III
What's
Wrong With This Theory?
The answer to the heading of this chapter is, EVERY THING IS WRONG WITH
IT. Some teachings while predominately false contain elements of truth,
but this Universal Church theory is wholly false. It is completely man
invented; is wholly unscriptural and anti scriptural, and well nigh constitutes
blasphemy against the church that Jesus started. I shall seek to enlarge
upon these statements in this chapter.
First, I wish to make the statement that the Universal theory PERVERTS
THE MEANING OF THE WORD ECCLESIA, which is translated church. The word
ecclesia was not a word coined by our Lord for the institution that He
established. It was a word in common use. Overby, in his thesis on "The
Meaning of Ecclesia In the New Testament," aptly expresses the meaning
of the word when he says:
"The
Greek word ecclesia signified primarily the assembly of citizens in a self
governed state, being derived from Ekkaleo, to call out; i.e., out from
their homes or places of business, to summon as we speak of calling out
the militia. The popular notion that it meant to call out in the sense
of separation from others, is a mistake."
This last statement is in accord with Dr. John A. Broadus, in his "Commentary
on the Gospel of Matthew."
Those who want to bolster up the Universal theory try to make the word
mean "called out," and that only, but there was always attached to the
word the significance of "assembly." In other words, organization and locality
inheres in the word.
The idea of a Universal, Invisible something that has neither organization
nor locality - that doesn't assemble and never has, is completely foreign
to the meaning of the word.
Simmons, in his "Systematic Study of Bible Doctrine," (Page 349 4th Edition)
expresses himself in full accord with what has just been said in these
words:
"Ekklesia
comes from 'ekkletos' and this latter word comes from 'ekkaleo', to call
out or forth. But ecclesia does not mean the called out. Let this statement
be pondered well. Usage, not etymology, determines the meaning of words.
For instance, 'prevent' by etymology, means to anticipate or precede. But
usage has made that meaning archaic. By usage, 'prevent' means forestall,
frustrate, circumvent, hinder.
Ekklesia had its original application to a gathering of citizens called
out from their homes into a public place. (Thayer). Then it came to mean
any assembly of people or gathering or throng of men, even when gathered
by chance or tumultuously. (See Acts 19:32, 39, 41).
The resulting meaning is 'assembly.' The word never did mean simply 'the
called out.' It always implied that the called out ones would gather or
assemble. Thus according to culmination, the word always did mean assembly,
and later came to mean this alone."
Dr. B. H. Carroll in his book, "Ecclesia - The Church" has the following
to say:
"The
primary meaning is: An organized assembly, whose members have been called
out from among private homes or business to attend to public affairs. This
definition necessarily implies prescribeid conditions of membership.
(1)
This meaning applies substantially alike to the ecclesia of a self-governing
Greek state (Acts 19:39),
(2)
the Old Testament ecclesia or convocation of National Israel (Acts 7:38),
and
(3)
and to the New Testament ecclesia.
When
our Lord says: 'On this rock I will build MY ecclesia', while
the 'my' distinguished His ecclesia from the Greek state ecclesia, and
the Old Testament ecclesia, the word naturally retains its ordinary meaning."
The word church should not be in our English versions today to represent
ecclesia, for the word has come to have meanings that are not expressed
in ecclesia. That it does occur is due - not to scholarship - but to King
James of England. The word church did not occur in the earliest versions
of the Bible into English. Tyndale's, Coverdale's, and the Crammer (The
Great Bible) version used the word "congregation" to translate ecclesia.
According to the scholar Hort, "congregation" 'was the only rendering of
ecclesia in the English New Testament as it stood during the reign of Henry
VlII.' "Congregation" would have no doubt been the translation of ecclesia
used in the King James Version, had it not been for King James who furnished
the translators with some rules to guide them. One of these was this: "The
word church is not to be translated congregation."'
The meaning of the word ecclesia is all important in considering the question
that we are dealing with, for the advocates of the Universal Church cannot
justify their theory if the word means a called out assembly. The limited
meaning of ecclesia simply ruins their theory.
The Bible in use during New Testament times was called the Septuagint.
Was the word ecclesia used in any looser way in that version, than I have
indicated? The answer is a positive NO! H. E. Dana of the Southwestern
Baptist Theological Seminary (A Manual of Ecclesiology) says, speaking
of the Septuagint, "In it ekklesia was used to translate the Hebrew word
qahal, which means an assembly, convocation or congregation." I could go
on almost indefinitely quoting things to prove the truth that I have just
stated, but it is unnecessary.
WHAT
ABOUT CLASSICAL GREEK?
Is the word ecclesia used in classical Greek to indicate a vague unassembling
universal something? The answer is again NO! Dr. B. H. Carroll published
a splendid and unanswerable booklet entitled "Ecclesia - The Church" In
this he examines the word ecclesia as used in the Septuagint, the Apocrypha,
classical Greek, and the New Testament, and he shows that never is the
word used to represent a universal unassembling something such as indicated
by the Universal Church theory. The investigation in the field of classical
Greek was made by Dr. George Ragland who was at that time professor of
Greek in Baylor University, and who later became the same at Georgetown
College. Dr. Ragland was a close friend of mine, and we discussed the Universal
Church theory many times. He assured me that the term ecclesia as used
in classical Greek, never means what the advocates of the Universal theory
try to make it mean.
Edward H. Overby, a college professor and author of several books, made
a painstaking search into the meaning of ecclesia. From that search, he
prepared a thesis and it is my privilege to have a copy in my possession.
He sums up the results of his research in the following statement:
"What
does the word ecclesia mean in the New Testament? This is the question
we have sought to answer in this thesis. The word church is the usual translation
of ecclesia in the New Testament. It is not a good translation since church
has a host of meanings today that no one claims for ecclesia. We must bear
this in mind as we study the word lest we be misled. Ecclesia means assembly
in the classical Greek and in the Septuagint. In approaching the New Testament
we see that the word is admitted by all to have this meaning in about ninety
places. The other times it is used there is a difference of opinion. Some
contend for assembly, others for a new meaning best described as the universal
invisible church. How can we tell which is correct? The principle is used
that says the common meaning must be accepted in every place it makes sense.
Only when the common meaning will not make sense are we permitted to assume
it has a new meaning. Following this principle we find that the word assembly
makes sense in every contested passage, so that any new sense must be rejected.
To say it has a new meaning in the face of this evidence is to follow a
false way of interpreting that could make the Bible meaningless and could
undermine a person's duty to the local church."
NEW
TESTAMENT INSTANCES OF CHURCH
In the King James Version of the Bible, ecclesia occurs 115 times in the
Greek text. 112 times it is translated by the term church, and three times
by the word assembly (in Acts 19). Let us note some of the typical
passages in which the word church and churches are used.
1 - Matthew 16:18 - "I will build my church."
All kinds of efforts are being made today to make this passage refer to
the Universal Church. It does nothing of the kind. The word is used here
in an institutional or abstract sense. That He did not refer to a Universal
Church Jesus made plain in His very next mention of the word church (Matthew
18:17) where He counseled "tell it to the church." How
could they tell something to a Universal, Invisible spiritual Church? Absurd!
2 - Acts 8:1 - "the church which was at Jerusalem."
3 - Acts 9:31 - "Then had the churches rest."
4 - Acts 20:17 - "called the elders of the church."
5 - Romans 16:4 - "All the churches of the Gentiles."
6 - I Corinthians 1:2 - "Unto the church of God which is at
Corinth."
7 - I Corinthians 6:4 - "Least esteemed in the church."
8 - I Corinthians 7:17 - "So ordain I in all the churches."
9 - Galatians 1:22 - "I persecuted the church of God."
10 - Galatians 1:2 - "Unto the churches of Galatia."
I could go ahead and list scores of Scriptures like the ten just given
in which the term church and churches occur but it would be a waste of
time and paper. You don't doubt I am sure that around 90 of the instances
in which church or churches occur, reference is to the local, visible assembly.
If you do, just get your Bible and investigate for yourself. Is it not
utter presumption to ignore the plain meaning of church as demonstrated
by around 90 instances of use, and after the plain meaning is established,
to seize upon a handful of Scriptures and seek to make them teach something
entirely different? Yet many - yes all who hold the Universal theory are
doing that very thing. That Universal Church theory is so precious, and
so necessary to their religious sentimentality that they will go to almost
any length in order to hold on to it.
CHURCH
UNIONISM BASED ON THIS THEORY
Church unionism largely exists because of the Universal theory. I have
known big union meetings to be held, when some of the leaders were not
even in agreement on how to be saved. Suppose that during such a revival,
a seeker comes forward and asks, "What must I do to be saved?" Several
preachers are down front, and a Baptist replies in the words of Paul (Acts
16) "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved."
A Church of Christ preacher speaks up immediately to say "There's more
to it than that. You must be immersed in order to be saved." A Methodist
pastor speaks up and says, "Pardon me, but sprinkling or pouring will do
just as well." "And don't forget," says a minister of yet another faith,
"You will be saved only until you sin again. You have to hold out faithful
to the end to be saved." The poor penitent becomes utterly confused as
the contradictory arguments grow vehement. Finally, one of the preachers
dowses water on the fire by saying, "Well, we don't agree on some things,
but our differences relate only to our little local churches. Let us remember
that we are all members of the big, Universal Church."
The service ends with all singing:
"We are not divided,
All one body we."
Yes, the Universal theory is directly involved in church unionism, in which
conviction is thrown aside and the truths of God's word are sacrificed.
ECUMENICALISM
HAS RESULTED FROM THE THEORY
The ecumenical movement, which is the most Satanic movement in all Christian
history is likewise a product of the Universal Church theory. Many of those
involved in this movement have repudiated almost every item of the Christian
faith. An ecumenical convention was held in Florida and some one made a
poll of the beliefs of many of the delegates. This poll revealed that a
large number of those questioned did not even believe in a personal, living
God. The leaders of this movement seem to be willing for the different
denominations to be absorbed back into the Catholic Church. The writer
of these lines believes that we are witnessing the beginning of events
foretold in the Book of Revelation, where the ecumenical movement shall
form the Anti-Christ's Church.
And remember! The ecumenical movement is largely the product of the Universal
Church theory.
Next
Chapter
Return
To Index
|