The Church, let me say, is presented in Scripture in two aspects. First, it is the body of Christ in which all is perfect, and no failure can come, because it depends upon the Lord Himself. It is also presented as the house of God; that is, the place where God dwells and His testimony is. In this there is failure, and complete failure, because to man has been committed the responsibility of maintaining that testimony on earth. But it will be well for us now, when we come to the New Testament, to turn to one or two scriptures to show that these principles do apply as well to the present time as to times gone by.
Take 1 Corinthians 3:10-13, “According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise masterbuilder, I have laid the foundation. . . . But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon. . . . The fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is.” Here we have clearly enough the principle of responsibility, and the possibility of failure. The Church is here regarded as a building of God. I may say that it is presented as a building in two way. First, as that which Christ builds, as we have in Matthew 16. In that, of course, failure does not and cannot occur. This is the building to which Peter refers when he says, “To whom coming, as unto a living stone . . . ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood” (1 Peter 2:4,5). That is the true divine building which Christ builds and secures. This in Corinthians is also a building, but man’s, not Christ’s. It is the confounding of these two things which has brought in all the evil of Popery. The error is, attributing to man’s building all the security and perfection which belong to that which Christ builds. Here we have the building. Paul lays the foundation, but on this foundation much may be built which is not precious; that is, divine. A man may build upon it “gold, silver, and precious stones”; or he may build “wood, hay, stubble.” What is meant by this is, that it is possible to build on this ground with improper materials. The responsibility of the builder is the point in view here. The possibility of failure, if not the probability, is suggested. A man may build bad work, and the result of that will be judgment. Every man’s work shall be tried by fire.
A similar principle is very directly stated in Romans 11:17-2217And if some of the branches be broken off, and thou, being a wild olive tree, wert graffed in among them, and with them partakest of the root and fatness of the olive tree; 18Boast not against the branches. But if thou boast, thou bearest not the root, but the root thee. 19Thou wilt say then, The branches were broken off, that I might be graffed in. 20Well; because of unbelief they were broken off, and thou standest by faith. Be not highminded, but fear: 21For if God spared not the natural branches, take heed lest he also spare not thee. 22Behold therefore the goodness and severity of God: on them which fell, severity; but toward thee, goodness, if thou continue in his goodness: otherwise thou also shalt be cut off. (Romans 11:17‑22). Nothing can be more apparent than that the question here also is responsibility, though often viewed in another light. Here the whole Gentile profession is regarded as being brought in to have share in the olive tree of promise and testimony upon earth, of which Abraham is the root. The natural branches — the Jews — were broken off in order that the Gentiles might be brought in. But the question in hand clearly is, how they will maintain the position they have been brought into. “Be not high-minded, but fear: for if God spared not the natural branches, take heed lest He also spare not thee.” Here we have the possibility of failure supposed, and in the next verse the result of failure is definitely stated. “Thou also shalt be cut off.” Now I suppose there are few sober men who would maintain that the Gentile profession has continued in the goodness of God. Nothing can be more plain than that it has utterly failed to continue in God’s goodness, or in the place of testimony in which it was set for God upon the earth when Israel was set aside, for it is not a question of believing in Christ and being saved. This, to be sure, is of the essence of Christianity, but here it is the question of a witness for God upon earth. No doubt those who really belong to God have grace given by which they may maintain their individual testimony for Him. Still the responsibility is there, and upon all to maintain a corporate testimony for God upon earth.
But the judgment and rejection of the Church, or Christian profession, is not merely hinted at or even threatened. In the early chapters of the book of Revelation we find the fact itself stated with all plainness. The Lord Jesus, as Son of man (His judgmental title), is seen passing in the midst of the golden candlesticks, taking note of the condition of the Church, and pronouncing judgment upon that condition, for I accept that which I believe to be the true intention of the early chapters of Revelation, that they present the character of the whole Church of God upon earth throughout its entire history, seven representative, existing churches being taken up. In the epistle to Ephesus (ch. 2:4), the Lord says, “I have . . . against thee, because thou hast left thy first love.” That is the first point of declension; failure has already come in, and judgment is pronounced. The candlestick is to be removed unless there is repentance.
The epistles which follow (to the other churches) show very clearly that that repentance was lacking — there is even further progress in failure. For when we come to Thyatira we find some of the grossest forms of evil, the corruption of Popery, and in the last epistle (that to Laodicea) we find that, not merely will the candlestick be removed if there is not repentance, but “because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of My mouth.” Ch. 3:16. The statement is perfectly absolute in this case; the condition is judged, and sentence pronounced upon it. The state brings its own judgment.
So the apostle Peter tells us that the time had come when judgment must begin at the house of God (1 Peter 4:17), and Jude also, that the Lord is coming with ten thousands of His saints to execute judgment (vv. 14,15). In fact, all the later epistles continually refer to judgment about to be executed, speaking of Him “who is ready to judge the quick and the dead,” and as the Judge at the door.
“The mystery of iniquity” was already at work in the Apostle Paul’s day, and we can thank God that He allowed it to be so manifested in that time, that we might have divine guidance how to act when the evil should actually be present, and the sentence pronounced upon it.