The difference between policy and principle may properly be
considered the basic difference between the "Protestant
Reformation" begun in the Sixteenth Century and the
"Restoration Movement" of the Nineteenth Century. The word
policy often conveys the idea of human wisdom, sagacity or
shrewdness in the management of affairs. Whereas the word
principle, derives from the Latin princeps, principis,
whence come the English word , , prince," meaning "first" or
"chief"; hence, "a fundamental truth; a primary or basic
law, doctrine, or the like." Policy may change when in fact
principle is "a settled rule of action; a governing law of
conduct" (Webster). Compromise is a way of life with persons
who consider truth and right as policies. With men of
principle, truth and right are never negotiable!
Following the ascension of Christ except for the direct
impartation of miraculous powers by the Holy Spirit upon the
apostles (Acts 2:1-4), the first Gentile converts (Acts
10,11), and the apostle Paul (who claimed that he was "not a
whit behind the very chiefest apostles," 2 Cor. 11: 5), we
are unaware of anybody, anywhere, at any time receiving the
Holy Spirit miraculously apart from the laying on of an
apostle's hands. This being the case, miracles ceased with
the death of the last person endowed miraculously through
the medium of an apostle's hands. This, then, is our reason
for appealing to the apostles' teaching rather than
post-apostolic creeds and practices of apostate bodies.
Meaning Of "Restoration
To restore is to give back or bring back to the first or
previous state. Abimelech "restored" to Abraham Sarah, his
wife (Gen. 20:14); Nehemiah urged his fellow-Jews to
"restore" fields and houses to their deprived brethren
(Neh.
5:11).
Illustrative of the "restoration principle" as applied to
rule or government was the apostles' question to Jesus
following His resurrection, viz., "Lord, dost thou at this
time restore the kingdom to Israel?" (Acts 1:1-6) Obviously
the apostles were thinking about a return of the power and
prominence fleshly Israel had exercised over other nations
in the glorious days of David and Solomon and also fleshly
Israel's escape from the Roman domination of Israel in their
own time. It is in this sense that we use the words
"restore" and "restoration" in this treatise regarding the
"bringing back" of "spiritual Israel" in its faith,
practice, attitude toward and respect for the form of
government, revealed in Christ's apostles and their
contemporaries as they were directed by the Holy Spirit in
their oral and written communication. They used the words
with which the Holy Spirit supplied them to convey whatever
idea God wanted taught.
Biblical Basis of Restoration
Apostle Paul makes the foregoing observations unmistakably
clear when he says, "We received not the spirit of the
world, but the spirit which is from God; that we might know
the things that were freely given us of God. Which things
also we speak, not in words which man's wisdom teacheth but
which the Holy Spirit teacheth; combining spiritual things
with spiritual words" (1 Cor. 2:12,13). Since words are
vehicles upon which thoughts ride by reading what men
inspired by the Holy Spirit in the First Century wrote, we
of the Twentieth Century can understand the mind and will of
God now. Every written communication argues the factuality
of one person's mental ability to understand the thoughts of
another. Unless, therefore, it can be -established that God
has changed His will since the completion of the New
Testament we necessarily conclude that whatever God willed
for man to believe and practice from the apostolic writings
then the same God wills now. If not, why not? Jesus
declared, "Heaven and earth shall pass away; but my word
shall not pass away" (Mk. 13:31).
In the "Parable of the Sower" Jesus said, "Now the seed is
the word of God" (Lk. 8:11). It follows, therefore, that
there never has been or ever will be any person converted to
Christ or developed In the image of Christ apart from the
pure word of God, the gospel of Christ, described by the
apostle Paul as "the power of God unto salvation to every
one that believeth; to the Jew first and also to the Greek"
(Rom. 1:16). The gospel, preached by the apostles, produced
new persons identified as "Christians" (Acts 11:26; 26:28; 1
Pet. 4:16). Those converts to Christ were Christians only
and only "Christians" with no sectarian or denominational
designations characterizing much of the present religious
world professing allegiance to the Bible as God's word.
Those non-denominational Christians constituted the only
"assemblies" or "churches" ever originating from the
apostles' teaching and were identified by apostles as "the
churches of Christ" or "the church of God" (Rom. 16:16),
also called "the body of Christ" (1 Cor. 12:29).
Restoration Practices
The collective (congregational) activities of these
Christians were exceedingly simple. These "saints" called
such by the apostles, and also described as "sanctified" in
Christ Jesus (1 Cor. 1:1,2) -- as a result of the apostles'
teaching, assembled on the first day of the week to break
bread (observe the Lord's Supper, Acts 20:7; 1 Cor.
11:20-33), not to "socialize." In this assembly, each
disciple according to his financial ability, contributed
cheerfully of this material means toward relief of the poor
saints and the support of gospel works (1 Cor. 16:1,2; 2
Cor. 8,9; Phil. 1:3-5; 4:14-18). Assemblies also were
edified through their mutual study of the Scriptures and by
singing and praying and exhorting to love and good works
(Acts 2:42; Eph. 5:18,19; Col. 3:16,17; 1 Cor. 14:15; .Heb.
10:21-25).
Each assembly had its own overseers (bishops), also known as
pastors (shepherds) and elders and deacons (servants) (Phil.
1:1; Acts 20:17-35; 1 Tim. 3:1-13; Tit. 1:5-9; 1 Pet. 5:14).
There is no reason to think that there was any earthly
super-structure of government, or even association
restricting any two or all of these congregations under one
human head or group to be or do anything collectively! Some
153 years ago, well did Alexander Campbell, a preacher of
great influence in the religious world, observe,
The societies called churches, constituted and set in order
by those ministers of the New Testament, were of such as
received and acknowledged Jesus as Lord Messiah, the Savior
of the World, and had put themselves under his guidance. The
ONLY BOND OF UNION among them was faith in him and
submission to his will. No subscription to abstract
propositions framed by synods; no decrees of councils
sanctioned by kings; no rules of practice commanded by
ecclesiastical courts were imposed on them as terms of
admission into, or of continuance in this holy brotherhood.
In the "apostles doctrine" and in the "apostles'
commandments" they steadfastly continued. Their fraternity
was a fraternity of love, peace, gratitude, cheerfulness,
joy, charity, and universal benevolence. Their religion did
not manifest itself in public fasts nor carnivals. They had
no festivals - no great and solemn meetings. Their meeting
on the first day of the week was at all times alike solemn,
joyful and interesting. Their religion was not of that
elastic and porous kind, which at one time is compressed
into some cold formalities, and at another expanded into
prodigious zeal and warmth.
The order of their assemblies was uniformly the same. It did
not vary with moons and seasons. It did not change as dress
nor fluctuate as the manners of the times. Their devotion
did not diversify itself into the endless forms of modern
times. They had no monthly concerts for prayer; no solemn
convocations, no great fasts, nor preparations, nor
thanksgiving days. Their churches were not fractured into
missionary societies, bible societies, education societies;
nor did they dream of organizing such in the world. They
knew nothing of the hobbies of modern times. In their church
capacity alone they moved. They neither transformed
themselves into any other kind of association, nor did they
fracture and sever themselves into divers societies. They
viewed the church of Jesus Christ as the scheme of Heaven to
ameliorate the world,- as members of it, they considered
themselves bound to do all they could for the glory of God
and the good of men. They dare not transfer to a missionary
society, or bible society, or education society, a cent or a
prayer, lest in so doing they should rob the church of its
glory, and exalt the inventions of men above the wisdom of
God. In their church capacity alone they moved (Christian
Baptist, Vol. 1, pp. 6-7).
The foregoing represents "The Restoration Principle." "The
seed is the word of God" (Lk. 8:11). The pattern for the
formation of New Testament churches and the power to restore
them to the same order of government, work, and worship that
existed in the First Century is found in the New Testament.
The only obstacle presently preventing such d6restoration"
is the application of the apostolic principle of "seed
sowing" "in good and honest hearts!" Such a procedure in
reality is more than restoration. It is a reproduction of
the New Testament order! If not, why not?
Guardian of Truth -
June 5, 1986 |