Category: Articles

When the word “church” is used in the New Testament, it almost always comes from the Greek word ekklesia. This word refers to a “called out” assembly of people. When it is used in the New Testament, it typically refers specifically to those who are in Christ.

The word “church” is one term among several that describes the collective body of those in Christ.

In Colossians 1:13, the church is called “the kingdom of [God’s] dear Son.” In 1 Timothy 3:15, the church is called “the house of God.” In Ephesians 2:21, the church is called “an holy temple in the Lord.” In Ephesians 1:23, the church is referred to as Christ’s “body.”

Though several terms are used to describe the church, they are not “denominations” of the Lord’s body. Rather, multiple terms are used to describe the same body.

Just as Jesus may be called “Lord,” “Savior,” “Christ,” “King,” “Redeemer,” “Prophet,” “High Priest,” etc., “the church” may be called “church of Christ,” “church of God,” “kingdom of Christ,” “temple of the Lord,” “body of Christ,” etc.

The first part of Ephesians 4:4 makes it clear that these terms all refer to just one church, as it states, “There is one body.”

Having said this, there are times in Scripture that the word “churches” is used in the plural form (cf. Rom. 16:16; Gal. 1:2).

The reason for this is that while the church is sometimes referred to in the “universal” sense (all Christians throughout the world), it is at other times referred to in the “local” sense (Christians meeting at a particular location to carry out the work of the church). The distinction between different “churches” in the New Testament is not what doctrine they are to follow or who their source of authority is. Rather, churches are distinguished from one another by location.

Paul wrote to saints “in Rome” (Rom. 1:7), “at Corinth” (1 Cor. 1:2; 2 Cor. 1:1), “at Ephesus” (Eph. 1:1), “at Philippi” (Phil. 1:1), and “at Colosse” (Col. 1:2). He referenced one church that was “of the Thessalonians” (1 Thes. 1:1; 2 Thes. 1:1), but this again identified their location. Doctrinally, this church was “in God the father and in the Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Thes. 1:1; cf. 2 Thes. 1:1).

This was true of all local churches in the New Testament. None were identified as belonging to a fallible man. Rather, each one belonged to God and Christ (1 Cor. 1:2; 2 Cor. 1:1; Eph. 1:1; Phil. 1:1; Col. 1:2).

The church belongs to Christ because he is the builder, foundation, and head of the church. Note that in Matthew 16:18, Jesus stated that He would build His church.

God noted Jesus’ relation to the church in Colossians 1:18: And He is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things He might have the preeminence.

Ephesians 1:22-23 says that God “hath put all things under [Christ’s] 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.”

As the head of the church, Christ must be looked to as the source of authority for all church practices (cf. Matt. 28:18).

A question that results from this is how we know if something is authorized by Christ.

Before He ascended into heaven, Christ assigned His apostles the work of teaching “all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you:” (Matt. 28:19-20). The apostles carried out this command as they taught Christ’s doctrine. They were inspired by the Holy Spirit as they taught, and their doctrine was confirmed through the miracles God allowed them to perform (Mark 16:20).

This is why the early church continued “steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine” (Acts 2:42). The apostles’ doctrine is Christ’s doctrine (cf. Gal. 1:11-12).

Since the written word is now complete, it is no longer necessary for men to be inspired by the Holy Spirit the way the apostles were. Rather, we can know God’s will by looking to the doctrine Christ and His apostles taught that is revealed in the New Testament.

If all who claim to follow Christ took this to heart, much division could be eliminated. Instead of focusing on fun and entertainment, churches would focus on being the “pillar and ground of the truth” (1 Tim. 3:15).

Instead of looking to men to establish doctrine, churches would simply follow Christ’s doctrine, respecting His role as the head of the church.

– Michael Hickox

Luke 12:1b: Beware ye of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.

The word used for “hypocrite” in the New Testament is defined as “an actor under an assumed character (stage-player)” (see Strong G5273). A hypocrite in the biblical sense pretends to be righteous, but is not.

The Pharisees Jesus referred to in Luke 12 demonstrated this. Jesus rebuked them for doing things that appeared righteous on the outside while failing to be clean on the inside (Luke 11:39). They did not respond to His rebuke with repentance, but with arrogant retaliation (verses 53-54). This exemplified their hypocrisy.

Hypocrisy can take on several forms.

Probably the most common picture of a hypocrite is one who criticizes others’ sins, but overlooks his or her own. Jesus spoke against this in Matthew 7:5: Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother’s eye.

The hypocrite pretends to revere God by charging others to obey, but does not really care about pleasing God, as shown by his or her own actions.

Hypocrisy also manifests itself in doing things that appear righteous, but doing so with an unrighteous motive.

Consider the scribes and Pharisees who did all their works “for to be seen of men” (Matt. 23:5). When praying in public, for example, these hypocrites might use “vain repetitions” to appear wise, but they did not really pray from the heart. Such is hypocrisy (Matt. 6:7; cf. Matt. 6:5; 23:14). It is an example of “honoring” Jesus with the lips, while the heart is far from Him (Mark 7:6).

More generally, hypocrisy can exist when individuals claim to be Christians but do not live Christian lives. “Acting” the part of a Christian only on Sunday mornings or when someone asks “what is your religion?” is far from the lifestyle of obedience God commands (Rom. 12:1).

Christians are commanded to lay aside hypocrisies (1 Pet. 2:1).

And if we are ever discouraged by someone who claims to be a Christian but does not follow Christ’s steps, know that this is not a problem with God or His Word. Rather, it is in spite of what God promotes through His Word.

As discouraging as such hypocrisy can be, it is no excuse for those who witness it to not obey God. He does not call us to follow the hypocrite, but to follow Him.

Know also that there are some who really are doing their best to obey God. They constantly examine themselves to see where improvement is needed, and repent when sin is discovered. They desire to please Him above all.

May we do likewise and sincerely serve God.

– Michael Hickox

Romans 10:17: So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

The statement in Romans 10:17 applies both to Christians and those who are not yet Christians. God’s word produces and builds faith.

Jesus, in the “parable of the sower,” taught that when good and honest hearts come in contact with the truth of God’s word, good fruit is produced (Luke 8:15).

God’s word is the “seed” that makes Christians (Luke 8:11), and God’s word is the nourishment by which Christians grow (Acts 20:32; 1 Pet. 2:2; Heb. 5:14).

This week, we invite all to come hear lessons from this faith-building word.

As we hear, may we not be as the hard-hearted, who do not want to admit when change is needed. May we not be as those who hear the word, but do not put it into practice. May we not be as the procrastinator, who says “someday” I will do what the Lord requires.

May we have the heart to make our lives right with God immediately, recognizing that none of us are guaranteed another day (James 4:14), and Jesus’ return could come this week (Matt. 24:36; 2 Pet. 3:10).

God has given us “all things that pertain unto life and godliness” (2 Pet. 1:3). May we seek to be godly and thus be granted eternal life by “feeding” upon His word and putting His will into practice.

– Michael Hickox

Acts 11:26: And when [Barnabas] had found [Saul], he brought him unto Antioch. And it came to pass, that a whole year they assembled themselves with the church, and taught much people. And the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch.

After His resurrection, Jesus told “the eleven disciples” to “teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you” (Matt. 28:16,19-20).

The apostles carried out this mission in the book of Acts. They did not teach people to follow man-made traditions or doctrines, but taught Jesus’ commands.

Barnabas and Saul (Paul), taught this message to people in Antioch, and in Acts 11:26, God deemed it appropriate to give those who heeded His commands the title of Christians. From that time on, God has referred to those in Christ as Christians (cf. 1 Pet. 4:16).

In the New Testament, the qualification for being a Christian is not following man’s checklist of rules, but rather following the Word of Christ (Col. 3:16). The apostles did at times encourage people to be followers of themselves, but only insomuch as they followed Jesus (cf. 1 Cor. 11:1; 1 Thess. 1:6).

When Paul was tried before King Agrippa, Paul did not attempt to persuade Agrippa to believe his own opinions and ideas. Rather, Agrippa told him, “Almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian” (Acts 26:28).

To those who claimed to be of Paul, he asked, “Was Paul crucified for you? or were ye baptized in the name of Paul?” (1 Cor. 1:13b).

Following men leads to many different ideas about right and wrong (1 Cor. 1:11-12). It is only when we obey Christ that we become united in the Gospel (cf. Gal. 3:26-28; Phil. 2:1-2).

Consider the application of this principle today. What would God say of the thousands of “denominations” and “sects” that exist? “Is Christ divided?” (1 Cor. 1:13a).

What would God say of the “creeds” that have been penned by men as guidelines for how to please Him? Has God not given us “all things that pertain unto life and godliness” (2 Pet. 1:3)? Is His Scripture not “profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works” (2 Tim. 3:16-17)?

God did not call those meeting at Antioch “Paulians.” The group didn’t follow “Barnabas’ Official Creed.” Such would seem odd, yet this is similar to what many do today.

The Bible is full of examples of men who thought their ideas and opinions ought to be followed instead of God’s. This was shown to be foolishness. Indeed, “There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death” (Prov. 14:12; cf. Prov. 16:25).

There are some individuals though who do not bear the name of a man-made group, but simply bear the name “Christian.” There are some individuals who do not follow doctrines or creeds from the minds of individuals, but simply aim to follow Christ’s Word.

This is the pattern the Holy Spirit through inspired men taught in the New Testament.

The Christians at Antioch were simply a local group of followers of Christ, who made decisions independent of other local churches, with Christ’s Word at the head of those decisions.

They had little of the things that people consider “impressive” in churches today, yet they were called Christians by God.

May we follow this example and in so doing please our Lord.

– Michael Hickox

2 Peter 1:5-8: And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; and to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; and to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity. For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Peter opened his second epistle by exhorting the Christians to which he wrote to put on Christ-like characteristics. He reminded them that God has promised “exceeding great and precious promises” to those who put off worldly sins and become like Jesus (verses 3-4).

The traits the Holy Spirit described through Peter are inward qualities of the heart. Inward qualities of the heart are often referred to collectively as one’s character.

Character is important for at least two reasons: (1) God commands us to have a certain character, and (2) our character is often the source of our behaviors. For our conduct to be right, our character must be right. As Jesus said in Matthew 15:19, “out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies:”

Outward unrighteousness is often the result of inward impurity. Addressing the root of sin requires looking at our character.

Christ-like character involves being humble (Philippians 2:3-8), full of faith (Mark 11:22), compassionate (Matthew 9:36; Colossians 3:12), meek (Matthew 5:5; 11:29), honest (Ephesians 4:25), kind (Ephesians 4:32), forgiving (Ephesians 4:32), patient (Galatians 5:22), steadfast in truth (1 Corinthians 15:58), zealous for good works (Titus 2:14), and full of other character traits that emulate Jesus (cf. Romans 12:9-13; Galatians 5:22-23; Colossians 3:12-15; Titus 2:2-12).

As much as anything, having a Christ-like character means loving God with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength, and loving others as ourselves (Matthew 22:37-39). This will lead us to make sacrifices in order to please God and benefit others.

This kind of character is not developed overnight. Though it may seem like we will never reach Christ’s level, we must “[give] all diligence” to be like Him (2 Peter 1:5).

This requires feeding our souls with God’s Word (1 Peter 2:2), praying for God’s help (cf. Philippians 1:9-11), examining ourselves (2 Corinthians 13:5), and allowing God to “mold” us according to His will (Romans 12:1-2).

In order to walk in Jesus’ steps, we must do as He did, but we must also be like Him. We must focus not only on the outward actions that God commands, but on the inward traits that are needed in order to truly be Christ-like.

– Michael Hickox