“Decently And In Order”

Friday, March 29, 2013

     Is the church more of an organization or an organism?

Sincerely,
Orderly

Dear Orderly,

The argument over whether the church is an organization or an organism has come up in recent years because of the debate over whether there is a need for organized religion at all.

Many people in today’s modern world view themselves as Christians but also don’t feel any need to place membership with a local congregation or to have any organization to their spirituality at all.  Is Christianity a disorganized organism, or is there an organization and structure to how the church should function? What does the Bible say?

When Paul talked to Timothy about the church, he said that it was the pillar and ground of the truth, and there was a certain way that we should behave in it (1 Tim 3:15).  When the Corinthian church was running in a disorganized fashion and people were just shouting and talking over one another, Paul rebuked them and said that the church should do all things “decently and in order” (1 Cor 14:40).  He also told them to make sure and wait for one another when they assembled to take the Lord’s Supper (1 Cor 11:33).

Every expectation of the church that we find in the New Testament points toward organized religion.  The book of Ephesians says that the church can find unity and oneness only in following the organized standards of the Holy Spirit (Eph 4:3-6).

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