Reformed Doctrine Daily Devotions

⁹ (Now this expression, “He ascended,” what does it mean except that He also had descended into the lower parts of the earth?

¹⁰ He who descended is Himself also He who ascended far above all the heavens, so that He might fill all things.)

¹¹ And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers,

¹² for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ;

¹³ until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ.

¹⁴ As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming;

¹⁵ but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ,

¹⁶ from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by what every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love.  Ephesians 4:7-16.

—————————-

Christ is in control.  Christ is the head of His body, His church.  Christ builds up His body by giving gifts “for the equipping of the saints for the work of service”.  From Christ, His whole body is fitted together and held together.  From Christ, His whole body grows “for the building up of itself in love”.  Today’s Scripture has God’s sovereignty written all over it.

In the true Church, we find these gifts of Christ.  In the true Church, we find apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors. and teachers.  In the true Church, we find fellow saints with whom we are fitted together and held together.  In the true Church, we are equipped for service.  In the true church, we all attain to the unity of the faith.  In the true Church, we all gain the knowledge of Christ to become mature, fully developed to the “measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ”. In the true Church, we are harbored and protected from being “tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine”.  In the true Church, we all grow “for the building up of itself in love”.  Today’s Scripture also has the importance of the true Church written all over it.

Through understanding these two points, God’s sovereignty and the importance of the true Church in mind, we can also better understand Article 28 of the Reformed Belgic Confession.

Article 28:  That every one is bound to join himself to the true Church.

We believe, since this holy congregation is an assembly of those who are saved, and that out of it there is no salvation, that no person of whatsoever state or condition he may be, ought to withdraw himself, to live in a separate state from it;  but that all men are in duty bound to join and unite themselves with it;  maintaining the unity of the Church;  submitting themselves to the doctrine and discipline thereof;  bowing their necks under the yoke of Jesus Christ;  and as mutual members of the same body, serving to the edification of the brethren, according to the talents God has given them.  And that this may be the more effectually observed, it is the duty of all believers, according to the word of God, to separate themselves from all those who do not belong to the Church, and to join themselves to this congregation, wheresoever God hath established it, even though the magistrates and edicts of princes were against it, yea, though they should suffer death or any other corporal punishment.  Therefore all those, who separate themselves from the same, or do not join themselves to it, act contrary to the ordinance of God.

So, what is “the true Church”?  Here is part of Article 29 of the Reformed Belgic Confession.   

Article 29:  Of the marks of the true Church, and wherein she differs from the false Church.

We believe, that we ought diligently and circumspectly to discern from the Word of God which is the true Church, since all sects which are in the world assume to themselves the name of the Church.  But we speak not here of hypocrites, who are mixed in the Church with the good, yet are not of the Church, though externally in it;  but we say that the body and communion of the true Church must be distinguished from all sects, who call themselves the Church.  The marks, by which the true Church is known, are these:  if the pure doctrine of the gospel is preached therein;  if she maintains the pure administration of the sacraments as instituted by Christ;  if church discipline is exercised in punishing of sin:  in short, if all things are managed according to the pure Word of God, all things contrary thereto rejected, and Jesus Christ acknowledged as the only Head of the Church.  Hereby the true Church may certainly be known, from which no man has a right to separate himself. …”