The advocate. [volume] (Charleston, W. Va.) 1901-1913, 1910-06-23

I1cr up SplrnuM sacrifices, accountable
to God by Jesus Christ.
II Is plain that the question which
fetef answered was put to the whole
| Twelve, and that the keys spoken OF
in the 18th verse were given to the
whole. They were all Peters, or
stones of. the foundation, as we'll as
he; only he, being the front stone
or the pile, bore the Inscription of
the name Peter, which essentially
| belonged to ALL
| To the question What then. Is the
Church OF our Lord we may answer,
| 'Ihc church is the concrete ex-
ponent OF the kingdom of Christ. It
IS formal organization Of men
which stands for the kingdom OF
CHRIST while that kingdom is in the
process OF formation. Not exactly
as fkahnis said, IAN aeon of the
|klngdom" I. c. a period Of immcas-
uraDle duration; but rather, as
IDraSeko said, the Workshop Of the
| kingdoms" or, as Neander most
beautifully said, 1.-The seminary fol
The heavenly community" This
statement by DR.. Olin Curtis an EN-
lnent scholar and instructor of Sys-
teHatie Theology in Drew Seminary
is followed by this statement 81
am willing to allow just this much.
fhe Church OF our Lord belongs tic
his tentative kingdom (even as that
kingdom exists today, and cannot
be coeXtensive with it until, ANYWAY
mere Is what st. Paul terms "a
glorious church, not having spot or
wrinkle or any such thing" But
oven this admission is somewhat
misleading, for to many it will sug
gest that the difference between the
Kingdom and the church is merely
that one IS perfect and the other is
imperfect. But that is not the fun
damcntal difference, for the funda.
mental difference is one of essential
structure. The kingdom is a simple
personal and spiritual organization
The church is a formal and complex
organism. The kingdom is life
or fellowship mediatcd only through
Jesus Christ. The church is ONLY a
machine; at its best machine full
or life and expressing life, and yet a
machine. In its worship and all it's
service, the church has and must
nave, some sort of outward instru.
ment forms, symbols, creeds, what
not; but the kingdom needs only
the complete man. If, as some be
llevc, the Christian Church itself is
TO be purified, completed, gloritied
and then taken into eternity fol
everlasting worship and service
even then it will not be, strictly
speaking, the kingdom of our Lord
bit merely the formal instrument OF
that kingdom. 1t will be, perhaps
10 the kingdom As a whole what the
gloriticd body will be to the one
moral perSonl-the instrumental
means of perfect objective nantes
tatiOn."
The word used for church in the
Greek is ckklayseea. This is the
word used by Christ. In the New
Testament there arc three words,
synonymous words, (which mean
purch. But Christ used the one
we have just named. This word was
common among the Greeks. 1t was
their common word for the lawful
assembly in a free Greek city of ali
those possessing the rights of citi-
zcnship, for the transaction Of pub
lie affairs.
Ekklayseea is the word taken to
ucSl&natc Christian church, a COM
pany of believers who meet for wor-
ship. ...--.-...-... .
We believe the old answer in the
Church catechism of the Methodist
Episcopal Church holds good today.
The answer to the question, What
is the visible church?' is The visi-
bic church Of Christ is congrega-
ton Of faithful mon, in Which the
pure word Of God is preached and
the sacramento duly administered ac.
cording to Christs ordinance"
(Matt. 1918; Eph. 5:27; Acts
2:d2). "Thc invisible church is the
whole body of Gods true people in
every pcrIot OF time. ''----------- .---------
All persons where the gospel is
preached ought to become believers
in Christ and members Of the church
in order to- have a visible union
with Christ, the Head of the Church,
and communion with his people.
CTph. 5:23; John 1921; l. Cor.
1890.
Let us consider in the next place
the power of, the church. Starting
with this organization or foundation.
the church. has grown in power.
From the time Christ said to Peter
and to the twelve, "Thou art Peter,