Daily Archives: April 7, 2013

In search of the Ancient Order

“Thus saith the Lord, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls. But they said, We will not walk therein” (Jeremiah 6:16).

Some in the past have made the utterly fantastic claim that the effort to “restore the ancient order” is in “opposition to the spirit of God.”  Furthermore, it is said, seeking a pattern in the New Testament for the church is an effort to climb up to God “some other way.”  They ask: “If there really is a ‘pattern’ for the church, or one that details man’s approach to God, just where is it?”  They dismiss the desire to return to the ancient order as just another subjective expression of dissatisfaction with the present condition of things.

In truth, everyone who loves the Truth should be completely dissatisfied with denominationalism, liberalism, rejection of God’s word, and general ignorance of God’s will.  We should always be completely dissatisfied with anything other than what God commands.  Obviously, those who make such outrageous claims as those mentioned above are not.  But in opposition to the sentiments expressed above Paul addressed these words to the Galatians:

“But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. As we said before, so say I now again, if any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed” (Galatians 1:8,9).

Certainly Paul thought there was a set of doctrines to be preached and obeyed and attached to them an importance such that he expressed a divine imprecation on those that thought and practiced otherwise.  Indeed, the church is the very means by which man approaches God (Matt. 16:16-19; Heb. 10:1-27).  The church is not merely a part of the plan of salvation, the church is the plan of salvation (Eph. 5:24-32).  One cannot be saved unless he is a member of the church (Acts 2:47).

Is there a pattern for the church?  The Old Testament prophesies the establishment of the church many times: II Samuel 7:12-17; Isaiah 2:1-4; Daniel 2:44; etc.  Is it not of signal importance that these were prophecies of a kingdom with a throne and a law?  It would be interesting to hear an explanation of these verses, especially of words such as “set,” “establish,” and “build” found so many times in these passages, from those who deny that there is a pattern for the church.

(To be continued…)

Eric L. Padgett