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My question is How should I interpret this verse Matthew 18:20 For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them I’m thinking with a bible and a discussion amongst friends why do I need a church, isn’t God telling us we don’t need to go to church as long as we talk about our faith amongst ourselves
Answer to Question 418
This is the famous quote by Re-born Christians who continually love to show us that they don’t need the church. It is a case of taking a passage from the Bible and isolating it from the rest. A little earlier Christ said when asked about reconciling to someone who has wronged you to “And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell [it] unto the church: but if he neglect to hear the church, let him be unto thee as an heathen man and a publican.”(Matthew 18:17)
What Church is Christ talking about? It is certainly not a bible class even though that also passes for the quote “For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them” But Christ is talking about the Church he founded with his Body and Blood. St. Paul in his First Epistle to Timothy says: “behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of the truth.” (1 Tim 3:15) St. Paul calls the Church the foundation of the truth. He doesn’t say this for the Old Testament or the New Testament which hadn’t been written yet.
Christ said to Peter: “And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” (Matt 16:18-19) Did Christ give the “Keys to the Kingdom of Heaven with power to Bind and Loose” to a Book or to his Church, the “Church of the Living God, the Pillar and Foundation of Truth?” (1 Tim 3:15) And did he say a “Book” would prevail against the “Gates of hell” (Matt 16:18-19) or his Church, the ONE “Bride of Christ?”
Christ said: “Teach them to observe all I have taught you and behold I am with you always until the end of the world” Matt 28:20. Did Christ ever command that the teaching of his Gospel be taught exclusively in a book? Or did he explicitly give this charge to his Church? Did our Lord Jesus Christ ever even command that this book, the NT Bible be written? Does Christ command men to “listen to” and follow a book which didn’t exit until many years after the first Pentecost or his Church? Christ clearly said to his disciples to “hear the Church” (Matt. 18:17) Why would Protestants reject the Church Christ himself started if Christ tells us to hear this very Church? And what verse in the “soon to be written” New Testament instructs Christians to “no longer hear” Christ's Church?
Christ calls his Body the Church and St. Paul says that: “Christ is the head of the body, the Church” (Colossians 1:18) Nowhere does Christ or Paul call a Book the Body of Christ. Did Christ say he would be with a “book” until the end of the world, or his Church? Since the Apostles would not live forever, he was speaking of his Church: “Teach them to observe all I have taught you and behold I am with you always until the end of the world”. (Matt 28:20). Did Christ say he would send the “the spirit of truth to guide you into all the truth” (John 16:13) for a book or for his Church to “Teach all nations?” (Matt 28:20)
Clearly Holy Scripture is filled with testimonies with Christ himself giving direct commands of Authority for his Church and he charges all Christians to “Hear this Church.” (Matt 18:17) Either this Apostolic Church is the “pillar and foundation of Truth” or it isn't? Either Christ sent “the spirit of truth to guide us into all truth” (John 16:13) or he didn't. Do Protestants believe what the Holy Bible says? Or are they more interested in remaining in a certain denomination or non-denomination or belief system? Either they believe the Holy words of Scripture or they don't. Either they “hear Christ’s Church” or they reject it. And if they reject it they reject Christ himself for he said: “He who hears you hears me, and he who rejects you rejects me, and he who rejects me rejects him who sent me” (Luke 10:16). If they reject Christ's historical Church, if they reject this Church which is the “Pillar and Foundation of Truth,” what Biblical command or what Biblical basis are they using to justify this? This rejection is unbiblical, and they are simply embracing a “tradition of man” from the Renaissance era.
By rejecting the Church established by Christ, modern Christian churches reject the 3 ordinations of the clergy as define in the Holy Bible of the New Testament Church? If a church does not have Bishops, Priests or Deacons, one must ask, why not? Either they believe in the New Testament and want to mimic the NT Church or they don't. The Holy Bible gives us the 3 offices of the clergy as taught and embraced by Christ’s Apostles. Why do the modern Christian churches reject this Biblical guidance? The sacrament of holy orders is conferred in three ranks of clergy: bishops, priests, and deacons. But I will also say that we do not need the Church to read the Bible but we need the Church for the sacraments given us by Jesus Christ himself. A Bible discussion will not give us the saving Sacraments like Holy Communion, but then again Re-born Christians and many Protestants don’t actually believe that we commune of the actual Body and Blood of Christ and believe that it is only a symbolic gesture.
Same member Once again thank you, the church offers us alot more than just the words the bible offers
Reply I think what many people forget is that the Church existed long before the written word and that the Bible didn't fall out of heaven, it was written by men inspired by the Holy Spirit for the Church. The Church was not established on the Bible but the Bible was established by the Church
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