Chapter V: Christian Living

A church is responsible for its teaching in respect to how its members should live. It cannot force the members to do according to its teaching and we must distinguish between the conduct of the church as a whole and the behavior of individual members. If the church teaches the truth and attempts to persuade its members to obey it, and properly disciplines them when they disobey, the church as a whole cannot be held accountable for their misbehavior.

Concerning Christian living the Bible says, “For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, teaching us that denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously and godly in this present world” (Titus 2:11-12). “Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, to visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world” (Jas. 1:27). “The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord: and thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these” (Mark 12:29-31). And then in Matthew 7:12, we have what is called the Golden Rule, “Whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them.”

These are general commandments governing Christian behavior, and the church which teaches and impresses these Bible lessons upon its members is right that far, but the church which fails to condemn worldliness and ungodly living lacks that much being right. It may be ever so sound on doctrine and worship, but if it fails to properly admonish its members and hold up before them the divine standard of Christian conduct and insist that they follow it, it lacks that much being right.

Friends, here’s (speaker points to board) what the Bible teaches on Christian behavior. The church which teaches this is right on that point because the Bible is right and this is what the Bible says.