Churches in Christ Jesus

1 Thessalonians 2v14a

27^th August 2021

In verse 13, which we studied recently, Paul, Silas and Timothy said they rejoiced continually because the Christians in Thessalonica had received the message of Christ not as the word of men but as the word of God, as it actually is. They'd seen several reasons to believe that this is true. In Chapter 1 verse 3, they've already mentioned the Thessalonians' work produced by faith, their labour prompted by love, and their endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ. They now mention a fourth proof that the Thessalonians had fully accepted the word of God. They say:

1 Thessalonians 2v14a
For you, brothers, became imitators of God's churches in Judea, which are in Christ Jesus

The early churches in Judea were, of course, the first churches to be planted anywhere, and the apostles saw that this new church in Thessalonica, only two years old, was becoming like those more established Judean churches.

How do we discern whether a group that claims to be Christian really is Christian? There are all kinds of religious assemblies, movements and organisations, and many of them claim to be Christian. Some of them are not. The Jehovah's Witnesses, for example, claim to be a Christian organisation, but they deny the divinity of Christ. Unitarian churches, likewise, are not Christian, for the same reason. Even spiritualists – people who use mediums to try to contact the dead – describe their gatherings as churches. And there are groups in our country that describe themselves as "atheist churches". All these groups have denied vitally important Biblical teaching about Jesus.

Paul, Silas and Timothy compare the church in Thessalonica with God's churches in Judea which are in Christ Jesus. Be clear, all God's churches, all true churches, are in Christ Jesus. They believe and teach the truth about Him.

I need to say a word about doctrine. We need some balance. There is no doubt that, on the one hand, some churches and some Christians are unnecessarily divisive, and unnecessarily unkind to their brothers in Christ, because of differences in doctrine. We should always seek to maximise unity, including unity with Christians with whom we have some doctrinal disagreements. On the other hand, there is some doctrine that is non-negotiable. A group is not a Christian church if it's not, as Paul says, in Christ Jesus. I think we can say that, for a church or a person to be in Christ Jesus, they or he must at least believe:

Jesus Christ is God – the second Person of the Holy Trinity.
Jesus Christ is also a man.
Jesus Christ lived entirely without sin.
Jesus Christ died on the cross.
Jesus Christ's death paid all the penalty for all the sin of everybody who repents and puts his faith in Jesus's atoning sacrifice.
Jesus Chris rose from the dead, winning victory over sin and death for all who believe.

I'm happy to be in fellowship with a person who calls himself a Christian but disagrees with me about baptism, for example, or the Lord's Supper, or elders, or what you call church leaders, or how those leaders should dress. I'm even happy to fellowship with people who deny the reality of spiritual gifts. But if you deny that Jesus is God, that He is also a man, or that He died for my sins and rose again, then I can't call you a Christian.

A Christian is saved through faith alone, in Christ alone, by grace alone, to the glory of God alone, according to the scriptures alone.

The churches in Judea believed these things, although they would have used different language. All true churches do. And the church in Thessalonica believed these things. And Paul, Silas and Timothy rejoiced. And they saw that fact as demonstrating that the Thessalonian church was a real church.