THE ONE TRUE CHURCH IS IN A FIELD OF WEEDS

THE ONE TRUE CHURCH IS IN A FIELD WITH WEEDS

Tuesday, October 04, 2016

Matthew [ESV] 7:21-23 [Jesus explained and warned] "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?' And then will I declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.'

Matthew 13:24-30 He [Jesus] put another parable before them, saying, "The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field, but while his men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat and went away. So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared also. And the servants of the master of the house came and said to him, 'Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have weeds?' He said to them, 'An enemy has done this.' So the servants said to him, 'Then do you want us to go and gather them?' But he said, 'No, lest in gathering the weeds you root up the wheat along with them. Let both grow together until the harvest, and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, Gather the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.'"

Matthew 25:31-34 [Jesus taught] "When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left. Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.

John 8:43-45 [Jesus explained] Why do you not understand what I say? It is because you cannot bear to hear my word. You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father's desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies. But because I tell the truth, you do not believe me.

  The one true church is made up exclusively of God’s children, those trusting Jesus, His only begotten son (Jn.1:12; 3:16). Those not trusting Jesus, not believing Him, remain with Satan as their father. This is so whether they profess religiosity, even Christianity, or not. Jesus clearly explained this present and eternal distinction. (Jn.8:31-45; Mt.7:13-23) The disciples noticed this, took this truth to heart and soon began warning congregations. (NT epistles speak much on this reality.)

  When Jesus introduced the fact of His family as His true church it is inseparable from the fact of heaven present, but as religion had already become a mixed field including Satan’s seeding. This olio crop of wheat (authentic church members) and tares (religious weeds) is unchanged to this day and will continue thusly until final separation takes place before the throne of Jesus.

  Put another way, the “field”-- no one congregation, sect, or denomination was not and to this day is not the one true church. The one true church is God’s family historically walking, working, and maturing in the “field” that includes weeds; that “field” including denominations of many names, some weedier than others.

EBB4