There are many believers who think they are free to live a Christian life in a purely individualistic way, using one or more churches or groups, according to their needs, but without being committed to any of them.

There are also believers within the large denominations for whom baptism and association with a church never become a reality, in the biblical sense. These believers often form an evangelical group within the great dead body to which they give their allegiance. They nurture the vain hope that someday that dead body will somehow be resurrected, or perhaps that a better minister will come along who will change that state of affairs. There is a feeling of repugnance to leave this congregation, since it is thought that this could weaken the evangelical witness within that structure. Those in this position should remember that their first loyalty must be to Jesus Christ. His commandments demand obedience. Christ is the only foundation upon which we can build, and woe to us if we spend our lives working with wood, hay and stubble!

Jesus did not build his church within the dying body of an apostate religion. Acts chapter 2 shows that those who believed were baptized, and then, united, not in isolated groups, continued steadfastly in doctrine, fellowship, the Lord's supper, and prayers: This is a church and, therefore, those persons are members of a church. The basic requirements for church membership are clear, and we will examine them in the following pages.

If we look back to the beginning of the church in the New Testament, we find that after Peter's sermon on the day of Pentecost, about 3000 people were added to the disciples, of whom there were about 120. There were probably a few more disciples in Jerusalem, who for various legitimate reasons, were not with the 120 in the house on the day of Pentecost, but still, the church multiplied in size about twenty times: as unique an event as Pentecost itself was.

The question arises as to whether it was right for such a large number of people to be baptized immediately, and through baptism to be added to the church. Today we sometimes wait several months to ascertain the genuineness of a person's conversion. In reply to this, we can say that the Holy Spirit was working in an extraordinary way, as demonstrated by the supernatural manifestations of strong winds, fire, and the gift of tongues. These men underwent a profound and genuine work of conversion, being born again of the Holy Spirit (Jn. 3:3; 1 Pet. 1:23). Most of these people seemed to be well acquainted with the Scriptures. Peter was able to quote extensively from the prophets. The converts proved the genuine nature of their repentance and faith by remaining steadfastly active in four basic areas of the Christian life: the Apostles' doctrine, fellowship with the brethren, the breaking of bread, and prayers (cf. Acts 2:42).

These Christian practices can be considered as normal activities by which the faith of the members of a church is sustained, in contrast to the exceptional or extraordinary activities of that time. (We are not overlooking the baptism of believers, which is a one-time ordinance, symbolizing the union by faith with Christ in his death, burial and resurrection). ) Wonders, signs and wonders were worked by the Apostles and later by some of the deacons, such as Stephen and Philip. Moreover, the disciples had all things in common, and although this was something that had not been commanded by the Lord, or was essential, many of them chose to sell their lands and lay the money as a gift at the feet of the Apostles (Acts 4:37). It seems that the Apostles met daily for fellowship and to dine together. This could justly be attributed to extraordinary zeal, but we must also remember that special circumstances prevailed in Jerusalem at that time. Many different people, Jews and proselytes from all over the world, sought to be present in Jerusalem during the feast of Pentecost, which was considered the most important religious festival of the year. It was certainly the festival that attracted the largest crowds. In terms of time, effort and expense, the sacrifice of getting to Jerusalem was considerable and indicated deep religious convictions.

We must remember that God was preparing the hearts of many people before that remarkable sermon of Peter at Pentecost. It would seem, judging from Peter's words (Acts 2:36), that not a few men who had rejected Jesus Christ were converted on that day-people who had approved of his crucifixion. But it does appear from the indications that the great majority of converts from many nations were on pilgrimage to Jerusalem. This was a religious feast, and people were allowed to gather daily, as indicated. Unusual circumstances, therefore, must be taken into consideration, but the steadfast following of the Apostles' doctrine, fellowship with the brethren, the Lord's Supper, and meetings for prayer must be regarded as normal and obligatory for every member of the church. That this is so is supported not only by the example of the early Christians, but by the exhortations of the Apostles (Heb. 10:24-25) and the general content of the New Testament (Acts 20:16-32; Rev. 2 and 3; Eph. 4:1-16).

There are those who question the validity of church membership. How can we convince them that this concept is important and biblical? We can, for example, refer to Matthew 16:19. What did Our Lord mean by “the keys of the kingdom”? Surely He was conferring authority on His Apostles, indicating that church discipline would have to be maintained. Keys are used to exclude and to admit. Many people, particularly the Roman Papacy, have abused this passage in Matthew and the authority to which it refers. But this does not mean that we close our eyes to the need for discipline.

The Apostles and their evangelists, such as Timothy and Titus, used the authority conferred by God to appoint elders in the churches. We have instructions regarding the qualifications of elders, and we have no doubt about the authority of such elders (1 Tim. 3; Tit. 2). Believers are exhorted: “Obey your pastors, and submit yourselves unto them: for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account; that they may do it with joy, and not grumbling: for that is unprofitable for you” (Heb. 13:17) It is evident that we cannot obey elders unless they have been specially appointed, nor can elders rule unless there are specific people for whom they are responsible. When Acts 2:47 says that the people who were to be saved were added to the church, it is clear that these people were fully identifiable individuals. The elders are responsible for those who have clearly joined the church, and this matter cannot be left open to conjecture. Furthermore, they are responsible for the examination of new members and their introduction to the church.

In addition, all members of a church take part in the appointment of elders and deacons. The actual elders recognize the gifts of those who are contributing to the life of the church, pastoring in the spiritual realm (the elders) or exercising administration in the practical realm (the deacons). The church is then consulted, aiming at unanimity, since the whole body is intimately affected by such an important matter as leadership. So when Paul writes to “all the saints in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi”, he is addressing a group of people who have been baptized into Christ: the members of a church that had specific leaders, since he immediately goes on to add “with the bishops and deacons”.

Of course, there are other biblical arguments that support the need to be members of a church; for example, the argument based on the popular analogy of the church, which is used in the New Testament; that is, the analogy to the physical body. So intimate is the spiritual relationship between believers in a church that they are compared to the organs of a human body. Each member in the church is vital, just as eyes, ears, hands and feet are vital to a human body. It is not possible to consider the spiritual development of a believer without referring to the body of Christians of which he or she is a part.

As the body grows in knowledge, edification and love, so the individual members are affected (Eph. 4:16). It is not surprising to find that individual believers who have separated themselves from real commitment and fellowship “with the body” are often spiritually sick, or lacking in spiritual development, and are not progressing as they should in grace and knowledge. It is within the sphere of the local church that individual members develop in understanding, exercise their gifts, give, receive and share the spiritual life.

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