6. The Ecclesia in Sardis (Revelation 3:1-5)
The letters to “the angels of the seven ecclesias”
in Asia Minor are the only messages sent personally by Christ to
his ecclesias. They are very important in molding our ecclesial outlook and
philosophy, for they are fundamental in their application to present-day
situations.
How is this so? Firstly, each ecclesia is treated as being
responsible for its own affairs only. Even when the Spirit comes to the
decidedly lukewarm, almost lost Laodicea, even then there is no call upon the
other six ecclesias to disfellowship this erring group. The brotherhood in Asia
Minor in the first century apparently knew nothing of “block
disfellowship”: each of the seven ecclesias was “in
fellowship” with the other six, despite internal problems in some cases
far more severe than any we have ever witnessed in the latter-day revival of the
Truth.
And, even more to the point, each of the seven
“stars” is in Christ’s right hand (Rev. 1:16; 2:1)! A hasty
excommunication of a whole ecclesia (or group of ecclesias) might very well put
us in the awkward position of arm-wrestling with the right hand of the Savior!
The ecclesias are Christ’s dominion; he has warned that no man can pluck
them out of his hand (John 10:28). In supporting the Christadelphian stand on
worldly politics, we often argue (rightly) that God rules in the world’s
kingdoms, so why should we interfere? Is it not just as easy for us to grasp the
further Biblical principle that Christ rules over the ecclesial world, and that
our interference here may also be a fighting against God?
Consider now the special situation in Sardis:
“Thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead.... Be watchful, and
strengthen those things that remain, that are ready to die.... Thou hast a few
names even in Sardis which have not defiled their garments.... They
are worthy....”
“Become watchful” is the exhortation of
Jesus Christ, the Spirit of the ecclesias. Watch and pray through a dark and
dangerous night, watch for and be prepared to combat the “wolves”
that attack the flock (John 10). “Strengthen those things that
remain”: Build up what is left of the protective wall, and encourage those
who are willing for the common work (Neh. 2:18). Do not withdraw
from the ecclesia, even though it seems ready to die.
“Thou hast a few names in Sardis”: The few
names, or faithful remnant, are still a part of the ecclesia — let it be
noted! “They have not defiled their garments.” Oh, but this is
precisely what the “minority” “fellowships” would say
they had done, being ‘defiled by association’!
Notwithstanding, the judgment of Christ stands sure and firm on the page of
Scripture: “THEY ARE WORTHY” — despite their
“unsavory” associations.
Brother C.C. Walker, past editor of The Christadelphian,
drew upon this passage when asked by a correspondent concerning the
respective merits of the various “fellowships”:
“You will be in no danger by obeying the Truth in the fellowship of The
Christadelphian and the Birmingham ecclesia. Even should this community be
as dead as the Church in Sardis, if you walk worthily you will be saved (Rev.
3:4)” (“A Pure Fellowship”, Vol. 95, No. 1128 — June
1958 — p. 258).
It should be easily perceived that Brother Walker’s
position parallels that of Brother Roberts in the following quotation:
“ ‘He that hath the seven Spirits of God’ — the symbolic
affirmation of omniscience — has little to say in the way of commendation
to the brethren in Sardis. ‘Thou hast a name that thou livest, and art
dead.’ Men knew the reputation of the Sardian ecclesia: the possessor of
‘the seven stars’ — the seven Spirit lights kindled in the
seven ecclesias — knew their state. ‘I have not found thy works
perfect before God.’ Jesus watches and discerns the developments of
probation. He requires not to bring men to the judgment seat to know, though he
will bring them there to reveal them. There were a few exceptions in Sardis:
‘Thou hast a few names even in Sardis which have not defiled their
garments; and they shall walk with me in white: for they are worthy’;
from which we learn that membership in a dead ecclesia will not interfere
with individual acceptance where worthiness exists” (Thirteen
Lectures on the Apocalypse, pp. 20,
21).
The above quotations are not apologies for error! They are,
however, hypotheses for the worst possible position to which an ecclesia or a
group of ecclesias might fall, without losing fellowship with God. (Can any
Christadelphian honestly go on record as believing that the Central fellowship
— or any other “group” of Christadelphians, for that matter
— is below the standard of these seven ecclesias, which, despite their
faults, were still addressed as “ecclesias” and symbolized by
“lampstands”?)
Positively speaking, the above quotations are also a
corrective to that futile and depressing search for an impossible
“purity”, which many have been taught is necessary.
In all of Revelation 2 and 3, Christ gives no hint of a
command to any one ecclesia to excommunicate any of the others, not even
Laodicea. The reason may be easily determined: The avowed basis of faith and
fellowship of each congregation was nominally sound, despite internal problems
(which could not and should not be judged at a distance). Christ himself firmly
holds the prerogative to punish or cast out erring individuals and ecclesias in
other localities.
Do we really believe that Christ rules today in the ecclesias
— in Bible terminology, that we walks among the seven lampstands (Rev.
1:13)? If we do, then consider this: Christ warned the seven first-century
ecclesias of their possible removal due to apostasy (Rev. 2:5). They are not in
existence today, because they did not continue to heed the exhortations
delivered through the Apostle John. It was not persecution that removed these
lightstands; it was their failure to honor God. Can we not also have the same
confidence today that Christ has control of every situation, that Christ can
handle such matters as he did in the first century, without our imperfect
meddling and second-guessing in matters too difficult for us? Let us also
remember 1 John 2:19:
“They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been
of us, they would no doubt have continued with
us.”
I have quoted above from Brother Thomas as follows:
“The Apostolic Christendom, then, to which John wrote, was divisible into
these two sections, which were more or less commingled in the ecclesias
generally — real and nominal christians....” (Eureka,
Vol. 1, p. 422).
To this I will add a further short quotation:
“Antipas still retained his original position in all the ecclesias,
which, although teeming with ‘false brethren’ both in the
presbyteries and among the multitudes, had not yet been ‘spued out of
the mouth of the Spirit.’ Antipas was the remnant of the Woman’s
Seed contending earnestly for the faith....” (Ibid., p.
335).
A view of our duties in regard to ecclesial fellowship that is
in harmony with Revelation 3:1-5 is presented by Brother John Carter:
“We must keep firmly to two rules, which might be considered by extremists
to be contradictory, but which are complementary. All ecclesias as a basis of
co-operation must acknowledge the same fundamental truths, while at the same
time each ecclesia must have the right of judging any doubtful case. The first
maintains the truth; the second provides for an ecclesia taking account of all
the factors in any borderline case, those factors being only known to the
members of that ecclesia. There must then be mutual respect for each
other’s judgments” (“A House Divided”, The
Christadelphian, Vol. 94, No. 1115 — May 1957 — p. 187).
“In an attempt to justify such action [i.e. disfellowship of
‘erring’ ecclesias] it has been suggested recently that although we
are not informed of such a move, it may be assumed that after reading the
Spirit’s letter, the faithful few in Sardis would withdraw from the dead
majority. But even if they did withdraw after hearing the Spirit’s
judgment, would that justify us in withdrawing before any judgment has been
passed? For our own part we will not venture to judge that any who hold the
One Faith are dead or unworthy. If any man sins we accept the judgment of the
majority of his ecclesia as to whether he should be rebuked or cut off from
fellowship, but even in the latter extreme we should have his ultimate salvation
as a main object and so be most ready to restore him ‘in the spirit of
meekness’. As for wholesale condemnation of an ecclesia as
‘dead’, we would not venture so to judge even of those which appear
most negative. Christ has not passed judgment on the brethren of the latter
days. When he does give his verdict undoubtedly there be some dreadful
surprises” (I. Collyer, “A Pure Fellowship”, The
Christadelphian, Vol. 68, No. 807 — Sept. 1931 — p.
410).