SEMESTER 1
306 – The Founding of the Church
BIBLE INSTITUTE OF CORRESPONDENCE
COURSE: ECCLESIOLOGY I LESSON # 6
THE FOUNDING OF THE CHURCH
INTRODUCTION:
1. The time and manner of the founding of the New Testament church is an issue of considerable controversy, and I think, misunderstanding.
2. Volumes have been written, and they are chiefly occupied with tradition and supposition.
3. In this lesson I would like to do two things;
i. Explore and deny the church’s beginning on the day of Pentecost.
ii. Suggest a more likely time for the church’s origin.
I. THE THEORY OF THE CHURCH BEGINNING ON THE DAY OF PENTECOST
1. It is assumed by many that the church was begun on the day of Pentecost as the “Spirit baptized all those believers” into the “body of Christ.” See Scofield’s note on page 1304.
2. I say this is an assumption, for many of his Scripture applications are simply erroneous, and all of them make far more sense in other applications.
3. Peter, in describing the event of Acts 2
, said it fulfilled Joel’s prophecy, but not Christ’s promise.
4. No Scripture ever promised or prophesied that the Holy Ghost would baptize anyone.
5. Christ was the baptizer. (Lk. 3:16)
6. A far more biblical interpretation than this can be given of I Cor. 12:12-13.
II. THE CHURCH BEGAN BEFORE PENTECOST
1. The idea of the church beginning on the day of Pentecost is not so much as suggested in Scripture, while others are.
2. The word will is appealed to in Mat. 16:18 as proving that the building of the church was future: but in that sense, it still is.
3. The word build in that context implies continuation, and therefore may be past, present and future, all. We can say today:
i. Christ has built His church (past).
ii. He is building His church (present).
iii. He will build His church (future).
4. Did Christ found His church as He said, or did the Holy Ghost found it as the Universalists say?
i. He set apostles in the church before Pentecost. Compare I Cor. 12:28 to Lk. 6:12-19.
ii. This seems much more like the founding of something than did the Pentecost.
iii. He gave instruction in discipline before Pentecost. (Mat. 18:17)
iv. He commissioned the church before Pentecost. (Mat. 28:19-20, Mk.16:15-16)
v. The church met in worship before Pentecost. (Acts 1:14)
vi. They had a “number of names” (membership roll) before Pentecost. (Acts 1:15)
vii. They conducted organized business before Pentecost. (Acts 1:21-26)
III. THE “BAPTISM INTO THE BODY” THEORY
1. It is stated by Scofield in note #1, page 1304, that all believers enter the “true church, by being baptized with the Holy Ghost.” I Cor. 12:12 and 13 are cited to prove this and multitudes of good men believe it.
2. This interpretation leaves Scripture standing alone.
3. The context demands that the “body” of I Cor. 12, was the church at Corinth.
We will deal later with the word Spirit in this passage, but any way you interpret it, the “body” here referred to need not be and is not anything except the church at Corinth, to whom Paul is speaking.