The Price of Truth: Eternal Vigilance:
The Church and Eternal Vigilance

 
It was one thing when Romanism, Protestantism, Judaism, the World Religions, the cults, the occult and the forces of infidelity warred against the blood-bought institution that Christ established in blessed, beautiful perfection on that memorable Pentecost (Acts 20:28; 2:1-47). However, it is another thing when we have to fight and fight vigorously our own brethren, the new change agents, to keep the church, the church of the Bible and not a revamped, reconstructed, restructured and remodeled institution no different from the denominationalism these change agents are carving for all who blindly follow their pernicious plans.
 
Jehovah is the Lord; He changes not (Malachi 3:6).  Jesus Christ is the same yesterday (the eternal past), today (the eternal present) and forever (the eternal future) (Heb. 13:8).   The Holy Spirit is just as unchanging as His fellow colleagues in The Timeless Trinity. The God-head established the changeless church in a world that fluctuates from season to season.   We dare not change the church in its eternal planning, Old Testament promises and prophecies, in its New Testament preparation by John, Jesus, the twelve and the seventy or its perfection from Pentecost onward (Eph. 3:10,11; Gen. 49:10; 2 Sam. 7:12; Isa. 2:1ff; Daniel 2:44; Micah 4:1ff; Zech. 6:12,13).  We dare not change what Christ is to the church - its builder, foundation, purchaser, head and Savior (Matt. 16:18; 1 Cor. 3:11; Acts 20:28; Col. 1:18; Eph. 5:23).  We dare not change the names He gave it such as “my church,” “the church of God,” “the body of Christ,” “the temple of God,” “churches of Christ” when several congregations are under consideration or “the kingdom of Christ and of God” (Matt. 16:18; 1 Cor. 1:1,2; 12:27; 3:16,17; Rom. 16:16; Eph. 5:5).
 
We dare not change the descriptions He gave His people - brethren, saints, disciples, Christians or sons and daughters of God (Gal. 6:1; Rom. 1:7; Acts 6:1; Acts 11:26; 2 Cor. 6:18).   We dare not change the plan that ushers us into that kingdom - hearing, faith, repentance, confessing Christ and immersion in water for the remission of sins (Rom. 10:17; Acts 16:31; 17:30; Rom. 10:9,10; Acts 2:38).  We dare not change His second law of pardon for His erring children as per Acts 8:22; James 5:16; 1 John 1:9.  We dare not change His organization of elders and deacons and all as members - no clergy and no laity - working for His cause (Phil. 1:1; 1 Cor. 3:9; 15:58).  We dare not change His stipulations for Christian living such as in Galatians 5:22,23; Colossians 3; 1 Timothy 4:12; Titus 2:11,12; 2 Peter 1:5-11).   We dare not change His prescribed worship - to God, in spirit and in truth (John 4:23,24). We dare not change its specifics - congregational singing, prayer, teaching or preaching, communing and the contribution (Eph. 5:19; Col. 4:2; Acts 20:7; 1 Cor. 11:23ff; 16:1-2).   We dare not change the fellowship boundaries He has erected - obedience to the gospel in the past and a current walk in light (Matt. 12:46-50; 1 John 1:7).   We dare not change its mission - evangelism, edification and benevolence (Mark 16:15; Jude 20;James 1:27).   We dare not tamper with the Bible Doctrine of Final Things and the patient preparation such teaching demands. The second coming must remain intact; there is to be no tampering with the resurrection doctrine. Final judgment procedures are to be left as the Lord left them.  Eternal destinies are neither to be removed or overhauled to fit modern man’s aversion to any punishment for his wrongs.   Hell is not to become a silent spot in our theology as with a recent Pope who refused to mention it to his Roman subjects.  Heaven is not to be a haven for the refuse of society regardless of what denominational preachers say at funerals. Listen to their prattle and one wonders why God ever prepared a hell for the perverse.
 
Conclusion Alexander Campbell deemed truth to be his pearl of great price. We dare not feel less love for it than that.  Its price is beyond human calculation. Eternal vigilance and perpetual loyalty to it is the divine prescription the Great Physician has written and signed for all of us. Let’s never go spiritually AWOL relative to truth.