The Nine Marks: 4. Church Membership

Описание: What is it?
According to the Bible, church membership is a commitment every Christian should make to attend, love, serve, and submit to a local church.

Where is it in the Bible?
Throughout the Old Testament, God made a clear distinction between his people and the world. The New Testament Apostles then insist on this same distinction (Lev. 13:46, Num. 5:3, Deut. 7:3; 2 Cor. 6:14-7:1).

Jesus taught that entering the kingdom of God involves being bound to the church “on earth,” which is the local church (Matt. 16:16-19; 18:17-19).

The first church began at Pentecost when people were baptized and “added to their number” (Acts 2:41). After baptism, participation in the Lord’s Supper then indicates who belongs to the body of Christ (1 Cor. 10:17).

Most of the epistles are then written to known quantities of people, such as “to the church of God that is in Corinth” and “to the churches of Galatia.” These are not random crowds but identified and marked off groups of individuals who would identify as those churches.

The New Testament explicitly refers to some people being“inside” the church and others being “outside” church. It also speaks of “removing” people from the church and a punishment by the majority (1 Cor. 5:2, 12-13; 2 Cor. 2:6).

The New Testament contains dozens of “one another” commands which fill out our understanding of what church membership should practically look like.

Why is it important?
Biblical church membership is important because it is through the church that God testifies of himself and displays his glory to the world. In the church’s membership, then, non-Christians should see in the lives of God’s changed people that God is holy and gracious and that his gospel is powerful to save and transform sinners.

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