Custodians of the Truth: Every group claims, (I speak only in reference to those who actually believe the scriptures to be the word of God,) in one way or another to represent the true christian faith most faithfully. Each insists that its teachings, practices, or whatever it emphasizes the most is that which closely mirrors the pattern of scripture. They all point to their own harmony with scripture, their manner of worship, their form of church government, and their interpretation of doctrine as proof of that faithfulness, but all share the same subtle confidence that they alone have seen what others have missed, as each regards itself as the most faithful custodian of the gospel, the truest expression of what Christianity ought to be. The distinctives become distinctions, and distinctions become divisions.
Of course, why would anyone keep attending otherwise, but this sense of belonging among those who share the same convictions? Few would continue sitting under teaching they believed to be partly false. Most continue because they truly believe their assembly reflects the faith most accurately. To admit otherwise would feel like betraying conscience or tradition. We also must face the reality that many of us stay where we are, not because we have been persuaded by truth, but because we have grown comfortable with that which is familiar. This is the world we have always known, and it feels safe. I don’t mean that harshly, it’s simply an honest look at human nature and how easily we adapt to our surroundings. Familiarity often dulls discernment. It’s easier to remain where we belong socially than to ask whether our hearts are bound to Christ, or only to the “fellowship” that is gathered in his name. Matthew 18:20.
One danger might be that fellowship becomes the substitute for faithfulness, and unity in a name replaces unity in Christ, and how easily that sense of correctness becomes a mark of superiority, as if Christ Himself could be confined within the borders of our ecclesiastical definitions. When our identity rests in being a little more “biblical” or “sound” than others, we may be nearer to defending our opinions than exalting Christ. It will always be a certain emphasis, tone, or interpretation that sets us just one notch above the rest. And, of course, that little notch becomes the dividing line, so that everyone else needs to “come over” and see it our way, as proof that they’ve found what others have missed. How easily that spirit creeps into all of us, as we measure ourselves against others and declare our “house” to be the standard, and the blueprint by which everyone else must build! The true standard is the infinite Christ.
The Spirit doesn’t call us to join camps, form denominations, sign membership rolls, or gather around personalities. We do that just fine on our own. He calls us to follow Christ, John 10:27, to lift His name, John 3:30, not build or embellish our little empires of orthodoxy. It’s not about making us prominent but making Christ preeminent. Ever since Nimrod first attempted to gather men under one banner, to make a name for himself, Genesis 10:8, humanity has never ceased building towers. Every creed has its walls, every sect its measure of superiority, and few seem to remember that the LORD alone is the standard. Philippians 3:15-16. I can’t help but think the “church” was never meant to be a patchwork of little groups and tribes, each one polishing its distinctives while peering suspiciously over the fence at the next.
But that’s where we are, the “church” in all her spots and wrinkles. Everything man touches, man corrupts; and yet, nothing man corrupts escapes the overruling hand of God. The Lord orchestrates every mixture not by oversight, but by design. Every broken piece, every divided part, somehow fits into His purpose. One day, all the fragments will be gathered up, and the church, not as man built it, but as Christ loved it, will stand whole before Him. Ephesians 5:27. What seems scattered to us is gathered in His wisdom, for Christ will be exalted in all. Colossians 1:18.
That reflection isn’t meant to discourage anyone, much less to “unchurch” them. It’s simply a reality check for us all. There’s something in human nature that assumes faithfulness for itself while doubting it in others, that imagines our particular emphases, our “gospel distinctives,” make us more faithful to Christ. Under the banner of “standing for truth,” we sometimes slip into a mindset of theological superiority, comforted by the thought that we’ve kept closer to the scriptures than others. Those who know a little doctrine, or can trace a line or two of history, are often the most insistent that “they” alone follow Scripture exactly, the ones most certain they’ve arrived at the purest understanding of Scripture and have nailed down every corner of doctrine.
We wrap it up in words like “contending for the faith” or “defending the gospel,” yet beneath it often lurks a subtle pride in being the ones who got it right. But the measure of truth is not found in the fervor of our devotion, nor in how loudly we declare our orthodoxy, but in the sure mercy of the ONE who holds us fast when our understanding falters. Such mercy reminds us that truth is not a trophy to be owned but a light by which we are kept. Psalm 43:3. When we clutch the truth as though it were our possession, we step out of its light and into our own shadow, as we forget that truth is not ours to master but Christ’s to reveal. “For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.” II Corinthians 4:6. If we have seen any light at all, it is because He has opened our eyes to behold it; and if we are kept in that light, it is because His mercy has not only held us there but has so captivated our hearts that we cannot look away. John 6:68.
And so, even amid the confusion of divided voices and contending claims, the same life flows through every branch that abides in Christ. We rest in this unchanging truth, that Christ Himself is the faithful custodian of the gospel. He keeps His word alive in the hearts of His people, not by the precision of their doctrine, but by grace alone. I John 2:27. Not because we are so faithful to defend or define it, but because Christ is faithful, even when we are not. So, whether in isolation or in fellowship, in agreement or in division, the truth remains safe, not because we have kept it, but because Christ has kept us. The ‘church’ may indeed fracture, and voices rise and fall, but Christ remains the same, faithful, sufficient, and unchanging, and when all else fails, that is enough. John 8:12. MPJ