The Individual Member Versus the Church
by Charles Spence
via Sentry Magazine, Vol. 17 No. 4, 31 December 1991
As those who obey the gospel are added to the Lord’s church, they have a responsibility to join with disciples in their area. After his conversion, Paul sought to join the disciples who were assembling in Jerusalem. "And when Saul was come to Jerusalem, he assayed to join himself to the disciples: but they were all afraid of him, and believed not that he was a disciple" (Acts 9:26). Saul saw the need to be with disciples, as should any child of God. Yet, what often happens in the process is that the individual loses his identity. Some brethren fail to distinguish between what an individual Christian can do and what the church can do. The Bible, however, makes the distinction very clear.
Bad Hermeneutics
Some of our brethren reason that whatever the individual Christian is commanded to do, the church can also do. Some have even said, for the sake of consistency, one may suppose that when the individual Christian is acting upon the commands of Christ, the church is active. Such reasoning is flawed and lacks a biblical foundation. There is no exegetical exercise from which one can glean such misconceptions. The rule that states "Whatever the individual is commanded to do, the church can do" has evolved in the minds of men, at best. Thus, this logic did not originate with scripture.
Consider Paul’s command to the individual Christian in Ephesians 4:28. "Let him who stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth." Applying the rule that some brethren had made for themselves, if the individual Christian is commanded to work with his hands (engage in industry), then the church can produce goods and services for profit or pay. According to the same logic, the church can have a member’s spouse. Paul said in I Corinthians 7:2, "Nevertheless, to avoid fornication, let every man have his own wife, and let every woman have her own husband." Of course, what is being suggested is both facetious and faulty. But sometimes one needs to "Answer a fool according to his folly, lest he be wise in his own conceit" (Proverbs 26:5). Understandably, anything that proves too much proves nothing.
The Biblical Distinction
There is a distinction between what an individual believer can do and what the church can do. This distinction is highlighted in Matthew 18:15-17. Here, Jesus gives instructions on how His subjects should behave in His Kingdom. When a brother was offended by another brother, the offended brother was to go and tell the brother who had offended him his fault (Matthew 18:15). If he would not hear, the offended brother was to bring one or two more witnesses, as Matthew 18:16 states. Up to now, there isn’t anything Jesus said that indicates or suggests church action. The action prescribed was individual.
In Matthew 18:17, Jesus says, "And if he neglect to hear them, tell it to the church." It is here that Jesus outlines the role of the church. According to the logic of some brethren, church action was initiated when the brother who was offended went to the one who offended him. But Jesus made the distinction. Even when a few brethren were employed to go to the offender, it still did not constitute church action. It was when they were not heard that the church got involved, but not until then.
Another distinction is found in I Timothy 5:16. "If any man or woman that believeth have widows, let them relieve them, and let not the church be charged; that it may relieve them that are widows indeed." Can the church be held responsible for the care of widows who have able relatives within the congregation? No! Yet, the way some brethren reason, it can. "Whatever the individual believer is commanded to do, the church can do." This is a fallacious logic, of which I Timothy 5:16 is offered as proof.
When correct hermeneutical principles are applied, many of the innovative ideas will be nipped in the bud. When the proper distinction is made between the individual member and the church, much confusion will be avoided. With proper study, all interested parties will be able to cast down the lines of division, striving toward the "unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace" (Ephesians 4:3)
