An Effort to Define the True Church That Fails in Many Ways
I have added my comments during the article and following:
Someone posted this article to Facebook and asked for my comments, so here they are in bold and underlined:
THE TRUE
CHURCH
By Bishop J. C. Ryle
(1816-1900) Liverpool, England
I want you to belong to the one true
Church: to the Church outside of which there is no salvation. I do not ask
where you go on a Sunday; I only ask, "Do you belong to the one true
Church?" Where is this one true Church? What is this one true Church like?
What are the marks by which this one true Church may be known? You may well ask
such questions. Give me your attention, and I will provide you with some
answers.
1. The one true Church IS COMPOSED OF
ALL BELIEVERS IN THE LORD
JESUS. It is made up of all God's elect — of all converted men and women — of
all true Christians. In whomsoever we
can discern the election of God the Father, the sprinkling of the blood of God
the Son, the sanctifying work of God the Spirit,(how?) in that person
we see a member of Christ's true Church.
2. It is a Church OF WHICH ALL THE
MEMBERS HAVE THE SAME MARKS. They are all born again of the Spirit; they all
possess "repentance towards God, faith towards our Lord Jesus
Christ," and holiness of life and conversation. They all hate sin, and
they all love Christ. (They worship differently, and after various fashions;
some worship with a form of prayer, and some with none; some worship kneeling,
and some standing; but they all worship with one heart.) They are all led by
one Spirit; they all build upon one foundation; they all draw their religion from one single book — that is the
Bible. They are all joined to one great centre — that is Jesus Christ.
They all even now can say with one heart, "Hallelujah;" and they can
all respond with one heart and voice, Amen and Amen. (Some don’t pray yet they are the elect!!)
3. It is a Church WHICH IS DEPENDENT UPON NO MINISTERS UPON EARTH,
however much it values those who preach the gospel to its members. The life of
its members does not hang upon Church-membership, or baptism, or the Lord's
Supper — although they highly value these things when they are to be had. But
it has only one Great Head — one Shepherd, one chief Bishop — and that is Jesus
Christ. He alone, By His Spirit, admits the members of this Church, though
ministers may show the door. Till He opens the door no man on earth can open it
— neither bishops, nor presbyters, nor convocations, nor synods. Once let a man
repent and believe the gospel, and that moment he becomes a member of this
Church. Like the penitent thief, he
may have no opportunity of being baptised; but he has that which is far better
than any water-baptism — the baptism of the Spirit. He may not be able to
receive the bread and wine in the Lord's Supper;but he eats Christ's body and
drinks Christ's blood by faith every day he lives, and no minister on earth can
prevent him. He may be ex-communicated by ordained men, and cut off from the
outward ordinances of the professing Church; but all the ordained men in the
world cannot shut him out of the true Church. It is a Church whose
existence does not depend on forms, ceremonies, cathedrals, churches, chapels,
pulpits, fonts, vestments, organs, endowments, money, kings, governments,
magistrates or any act of favour whatsoever from the hand of man. It has often
lived on and continued when all these things have been taken from it. It has
often been driven into the wilderness, or into dens and caves of the earth, by those
who ought to have been its friends. Its existence depends on nothing but the
presence of Christ and His Spirit; and they being ever with it, the Church
cannot die. (No authority needed, no baptism)
(Let’s take this further. Bishop
Ryle has misunderstood the meaning of “paradise” which means: Paradise. A
Persian word meaning a
garden. It is not found in the O.T. In the
N.T. it occurs in Luke 23:43, 2 Cor. 12:4, and Rev. 2:7. Paradise is that part of the spirit world in
which the righteous spirits who have departed from this life await the
resurrection of the body. It is a condition of happiness and peace. However,
the scriptures are not always consistent in the use of the word, especially in
the Bible. For example, when Jesus purportedly said to the thief on the cross,
“To day shalt thou be with me in paradise” (Luke 23:43), the Bible
rendering is incorrect. The statement would more accurately read, “Today shalt
thou be with me in the world of spirits” since the thief was not ready for
paradise. Possibly 2 Cor. 12:4 should
also not use paradise in the sense of meaning the spirit world, as much as
meaning the celestial kingdom. The “paradisiacal glory” refers to the glorified millennial
state of the earth rather than the spirit world.
He then says that priesthood is unnecessary. However, we must have priesthood authority to
act in the name of God when performing the sacred ordinances of the gospel,
such as baptism, confirmation and administration of the sacrament, ordinances
that Bishop Ryle says are unnecessary.
If a man doesn’t have the priesthood, even though he may be sincere, the
Lord will not recognise ordinances he performs – Matthew 7:
21 ¶Not every one that asaith unto me, bLord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but
he that cdoeth the dwill of my Father which is in heaven.e
22 Many will say to me
in that day, Lord, Lord, have we notaprophesied in thy name? and in thy bname have cast out devils? and in thy name done
many wonderful works?
These important ordinances must be performed on the earth by men holding
the priesthood. When Christ was in his
mortal ministry He chose His apostles so they could lead his church, and gave
them the power and authority to act in His name.
Mark 3 13 And he goeth up
into a mountain, and calleth unto him whom
he awould: and they came unto him.
14 And he aordained twelve, that they should be with him, and
that he might send them forth to bpreach,
John 15: 16 Ye have not chosen
me, but I have achosen you, and bordainedyou, that ye should
go and bring forth cfruit, and that your fruit should remain: that
whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in mydname, he may give it
you.
Hebrews 5: 4 And no man taketh
this honour unto himself, but he that isbcalled of God, as was cAaron.
4. This is the Church TO WHICH THE
SCRIPTURAL TITLES OF PRESENT HONOUR AND PRIVILEGE, AND THE PROMISES OF FUTURE
GLORY ESPECIALLY BELONG; this is the Body of Christ; this is the flock of
Christ; this is the household of faith and the family of God; this is God's
building, God's foundation, and the temple of the Holy Ghost. This is the
Church of the first-born, whose names are written in heaven; this is the royal
priesthood, the chosen generation, the peculiar people, the purchased
possession, the habitation of God, the light of the world, the salt and the wheat
of the earth; this is the "Holy Catholic Church" of the Apostles'
Creed; this is the "One Catholic and Apostolic Church" of the Nicene
Creed; this is that Church to which the Lord Jesus promises "the gates of
hell shall not prevail against it," and to which He says, "I am with
you always, even unto the end of the world"(Matt.16:18; 28:2). (But it’s not a church – it’s
constructed by man, having no authority as Bishop Rykle has deemed it
unnecessary).
5. This is the only Church WHICH
POSSESSES TRUE UNITY. Its members are entirely agreed on all the weightier
matters of religion, for they are all taught by one Spirit. About God, and
Christ, and the Spirit, and sin, and their own hearts, and faith, and
repentance, and necessity of holiness, and the value of the Bible, and the
importance of prayer, and the resurrection, and judgment to come — about all
these points they are of one mind. Take three or four of them, strangers to one
another, from the remotest corners of the earth; examine them separately on
these points: you will find them all one judgment. (How do they agree since there is no organisation? And what about the many doctrines which have
led to different churches being established?
Are people taught by one spirit, especially those who don’t pray? The Church of England is a good example as
they are unable to agree about very much. They are directed by no spirit at all.)
6. This is the only Church WHICH
POSSESSES TRUE SANCTITY. Its members are all holy. They are not merely holy by
profession, holy in name, and holy in the judgment of charity; they are all
holy in act, and deed, and reality, and life, and truth. They are all more or
less conformed to the image of Jesus Christ. No unholy man belongs to this
Church. (But who determines this, since there is no priesthood and no baptism?)
7. This is the only Church WHICH IS
TRULY CATHOLIC. It is not the Church of any one nation or people; its members
are to be found in every part of the world where the gospel is received and
believed. It is not confined within the limits of any one country, or pent up
within the pale of any particular forms of outward government. In it there is
no difference between Jew and Greek, black man and white, Episcopalian and
Presbyterian - but faith in Christ is all. Its members will be gathered from
north, and south, and east, and west, and will be of every name and tongue —
but all one in Jesus Christ. (Is all they have to do to say they
believe? And if they are gathered from all
over the world why are there so few of them? )
8. This is the only Church WHICH IS
TRULY APOSTOLIC. It is built on the foundation laid by the Apostles, and holds
the doctrines which they preached. The two grand objects at which its members
aim are apostolic faith and apostolic practice; and they consider the man who
talks of following the Apostles without possessing these two things to be no
better than sounding brass and tinkling cymbal.
(I assume Bishop Ryle means Apostolic in the sense that the
church follows the direction of the apostles, but It can’t be as there is no
authority, so there is no-one to determine this. Jesus bestowed the keys of
authority on His apostles but this was lost through apostasy. Therefore a Restoration was necessary. ).
9. This is the only Church WHICH IS
CERTAIN TO ENDURE UNTO THE END. Nothing can altogether overthrow and destroy
it. Its members may be persecuted, oppressed, imprisoned, beaten, beheaded,
burned; but the true Church is never altogether extinguished; it rises again
from its afflictions; it lives on through fire and water. When crushed in one
land it springs up in another. The Pharaohs, the Herods, the Neros, the Bloody
Marys, have laboured in vain to put down this Church; they slay their
thousands, and then pass away and go to their own place. The true Church
outlives them all, and sees them buried each in his turn. It is an anvil that
has broken many a hammer in this world, and will break many a hammer still; it
is a bush which is often burning, and yet it's not consumed. (Of
course it can survive – even through total apostasy – as there is no substance
to it. Anybody can start a church and
there it is re-established. They just
say they believe in Christ and have repented and, hey presto, they are members. In fact, it’s not one church but many, with
lots of different beliefs, the only common one being a faith in Jesus
Christ. Matt 7: 21 ¶Not every one that asaith unto me, bLord, Lord, shall enter
into the kingdom of heaven; but he that cdoeth the dwill of my Father which is in heaven.e)
10. This is the only Church OF WHICH
NO ONE MEMBER CAN PERISH. Once enrolled in the lists of this Church, sinners
are safe for eternity; they are never cast away. The election of God the
Father, the continual intercession of God the Son, the daily renewing and
sanctifying power of God the Holy Ghost, surround and fence them in like a
garden enclosed. Not one bone of Christ's mystical Body shall ever be broken;
not one lamb of Christ's flock shall ever be plucked out of His hand. (Predestination
– how convenient. That means you can do
exactly as you like. Now wonder it’s
popular! He’s already stated that
baptism isn’t necessary to be “enrolled” into this ephemeral “church”, so all
people have to do is to say they have repented and that they believe – AND THEY
ARE AUTOMATICALLY SAVED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)
11. This is the Church WHICH DOES THE
WORK OF CHRIST UPON EARTH. Its members are a little flock, and few in numbers,
compared with the children of the world; one or two here, and two or three
there — a few in this place and few in that. But these are they who shake the
universe; these are they who change the fortunes of kingdoms by their prayers;
these are they who are the active workers for spreading the knowledge of pure
religion and undefiled; these are the life-blood of a country, the shield, the
defence, the stay, and the support of any nation to which they belong. (This
seems very contradictory to me. As it’s
so easy to join – no baptism, no authority and you can do as you like – there
must be many members).
12. This is the Church WHICH SHALL BE
TRULY GLORIOUS AT THE END. When all earthly glory is passed away then shall
this Church be presented without spot before God the Father's throne. Thrones, principalities, and powers upon
earth shall come to nothing; dignities, and offices, and endowments
shall all pass away; but the Church of the first-born shall shine as the stars
at the last, and be presented with joy before the Father's throne, in the day
of Christ's appearing. When the Lord's jewels are made up, and manifestation of
the sons of God takes place, Episcopacy, and Presbyterianism, and
Congregationalism will not be mentioned; one Church only will be named, and
that is the Church of the elect. (But the members of this “church” will
have dipped out for eternity and will not be the royal priesthood who inherit
thrones, principalities and powers. See Rev 3:1 21 To him that aovercometh will I grant to bsit with me in mycthrone, even
as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.)
13. Reader, THIS IS THE TRUE CHURCH
TO WHICH A MAN MUST BELONG, IF HE WOULD BE SAVED. Till you belong to this, you
are nothing better than a lost soul. You may have the form, the husk, the skin,
and the shell of religion, but you have not got the substance and the life.
Yes, you may have countless outward privileges; you may enjoy great light, and
knowledge — but if you do not belong to the Body of Christ, your light and
knowledge and privileges will not save your soul. Alas, for the ignorance that
prevails on this point! Men fancy if they join this church or that church, and
become communicants, and go through certain forms, that all must be right in
their souls. It is an utter delusion, it is a gross mistake. All were not
Israel who were called Israel, and all are not members of Christ's Body who
profess themselves Christian. TAKE NOTICE; you may be a staunch Episcopalian,
or Presbyterian, or Independent, or Baptist, or Wesleyan, or Plymouth Brother —
and yet not belong to the true Church. And if you do not, it will be better at
last if you had never been born.
I am surprised that someone who served a mission for the Church of Latter-day Saints could have been taken in by this. What Bishop Ryle has done is to take – as an
Anglican – the 39 Articles of Religion and build his doctrine around them. He totally ignores what Jesus taught
Nicodemus in John 3:
3 Jesus answered and
said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he
cannot see the kingdom of God.
4 Nicodemus saith
unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time
into his mother’s womb, and be born?
5 Jesus answered,
Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of
God.
We inevitably return to the meaning of being born again. Ben says he was born again as a result of
reading Bishop Ryle’s article, but one major thing it DOES NOT do is to give
you the chance to be born again. To be
able to receive the blessing of eternal life – not to confused with immortality
– we need to be “spiritually minded” and conquer our unrighteous desires. We
need to change. More accurately, we need
to be changed, or converted, through
the power of the Saviour’s Atonement and through the power of the Holy
Ghost.
This is conversion, which involves a change in behaviour,
but it goes beyond behaviour; it is a change to our very nature. It is such a significant change that the Lord
and His prophets refer to it as a rebirth, a change of heart and a baptism of
fire. The Lord said:
25 And the Lord said unto me: Marvel not
that all mankind, yea, men and women, all nations, kindreds, tongues and
people, must be aborn again; yea, bborn of God, cchanged from their carnal anddfallen state, to a state of righteousness, being
redeemed of God, becoming his esons and daughters;
26 And thus they
become new creatures; and unless they do this, they can in anowise inherit the kingdom of God.
These are
the characteristics of those who have been converted:
- They desire to do good.
- They do not rebel against the Lord.
- They share the gospel.
- They are filled with love.
Conversion
is a continual process:
Matthew 10: 22 And ye shall be ahated of all men bfor my cname’s sake: but he
that dendureth to the end shall be saved.
So you
are not just saved; you have to endure to the end. And Jesus said baptism is essential – but evidently
Bishop Ryle knows better than Jesus!!
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