SOUND BRETHREN
Bob Myhan
[From an outline by Leroy
Brownlow]
There are a
number of ways to look at this subject, for the word "sound" can mean
different things in different contexts. [All definitions in this article are
taken from Webster’s Encyclopedic Unabridged
Dictionary or the English Language.] Brethren can be sound in both good and bad ways.
For example, one can be…
“Sound” (in Titus 1:13) means “having no
defect as to truth, justice, wisdom or reason: sound advice.” At least
two things are involved in being “sound in the faith.”
First, those who have “no defect as to” the
faith, will “hold fast the pattern of sound words” (2 Timothy 1:13). This means
that whatever they “do in word” [teaching] they do “in the name of the Lord Jesus,”
or by His authority (Colossians 3:17). It is one thing to merely say that the
Lord authorizes us to teach this or that; it is altogether another thing to show
that He authorizes us to teach this or that. There are only three ways in which
the Lord authorizes us to teach anything—direct statements, approved examples
and implications. Anything that the Lord cannot be shown to authorize us to
teach in one of these three ways should not be taught, at all, and will
not be taught by those who wish to be “sound in the faith.”
Incidentally,
the Lord showed authority for what He taught in the same three ways—direct
statements (John 12:48-50), examples (John 5:19-23) and implication (Matthew
22:31,32).
Second, those who are “sound in the faith“
will also be “sound” in practice; that is, whatever they “do in…deed”
[practice] they do “in the name of the Lord Jesus” (Colossians 3:17). Again, it
is one thing to merely say that the Lord authorizes this or that and another
thing to show where and how He authorizes it. He authorizes practices in the
same three ways that He authorizes teaching.
Those who
are “all sound” simply talk too much. They include those who gossip (1
Timothy 5:13), boast (2 Timothy 3:2), “say, and do not do” (Matthew 23:3), tell
lies (Ephesians 4:25), engage in corrupt talk (Ephesians 4:29), and/or speak
evil of brethren (James 4:11).
While
almost everyone believes it is wrong to gossip, most people seem to do
it unknowingly. To “gossip” is to engage in “idle talk or rumor, esp. about the
personal or private affairs of others.” In other words, it is talking about
things one has no business talking about, especially to one who has no business
hearing about it.
Concerning boasting,
Jesus said, “when you do a charitable deed, do not let your left hand know what
your right hand is doing, that your charitable deed may be done in secret; and
your Father who sees in secret will Himself reward you openly” (Matthew 6:3,4).
Those who act and speak in order to be seen of men “have their reward” in this
life (Matthew 6:2,5). It is clearly wrong to boast.
Those who
“say, and do not do” are hypocrites (Matthew 23:1-13). They “talk the
talk” but do not “walk the walk” of true discipleship. But we are to “be doers
of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving” ourselves (James 1:22).
Those who tell
lies are among the seven people the Lord especially hates.
“These six things the Lord hates, yes seven
are an abomination to Him: a proud look, a lying tongue, hands that shed
innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that are swift in
running to evil, a false witness who speaks lies, and one who sows discord
among brethren” (Proverbs 6:16-19).
Corrupt
speech is the sure sign of a corrupt heart, “For out of the abundance of
the heart the mouth speaks” (Matthew 12:34; see also Matthew 15:18-20). It is
implied in Ephesians 4:29 that corrupt speech is that which does not edify.
Truly, “No man can tame the tongue. It is an unruly evil, full of deadly
poison. With it we bless our God and Father, and with it we curse men, who have
been made in the similitude of God. Out of the same mouth proceed blessing and
cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be so” (James 3:8-10).
“He who
speaks evil of a brother and judges his brother, speaks evil of the law and
judges the law” (James 4:11). James is obviously speaking of one who judges
hypocritically, rather than one who judges “righteous judgment” (John
7:24). It is true that the sins of a brother must be dealt with (Luke 17:3;
Galatians 6:1). But to condemn a brother for something that is not a sin is
unjustifiable and sinful.
Of course, we mean, “sound asleep” spiritually, rather than
physically. It has been said that in every congregation there are three groups of
people: those who make things happen, those who watch things happen and those
who wonder, “What happened?” The third group is simply not sufficiently attuned
to spiritual matters to recognize either progression or digression, when it
occurs. They remain with the original group, after a church split, not because
they are convinced the original group is right, but because they are oblivious
to the issues over which the others left.
Paul refers to some in Corinth who were weak, sick and asleep (1
Corinthians 11:30), due to their habit of eating and drinking the elements of
the Lord’s Supper “in an unworthy manner…not discerning the Lord’s body” (vv.
27-29). There were also those in Rome who needed to wake up (Romans 13:11-14)
and those in Thessalonica who needed to “watch and be sober” (1 Thessalonians
5:6).
Sounding
Brass (1 Corinthians 13:1)
These are
they who simply love to hear themselves talk, having no genuine love for
the brethren. In the context of 1 Corinthians 13, the abuse of spiritual gifts
was simply a manifestation of the real problem. They were more concerned with
their desire to speak in tongues than with their obligation to edify brethren.
It is probably for this reason that Paul describes love mostly in negative
terms: “does not envy…does not parade itself, is not puffed up, does not behave
rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil, does not
rejoice in iniquity…never fails” (vv. 4-8).
A Recent Development Illustrating these Points
A recent
leaflet mass-mailed from Cordele into Macon, GA, illustrates the points of this
article oh, so well. Without even trying to show authority from the Lord for
what it claims is a work of the church, this pamphlet smears more than 2,000
local churches of Christ, implying that they could not possibly be “sound in
the faith,” simply because they oppose certain practices of mainstream
“churches of Christ.”
Whether its authors were “sound asleep”
when the Lord’s churches were being divided over these unauthorized practices,
this writer does not know, but they are “all sound” and “sounding brass.” They
engage in corrupt speech and hypocritical judgment. They apparently love to
hear themselves talk and obviously have no genuine love for the brethren with
whom they disagree. If these 2,000+ churches are wrong, it should be a simple
matter to show the scriptures that supposedly authorize the things to which
they are opposed. Perhaps it is time for a public debate in Middle Georgia
on these matters!
WHAT IS A LOCAL CHURCH OF CHRIST?
Bob Myhan
Many seem to think a church of Christ is a nothing more than a meetinghouse for Christians who choose not to use musical instruments in their worship and who believe they must partake of the Lord’s Supper each Sunday. Others think that a church of Christ is one of many local congregations that make up a “Church of Christ” denomination. Still others think it is just a plurality of Christians who happen to live in a local area. Are any of these ideas correct? If not, what is a church of Christ?
The word "church" is used in the New Testament in at least two senses: the universal sense--all Christians "taken...together" (Matthew 16:18; Acts 2:47) and the local sense--Christians who meet, worship and work together [as a collective unit], ideally under the oversight of elders (Matthew 18:17; Philippians 1:1). Thus, a local church is neither a meetinghouse nor a mere plurality of Christians, but a collectivity of Christians. By “collectivity” is meant “a number of persons taken or acting together." This can be illustrated with the words, “link,” “links” and “chain.” A chain is neither a link nor a mere plurality of links; it is a collectivity of links. That is, a plurality of links must be “linked together” in order to constitute a chain. Likewise, there is a difference between “Christian,” “Christians” and “church.”
The universal church never acts collectively because it has no organizational framework through which to function as a collective unit. Therefore, the action of the universal church is always distributive; that is, the action is distributed among the individual members—Christians everywhere. The universal church acts only as Christians act individually. A local church, on the other hand, not only acts distributively [as its members act], but also collectively, through its organizational framework. In Matthew 18:15-17, Jesus makes an obvious distinction between the action of one Christian, the action of a plurality of Christians, and the action of a local church.
Further, a church of Christ is a collectivity of Christians having a common treasury. This treasury is made up primarily, but not exclusively, of shared funds of the individual members (1 Corinthians 16:2). Each member also contributes other things, such as goods, services, knowledge and understanding of the gospel and any and all abilities that will expedite the work of the collective unit (Acts 2:44,45; 4:34,35; Romans 1:16; Ephesians 4:12-16; Philippians 1:1). The local church acts collectively as these things are utilized.
Still further, a church of Christ is a collectivity of Christians having a common treasury carrying out a collective work. Its collective work is threefold: providing for the edification of its members (Ephesians 4:7-16; I Corinthians 14:1-5, 26), supporting evangelism (Acts 13:1-5; 2 Corinthians 11:8-9; Philippians 4:13-16) and providing for needy saints (Acts 2:44-45; 4:32, 34-35; 6:1-6; Romans 15:25-26).