The
Church of Christ Jesus, and the local church of which you are a member...
An
elect is united to THE ONE glorious church of Jesus Christ, in time, by the
grace of God alone, through the effectual calling out of the state of sin and
death, in which he is by nature, to that state of grace and salvation, without
his meeting any condition (obviously one in the state of sin and death can't
possibly meet any condition, can he?). This is eternal salvation by God's free
grace ALONE. And ALONE means ALONE; alone excludes all others.
A
child of God (an elect that has been effectually called) becomes a member of a
local church through obeying the command of Christ to 'repent and be baptized.'
And he maintains his membership by his walking in the ways of the Lord - daily
entering the strait gate, and walking the narrow way. This is working out his
own salvation with fear and trembling. This is temporal salvation conditioned
on the obedience of God's children.
1689.26.5
"In
the execution of this power wherewith He is so intrusted, the Lord Jesus
calleth out of the world unto Himself, through the ministry of His Word, by His
Spirit, those that are given unto Him by His Father,(9) that they may walk
before Him in all the ways of obedience, which He prescribeth to them in His
Word.(10) Those thus called, He commandeth to walk together in particular
societies, or churches, for their mutual edification, and the due performance
of that public worship, which He requireth of them in the world.(11)"
The
Lord God CALLS out of the world unto Himself, through the ministry of His Word,
and by His Spirit (this is the same as the effectual calling stated in
1689.10.1 - "Those whom God hath predestined unto life, He is pleased in
His appointed and accepted time, effectually to call,(1) by His Word and
Spirit, out of that state of sin and death in which they are by nature, to
grace and salvation by Jesus Christ...) ...
Those
that are thus called out of the world into His one church by His sovereign
grace, He commands to walk together in particular churches through the gospel
ministry.
There
is one general church of Jesus Christ...
and...
there
are many particular churches of Jesus Christ, a partial manifestation of that
one Church in time.
"An
elect is united to THE glorious church of Jesus Christ, in time" - i.e. at
God's own appointed and accepted time. The time an elect is united with the ONE
glorious church of Jesus Christ is determined by the Triune God alone.
The
time a child of God united himself with a particular church is co-determined by
himself and that particular church.
"Those
thus called, He (Christ, the Head of the His church) commandeth to walk
together in particular societies, or churches, for their mutual edification,
and the due performance of that public worship, which He requireth of them in
the world."
Are
you obeying this command of Christ, the Head of His Church?
