In the foregoing message we saw that the recovery of the church is typified by the return of the children of Israel from their captivity. In this message we shall see that the recovery of the church is indicated in the New Testament.
The recovery of the church is fully revealed in the New Testament even though the word “recovery” is not used. This recovery is revealed mainly in the later Epistles of the New Testament. We do not find the recovery of the church in such Epistles as Romans or 1 Corinthians, but we do find it in Titus, 2 Timothy, 2 John, and Revelation. In these later writings of the New Testament the recovery is fully unveiled.
For the recovery of the church, we need to be separated from the factious-the sects and denominations. This is indicated by Paul’s word in Titus 3:10. “A factious man after a first and second admonition refuse.” A factious man is a sectarian man who causes divisions by forming parties in the church according to his own opinions. A factious, divisive person, after a first and second admonition, should be refused, rejected. This is to stop intercourse with a contagiously divisive person for the church’s benefit.
Nearly all believers today are factious. They honor, respect, and uplift their denominations. Furthermore, they nourish and build their denominations. Hence, they are builders of sects and denominations. Millions of Christians today are members of these sects. Because they are members of sects, we cannot join them, even though they may be genuine brothers in Christ. We surely love our brothers in Christ, but they are in the denominations and the sects, where we cannot be. It is not that we separate ourselves from other believers; it is that the sects and denominations separate us from the church life. If we are to share in the recovery of the church, we need to be separated from all the sects and denominations. Like Ezra, Nehemiah, and other faithful ones in the Old Testament, we need to leave Babylon and come back to Jerusalem.
The recovery of the church also requires that we cleanse ourselves from the vessels unto dishonor in the great house-the apostate Christendom. “In a great house there are not only gold and silver vessels, but also wooden and earthen, and some unto honor, and some unto dishonor; if therefore anyone cleanses himself from these, he will be a vessel unto honor, sanctified, useful to the master, prepared unto every good work” (2 Tim. 2:20-21). Here Paul uses the expression “a great house.” The house of God defined in 1 Timothy 3:15 and 16 is the genuine church in its divine nature and essential character as the foundation of the truth, whereas the great house here refers to the deteriorated church in its mixed character, as illustrated by the abnormally big tree in Matthew 13:31-32. In this great house there are not only precious vessels but also base ones. For this reason, we cannot believe that the great house in 2 Timothy 2:20 refers to the church as the house of the living God in 1 Timothy 3:15. The great house is certainly not the house of the living God, which is the great mystery of godliness and also God manifest in the flesh. Such a house cannot contain vessels unto dishonor. Hence, the great house must refer to Christendom. Furthermore, this great house is equal to the big tree in Matthew 13. The genuine church today is the house of the living God, whereas the apostate Christendom is the great house. Just as many unclean birds lodge in the big tree, so in the great house there are vessels unto dishonor, wooden and earthen vessels. In the genuine church, however, there are only gold and silver vessels.
Honorable vessels are of both the divine nature (gold) and the redeemed and regenerated human nature (silver). These are the genuine believers. Dishonorable vessels are of the fallen human nature (wooden and earthen) and signify the false believers. The word “these” in verse 21 indicates that the genuine believers need to cleanse themselves from the dishonorable vessels. This means that we must stay away from them. If we cleanse ourselves from negative things and negative persons, we shall be vessels unto honor, sanctified, useful to the master and prepared unto every good work.
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