying their own profession by any errors everting the foundation, or unholiness of conversation, are and may be called visible saints; and of such ought all particular congregations to be constituted.

Every believer who professes the gospel and walks in obedience to the Lord Jesus Christ ought to join himself to a particular local church. John Owen writes, “It is the duty of every one who professes faith in Christ Jesus, and takes due care of his own eternal salvation, voluntarily and by his own choice to join himself unto some particular congregation of Christ’s institution, for his own spiritual edification, and the right discharge of this his commands.”84

Regenerate Membership in the Local Church

The Scripture teaches that local churches ought to be composed of regenerate members. Nevertheless, unbelievers—“false brothers” who feign a credible profession of faith in Christ (e.g., Gal. 2:4)—might actually join local churches, but they do not belong in local churches. They have no right to be members. Only believers have a right to be church members. When Paul addressed the Ephesian church, he addressed them as “the saints who are in Ephesus, and are faithful in Christ Jesus” (Eph. 1:1, emphasis added), showing that only faithful saints ought to be members of the church in Ephesus. Similarly, when he wrote to the church at Colossae, he spoke of them as “saints and faithful brothers in Christ” (Col. 1:2). Thus, the local church does not include curious or visiting unbelievers or visiting believers, those the Scripture calls “outsiders or unbelievers” (1 Cor. 14:23–24). It does not include unbelieving children, though they are certainly welcome to attend. Rather, the church’s membership is reserved exclusively for professing “saints”—which means they are regenerate. Only those who are faithful—that is, believers—have a right to be members and to covenant together to be a local church.

Scripture is clear about the regenerate nature of the local church, as 1 Corinthians 1:2–3 shows:

To the church of God that is in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints together with all those who in every place call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Paul provides several important facts about the church at Corinth. First, they are said to be “sanctified,” which means they have regenerate hearts and are justified before God. Second, they are “in Christ Jesus,” which means they are vitally united to Christ in the new covenant. As we have seen, the new covenant is a covenant of believers only (Heb. 8:10–12). Third, they are “called to be saints,” which means God effectually called them to salvation. Fourth, they are a people who sincerely “call upon the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.” They are true worshipers.

When Paul speaks of them this way, he does not mean that there are no false professors in the church of Corinth. Instead, he is extending a judgment of charity, speaking of them in terms of what they profess to be and whom they ought to be.

Paul makes it clear that he regards them to be believers in 1 Corinthians 1:4–9. He writes,

I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that was given you in Christ Jesus, that in every way you were enriched in him in all speech and all knowledge—even as the testimony about Christ was confirmed among you—so that you are not lacking in any gift, as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ, who will sustain you to the end, guiltless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. (Emphasis added)

These verses show that the members of the Corinthian church were examined and found to have a credible profession of faith. Paul says he is thankful for them because of their “speech” and “knowledge” of Christ. The members of the church of Corinth were able to speak of the gospel, and what they said about Christ proved that they had a true knowledge of Him. But how did Paul know that? He says, “The testimony about Christ was confirmed among you” (1 Cor. 1:6). Evidently, before joining, each prospective member of the Corinthian church had to give a testimony about Christ. Their testimony was confirmed not just by the elders but by the church as a whole. We see the same thing in the book of Hebrews, which was written to those who confessed faith in Jesus (Heb. 3:1; 4:14; 10:23).

As a result of their credible profession of faith, the Corinthian church could enjoy the promise that Christ “will sustain you to the end” (1 Cor. 1:8). Paul is teaching that local churches ought to be composed of believers who will endure to the end. Logically, that means none but true believers may join a local church. It further means that churches should guard their memberships by conducting membership classes and interviewing prospective members so that, as far as it depends on them, each individual who joins the church has an orthodox, sincere, and credible profession of faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Benjamin Keach writes, “The person [applying for membership] must give an account of his faith; and of the work of grace upon his soul before the church; and also a strict inquiry must be made about his life and conversation (Ps 66:16; Ac 9:26–27).”85

Reasons for and Implications of
Regenerate Church Membership

Regenerate church membership derives from certain theological principles, which in turn result in various implications. When churches fail to guard the “front door” of membership, there will be deleterious effects on the life of the church, and important biblical church practices will become unintelligible. The most foundational and essential doctrine of the church, after the gospel, is the doctrine of regenerate church membership.

Reasons to Guard Regenerate Church Membership

1. Pure Worship

The church’s primary mission is to worship God. But there can be no pure worship without a regenerate church membership, since unbelievers cannot worship God. God despises the pretentious worship of unbelievers (Isa. 1:14; 29:13; Amos 5:21). Thus, the church of the Lord Jesus Christ must be regenerate in order to hear the Word of God sincerely, sing His praises with a pure heart, and edify one another in Christ. Romans 15:5–7 says,

May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus, that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God. (Emphasis added)

An unregenerate church cannot glorify God with one voice. Only a church full of those who are convinced that their sins deserve God’s judgment, and that God has graciously saved them through the precious blood of Christ, will be able to worship and glorify God with joy and gratitude together. Only a church that actually worships Christ together will be able to encourage one another toward Christ, live in harmony with one another, and welcome one another in Christ to God’s glory. Unbelievers in a church have a different agenda and a hostile mind toward Christ. They worship different gods, and they will distract from the worship of the church.86

2. Unity in Orthodoxy

An unregenerate church cannot love the truth. At the risk of stating the obvious, unbelievers do not believe the gospel. Unbelievers do not trust the one true God or His Word. That means they cannot sincerely hold to the ancient creeds or subscribe to any orthodox confession of faith. They may deceive themselves and claim to do so, but they cannot believe the Bible’s truths from the heart.

Any church, therefore, that intentionally allows unbelievers into its membership will lose the gospel, along with all of biblical orthodoxy, within a generation or two. Unbelievers in a church will first start whittling away at the more difficult biblical truths, especially the ones most offensive to sinners and those most socially unacceptable at the moment. They will chafe against the Bible’s doctrines of an eternal hell and unconditional election, which are offensive to human pride. They will resist the Bible’s teaching about the distinction and roles of men and women, especially the doctrine that only qualified men may be pastors (1 Tim. 2:12) and that wives should submit to their husbands in the Lord (Eph. 5:22). They will resist the Bible’s teaching about the sin of homosexuality (Rom. 1:26–27). Next they will begin denying the gospel, while still using a facade of orthodox language. In the end, unbelievers in the church will formally abandon the gospel. That is why a regenerate church membership is absolutely necessary to uphold and defend the Word of God (1 Tim. 3:15).

Why is the preservation of orthodoxy so important? God’s people need the whole counsel of God for their lives. Deuteronomy 32:47 says, “It is no empty word for you, but your very life.” Our Lord Jesus said, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God” (Matt. 4:4). True life, in this world and the next, depends entirely on maintaining a robust biblical orthodoxy, and the church must insist upon a regenerate church membership in order to “contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints” (Jude 3).

Unity in the truth is also essential for interpersonal unity within the church. In 1 Corinthians 1:10, Paul writes, “I appeal to you, brothers, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same judgment” (emphasis added). When church members do not all agree from the heart with the whole counsel of God, they will not agree about how to relate to each other and do the church’s mission together. There will be fights and conflicts unless the church believes Christ and holds faithfully to His Word as a whole.

3. Congregational Church Government

Congregational church government means that church members vote to decide the most important matters in church life, including who may join the church, who may be a church officer, and who should be disciplined by the church. The Didache declares, “Therefore, elect for yourselves bishops and deacons worthy of the Lord . . .” (ch. 15). The fact that it says “elect for yourselves” means that the earliest expressions of Christianity were congregational. Congregational churches vote to decide on their confessions of faith, constitutions, leaders, and yearly budgets. Congregationalism, however, is not a democracy. Rather, it is a monarchy, under the rule of Christ through His Word. Church members are not free to vote according to their personal preferences and opinions but are bound to vote only in obedience to the Word of God and in submission to the Lord Jesus Christ.

An unregenerate church, however, cannot possibly vote to decide the important matters of church life according to the mind of Christ. If a congregational church is unconverted, it will choose unbelieving leaders for itself, and its godless leaders will lead it further and further away from Christ (2 Tim. 4:3; Matt. 23:15). Such a church will likely fight and quarrel in congregational meetings as the passions of its members drive them to seek their own ways, rather than the way of Christ. Congregational government does not work without a regenerate church membership.

Congregational government is deeply biblical. In Acts 6:3, the apostles asked the church in Jerusalem to “pick out from among you seven men of good repute, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we will appoint to this duty [of attending to the Hellenistic widows].” The apostles did not think of themselves as having the authority to appoint these first deacons unilaterally. Rather, the church was entrusted with choosing these men. Paul told the churches of Galatia that they were responsible for identifying true and false teachers (Gal. 1:8–9), which implies that the church must choose its pastors.

Regarding the need for churches to choose their officers, Second London Confession 26.9 says,

The way appointed by Christ for the calling of any person, fitted and gifted by the Holy Spirit, unto the office of bishop or elder in a church, is, that he be chosen thereunto by the common suffrage of the church itself; and solemnly set apart by fasting and prayer, with imposition of hands
of the eldership of the church, if there be any before constituted therein; and of a deacon that he be chosen by the like suffrage, and set apart by prayer, and the like imposition
of hands.

Moreover, the Bible teaches that the whole congregation of a church must vote on matters of church discipline. In 2 Corinthians 2:6, speaking of an excommunicated man, Paul says, “For such a one, this punishment by the majority is enough.” A majority of the members of the church at Corinth decided to discipline a man, and therefore, he was excommunicated from the assembly.

So we see that there are several doctrines that require a regenerate church membership. The fact that these doctrines are all interconnected proves the truthfulness of them and of the Word of God as a whole.

Implications of Regenerate Membership

Just as there were several theological reasons to guard regenerate church membership, there are also several practical consequences.

1. Baptism of Disciples Alone

Since only believers may be members of a local church, only believers should be baptized. While paedobaptist traditions say that the children of believers should receive baptism, the Bible does not teach that anywhere. Reformed paedobaptists teach that the children of believers have always been included in the covenant of grace, and therefore they should receive the covenant sign. In a previous chapter, however, we saw that the covenant of grace always and only included believers. The new covenant only has believing members in it (Heb. 8:10–13). Therefore, only believers should receive the new covenant sign of baptism.87

John 4:1–2 says, “Now when Jesus learned that the Pharisees had heard that Jesus was making and baptizing more disciples than John (although Jesus himself did not baptize, but only his disciples) . . .” In Christ’s ministry, only disciples were baptized. Jesus taught His disciples to baptize disciples alone.

Again in Matthew 28:19, Jesus commands His disciples, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” Who is to be baptized? Only individuals who become disciples from among the nations. Some have said that in Matthew 28:19 Jesus is commanding the church to “disciple the nations” and to “baptize them.” But whole nations cannot be baptized, and we have no example of baptizing a nation anywhere in Scripture. Rather, throughout the book of Acts, individuals become disciples and they are baptized. Further, the parallel text on the Great Commission in Luke 24:47 requires individuals from among the nations to repent of their sins.

The Bible everywhere teaches that discipleship is individual, not familial or national. Individuals must personally, and voluntarily, commit to be Christ’s disciples. The Lord Jesus says in Luke 14:26–33,

If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple. For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it? Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, saying, “This man began to build and was not able to finish.” Or what king, going out to encounter another king in war, will not sit down first and deliberate whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand? And if not, while the other is yet a great way off, he sends a delegation and asks for terms of peace. So therefore, any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple.

In other words, a person must be old enough and mature enough to commit to Christ, even if his own family does not follow Christ. If he cannot commit to Christ as an individual, Christ says, “he cannot be my disciple” (Luke 14:26). That means he cannot receive baptism (Matt. 28:19). He must be able to “count the cost” of discipleship (Luke 14:28), or else he cannot be Christ’s disciple.

This biblical requirement of the baptism of disciples alone means that churches should not baptize just anyone who comes for baptism. In some Baptist churches, there has been an unbiblical tradition of immediately baptizing those who profess faith in Christ without any examination of their faith. But in light of the fact that only disciples should be baptized, pastors should carefully examine candidates for baptism (Luke 14:26–33; 1 Cor. 1:6). Those who come for baptism ought to give a credible profession of faith before the church as a whole prior to being received into church membership. The baptism of believers is the ancient tradition of the church. The Didache says, “Before the baptism let the baptizer fast, and the baptized, and whatever others can; but you shall order the baptized to fast one or two days before” (ch. 7). The fact that “the baptized” should prepare himself by fasting indicates that the baptism of infants was not in view. Moreover, there is no mention whatsoever of the baptism of infants in this early church instruction manual.

2. Church Discipline

Regenerate church membership implies church discipline. Regenerate membership requires “front door” discipline to ensure that only credibly professing believers join the church. Regenerate membership also requires formative discipline in the Word of God, and all of the ordinary means of grace, to feed and strengthen believers. It necessitates corrective discipline if any member loses his credible profession of faith, either by embracing heresy or by committing gross unrepentant sin. The Bible’s teaching about church discipline makes no sense without regenerate church membership.

But Scripture is clear that churches are to practice discipline. Two key passages about corrective church discipline are Matthew 18 and 1 Corinthians 5. Matthew 18:15–17 says,

If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses. If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector. (Emphasis added)

Christ is speaking of personal and private sins between two individuals. Ordinarily such sins involve inter-personal conflicts, disputes, and petty offenses where Christians are not treating each other as they should. What may begin with small offenses can lead to great divisions and strife within a church, unless the people involved repent of their sins.

But when it comes to public offenses, which involve gross heresy or high-handed sins against God and the faith itself, the Bible outlines a different procedure. Some sins are of such an egregious nature that the whole church has an immediate interest, and if the sinning member does not clearly demonstrate repentance, the church must confirm every fact and excommunicate him. Edward Hiscox writes, “A public offense is one claimed to be a breach of Christian morals, or a violation of covenant faith or duty. It is not an offensive act committed against an individual, of which that individual might complain. It is an injury to the cause of piety, a scandal to the Christian name and profession.”88 Describing public sin, 1 Corinthians 5:9–13 says,

I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people – not at all meaning the sexually immoral of this world, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters, since then you would need to go out of the world. But now I am writing to you not to associate with anyone who bears the name of brother if he is guilty of sexual immorality or greed, or is an idolater, reviler, drunkard, or swindler – not even to eat with such a one. For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Is it not those inside the church whom you are to judge? God judges those outside. “Purge the evil person from among you.”

The sins listed in this passage are not sins of the heart, nor are they small. These are all great sins, including soul-damning heresy (idolatry), sex outside of lawful marriage, murder, theft, gross or public drunkenness, perjury, etc. When church members commit such sins, they are not mere personal offenses. Rather these sins are an offense to God and to the whole church because they strike at the heart of the faith. Without deep remorse and repentance, such members must be excommunicated. All discipline should be conducted in love and grace toward all parties involved. The goals of church discipline are (1) to glorify Christ, (2) to warn and protect the church, (3) to be a means of grace to the sinning member, and (4) to be a witness of the holiness of God’s people to the community.

3. Evangelism and Missions

Regenerate church membership also implies that the church cannot grow without evangelism. Evangelism involves preaching the law and the gospel to sinners and praying for their conversion. That means churches do not grow when families have babies. They do not grow by military conquest. Churches do not grow when cultural Christianity makes it popular or socially advisable to join. Churches grow through no other means but conversion. Conversion only happens through the means God has ordained: the preaching of Christ crucified and risen for sinners.

Therefore, while there may be many good and faithful Christian things to do, such as digging wells for those who do not have clean drinking water, adopting children, resisting abortion, donating blood, or feeding the hungry at a soup kitchen, such kind acts are not the mission of the church. They may at times help to serve the mission of the church. But the church’s mission is to proclaim Christ and Him crucified and risen for the conversion of sinners and the building up of the church (Acts 5:42; 6:2; 8:4, 40; 9:28; 10:42; 14:7; etc.).

Another important consideration is that Christ gave the Great Commission to the leaders of the church, not merely to individual Christians (Matt. 28:19–20). True missions is, therefore, always churchly. Biblical mission work never tries to evangelize individuals without reference to any local church. Rather, biblical missions seeks to reproduce whole churches among the nations, to see sinners converted, baptized, and joined to local churches where they will be taught all that Christ has commanded. This is why faithful missionaries are always members of particular local churches, under their oversight, care, discipleship, and discipline. Faithful missionaries report back to their local churches about the progress of their work.

4. Separation of the Church from the State

Another necessary implication of regenerate church membership is that the church is separate and distinct from the state. This is not to say that God is separate from civil government, but that the institutions of the church and the state have distinct jurisdictions. The state, a civil jurisdiction or temporal government in the world, always and necessarily includes believers and unbelievers, but Christ tells us that the church may only be composed of believers. This means that the church and the state are to be governed differently and to different ends. The purpose of the state is to order human beings to temporal life, under God (Gen. 9:1–7). The purpose of the church is to order believers to eternal life through the redemptive work of Jesus (Col. 1:28).

Therefore, God has not given the state any authority to regulate the elements and ordinances of the worship or government of the church. The state is not competent to meddle in such matters, and whenever it has tried, it has done great harm to the church and attempted to use the church as a political pawn. On the other hand, God has not given the church any authority to use the powers of the state to impose worship on the general public. Christ’s redemptive kingdom cannot grow and true worship cannot be brought about by mere temporal means, the raw power of the sword or human devices of any kind. God has ordained that true worship can only be established by the Word of God in the hand of the Holy Spirit when He brings people to sincere faith in Christ. But this is not to say that the church and the state have no positive relation to one another. When the state and the church are rightly ordered, the state provides a stable temporal context and platform for the advancement of Christ’s redemptive kingdom, and Christ’s redemptive kingdom serves and helps to stabilize the state, if God provides the necessary common grace. The church and the state, therefore, are both under God and serve one another when each does what God requires it to do. But neither has formal authority to rule over the particular duties assigned to the other, and each has distinct jurisdictional boundaries.

Christ spoke of the state’s jurisdiction. He taught that the state has the right to collect taxes, for instance. In Mark 12:17, Jesus said, “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” This implies that the state has other unique responsibilities as well, such as the duty to wield the sword against evildoers (Rom. 13:4; cf. Gen 9:6). But if the civil power commands anything contrary to the Word of God, the church must say with Peter and the apostles, “We must obey God rather than men” (Acts 5:29). Otherwise, Christians are cheerfully to submit to the civil government. The apostle Peter writes,

Be subject for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether it be to the emperor as supreme, or to governors as sent by him to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good. For this is the will of God, that by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people. Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God. Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the emperor. (1 Peter 2:13–17)

These are strong words. Christians should have a posture of subjection to every human institution for Christ’s sake.89 Why? To silence the enemies of Christ.

The Word and Sacrament

Reformed Baptist churches believe that God has provided ordinary means of grace to the church: the Word and the sacrament. These two ordinances are God’s speech to us. God speaks to us in His Word the Bible, but God also speaks to us through the sacraments, which are the Word of God in visible form. Prayer, congregational singing, and fellowship are the church’s grateful response to God’s Word. In the Word and sacrament, God speaks to us. In prayer, singing, and fellowship, we speak to God and to one another.

The Word of God

The Word of God read and preached (1 Tim. 4:1–5, 13) is the means by which Christ builds up His church (Rom. 16:25–27). The goal of preaching is worship. Therefore, the preaching of Christ and Him crucified and risen from the dead from all of Scripture is the centerpiece of Christian worship. Such preaching strengthens the church by the Holy Spirit. Preaching, therefore, ought to explain particular passages in light of the whole counsel of God, which means it should be Christ-centered because Christ is the center of the Bible, both the Old and the New Testaments. Reformed preaching employs sound grammatical-historical theological exegesis, taking into account the doctrine of God and the doctrine of Christ, as well as the law/gospel contrast in justification and the gospel/law continuum in sanctification. Faithful preaching always works to wisely apply the Word of God to the believing soul and life, both exposing sin to bring about conviction and holding forth Christ as the great and sufficient hope of life and salvation for poor sinners (Heb. 4:12–13).

Biblical and Reformed preaching avoids leading people to guilt-driven obedience, opining at length on political and social issues, or dealing in vague abstractions or tenuous theological speculations. Rather, Reformed preaching seeks the glory of God by directing the minds and hearts of God’s people to worship Christ and to grow into His image in all of life. Biblical preaching calls unbelievers to Christ and exhorts believers to live balanced lives in love to God and love to others for his great glory.90

The Sacraments

The term “sacrament” refers to a sacred mystery. The term “ordinance” refers to an element of worship that is ordered, or commanded, by Christ. Reformed Baptists are happy to use the two terms interchangeably. According to Scripture, the only two sacraments Christ authorized for the church are baptism and the Lord’s Supper. These ordinances should be administered only within the church by those who are called and qualified to administer them (2LCF 28.2). Jesus commissioned the apostles, the leaders of the church, to baptize (Matt. 28:19–20). The apostle Paul says that the leaders of the church are “stewards of the mysteries of God” (1 Cor. 4:1). The Lord’s Supper should only be taken by local churches “when you come together” (1 Cor. 11:17, 18, 20, 33, 34) and never by private individuals or in settings outside the formal assembly of the church.

The two ordinances of baptism and the Lord’s supper are “visible words” that preach the gospel of Jesus Christ in visible form. Baptism preaches Christ by dipping the believer into water, signifying the union of the believer with the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ. The Lord’s Supper preaches Christ when the believer eats of the bread and drinks from the cup, signifying the union of the believer with Christ’s broken body and poured out blood.

Reformed Baptists agree with Calvin’s view of the Lord’s Supper as a means of grace.91 Calvin taught that the Lord’s Supper is not a mere symbol. Rather, when a believer takes the Lord’s Supper, the Holy Spirit effectually administers the benefits of the body and blood of Christ who is glorified and has ascended into heaven. The Holy Spirit brings the benefits of Christ in heaven to believers on earth by means of the Lord’s Supper. Thus, the Lord’s Supper is a means of grace. It is effectual for the salvation, or sanctification, of the elect in the sense that when a believer takes the Supper, the Holy Spirit strengthens and nourishes his faith as he participates in real fellowship or communion with Christ (1 Cor. 10:16). Christ is really present at the Lord’s Supper, not physically but by the Holy Spirit who conveys the benefits of Christ’s physical body and blood to the believer.

Second London Confession 30.1 says,

The supper of the Lord Jesus was instituted by him the same night wherein he was betrayed, to be observed in his churches, unto the end of the world, for the perpetual remembrance, and showing to all the world the sacrifice of himself in his death, confirmation of the faith of believers in all the benefits thereof, their spiritual nourishment, and growth in him, their further engagement in, and to all duties which they owe to him; and to be a bond and pledge of their communion with him, and with each other. (Emphasis added.)

Second London Confession 30.7 says,

Worthy receivers, outwardly partaking of the visible elements in this ordinance, do then also inwardly by faith, really and indeed, yet not carnally and corporally, but spiritually receive, and feed upon Christ crucified, and all the benefits of his death; the body and blood of Christ being then not corporally or carnally, but spiritually present to the faith of believers in that ordinance, as the elements themselves are to their outward senses. (Emphasis added.)

Reformed Baptists also believe that baptism saves, but only in the sense that it is a sanctifying ordinance to the believer, just as the gospel is a sanctifying word to the believer (1 Peter 3:21). Baptism is not a converting or regenerating ordinance; rather, it is effectual for the sanctification of those who have already been converted. Moreover, the gospel that is proclaimed in baptism leads the faith of the believer to Christ so that Christ’s blood and forgiveness is brought near to his conscience once again, and his faith is reassured of his salvation through the promise of the gospel (Luke 3:3; Col. 2:12–14).92

The Baptist Catechism adds:

Q 93: What are the outward means whereby Christ communicates to us the benefits of redemption?

A: The outward and ordinary means whereby Christ communicates to us the benefits of redemption are his ordinances, especially the word, baptism, the Lord’s supper, and prayer; all which means are made effectual to the elect for salvation (Mt. 28:19, 20; Acts 2:42, 46, 47).93

Q 96: How do baptism and the Lord’s supper become effectual means of salvation?

A: Baptism and the Lord’s supper become effectual means of salvation, not for any virtue in them, or in him that does administer them, but only by the blessing of Christ (1 Pet. 3:21; Mt. 3:11; 1 Cor. 3:6, 7), and the working of the Spirit in those that by faith receive them (1 Cor. 12:3; Mt. 28:19).94

So we’ve seen that baptism and the Lord’s Supper are means of grace. But these two sacraments are also important for church discipline. Baptism is “front door” discipline inasmuch as only those who credibly profess faith in Christ may receive baptism, and baptism precedes church membership (Acts 2:41; 1 Cor 12:13). The Lord’s Supper is part of the church’s formative discipline, but it also plays a role in the church’s corrective discipline. It is part of formative discipline because it is a means of grace through which the Spirit forms believers more and more into Christ’s likeness. It is part of corrective discipline because the church should withdraw table fellowship from members who walk in a disorderly way, violating their professions of faith. Paul writes, “I am writing to you not to associate with anyone who bears the name of brother if he is guilty of sexual immorality or greed, or is an idolater, reviler, drunkard, or swindler—not even to eat with such a one” (1 Cor. 5:11, emphasis added).

The Two Offices of a Local Church

Christ has appointed only two offices in the local church: elders and deacons. Those who hold these offices are recognized and chosen by a congregational vote, according to scriptural qualification. Church officers are gifts of God to His churches to lead them, according to Christ’s commands, and to strengthen them in every grace (Eph. 4:11–16). The officers of the church are to lead as servants, just as Christ commanded. Mark 10:42–45 says,

And Jesus called them to him and said to them, “You know that those who are considered rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. But it shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

Humility is the chief mark of a man qualified to be an officer in the church of the Lord Jesus. He is a man who submits to Christ and His Word, and rather than lording it over others in the church, he serves them in love and prays for them.

Pastors/Elders/Bishops

The Bible uses the term “elder” interchangeably with “pastor” and “bishop” or “overseer” (Acts 20:17, 28).95 These words refer to different functions of the same office. Pastor refers to an elder in regard to his responsibility to shepherd God’s flock. He nourishes the church by feeding them on the Word of God (John 21:17), praying for the people and serving them (Acts 6:4), and leading them (1 Peter 5:1–4). He does this by loving the sheep, setting a good example of faithfulness, and proclaiming the whole counsel of God (Acts 20:27). A pastor also defends the flock from false teachings and wolves who would devour them (Acts 20:29; Titus 1:9). The Bible teaches that pastors must be qualified men who are godly and able to teach the Word of God with wisdom and grace (1 Tim. 3:1–7).

The term bishop, which means “overseer,” refers to the responsibility of an elder to govern the church. Only the elders are authorized, called, and qualified to rule the church, under Christ, by the appointment of the church. Elders are to lead the church, under grace, as servants of Christ and His people, according to the authority of God’s Word (Titus 2:15). They are required to lead the church to accomplish its threefold mission to worship God, edify the saints, and proclaim the gospel at home and abroad. On the importance of the presence of the bishop for all matters connected with the church, Ignatius wrote,

Let no man do anything connected with the Church without the bishop. Let that be deemed a proper Eucharist, which is [administered] either by the bishop, or by one to whom he has entrusted it. Wherever the bishop shall appear, there let the multitude [of the people] also be; even as, wherever Jesus Christ is, there is the Catholic Church. It is not lawful without the bishop either to baptize or to celebrate a love-feast; but whatsoever he shall approve of, that is also pleasing to God, so that everything that is done may be secure and valid.96

The term elder is the most frequently used word in the Bible to refer to this office. The word refers to one individual who is a member of the larger governing body of the church, called an eldership. The New Testament ideal is that each local church will have more than one elder, or pastor. The eldership is the only governing body of the church, especially administering the church’s worship, order, and discipline. Acts 14:23 says, “They had appointed elders [plural] for them in every church, with prayer and fasting they committed them to the Lord in whom they had believed.” That is, every church called a plural number of elders. The biblical term elder is much like our term “congressman.” The name implies that he is a member of a body. In spite of the modern controversy, God does not permit women to be elders, or overseers, of His churches. Only qualified men may lead the churches of Jesus (1 Cor. 14:34; 1 Tim. 2:12–15).

Churches are to support their pastors by praying for them faithfully (Eph. 6:18–20), obeying them in the Lord and submitting to them as they order the church (Heb. 13:17–18), following their godly example (1 Cor. 4:16), standing by them in all trials, and defending them against lies (2 Tim. 4:16). Churches should also pay their pastors a comfortable supply, a just salary, which is taught in the Word of God (1 Cor. 9:9–12; 1 Tim. 5:18).

Deacons

Deacons are the second office of a local church. The term deacon means “servant.” Their office originates in Acts 6:1–4, which says,

Now in these days when the disciples were increasing in number, a complaint by the Hellenists arose against the Hebrews because their widows were being neglected in the daily distribution. And the twelve summoned the full number of the disciples and said, “It is not right that we should give up preaching the word of God to serve tables. Therefore, brothers, pick out from among you seven men of good repute, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we will appoint to this duty. But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.”

The apostles appointed the first deacons to care for the Hellenist widows, in order to reduce the burden on pastors. In some churches today, pastors function as CEO administrators and neglect prayer and the hard work of studying God’s Word. But biblical pastors study the Scriptures diligently and pray for the church. Therefore, the highest responsibility of deacons is to care for the practical needs of the church so that pastors are free to pray and minister the Word of God.

Furthermore, deacons are under the authority and oversight of the pastors and are not in any sense overseers of the pastors or the church. Some churches sinfully follow the lead of corporate America, and the deacons function like a board of directors, evaluating the pastors, determining their responsibilities, and unilaterally setting their salaries. Such a system turns pastors into little more than hirelings. But Alexander Strauch helpfully writes,

Identifying the role of New Testament overseers (= elders) is especially important because in many churches today deacons are the governing board of the church. In such circumstances, deacons act as quasi-overseers. When deacons are made overseers and overseers are made deacons, the church is left with neither biblical overseers nor biblical deacons.97

Thus the elders are responsible to oversee the deacons, and the deacons should submit to the biblical leadership of their pastors while they tend to the practical affairs of the church. The Bible requires deacons to be godly and wise men because they must serve others in such a way that their work does not foment division or difficulty in the church. If deacons encounter gossip, slander, or other kinds of conflict, their wisdom and godliness should help to produce peace and calm in the church.

Deacons are officers who serve the church in managing its practical and material affairs. They oversee the distribution of church funds in accordance with the agreed-upon church budget. They are especially responsible to care for the poor and needy in the church, including widows and orphans. Deacons help to oversee the building and grounds of the church. In public worship, they may ensure that practical affairs are prepared before any baptisms, and that tithes and offerings are collected. They may help to distribute the elements of the Lord’s Supper.

The Church’s Instruction of Families

Local churches are to teach families how to be families. The Word of God reveals what families are to be, and the church must proclaim the whole counsel of God. The Bible contains clear instruction about how to be a godly husband, father, wife, mother, and child. Therefore, faithful pastors will plainly teach what the Bible says about these responsibilities in light of Christ and the gospel.

Pastors should teach husbands to love their wives and serve them in a Christlike way, and to encourage their wives in the sure promises of the gospel. Husbands should lead their wives and their children, according to the Word of God, under grace. Fathers should never provoke their children to anger, but “bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord” (Eph. 6:4). Pastors ought to encourage the older women in the church to teach younger women to “love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind, and submissive to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be reviled” (Titus 2:4–5). Proverbs 1:8 commands children, “Hear, my son, your father’s instruction, and forsake not your mother’s teaching.”

Family Worship

Pastors should urge husbands and fathers to lead their homes in daily family worship. Psalm 78:5–6 says, “He established a testimony in Jacob and appointed a law in Israel, which he commanded our fathers to teach to their children, that the next generation might know them, the children yet unborn, and arise and tell them to their children.” Joshua called upon God’s people to worship Him in their homes. Joshua 24:14–15 says,

Now therefore fear the Lord and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness. Put away the gods that your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.

The Hebrew word “serve” could be translated “worship.” Joshua says that every man must decide whether he and his family will worship the gods of the nations or the one true God. What does faithful family worship look like? Family worship should include daily reading of the Bible, a brief explanation of the text (Deut. 6:6–7; 11:18–19), and prayer (Jer. 10:25 NASB). Fathers should then ask simple practical questions of their children and make clear practical applications. Family worship should conclude with song (Ps. 118:15). I recommend using the church’s hymnal in family worship so that children can more easily learn the church’s hymnody. At our church, we use the Baptist version of the Trinity Hymnal. Godly fathers who lead their families in worship will ordinarily see the fruit of their faithfulness.98

The Centrality of the Local Church
in the Life of the Believer

The Bible teaches, and Reformed Baptists believe, that the local church is the center of the life of the believer. Scripture teaches that the believer’s life should revolve around his local church.99 A believer should order all the other affairs and engagements of his life around his local church, Lord’s Day to Lord’s Day. If a Christian has to move, his first consideration in moving should be whether or not there is a solid, orthodox, godly local church for him to join.

Relationships in the church are a central part of a believer’s identity and life, which is why he doesn’t want to miss any gatherings on the Lord’s Day. He looks forward to building into the lives of his brethren. The local church is the divinely ordained context in which believers are sanctified and learn how to love, confess sin, repent, and forgive fellow church members. Christ’s people are only sanctified while living in the community of the local church, not as independent individuals who fit the church in as a second thought.

Because of these things, faithful Christians only reluctantly plan vacations, business trips, family events, or community activities on the Lord’s Day. While occasionally such absences may be unavoidable, faithful believers know that their absence affects the whole church, and that church members all need each other. They also understand that their consistent faithful presence at church encourages other believers to persevere in the faith.

The so-called “one another” statements in Scripture demonstrate the centrality of the local church in the life of the believer. Each of the “one another” statements is addressed to a particular local church. They were not written for living as a Christian outside the context of a local church. These statements, rather, are explicitly about relationships among Christians in local churches because they are contained in letters to particular local churches. Therefore, Christians must be committed to faithful attendance and relational engagement every Lord’s Day if they are taking these biblical commands seriously.

Some of the “one another” statements include the following.

All of these passages show that at the heart of a faithful church are church members who love each other. Churches are not merely preaching stations, but communities of believers who are friends, seeking each other’s well-being and eternal life. They encourage and lovingly exhort one another to see the beauty of Christ and His promises and become true images of God, under grace, in loving relationship with Christ and with one another. They try to set a good example for others, realizing that our time in this world is short, and that we exist here together in local churches to be prepared and formed to live eternally in the hereafter.

Conclusion

This chapter has sought to show that Christ is the foundation of His church. The church universal includes all the elect of all times and all place, but the universal church manifests itself in particular local churches. True and faithful local churches are composed of regenerate members who have covenanted to live together in love under qualified pastors with faithful deacons, practicing biblical polity. True churches preach the gospel of Jesus Christ, administer the sacraments of baptism and the Lord’s Supper, and practice formative and corrective church discipline, though not all true churches are as clear about these matters as others.

In sum, true churches are places where God’s people join together with their friends in Christ to remember His gracious gospel and to walk in His good commandments for His great glory. In the next chapter, we will consider the regulative principle of worship, which is the Bible’s principle of rightly ordering corporate worship in local churches. Rightly ordered worship requires a clear understanding of the law of God, the relationship among the covenants, and the mission of the church.

  1. 82. Some excellent resources on the doctrine of the church include James M. Renihan, Edification and Beauty: The Practical Ecclesiology of the English Particular Baptists, 1675–1705 (Eugene: Wipf & Stock, 2009); John L. Dagg, Manual of Church Order (Harrisonburg: Gano, 1990); Edward T. Hiscox, Principles and Practices for Baptist Churches (Grand Rapids: Kregel, 1980); John S. Hammett, Biblical Foundations for Baptist Churches: A Contemporary Ecclesiology (Grand Rapids: Kregel, 2005); R. Stanton Norman, The Baptist Way: Distinctives of a Baptist Church (Nashville: B&H, 2005).

  2. 83. Irenaeus, Against Heresies, book 1, chapter 10, paragraph 1.

  3. 84. John Owen, An Inquiry into the Original, Nature, Institution Power, Order and Communion of Evangelical Churches in The Works of John Owen, vol. 15 (Carlisle, PA: Banner of Truth, 1991), 320.

  4. 85. Benjamin Keach, The Glory of a True Church (Conway: Free Grace, 1697), 33.

  5. 86. See Matthew Ward, Pure Worship: The Early English Baptist Distinctive (Eugene: Pickwick, 2014).

  6. 87. For an excellent book-length defense of believer’s baptism over and against paedobaptism, see Fred A. Malone, The Baptism of Disciples Alone: A Covenantal Argument for Credobaptism Versus Paedobaptism, revised and expanded edition (Cape Coral: Founders, 2007).

  7. 88. Hiscox, Principles and Practices, 180.

  8. 89. For a good Reformed Baptist treatment of the nature and responsibilities of the civil government, see Oliver Allmand-Smith, Under God, Over the People: The Calling and Accountability of Civil Government, A Confessional Perspective (Padstow: Broken Wharf, 2022).

  9. 90. For an excellent work on Reformed preaching, see Joel R. Beeke, Reformed Preaching: Proclaiming God’s Word from the Heart of the Preacher to the Heart of His People (Wheaton: Crossway, 2018).

  10. 91. Keith A Mathison, Given for You: Reclaiming Calvin’s Doctrine of the Lord’s Supper (Phillipsburg: P&R, 2002).

  11. 92. See Richard Barcellos, The Lord’s Supper as a Means of Grace: More than a Memory (Christian Focus: Fearn, 2013); Michael A.G. Haykin, Amidst Us Our Beloved Stands: Recovering Sacrament in the Baptist Tradition (Bellingham: Lexham, 2022).

  12. 93. Emphasis added.

  13. 94. Emphasis added.

  14. 95. The best book on pastoral ministry is Charles Bridges, The Christian Ministry with An Inquiry into the Causes of its Inefficiency (Carlisle, PA: Banner of Truth, 1997).

  15. 96. Ignatius, Letter to the Smyrnaeans, chapter 8.

  16. 97. Alexander Strauch, Paul’s Vision for the Deacons: Assisting the Elders with the Care of God’s Church (Littleton: Lewis and Roth, 2022), 35.

  17. 98. Two wonderful booklets about family worship include Joel R. Beeke, Family Worship (Grand Rapids: Reformation Heritage, 2009) and Donald S. Whitney, Family Worship (Wheaton: Crossway, 2016).

  18. 99. See Donald S. Whitney, Spiritual Disciplines within the Church: Participating Fully in the Body of Christ (Chicago: Moody, 1996).