THE BEGINNING AND BIRTHDAY OF THE CHURCH

(The Church – God’s Masterpiece – Pt. 4)

by Pastor-teacher Dennis Rokser

In an effort to lay some important doctrinal groundwork regarding the Church – God’s Masterpiece, we have considered in past articles ...

In our last Journal we asked and answered four important questions, namely ...

In this article, we want to lay down one more important piece of sound doctrine regarding the Church generally before we begin examining the practical priorities and function of an effective local church for Jesus Christ.

 

THE BEGINNING AND BIRTHDAY OF THE CHURCH

Though Covenant theologians believe the church existed in the Old Testament (either beginning with Adam or Abraham), and while Hyper-dispensationalists mark it’s birthday some time later than

 

Pentecost (Acts 9, 13, or 28), it is my conviction that there are six biblical reasons to pinpoint the beginning of the church with the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2).

#1: The Church began on Pentecost because JESUS CHRIST PROMISED TO BUILD HIS CHURCH FUTURE to His earthly ministry.

And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. (Matthew 16:18)

"I will build" (oikodomeso) is a future, active, indicative verb. Christ’s church would be built some time after this statement (future tense) by Christ Himself (active voice) and this is a fact/reality (indicative mood). Jesus Christ did not tell His disciples, "I have built my church (aorist tense); nor I have been and continue to build my church" (perfect tense). Neither did Christ say, "I am building my church" (present tense); but "I WILL BUILD my church". This points us to the Day of Pentecost.

#2: The Church began on Pentecost because THERE COULD BE NO CHURCH UNTIL JESUS CHRIST DIED IN ORDER TO PURCHASE HER REDEMPTION.

Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood. (Acts 20:28)

Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it. (Ephesians 5:25)

The shed blood and finished work of the Saviour needed to occur in order to pay the purchase price for Christ’s bride – the Church. This happened on Calvary, fifty days before the Day of Pentecost.

#3: The Church began on Pentecost because CHRIST’S HEADSHIP OVER THE CHURCH REQUIRED THAT HE WAS RAISED AND ASCENDED INTO HEAVEN.

 

Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places, Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come: And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church, Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all. (Ephesians 1:20-23)

Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men. (Ephesians 4:8)

And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ: That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ. (Ephesians 4:11-15)

Jesus Christ alone is the resurrected and ascended Lord of the Church. And these crucial events were necessary for the birthday of the Church, pointing us again to the Day of Pentecost.

#4: The Church began on Pentecost because THE DIVINE MEANS OF PLACING BELIEVERS INTO THE BODY OF CHRIST BEGAN VIA THE BAPTISM BY THE HOLY SPIRIT.

For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit. (1 Cor. 12:13)

Jesus Christ spiritually baptizes (aorist passive indicative) or places every believer into the body of Christ (in union with Him) by means of the Holy Spirit at the moment of salvation (otherwise how could this be true of "all"?).1 Thus, if the baptism by the Holy Spirit places one into the body of Christ, it must have begun when the church began. So when did the baptism by the Holy Spirit begin? John the Baptist indicated that it would be future to his ministry when he said:

I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire. (Matt. 3:11)

This passage is reiterated in Mark 1:8, Luke 3:16, and John 1:33. The phrase "shall baptize" indicates a future event from when John the Baptist predicted this (future tense); in which Jesus Christ (active voice) would baptize believers with (by means of) the Holy Spirit and that was a fact (indicative mood). But, what else does Scripture indicate as to when this would happen?

And, being assembled together with them, (He) commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me. For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence. (Acts 1:4-5)

The context of this passage follows Christ’s atoning death and bodily resurrection, and is spoken just prior to our Lord’s ascension (Acts 1:9). Jesus Christ reiterates here the prediction of John the Baptist ("shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit"– future, passive indicative verb) with a crucial additional phrase ... "not many days hence" ("not many days from now" – NASB). The event which occurred in just a few days is the Day of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit descended (Acts 2:1-4) to fulfill His predicted ministries. (Mt. 3:11; John 7:37-39; 14:16-17; 15:26-27; 16:7-14). But can one conclude with certainty that the baptism by the Holy Spirit began then? The Bible, which is the best interpreter of itself, answers an emphatic "YES"! For in describing the conversion of Cornelius’ household some years later to the apostles and saints at Jerusalem, Peter tells them ...

And as I began to speak, the Holy Ghost fell on them, as on us at the beginning. Then remembered I the word of the Lord, how that he said, John indeed baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost. Forasmuch then as God gave them the like gift as he did unto us, who believed on the Lord Jesus Christ; what was I, that I could withstand God? When they heard these things, they held their peace, and glorified God, saying, Then hath God also to the Gentiles granted repentance unto life. (Acts 11:15-18)

Jesus Christ, by means of the Holy Spirit, began spiritually baptizing every believer into Christ (Rom. 6:3-5; Gal. 3:26-28) and identifying them with His church (1 Cor. 12:13) on the Day of Pentecost. Thus, the church MUST HAVE BEGUN at the SAME TIME! And for those who are of a hyper-dispensational persuasion (believing the church began with the conversion of Saul – Acts 9; or the sending forth of Paul and Barnabus – Acts 13; or after Acts 28), would you consider with me ...

Salute Andronicus and Junia, my kinsmen, and my fellowprisoners, who are of note among the apostles, who also were in Christ before me. (Romans 16:7)

The prepositional phrase "in Christ" is only used of church-age believers in the New Testament. It refers to more than simply being "redeemed" as Old Testament saints experienced redemption. It underscores a believer’s union with Christ in His death, burial, resurrection, and ascension so that he/she is seated in the heavenlies in Christ (Eph. 2:6). If this is true, how could Andronicus and Junia be "in Christ" "BEFORE" Paul? This requires the baptizing work of the Holy Spirit2 to be PRIOR TO SAUL’S CONVERSION; hence, this points to the church's beginning in Acts 2!

#5: The Church began on Pentecost because THE WORD "CHURCH" IS USED TO REFER TO BELIEVERS IN CHRIST IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE DAY OF PENTECOST.

If the Body of Christ began on Pentecost, is the Church identified as such?

Praising God, and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved. (Acts 2:47)3

And great fear came upon all the church, and upon as many as heard these things. (Acts 5:11)

And Saul was consenting unto his death. And at that time there was a great persecution against the church which was at Jerusalem; and they were all scattered abroad throughout the regions of Judaea and Samaria, except the apostles. And devout men carried Stephen to his burial, and made great lamentation over him. As for Saul, he made havock of the church, entering into every house, and haling men and women committed them to prison. (Acts 8:1-3)

Then tidings of these things came unto the ears of the church which was in Jerusalem: and they sent forth Barnabas, that he should go as far as Antioch. (Acts 11:22)

Now about that time Herod the king stretched forth his hands to vex certain of the church. (Acts 12:1)

Peter therefore was kept in prison: but prayer was made without ceasing of the church unto God for him. (Acts 12:5)

Now there were in the church that was at Antioch certain prophets and teachers; as Barnabas, and Simeon that was called Niger, and Lucius of Cyrene, and Manaen, which had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. (Acts 13:1)

For ye have heard of my conversation in time past in the Jews' religion, how that beyond measure I persecuted the church of God, and wasted it. (Galatians 1:13)

For I am the least of the apostles, that am not meet to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. (1 Cor. 15:9)

If Saul persecuted "the church of God" prior to his salvation experience on the road to Damascus, it must have been in existence. And again to those of hyper-dispensational conviction who want to relegate this phrase to describe some pre-church assembly of believers, or Jewish church; please note the clear usage of the phrase "the church of God" as referring to the Body of Christ in other passages, especially in Acts and 1 Corinthians!

Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood. (Acts 20:28)

Unto the church of God which is at Corinth, to them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all that in every place call upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours. (1 Corinthians 1:2)

Give none offence, neither to the Jews, nor to the Gentiles, nor to the church of God. (1 Corinthians 10:32)

What? have ye not houses to eat and to drink in? or despise ye the church of God, and shame them that have not? What shall I say to you? shall I praise you in this? I praise you not. (1 Corinthians 11:22)

If a man know not how to rule his own house, how shall he take care of the church of God? (1 Timothy 3:5)

#6: The Church began on Pentecost because THE CHURCH WAS AN OLD TESTAMENT MYSTERY which could not exist before NEW TESTAMENT APOSTLES AND PROPHETS.

Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God; And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone. (Ephesians 2:19-20)

Which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit; That the Gentiles should be fellowheirs, and of the same body, and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel: Whereof I was made a minister, according to the gift of the grace of God given unto me by the effectual working of his power. Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ. (Eph. 3:5-8)

Let me hasten to underscore for hyper-dispensational believers, that the revelation of the church was not unique to Paul ("as it is now revealed unto His holy apostles and prophets by His Spirit"), though the great apostle to the Gentiles was given tremendous revelation about it! (3:3-4)

 

WHAT DOES IT MATTER?

Perhaps you find yourself asking that very question. Permit me to briefly explain the practical ramifications of how you view the beginning and birthday of the Church.

Covenantal Confusion

If you view the Church as synonymous with Israel, numerous problems result such as ...

Kingdom Kaos

If you fail to distinguish the beginning and birthday of the church as occurring after the death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus Christ...

Hyper-dispensational Hacking

If in an effort to "rightly divide the Word of truth," you end up wrongly dividing it by starting the church post-Pentecost ...

 

WHAT DOES THIS MEAN PRACTICALLY?

By now it should be obvious that what you believe regarding the beginning and birthday of the church will seriously affect you or your church both doctrinally and practically.

Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. (2 Timothy 2:15)

Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen. (Ephesians 3:20-21) ¢

In the next article in this series, we will focus on "Church Planting By the Book". Don’t miss it!

Footnotes:

  1. Refer to the chart on page 19 to observe other verses on the baptism by the Holy Spirit.
  2. Another strong scriptural argument to support this is found in Galatians 1:21-22, "Afterwards I came into the regions of Syria and Cilicia; And was unknown by face unto the churches of Judaea which were in Christ."
  3. "Ekklesia" translated "church" here is only found in the Majority Text.
  4. While interpreting the virgin birth, crucifixion, and bodily resurrection of Christ with a normal, historical, grammatical method of interpretation, conservative Covenant theologians then shift to an allegorical/ spiritual hermeneutic on prophetic issues. If they consistently applied this latter hermeneutic to all of Scripture, they would end up theological liberals.
  5. This is aptly illustrated in George Zellar's booklet, "What Is the Believer's Rule of Life?" printed by Middletown Bible Church (349 East St., Middletown, CT 06457).
  6. Dr. Renald Showers addresses this in detail in his book, "There Really Is A Difference" (Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry, Bellmawr, NJ 08031)
  7. To read further regarding this, order "The Dangers of Reformed Theology" by George Zellars.
  8. Most covenant theologians reject the biblical teaching of the pre-tribulational Rapture, opting instead for Amillennialism. These teach that there will be no triumphant, earthly Kingdom, this side of eternity. They conclude this by spiritualizing Kingdom passages both in the Old and New Testament passages.
  9. "The teachings of grace are perfect and sufficient in themselves. They provide for the instruction of the believer in every situation which may arise. There is no need that they be supplemented, or augmented, by the addition of precepts from either the Law of Moses or the teachings of the kingdom." – L.S. Chafer
  10. Compare Matthew 3:2, 4:23, 9:35, 10:5-7 with Mark 16:15, Romans 1:16, and 1 Cor.15:3-4.
  11. A classic example of this is taught by Dr. John MacArthur in his book, "Kingdom Living – Here and Now", and "The Gospel According to Jesus". The distinction between Kingdom versus church/grace teaching is further blurred by progressive/regressive dispensationalism headed up by Craig A. Blaising and Darrell L. Bock (Dispensationalism, Israel, and the Church, Zondervan). For critiques of this dispensational deviation read "Dispensationalism" by Charles C. Ryrie (chapter 9, Moody Press, Chicago) and "Regressive Dispensationalism" by Miles J. Stanford (840 Vindicator Drive #111, Colorado Springs, CO 80919).
  12. For a biblical explanation on the purpose and place of the Mosiac Law, write us for the paper by Ron Merryman titled, "The Believer and the Mosaic Law". Also, look for this article in a future edition of the Grace Family Journal.
  13. In my last article in the 1999 Jan./Feb. edition of the G.F.J. titled, "The Great Commission and the Building of the Church", I wrote regarding Matthew 28:19, "The second participle (which is one of means), "baptizing" (28:19), would then serve to identify those who believe the Gospel. It would act as a testimony of a person’s identification with Christ in His death, burial, and resurrection. While water baptism is not necessary for salvation (Romans 4:5; Ephesians 2:8-9), it is a necessary element in true discipleship." This last sentence as previously stated could lead to doctrinal confusion as it inaccurately appears to make a ritual (water baptism) the means to following Christ for sanctification as a disciple. No ritual can do this, including water baptism (see my article later in this Journal to expand on this). Discipleship is all by God's grace thru faith, though it is manifested by obedience to God's will. While I believe that in the normal process of spiritual development believers should count a great privilege to be publicly identified with Jesus Christ in this divinely designed ritual of water baptism (just like participating in the Lord's Supper), I do not believe that if one has not been water baptized that they are carnal, disqualified to serve, or unfaithful to Jesus Christ. And while I am concerned that some believers have mentally relegated the opportunity of testimony via water baptism to a level of insignificance due to its misuse or familiarity, I do not desire to mis-emphasize this or promote it out of its proper biblical place. It would have been more accurate to have written, "While water baptism is not necessary for salvation (Rom. 4:5; Eph. 2:8-9), it is to be the result of salvation and acts as a means of publicly identifying believers with Jesus Christ, reflecting a desire to be Christ's disciple." Please accept my apology for what confusion or concerns this misstatement may have caused some readers.
  14. Though they did not believe it merited a doctrinal separation, dispensational bible-teachers over the years have disagreed on the interpretation and application of Matthew 28:19-20 relative to the church. Dr. William Pettingill and Dr. James Gray rejected it for the church (believing it was a Kingdom commission), opting for Acts 1:8 instead. Dr. Arno Gaebelein also rejected Matthew 28 for the church, accepting Luke 24 in its place. However, the vast majority of dispensationalists have agreed that it relates to the church, such as C. I. Scofield, John C. Whitcomb, Lewis S. Chafer, Charles C. Ryrie, M.R. DeHaan, Warren W. Wiersbe, H.A. Ironsides, John F. Walvoord, Stanley D. Toussaint, E. Shuyler English, Alva J. McClain, Renald Showers, etc. While these dispensationalists may have disagreed on a particular interpretation of this passage, they enjoyed wonderful fellowship with one another, and some even served together as contributing editors to the Scofield Reference Bible.
  15. Hyper-dispensationalists in the J.C. O'Hair, Charles Baker, Cornelius R. Stam, Richard Jordan, Paul Sadler, Ernest Campbell camps rejected water baptism for today, while E. W. Bullinger rejects the Lord's Supper as well.
  16. This is a normal response by hyper-dispensationalists to the exegetical support for the Acts 2 position. And while the church demographically shifts as it historically progresses (as Ron Merryman points out in his article on the "The Transitional Nature of the Book of Acts"), this does not necessitate distinguishing two different churches.
  17. This hyper-dispensational interpretation relegates such verses as 1 John 1:9, 2:1-2, 2:18, 4:9-10, 5:11-13; 2 John 7-11; 3 John 5-8, etc., to a Kingdom context. Though I believe that every believer in Christ should master the Pauline epistles and grace teaching, all the epistles are written to us.

 

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