Colossians 1:15-23, Part 17

From the doctrine of salvation we proceed to the doctrine of the church, or ecclesiology. There is a natural transition because the church is the community of individual believers, gathered together by the saving message of the gospel. We will make some preliminary comments about the church before turning to the passage's own emphasis.

Theologians make a distinction between what is called the visible and the invisible church. Whether it is appropriate to characterize the difference with the idea of visibility is open to debate, but it is possible to make the distinction clear and precise by an explanation.

The visible church consists of all those who profess the Christian faith, who claim to follow Christ, and who join themselves with others who also profess the faith. The problem is that a person who does not have genuine faith in Christ can still claim to believe in him. Although he might find acceptance in the church, his profession is false, dishonest, and hypocritical. Such a person is often self-deceived, so that even he might think that his faith is genuine and sincere. In fact, in many cases it is possible for someone who has never even professed the faith to join a community of believers, and it is simply assumed that he is a Christian like the others.

Therefore, the visible church is infiltrated by many false believers and outright unbelievers. There are at least three factors that prevent the church from being overrun by them. First, divine providence regulates the number of false believers in the visible church. Second, biblical preaching on the one hand converts many unbelievers, and on the other, it so offends many of those who refuse, and it so tortures their consciences and sentiments, that they are compelled to leave the church. Third, church discipline exposes and expels unbelievers who might claim to profess the faith, but who so stubbornly defy the doctrines and commands of Jesus Christ that they are banished from the church and shunned by the community.

Infestations of non-Christians occur where preaching is not strong and discipline is not enforced. Church leaders must confront this as a serious threat to the mission of the church. It is not a sign of compassion to allow unbelievers to run rampant in the community; rather, we must expose them, restrict their activities, and neutralize their influence. Non-Christians are alienated from God and enemies in their minds (v. 21), and it is pure fantasy to think that they will remain part of the community in silence and submission, without corrupting the church.

Some boast about their acceptance and tolerance toward unbelievers. But Paul writes, "Your boasting is not good. Don't you know that a little yeast works through the whole batch of dough? Get rid of the old yeast that you may be a new batch without yeast – as you really are" (1 Corinthians 5:6-7). It is impossible for us to discern and uproot all the unbelievers in the church, but the non-Christian population within the covenant community must be controlled, and each one who has been exposed as a false brother must be confronted with fairness and strictness, "so that no wickedness will be among you" (Leviticus 20:14).

Non-Christians disobey the commands of Jesus Christ, and they despise and oppose his teachings. Their agenda is, of course, not the preaching of the gospel and the advancement of the kingdom, but the destruction of the church and its message. Thus when the church is infiltrated by a large number of unbelievers, it will inevitably suffer the corresponding consequences. Non-Christians, who do not seek biblical counsel but at the same time demand attention, drain the personal and financial resources of the church. By their evil speech and conduct, they introduce doctrinal and ethical corruption into the community. Their failure to uphold the church's standard of thinking and living ensures an inferior public image for the church and for the faith. Their immoral dealings, such as dishonest business practices or pleas for assistance, might inflict otherwise unnecessary losses and expenses to others in the community. Those who have established themselves in the community might even gain control over church policies, thus directly affecting the community's doctrines, practices, finances, programs, and outreaches.