Know Your Bible
VOL. 9 September
19,
2010
NO. 38
"Come As You
Are"
A popular notion of our
generation is “attend the church of your choice.” Sectarian bodies, promoting
this concept, have tried to make themselves as attractive as possible to the
general population in order to increase their membership. There are some
churches that focus on a particular group of people, i.e. there are cowboy
churches, biker churches, trucker churches, etc. Others advertise a “come as you
are” policy. Not surprisingly, some churches of Christ have followed suit. What
are the implications of this “come as you are” idea? What does it really
mean?
Come as you are—your
sins are welcome here! This is really what most people think, that they can be
part of a church without having to make any changes in their lives. They can
remain in their sin and they will be accepted as they are. Unscriptural
marriages, doctrinal error, human traditions are all welcome. Perhaps this is
the result of false teaching on the grace of God that has become so prevalent
(that God ignores the “small sins”). Maybe it’s the influence of Calvinism
which teaches that you can’t really do anything about your sins because
salvation is “wholly of God.” Either way, such a notion is contrary to the
teachings of the New Testament.
The Bible teaches that if we are to be saved we must change.
“Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old man with his
deeds, and have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the
image of Him who created him” (Col. 3:9-10). Does putting off the old man
and putting on the new imply that we can come as we are or does it imply that we
have to change? “Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a
cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily
ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us”
(Heb. 12:1). If we’re to lay aside our sin, we can’t come as we are.
“Knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin
might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin” (Rom.
6:6). One cannot be a part of the Lord’s church without being a Christian, and
baptism is essential in becoming a Christian. Part of that process is to “do
away with” the “body of sin.” The verb “done away with” (katargeo) means
“to cause to cease, put an end to, do away with, annul, abolish” (Thayer). We
must change, and our sins done away with. Thayer defines the word repent
(metanoeo) as “to change one’s mind.” By its very definition the concept of
repentance is contrary to “come as you are.”
Come as you are—and bring your casual and
irreverent attitudes. After the deaths of Nadab and Abihu, Moses told Aaron,
“This is what the LORD spoke, saying: ‘By those who come near Me I must be
regarded as holy; And before all the people I must be glorified’” (Lev.
10:3). Reverence is also taught in the New Testament, “Therefore, since we
are receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us have grace, by which we
may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear. For our God is a
consuming fire” (Heb. 12:28-29). There are many ways that we can show
irreverence toward God. Here are a couple:
1.
Appearance. Most of us attempt to dress appropriately for whatever
situation we may find ourselves. We dress differently for doing yard work than
for going to a nice restaurant. We dress better still if we attend a funeral or
some formal function. Our dress reflects our attitude toward each situation.
Yet, some feel free to come to services dressed like they are about to mow the
lawn!
True, the Bible
does not give us a “dress code.” If you would wear blue jeans and a tee shirt to
your mother’s funeral, if it’s the best you’ve got, then by all means wear it.
There may be times when we’re traveling or getting off work when we just don’t
have time to dress appropriately, but that’s not the point. The point is when we
choose to dress in a casual manner for a serious occasion. Studying about our
Lord and commemorating His death is a serious and solemn matter. That needs to
be reflected in our appearance. “A son honors his father, And a servant his
master. If then I am the Father, Where is My honor? And if I am a Master, Where
is My reverence? . . .” (Mal. 1:6)
2. Whispering,
note-passing, and lack of attention. In worshipping God our external
actions must be correct, but our minds must also be involved. “What is the
conclusion then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will also pray with the
understanding. I will sing with the spirit, and I will also sing with the
understanding. Otherwise, if you bless with the spirit, how will he who occupies
the place of the uninformed say ‘Amen’ at your giving of thanks, since he does
not understand what you say?” (1 Cor. 14:15-16). While the context of this
passage is the controlled use of miraculous gifts in a first century worship
service, the idea that we must worship “with the understanding” is
universal. Our minds must be involved in every act of worship (1 Cor. 11:27-28;
2 Cor. 9:7; Eph. 5:19; etc.). Inappropriate behavior while we should be
worshipping demonstrates a profane and irreverent attitude.
Come as you are—and we’ll require nothing of
you. Some are more concerned with having a body in the pew and a few more
dollars in the collection plate than with the church functioning in its proper
capacity. “But, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into
Him who is the head—Christ—from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by
what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every
part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in
love” (Eph. 4:15-16). To imply that people can be a part of the church, do
nothing, and then be saved is deception of the worst kind. Those who don’t want
to do the Lord’s work need to repent (change their minds). When one becomes a
child of God they take on certain responsibilities, whether they want them or
not. This is why Jesus cautioned us to “count the cost” (Lk. 14:26-33).
“And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My
disciple” (Lk. 14:27).
Should we tell people to “come as they are?” Not if we love them. Not if
we want their souls to be saved. Such an approach is deception. The message we
should convey is that sinners need to leave their sins behind (Heb. 12:1; 1 Pet.
4:1-2), transform their thinking (Rom. 12:1-2; Gal. 2:20), and start serving God
(1 Cor. 4:1; Heb.
12:28).
---Dan
Gatlin
Know Your
Bible" is e-mailed weekly by the church of Christ which
meets at 112 Roberts Avenue in Wise, Virginia. If you know of others who might
benefit from the articles contained in this bulletin, we would be glad to have
you submit their e-mail addresses and we will include them in next week's
mailing. If you are receiving this bulletin and do not wish to continue to do
so, please e-mail us with your desire to be removed from the mailing list and we
will remove your address promptly. Continue to the bottom of this page and
further instructions will be given as to how you may contact us.
SCHEDULE OF
SERVICES
Sunday
Bible Classes ……….....….…............ 10:00
AM
Morning Worship ……..…….….…...... 11:00
AM
Evening Worship …………...……........ 6:00
PM
Wednesday
Bible Classes …………..………........... 7:30
PM
"THOUGHT FOR THE
DAY"
Radio
Program
Monday -
Friday
WDXC 102.3 FM .....................…........ 10:20
AM
"WHAT THE BIBLE
SAYS..."
Television Program
Sunday
Comcast Cable - Heritage TV -
Digital Channel 266 ............ 6:00 AM & 2:00
PM
Wednesday
Comcast Cable - Heritage TV -
Digital Channel 266 ............ 2:00
PM
INSTRUCTIONS REGARDING THIS E-MAIL
BULLETIN:
UNSUBSCRIBE: Reply
to wisechurch@comcast.net and
put UNSUBSCRIBE in the subject line.
SUBSCRIBE FRIENDS:
Reply to wisechurch@comcast.net
and put SUBSCRIBE in the subject line. Place the list of names and e-mail
addresses to be subscribed in the body of the
e-mail.