State of the Christian Church

By Fred Bernal

With an eternal perspective, the pages of this book express a deep desire that the members of the body of Christ be empowered to return to the simple message of the first-century church to reconcile the world to its loving Creator for their everlasting abode with him. In an effort to bring unity, these pages will focus on the essential beliefs that can unite all believers as it identifies some nonessentials that tend to divide them. As some current aspects of today’s church are compared to the early church, the reader will be challenged to rethink how today’s church should redirect its priorities, energy, and resources to fulfill its divine mission to bring light and hope to all the inhabitants of the world.

It is through the eyes of our Savior’s own words that this comparison can be made. It is all about him. He came to announce the kingdom, to teach the principles of that kingdom to live by, and to open the door to that kingdom by taking our sins and dying on the cross for us. He is the one who desires that all his own be one. He is the one who brought the message of life after death. He is the one that desires that his children be a sanctified people. Finally, it is not a case of “if Jesus were here today,” but it is a reality that he will come soon to receive all who love his appearing.

It is the aim of this book to help prepare his people to receive him as a sanctified church busy in advancing his everlasting purposes.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: Mar 9, 2022
• ISBN: 9781638448372

Book preview

Chapter 1

The Origins of His Church

The Christian Church was founded and established on the declaration of faith that you (Jesus) are the Christ (Messiah), the Son of the living God (Matthew 16:16). It was founded on the faith of who He claimed to be: the very image of his Father. I and my Father are one and he who has seen me has seen the Father (John 10:30; 14:9). He was the Word made flesh ( cf. John 1:1, 14). As such, He was the embodiment of truth—what He taught was absolute truth.

Early believers believed that Jesus alone had words of eternal life (John 6:68). These believers trusted and accepted His teachings. He came announcing that the kingdom of God is at hand (Matthew 3:2). It was a message of hope to a dying world. The Creator had an eternal plan for the ages for those that believed. He demonstrated the fundamental principles of that kingdom by His teachings and by His lifestyle. The people that hungered for such words of hope, love, and justice became His disciples.

However, Jesus had not only come to announce the coming kingdom, not only to declare its principles but also to open its doors to creatures which were born under the burden of sin and death. As the Son of God, Jesus knew that man could not exist in the presence of a Holy God in that eternal kingdom as long as his sinful nature was present. Sin and death came to this world through disobedience of a perfect man, Adam. The curse of death pronounced on Adam and his descendants could only be taken away by the curse falling on the second perfect Adam, which was Jesus.

Jesus, the perfect man without sin, the incarnated Word, took all the sins of the world upon Himself to pay the price of reconciling the world. He did this because of His love for mankind. He did this out of His own free will even when we were His enemies and in our sins (cf. Romans 5:8). But the church was not founded only by His sacrifice, it was also founded on His resurrection. It was the triumph of Jesus over death, which became the basis of the early disciples’ faith and hope.

Simple Faith

The early church was founded on a simple faith—a faith based on a loving Creator that wanted them in His eternal kingdom and that offered them eternal life. This simple faith led to a complete confidence and submission to the chosen one of God: Jesus, the Son of God, the Messiah. It was a simple faith that had at its core the hope of the resurrection of the dead. It was a faith based on an eternal perspective that recognized that their time existing here on earth was simply a passing moment compared to eternity. It was this faith that led many to willingly become martyrs in the Roman arenas.

These early Christians did not have the answers to all the theological questions that have come through the ages, but they had the necessary faith that would triumph over all the powers of Satan. They believed that Jesus had triumph over sin and death, and that faith made them victorious. The nature of God, eschatology, the state of the dead, and/or earthly temporal concerns such as economics, social problems, political interests, or military endeavors were not of prime concerns to these early believers. Simply put, the early church was heavenly and eternally minded and, as such, was not focused on changing its temporal world.

Hope of Christ’s Early Return

The primitive church expected their Lord to come for them in their day. It was this hope of a new heaven and a new earth that moved them to go throughout the known world preaching the message of the kingdom (cf. Revelation 21:1). The social-political-economic state of their world was not a concern for them. Their citizenship was in heaven. They had come out of the world to form an assembly of like-minded people—like-minded people that comprised the body of Christ. This was the origin of the Christian Church.

They came out from the Judaic faith. They came out from pagan religions, and they came out from secular agnosticism. Yet they were united in their love for each other. They were united in their common hope. They were united in obedience to the teachings of their Master. Yes, it was not a perfect assembly. They were still humans, but the Spirit of God had transformed them to victorious spiritual beings, so much so that the whole known world was impacted by their message.

That was the early church, a church that had a triumphant beginning, a church with no other interest than to wait for their Lord, a church that continued proclaiming the message of hope to a dying world. It is with this photograph in mind that we will compare this early church with today’s church.

Chapter 2

The State of Unity

As we read the accounts of the early church in the book of Acts and the writings of the apostles, we can conclude that the early church was not burdened with a complex system of must believe dogmas for their salvation and membership in the body of Christ. Theirs was a simple faith on the death and resurrection of Jesus that gave them the hope of living forever in a paradise kingdom that Jesus had proclaimed. It was a hope based on the faith that the eternal God, Yahweh himself, had come to earth to redeem them through the incarnation of His Word in the person of Jesus. Their salvation was only depended on believing who Jesus said He was, believing His promises, and believing that He triumphed over death when He died and rose from the dead.

All who believed these great truths were invited to be part of the set-apart body of the Messiah. By accepting these truths, they were constituted members of the body of Christ. This belief in the Son of God naturally led them to submit to His teachings. They came to Him in repentance and self-denial. There was no other doctrinal requirement. They experienced the transformation power of the Spirit of God working in them to give them hope to endure the persecution of the religious and government authorities even unto death. That was the simple faith that united the early believers which transformed their world.

Our Savior’s desire was that all of His own would be one body. In chapter 17 of the book of John, we can sense this great desire. They were to be one in Him even as He was one with the Father. His disciples were to be a united body but with different members, all in need of each other. The supernatural force of love was to bind His followers.

Divisions in the Church

However, the scriptures warned the early believers that there would be a falling away from the true faith. What is the state of this unity in the twenty-first century? How would Jesus perceive the state of the church in regards to its unity? Sadly, we can say Jesus would be heartbroken to see the many divisions within His body who bear His name. As