Bonds of Fellowship

Luke 22:14-20; John 17:6-8, 20, 21

GOLDEN TEXT: “A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.”—John 13:34

THE followers of Jesus were without doubt commissioned by him to preach the gospel to all nations. In his Sermon on the Mount, Jesus told his disciples that they were to be the “light of the world.” (Matt. 5:14) The light which was to emanate from them was not to be a reflection of their own wisdom, but rather the light of the gospel, the divine plan for the salvation of the church and the world through Christ’s atoning work.

In Matthew 28:19 Jesus is quoted as saying to his disciples, “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.” When Jesus appeared to his disciples for the last time before he returned to heaven he said to them, “Ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.”—Acts 1:8

The combined testimony of these scriptures leaves no doubt concerning the work which the church of Christ is divinely commissioned to do. It is therefore unnecessary to use the uninspired testimony of Mark 16:15,16 to establish this point of the divine will for Christians. We say “uninspired testimony” because beginning with verse 9 the chapter is spurious. By “spurious” we mean that it does not appear in the older Greek manuscripts. This indicates that these verses were added later, perhaps by some one who copied the manuscripts.

It is very important to recognize that these verses are spurious because of the fact that they are out of harmony with the remainder of the Bible. For example, verse 16 declares that those who do not believe the gospel when it is preached to them during this age are “damned.” This word has come to have a sinister meaning in creedal theology, implying, as it often does, the thought of eternal torment. But even if we take the milder meaning of the term, namely, “condemned,” it would still be out of harmony with Jesus’ teachings. He said that he did not come to condemn the world. (John 3:17) He also said, “If any man hear my words, and believe not, I judge him not.”—John 12:47

True, the time will come when those who refuse to obey the truth shall be condemned and destroyed. That will be following the second advent of Christ when the kingdom work of restitution is being accomplished. It shall then come to pass “that every soul which will not hear that prophet, shall be destroyed from among the people.” (Acts 3:23) But this is not the work of the church now. The purpose of preaching the gospel during this present age is to take out from the nations a people to share the name and honor of Christ in the future millennial kingdom. Following this selection of the bride of Christ the remainder of the world, including those to whom the witness of the gospel has now been given, but gone unheeded, will have their first real opportunity to believe.

Another reason we know that verses 9-20 of Mark 16 are spurious is that they promise that which is not true. Verse 18 declares, for example, that Christians may handle deadly serpents and not be harmed, and drink poison without being injured. Some foolishly have tried to demonstrate these “signs” but have paid dearly for their experiments.

The followers of Jesus are tailed upon to endure hardships as good soldiers in following him as the Captain of their salvation, but they are not asked to do foolish things merely to attract attention or to bring suffering upon themselves. (Heb. 2:10) They are called upon to be witnesses for the truth, and because darkness hateth the light they will be opposed by the world and persecuted. (John 3:19,20) In this they rejoice, being glad thus to share in the experiences of their Master. But they are not to court suffering by deliberate attempts to antagonize others.

As a result of the zealous witness work of the disciples beginning at Pentecost, we read that “the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.” It is fortunate that we have this inspired record to show that it is the Lord who adds members to his church. Not even the apostles could do that, nor can the Lord’s people of today add members to his true church. Nor can we remove members from the church. Paul tells us that “God hath set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased him,” and it is unwise for us to attempt to change the Lord’s arrangements.—I Cor. 12:18

It is our privilege still to preach the gospel, and to urge men to repentance and consecration to do God’s will, but that is as far as we are authorized to go. As it was God who added members to the church at the beginning of the age, he also is the One who is doing that today.

Acts 5:42 states that the work of preaching the gospel by the apostles was a “daily” matter with them. They did not limit their service to one day a week, but were full-time workers. They labored in the temple, and from “house to house.” In other words, they let their light shine wherever they found a listening ear.

QUESTIONS:

What is the scriptural meaning of the term “fellowship”?

How is it possible for members of the sinful race to share in the sacrificial work of Christ?

In what two ways will the church share in the glory of the divine Christ?

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