The Church: The Gospel Made Visible

by Mark Dever

Without the former, a mental-assent-only faith follows, which is dead

Without the latter, faith and reliance on Christ vanish behind demands o...

A gospel-centered church teaches the need to both turn from sin...

A cross not taken up by repentance or affirmed by faith is a cross that does not save.

Sometimes they are called "ordinances," emphasizing the fact that they were ordained by Christ.

When churches practice baptism and the Lord's Supper, they obey Christ's teaching and example. In so doing, they portray Christ's death and resurrection, the testimony of every believer's own spiritual birth, as well as the church's collective hope for the final resurrection and reunion with the Lord.

These two practices, in short, proclaim the gospel.

Scripture acts as a counterweight against anyone—whether a congregation or a person—who decides to be a Christian and yet neglects baptism or the Lord's Supper.

This neglect, or denial, separates the person from those who truly follow Christ.

While neither baptism nor the Lord's Supper is salvific, a deliberate neglect of either puts a question m...

The Christian church is commanded to practice baptism by immersing a person in water who both professes and evidences conversion.

New Testament baptisms largely appear to have occurred shortly after conversion, but every specific individual mentioned is an adult coming from a non-Christian context, two factors which make the church's job of attesting to the credibility of a profession of faith simple and straightforward.

As a matter of Christian wisdom and prudence, therefore, the normal age of baptism should be when the credibility of one's conversion becomes naturally discernable and evident to the church community.

Tragically, the hope they most need may be hidden by the act meant to display it.

In summary, baptism in the Bible is neither elevated to be the cause of conversion nor diminished to be a mere marker of inclusion in a nonsalvific covenant. Rather, baptism is a public profession of God's saving work in the life of the believer. It is the public initiation of the believer into the family of faith.

The Lord's Supper evidences the companionship Christians share in Christ and in his Spirit as well as in holiness and mutual love.

the Lord's Supper should probably remain simple in form.

Paul taught the Corinthians that participating in the Supper testifies to participating in Christ's body and blood.

Thus the Lord's Supper is a regular rehearsal of this great celebration in which all Christians will share the table with their heavenly host, the Lord Jesus Christ.

From the earliest of times, local Christian churches were congregations of specific, identifiable people.

God has always intended for a sharp, bright line to distinguish those who trust in him from those who do not.

The lives of Christians together display visibly the gospel they proclaim audibly.

The most fundamental duty Christians have in relation to the congregation is the duty regularly to attend gatherings of the congregation.8

In general, membership duties can be divided into duties toward other members and duties toward pastors.

The duties and responsibilities church members have toward one another summarize the life of the ne...

As Paul commanded the congregation in Rome, "Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn."16 Other duties follow: to care for one another physically and spiritually;17 to watch over one another and hold one another accountable;18 to work to edify one another;19 to bear with one another,20 including not suing one another;21 to pray for one another;22 to keep away from those who would destroy the church;23 to reject evaluating people by worldly standards;24 to contend together for the gospel;25 and to be examples to one another.26

As Paul said to the Corinthians, "Men ought to regard us as servants of Christ and as those entrusted with the secret things of God."27 Such men should be respected, held in the highest regard, and honored.28 If Christians expect their pastor to fulfill his biblical responsibilities, church members must make themselves known to him. They must regard him as a gift from Christ sent to the church for their good.29 The minister of the Word is a steward of God's household and an undershepherd of God's flock. He serves willingly and eagerly.30 His reputation can and should be defended, his word believed, and his instructions obeyed unless Scripture is contradicted or facts are plainly distorted.31 The faithful minister should be so regarded simply because he brings God's Word to his people; he does not replace it with his own.

Church members should remember their leaders and imitate their life and faith.32 Good preachers and teachers are worthy of being doubly honored, according to Paul in 1 Tim 5:17, which includes material support.33 And church members should give themselves both to praying for their ministers and to assisting them in every way they can.34

The local congregation was responsible for ensuring a qualified minister of the Word preached to them, insofar as it was in their power.36 The congregation was ultimately responsible for ensuring converts were baptized and the Lord's Supper was duly administered to those giving credible evidence of regeneration. And the congregation was ultimately responsible for protecting and defining the membership of a church, both in admitting and dismissing members.37 Thus Paul assigned these responsibilities to the Corinthian congregation in 1 Cor 5:1–13 and 2 Cor 2:1–11.

Just as the people who paid the false teachers were threatened with God's judgment along with the teachers themselves (2 Tim 4:1–5), just as the Corinthian church was held accountable along with the sinning members (1 Cor 5:1–13), and just as the church envisioned in Matt 18:15–20 was held accountable by Christ to excluding the unrepentant, so congregations today cannot evade responsibility before God for fulfilling their biblically assigned duties.

The fundamental responsibility under God for the maintenance of all aspects of public worship of God belongs to the congregation.

While leaders within a congregation have their own special responsibilities before God, even the smallest of congregations which takes upon itself the task of providing and listening to the regular preaching of God's Word, and of practicing baptism and the Lord's Supper, necessarily takes upon itself responsibility for the right practice of membership and discipline, even over those who are called to be its leaders.

Universally and locally, the head and chief shepherd of the church is Christ.

Church leaders should be explicitly qualified.

Church leaders should be reputable with outsiders.

In order faithfully to represent the Lord of the church, church leaders must have both God-centered and other-centered lives.

Church leaders should also possess a keen sense of accountability, knowing they are under authority themselves.

when you come to give an account of them to the Lord Christ, at his judgment-seat, you will think you have had enough.

Church leaders should exercise authority.

church leaders should edify the church.

The word can refer to service in general,18 to rulers in particular,19 and to caring for physical needs.

Women clearly serve this way in the New Testament.

First, deacons must care for physical needs.

deacons must strive for the unity of the body.

deacons were appointed to support the ministry of the apostles.

deacons are fundamentally encouragers and supporters of the ministry of the elders.

Most fundamentally, the elder is a minister of the Word.

All of the qualifications listed here are repeated elsewhere in Scripture as applicable for all Christians, except for not being a recent convert and being able to teach.

Anyone serving as an elder should have a better-than-average grasp of the basics of the gospel as well as the great truths of Scripture, especially those that are under assault in one's own day.