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How much should we love ourselves? 2 Timothy 3 gives "lover of self" in a list of qualities with which God is displeased. So are we to love ourselves?
As a fan of Aristotle's ethics, I recall his theory of the Golden Mean, "The best things are placed between extremes." Every vice is an extreme and in the middle ground between every extreme is a virtue. The two extremes here are 2 Timothy 3's "lover of self" and hating oneself to such a degree that the only self-care you can muster is eating, per Ephesians 5:28-30. What lies between these two extremes will be the virtuous balance of loving self, not too little and not too much: loving yourself but not only yourself. It is our challenge to nurture this self-love into a healthy self-respect but pruned down and bridled from being a self-worship. The perfect summation of this middle ground is found in Jesus' second greatest command, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself" (Mat 22:39 ESV) and also stated this way, "So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them" (Mat 7:12 ESV). The ideal, perfect treatment of others is based on your desires and your self-love: you love others in the capacity of how much you love yourself and you treat others in the way that you want them to treat yourself. Within this standard is the expectation by Jesus that you will, on some level, love yourself and will desire a minimal requirement of treatment from others. Like Paul implied in Ephesians 5:28-30, no one hates themselves so much that they don't even feed themselves. Therefore, it is reasonable to say that this self-love inherent in all creatures is your standard for treating others. In this standard, it requires a person to reflect on their self-love, quantify it, and in so doing, affirm it. Jesus says, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself," but someone may ask, "what if I don't love myself?" Jesus expects you too. When it comes to actions, like Paul explains with feeding ourselves, you do love yourself. If you didn't love yourself you wouldn't mind when people mistreated you. If someone slapped you upside the head, would you be upset? Why? Because you expect to be treated better. Where does that expectation come from? If you truly believed you were no more valuable than the dirt on the ground, you wouldn't mind being stepped on, but you would get upset if a person stepped on you because you don't truly believe that. Despite the melodramatics (I mean no disrespect; I get dramatic too), you do believe you are valuable. All people have some bare minimum desire for how they are treated. No person is void of all self-love, but many people have convinced themselves that they do not deserve a good life. Jesus enforces and revitalizes our self-love by making it the standard of our treatment for others. The group that calls itself the Churches of Christ is a little bit of an enigma.
Will Rogers once said, "I belong to no organized party. I am a Democrat." I am not afraid of being called a Republican because I so often vote for Republican candidates and I agree a lot with Republican positions. I would as easily call myself a conservative or moderate libertarian but I have no loyalty to the Conservative party or the Libertarian party. My concern in voting has been foremost, the positions the candidate holds. If the day came where I agreed with a Democrat candidate more than the Republican candidate, I would vote without hesitation for the Democrat. Like that quote, "I belong to no organized party. I am a Republican." In that same spirit, I could say, "I belong to no organized religious group. I am a member of the Churches of Christ." Although Churches of Christ are similar in many ways to various Protestant denominations, there are important differences. Churches of Christ exist and function as an informal fellowship of independent congregations with no formal written creed. I have heard people argue until they are blue in the face whether the Church of Christ is a denomination or not. The answer is ultimately of definitions. You ask, "Is the Church of Christ a denomination," and I answer, "Define Church of Christ and define denomination." ● The True Church The Church of Christ found in God's word is the community of saved people, the collective body of believers. In Acts 2, people heard the Gospel message of Jesus' death and resurrection and were saved. In being saved they were added to a group which is called the church (Acts 2:47). This is the church Jesus built upon himself (Mat. 16:18, Eph 2:19-21). This community goes by many names in God's word: church (Mat. 16:18), the household of God (Eph 2:19), the heavenly Jerusalem (Heb. 12:22), the church of the firstborn (Heb. 12:23), the body of Christ (Eph. 1:22), the church of God (Acts 20:28), and church of Christ (Rom. 16:16). A denomination is a sect, a subgroup, a piece of a whole. The Church of Christ in reference to the church Jesus built is by no means a denomination in any sense of the word. God's community is one. There is one Body (Eph. 4:4) which means there is one church (Col. 1:24). Every person whose citizenship is in heaven (Phl 3:20) or whose name is in the book of life (Phl 4:3) or who has eternal life (1 John 5:13) is part of this one church. The distinct difference between the scriptural ideal and the flawed reality of the church has existed since the infancy of the church, shortly after its establishment. Scriptural examples abound of the flawed reality of the church, like the racial conflict of Acts 6, the church in Pergumum's tolerance of false doctrine (Rev 2:14-15), or the myriad of issues in the Corinthian church (all of 1 Cor). Even in the apostolic age, or shortly thereafter, there were "false mountains." Jesus' iconic description of wolves in sheep's clothing (Mat 7:15) not only applies to individuals who teach false doctrine, but also applies to the groups they lead. Since its conception there have been true members of God's true church who seek to remain unblemished from these wolves in sheep's clothing. The ultimate goal of an earnest believer is to be part of the church Jesus built, not a church that a human built. If Jesus built one church then why are there so many different kinds of churches? Because we humans mess things up. When Jesus built his church, he did not build a building or establish a hierarchy that would remain beyond his ascension. Beyond the Apostles, the church was given freedom to be as obedient or corrupt as she feels. Jesus left behind his word which is the seed for the church; he left behind a "pattern of sound words" to follow (2 Ti. 1:13) and a "standard of teaching" to obey and be committed to (Rom. 6:17). The destination is the one true church Jesus built and the path is God's New Covenant teachings. When people alter the path, they arrive at a different destination; alterations to God's word (heresies) lead to different organizations who claim to be part of the church (denominations). ● Denominationalism and Denominations
The concept of denominationalism is the belief that all these different denominations are different parts of God's church. Baptists, Methodists, Presbyterians, and all denominations are parts of the larger church and all of them are saved. This is not true. Because 1) the body of Christ is one and there should be no division in the body (1 Cor 12:25); 2) some of their doctrines are false doctrines that lead, not to life but, to destruction (2Pet 2:1). Not all people who are part of a denomination believe all denominations are equal. There are many people in denominations that are trying to be part of the one true church and aren't aware of better options for churches or who are working within their denomination to improve it. The definition of a denomination is difficult to pinpoint. It ultimately depends on the context and personal definitions. Generally, a denomination is a Christian group that shares 1) a name, 2) a creed/set of beliefs, and 3) a structure/hierarchy. ● The Churches of Christ In scripture and in spiritual reality, Jesus built one church. Since then there have been divisions, heresies, and different people trying to establish their own version of the one true church. There is a distinction between the one, spiritual church and the attempt to manifest that one true church which we know as the Churches of Christ. That distinction is important to make because it allows us to then compare and contrast; if we don't distinguish between the Churches of Christ and the church in the NT we can never critique and improve the Churches of Christ to make it more pure and closer to the church in the NT. The Churches of Christ historically were a product of the Restoration Movement created in the name of following God's word alone, particularly New Covenant teaching, without creeds or any structure not found in it.The core identity of the Churches of Christ has been to be part of the church built by Christ and none other. They are not the first movement to attempt this, but I think they are the most accurate version I have read of. This movement had many forerunners but the two most notable were Alexander Campbell and Barton Stone, who shared the approach of going back to the Bible. They had decided to abandon all things that were not in the Bible as far as possible and to bind only that which is in the New Testament upon New Covenant Christians. They looked at the New Covenant teachings as a blueprint to replicate today. If this blueprint is followed, then the end product is a manifestation of the one true church. They saw the New Testament as a path and the destination is the one true church. This approach differed in that it is rational and not experiential--it focuses more on reason than emotion. For centuries and even today still, people abandon their thinking when it comes to the Bible. Alexander approached the Bible like an engineer to analyze the parts, how they connected, which ones were absolutely necessary and which ones were convenient, and then he sought to replicate this structure in real life. To this day, I have never seen a denomination filled with so many people who fact-checking everything said in a sermon with the Bible compared to the Churches of Christ--and that is a good thing. I have not seen a denomination who approaches the Bible so systematically and analytically compared to the Churches of Christ--and that is a good thing. Could these things be bad if taken to an extreme? Absolutely and we must be mindful not to worship the Bible but to worship the author of the Bible. So, this group that calls themselves the Churches of Christ, are they a denomination? Again, what is the definition of a denomination? First, the CoC does not call itself a denomination and rejects denominationalism. Second, do the CoC share a name? Yes. Third, do the CoC share a creed? No. A creed is usually a created manifest of beliefs, like the Catholic Church has a catechism. The Church of Christ shares slogans like "Where the Bible speaks, we speak," or "hear, believe, repent, and be baptized" but we do not share a set list of beliefs. Some people might argue that we share a list of beliefs but it just isn't written down. That is not a creed though. So, do the CoC share a set of beliefs? Yes to kind of. Fourth, do the CoC share a structure? Yes to kind of. The CoC operates like nondenominational churches. They do not have a hierarchy. Many of these denominations have boards over churches. A pastor is taken from one church and sent to another. If one church gets out of line, the board will cut them off and they are no longer allowed to associate with that denomination. In this way, when it comes to hierarchy, the CoC are truly nondenominational. Each congregation is independently run. If one church starts to get out of line and entertains false doctrine, there is no board to discipline them. The only thing the CoC can do is to try to convince them and then to not fellowship them. Why don't we have a board? Because it's not in the Bible. That is something humans added. This approach is the core identity to the Churches of Christ, to follow the Bible and be part of the spiritual church of Christ, the one Jesus built, the one seen in Acts, the one saved by God, the one in the Bible. We reason, if we believe what they believe, do what they do, we will be what they were, and get what they get. If the Apostle Peter told the Christians that the crucified Jesus was resurrected and is Lord and Christ (Acts 2:32,36), we should believe it too. If the Apostle Paul told the Christians that it is at baptism where a person is united into Jesus' death and resurrection (Rom. 6:1-4), then we should believe it too. If God's word says we are saved by grace through faith (Eph. 2:8), we should believe it too. If we read that the Christians in the Apostles' days got together once a week to eat the Lord's Supper (1 Cor 11:20), so should we. If we read that the Christians in the Apostles' days sang songs (Eph. 5:19), so should we. If we read that the Christians in the Apostles' days took up a collection on the first day of the week (1 Cor 16:2), so should we. Following the teachings they received and obeying the commands they were given, we become what they were: Christians (Acts 11:26), saved (Acts 2:47), members of Christ's body (1Cor. 12:12); and we will get what they get: eternal life (1 John 5:13), adoption (Eph 1:4), God's grace (Eph. 1:5), redemption (Eph. 1:7), forgiveness (Eph. 1:7). The purest form of Christianity is the form found in the New Testament under the Apostles guided by the Holy Spirit sent from Christ. The closer we observe their commands and examples, the closer we will be to pure Christian faith, untainted by human error. That is the pursuit of the group Churches of Christ. The Churches of Christ seek to be in the spiritual, universal church of Christ. I believe the Churches of Christ are the best place to be for any Christian. But, the Churches of Christ are an amazing group but like any group of people they have flaws. We must continue in our persistent desire for truth and we must continue in our pursuit to be part of the church that Jesus built. We must also refuse to lift up traditions on the level of scripture and we must abandon prejudice for people just because they don't attend a church with "Church of Christ" in the name.
The Churches of Christ historically were a product of the Restoration Movement created in the name of following God's word alone, particularly New Covenant teaching, without creeds or any structure not found in it. The core identity of the Churches of Christ has been to be part of the church built by Christ and none other, but in so doing they have, by necessity, established their own manifestation with their own practices and creeds (or required doctrine for mainstream fellowship). It is debatable whether any Christian group can be established that does not develop its own creeds or traditions. But the Churches of Christ has begun to focus on, instead of God's word, 1) "isms" and traditions and 2) their separation from denominations. ● Traditions Many people of the Churches of Christ have made the mistake that all groups make at some point: they conflated their traditions and/or interpretations with doctrine. The Jews established all manner of additions to the Law of Moses out of expedience and these additions later in time became as authoritative as the Law (Mat. 15:1-9). ● Jesus and his disciples did not practice the tradition of the elders with a type of hand-washing, v.2 [Mat 15:1-2 ESV] 1 Then Pharisees and scribes came to Jesus from Jerusalem and said, 2 "Why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat." ● Jesus accused them of breaking the word of God for the sake of their tradition, v.3 [Mat 15:3 ESV] 3 He answered them, "And why do you break the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition? ● Jesus accused them of having hearts far from God and worshiping God in vain, v.8-9. [Mat 15:8-9 ESV] 8 "'This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me; 9 in vain do they worship me… ● Jesus accused them of teaching commandments of men as God's doctrine, v.9 [Mat 15:9 ESV] 9 … teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.'" More than the Jews fell into this trap like the Roman Catholics, the Methodists, the Lutherans, and many more, where tradition became authoritative. Their man-made additions ascended to the level of inspiration. God has made it clear not to add to his word (Rev 22:18-19; Deut. 4:2, 12:32; Pro 30:5-6), so why is this such a common event? Because these additions to God's word did not start out as additions—they began as convenient aids to obey or understand God's word born out of honest intentions. Every single convenient aid created is a double-edged sword that may become conflated for inspired doctrine. I would say it is impossible to fully avoid these aids. Whether it is practices like meeting in a church building, hosting a second Sunday Assembly in the evening, and offering an invitation in the Assembly, or traditional beliefs like the five steps of salvation, the five acts of worship, and the manner of interpretation (command, example, necessary inference). All of these are born of convenience or assistance to obey or understand God's word, but they must never be assigned the status of inspiration. Is it wrong to not have an invitation in the Assembly? Is it wrong to shorten the five steps of salvation to three, "believe, repent, and be baptized," if Scripture permits? No. It is, therefore, the everlasting responsibility of the Church to analyze scripture, to distinguish that of human origin from that of inspired origin, to be completely unafraid to alter or remove the traditions and creeds of human origin, to be utterly petrified to alter, to add to, or to subtract from the word of God. Thomas Campbell wrote on this principle, "Lastly. That if any circumstantials indispensably necessary to the observance of Divine ordinances be not found upon the page of express revelation, such, and such only, as are absolutely necessary for this purpose should be adopted under the title of human expedients, without any pretense to a more sacred origin, so that any subsequent alteration or difference in the observance of these things might produce no contention nor division in the Church." In my words, Additions made to aid the Church are to remain as of human origin, impermanent and unable to cause division. |
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June 2022
Bobby PriceBobby Price was born and raised by Christian parents in Perrin, Texas. Bobby decided early in life to become a preacher of God's word. He attended the Sunset International Bible Institute in Lubbock, Texas where he graduated in 2015 with his Bachelors of Biblical Studies with a focus in Congregational Ministry. Afterwards, he interned for a year at the valley view Church of Christ in Jonesboro, AR. He is currently working on his Masters of Biblical Studies, through the Sunset International Bible Institute Graduate School. |