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 ANSWER
God
Uses the Church (Organized Religion) to Accomplish His Purpose in the
Lives of Men, even though we do NOT at this time see all things perfect
in the visible Church
This question addresses two more
basic questions: (1) Does a
person need to know God?, and if so, (2) Does organized religion play
any part in this knowledge? The
answer to the first is simple. Yes,
a person needs to know God, for that is the very purpose for which we
have been created – “to glorify God and to enjoy him forever”.
As the writer of Ecclesiastes writes, apart from the reality and
presence of God and our having relation with him life ultimately has no
significant purpose or meaning. The
next question then is “What ROLE does ORGANIZED RELIGION play in
knowing God, if any?” The
truth is God, according to his infinite and eternal wisdom and pleasure,
has chosen to reveal himself, his plan for saving sinners, and his
salvation not only by preserving and propagating truth through the
inspired scripture, but also by employing men (even finite and fallible
men) to proclaim this truth and to gather and perfect saints in his body
the church (referred to by some today as a portion of organized
religion), for their mutual edification in Christ.
In 2 Cor 4 we read “For
we do not preach ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as
your servants for Jesus’ sake. For God, who said, ‘Let light shine
out of darkness,’ made his light shine in our hearts to give us the
light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.
But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that
this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.
The point is - God
uses even “less that fully mature” individuals and a “less that
perfect earthly church” to accomplish his perfect plan for revealing
himself to the world and to reconcile his people to himself.
ALL
True Christians DO agree on the Core Issues regarding Salvation
While it is TRUE that ALL Christians do NOT agree on ALL
doctrines, “those things which are necessary to be known, believed,
and observed for salvation, are so clearly propounded, and opened in
some place of Scripture or other, that not only the learned, but the
unlearned, in a due use of the ordinary means, may attain unto a
sufficient understanding of them.” In
other words, ALL True Christians CAN and DO agree on the Core Issues
regarding salvation which are communicated in vows taken for membership.
Here all believers must assent (AGREE TO) the following: Do you acknowledge yourselves to be sinners in the sight of
God, justly deserving His displeasure, and without hope save in His
sovereign mercy? Do you
believe in the Lord Jesus Christ as the Son of God, and Savior of
sinners, and do you receive and rest upon Him alone for salvation as He
is offered in the Gospel?
Man’s
agreeing on God’s truth is NOT required for God’s truth to be truth.
“The
authority of the holy Scripture, for which it ought to be believed, and
obeyed, dependeth not upon the testimony of any man, or church; but
wholly upon God (who is truth itself) the author thereof:
and therefore it is to be received, because it is the Word of God
(WCF,I,IV)
The
impurity of the church will not excuse man on the day of judgment.
Even
though tax accountants can’t always agree on what tax laws require, it
doesn’t mean you as a citizen are free from paying taxes.
You better go to the original and find out for yourself (and if
accountants can help you, all the better!) … and most important your
tax bill had better be paid by the time of reckoning.
Likewise, the fact that various denominations and churches and
individual Christians disagree on various issues will not excuse you
come the day when Christ comes to judge according to the things done in
the body whether good or evil.
God
has NOT planned for ALL to be Perfect in the Earthly church, therefore
WE should NOT expect it to be so.
Other
than Jesus Christ, there is NOTHING that is perfect this side of heaven.
If a person is waiting until they find perfection on earth, they
will never look to anything or anyone for salvation, unless of course
they look to Jesus himself, for he is perfect and he is the way, the
truth and the life; but even then, He instructs his followers to be
baptized into the visible church. Furthermore,
it should be expected that ALL Christians do not agree on all things,
because ALL Christians are not at the same level of sanctification and
maturity in the faith and in the knowledge of scriptural truth.
Even an individual as he grows in knowledge may look back after a
few years and think to himself “Did I really believe that at that
time, … I was So Wrong!” In
fact, God’s wisdom is revealed even in the differences between
believers and groups of believers because at the same time that holiness
attracts sinners to the church, imperfection within the church allows
new believers to (and unbelievers) not to be intimidated when
participating with others in the church.
It is only in the church that one finds true forgiveness and
restoration for shortcomings, even those dealing with doctrine and
truth.
Many
Differences within the Teaching of the Church can be Explained by the
Use of Various Methods of Interpretation
Just
as there are various methods of peeling an apple (some better than
others, some worse), there are various methods for interpreting the
Bible.
We believe the truth of Scripture is best discovered by allowing
the Word to speak for itself, under the illumination of the Spirit.
The best hermeneutic allows for “Scripture to interpret
Scripture”.
“The infallible rule of interpretation of Scripture is the
Scripture itself:
and therefore, when there is a question about the true and full
sense of any Scripture (which is not manifold, but one), it must be
searched and known by other places that speak more clearly.”
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