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Saving the Church
by Robert Turner
Lots of people are trying to save the church these days. There are so many problems among brethren, and so many brethren who are apparently unconcerned, that I suppose we should rejoice that someone cares.
Fact is, I have considered saving the church a time or two. Maybe I had a touch of the Don Quixote spirit and fancied the giants reeling from my trusty lance. But no more. In the first place, it is hard to find a church that wants to be saved, and those who do want this, are pretty well on the road with a "do it yourself" job.
Too, it occurred to me that the church already has a Savior. My job, and that of every concerned member, is to stir up greater love and respect for the divine Savior. We need a better understanding of what He saves, and how.
We may work up an ulcer trying to save a union of people while the true Savior is dividing people in order to preserve unity in the faith. Matt. 10:32-39; 1 Cor. 5:1-8.
We may fail to confess Him because, in our pride, we are trying to save our "place" in the community. Not infrequently, we are more concerned about what people will think than we are with pleasing God. (Jn. 12:42-43)
And multitudes are more concerned with the "party" (our institutions, our brotherhood) than they are with the church for which Christ died.
Christ saves the church ONE MEMBER AT THE TIME. (1 Cor. 12:12-f; Jn. 15:1-6; Gal. 3:26-27). The body of Christ, His church (Eph. 1:22-23) of which He is Savior (Eph. 5:23), is composed of INDIVIDUALS. One by one, as we are saved from sins, we are added to this church. (Acts 2:47). This is a crucial point, yet one we seem determined to ignore, or refuse to obey.
As the church was first saved from "alien" sins, so must it be saved from worldliness, the social gospel, institutionalism, or any other sins. Somehow, some way, each individual member must be aroused from sleep, to renew his love and service to Christ, who alone can save the church.
Other Articles by Robert Turner
The New Creature
Church Autonomy
The Security of the Believer
What Went Forth?
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