Today I did a Google search for this term, “What is the Church of Christ pattern?” The search returned 905,000 hits. In most every case, the churches and individuals that came up in my sampling insist that the New Testament provides a “pattern” for worship which must be followed.
Interestingly, I could not find many who stated what the “pattern” is. Those in my sample who did define it included “pattern” components different from each other. Many patternists teach that the “pattern” extends far beyond worship, and their “pattern” is more elusive than the first.
No agreement as to definition
One Church of Christ insists that the five acts of worship (singing, praying, preaching, giving, and the Lord’s Supper) are the pattern. So they will quote verses that support those five things. Another Church of Christ will add baptism for the remission of sins and singing only a cappella to the pattern of “the one true church.” Still another adds to the “pattern” a requirement that only the King James Version of the Bible be used in public readings. The width and breadth of the supposed “pattern” is limited only by the number of people who define it.
The problem with “patternism” is the pattern. If what devout patternists proclaim is true, wouldn’t it make sense that it would be relatively easy to find in the Bible? I am well aware of many of the proof texts but I must ask, “Is everyone reading the same Bible?”
What about those earliest Christians who, for perhaps two generations, got along quite well before many of the proof texts were written, and for sure before they were widely distributed? Were those early believers not able to worship God acceptably?
When patternism becomes sin
The title of this article is rather strong indictment. Tell me I’m wrong. At least one book has been written, plus scores of articles in periodicals and on blogs, condemning North Richland Hills Church of Christ in Texas, for its decision to include instrumental music in one of many Sunday services.
The attitude of those passing judgment is simple: Forget all the Christian service this church provides in its community, forget its faithfulness to preach Christ, to baptize believers and to live holy, loving lives. No Sir! These Christians went outside the supposed “pattern” and are damned because of it.
It is one thing to decided what is permissible individually or for my congregation, but when I apply that standard to every other Christian, and then teach that they will be lost if they do not comply, I am guilty of teaching “another gospel” and commit a grievous sin.
I recently listed over 40 different issues about which some Churches of Christ have divided, refused to acknowledge each other as brothers, and condemned each other to hell-fire. In each case, one group insists the other violated “the pattern.” In each case, the folks condemning have concluded that what the other people are doing is “unauthorized,” which puts them in open rebellion against God and means they are lost.
When this happens, Patternism becomes a template for sin! Those who design the template require everyone who claims to follow Jesus to fit their exact template or be lost. In Jesus’ day, the patternists were called Pharisees. Among some Churches of Christ today, they are called “elders” and “preachers,” but they are cut from the same cloth.
Yes, there is one “pattern” we should apply to our lives as believers. His name is Jesus.
Royce
I could not agree more.
You are a poor blind guide in this matter. What prejudice that you show in judging patternists by your own pattern! Don’t you know that we are to be imitators of the Christian example (1 Cor. 4:16-17, 11:1; Eph. 5:1; Phil. 3:17; 1 Thes. 1:7; 2 Thes. 3:7, 9; Heb. 6:12; 3 John 1:11))? Do you not know the words for example and pattern are the same (2 Tim. 1:13; Rom. 5:14, 6:17; 1 Thes. 1:7; Phil. 3:17; 2 Thes. 3:9; 1 Pet. 5:3)? Has Christ not set a pattern for us in worship? Do you not follow a pattern for baptism and the Lord’s Supper even if just simply calling them these names? Open your eyes. You who call others Pharisees! For the Pharisees were not patternists according to the Word. Their pattern was their traditions. These were man-made inventions, which went further to neglect God’s instructions (Matt. 15, 23, Mark 7). Pharisees were just as much liberals as they were legalists. Do not be a white-washed tomb and condemn churches for having the same problems that so many had in the 1st centuries. You’re not going to change any minds with this contempt.
Can you not open your eyes and see the spiritual worship of singing alone? Or are you hard of heart and dull of hearing? Do you not see that God commanded just singing and how completely sublime it is? How completely disgusting to alter what God has made perfect? Yeah, we’re all guilty in profaning the image of God, and yet let’s not profane the blood of Christ and His words which are spirit and life. Do you not know that preaching, praying, and singing in unknown languages was condemned in 1 Corinthians 14:9-15? Why? Why not do anything in the Assembly? It didn’t matter how beautiful it was to hear another tongue, or that this ability was a gift from God. It was misused. For all worship including making melody was to be of the spirit and the mind (1 Cor. 14:15). Yet, they excluded the mind. They had not set the Christian pattern, example in worship. See also that Paul was no “legalist” for correcting them to repent. No matter the beauty of musical instruments, there is no message that could be taught by them other than verse 7 and 8 of 1 Corinthians 14. Yet, we must stand against such additions for we are convicted by the words of Christ that we must observe all things (Matt. 28:19), and to do otherwise is sin. God blessed us with His grace, but not to keep us from striving in love to obey His words. Until “progressives” stop griping and start teaching His words, how will we “patternists” repent? I’ve read words upon words condemning legalism and not a word that confronts darkness with the light. Have you become as much a Pharisee in “liberalism” as those that you despise for “legalism”?
Let us look to the planks in our own eyes now. You said, “What about those earliest Christians who, for perhaps two generations, got along quite well before many of the proof texts were written, and for sure before they were widely distributed? Were those early believers not able to worship God acceptably?” This statement is a common speculative conjecture. These Christians received all things for life and godliness in the 1st century via prophecy from the Spirit of Christ. Paul expected the Corinthians to have understood the teachings of the Lord concerning the Assembly and the worship in and our of the Assembly. They did not lack except correction.
On another point, a careful study of the Scriptures show that the Scriptures were collected together in the 1st century and distributed to all.
May God bless us all in the grace and peace in Christ.
I will not take the time to go point by point on your lengthy comment. I will ask you one question. How do you explain a history in churches of Christ of church splits with one side or both damning the other to hell? And, most of these folks were considered to be “conservative”?
Do you believe people are going to hell who use instruments in worship? That is a “Yes” or “No” question. If you answer “Yes” you are guilty of exactly what I addressed in this post. You nor anyone else can site a biblical passage that forbids instruments. The well worn practice of finding commands from what the Bible does not say is not valid. The problem is that one guy believes the “necessary inference” is one thing and another, just as sincere, reaches a different conclusion from the same silence of Scripture.
I have never even hinted that Christians should not do all they possibly can to follow Christ, His teachings, and the Apostolic teachings. The Word of God is the final authority for both faith and daily living (including worship).
My problem is this. A preacher prints in the church bulletin that those members who do not attend Sunday night services will go to hell. A so called evangelist teaches that a whole congregation is going to hell because they sung a song (a cappella by the way) as the communion trays were passed. This is only two examples of false teaching, adding to the gospel.
It is one thing to impose extra-biblical rules on yourself, it is quite another to impose them on everyone else, and that is a sin.
Royce
Exactly, Royce. The problem is that the Churches of Christ confuse the Christian response to the Gospel to the actual Gospel itself. Therefore, anyone who uses instruments, they quickly condemn and claim that they are going “beyond what is written.” However, they cannot see that THEY are the ones going beyond what is written! They have no authority to make such pronouncements and they’ll throw out strawmen by asking, “Well then ANYTHING is allowed in the ‘Assembly’!” as if most Christians, whom they don’t even accept as Christians, are raging anarchists. Unsurprising enough, I have never seen another denomination as split and fractured as the Churches of Christ, the very one which condemns all others for stepping outside the “authority.” There is a lesson to be learned- focusing so much on the letter of the Law pushes out the Spirit and where the Spirit isn’t, there is no Church.
Well said! Thanks for your visit and your comment.
Royce
I use to do some wood working
Years ago and sometimes you had to make a number of the same pieces to complete the
Items you were building.
The first piece was cut from a
Mock-up and was easy. The second piece was traced from the first. I learned as you made each piece, in order to get each piece to resemble the others, you had to use the first piece because no piece was perfect when compared to the pattern. Each piece had mistakes because of the wood grain, broke saw blade, bad lighting etc. When u duplicated those imperfections
Along with new mistakes, you were in trouble.
Always go back to the pattern.
JESUS.
Royce, thank you for this post. I’m glad I’m not the only one who notices.
Ken, I love that example.
Royce I was once a young preacher as Scott obviously is, when I was young I knew all the answers. As I matured I realized that some of the “truths” I had held were not truth at all. If he lives long enough Scott will probably grow as well. Peace
I pray it is true.
Royce
Royce:
I am the brother you accused of having a “warped imagination.” I wanted to chime in to this line of thought and make an observation. Every group on the face of the earth has pattern to it. You responded sharply to my post at OneInJesus because it did not fit the pattern of what you thought was not warped. Correct? Yes, you are correct; patternism can be a template for sin — especially when we are not listening to Christ’s teachings about loving one another.
When “pattern” equals apostolic teaching, then we are in good company — the company of the risen Lord. So, yes, the pattern is Jesus and his revelation through apostles. It is both.
Yours in Christ,
Bruce Morton
Bro’ Bruce,
I don’t remember the context of what you refer to here but I’ll take your word for it. If I was wrong you have my sincere apology. Nothing you said here I disagree with in the least.
Allow me to restate my problem using this illustration. Brother “A” believes he should only use one cup when he takes the Lord’s supper. That is fine with me. In fact, if that is his firm belief, to practice otherwise would be wrong for him, a sin.
Now, Brother “A” advises Brother “B” in the next town that unless he only uses one cup too that he will lose his salvation and go to hell. In my humble opinion, now Brother “A” has sinned just as the heretics Paul addressed his strongest language to in his letter to the Galatians.
Neither I, nor you, nor any other man has the right to bind on others what the Bible does not.
I do appreciate your common sense reply. And, once more, if I was wrong I apologize.
Royce
You are DECEIVING your readers! Did you notice?
I really thought better of you putting you a bit above the likes of Jay and Al Maxey the inventer and purveyor of ALL of the RACA words and still Biblicalll illiterate: it is not intentional but delusional. Time is short.
????? Ken, maybe if you tried making your case in a more conversational, more coherent way people could understand it. Its like you are talking in some secret code. I don’t understand what you are saying, I can’t break the code of a “code talker”. Where in the Bible is the passages that forbid instruments in the Christian assembly. I don’t want to read about “goat pluckers” and “man-boy” and Lucifer. Just give me the texts. If you can’t then please stop wasting my time.
Royce
Men create commandments that God never created as commandments.
Men declare that a violation of THEIR commandment is a sin where God never declared it to be a sin.
Men declare that a violation of THEIR commandment is a salvation issue where God never declared it to be a salvation issue.
Men have created a doctrine that God never created as a doctrine.
“But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.” Matthew 15:9
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It is amazing how that the Word of God ( rightly divided ) will show a theology to be false when studied just like the real dollar bill will expose the counterfeit. The only thing that one must do to avoid doctrinal error is to rightly divide the Truth of the Word. This man in this article has done that. Remember, any argument from silence is not an argument; it is man’s conclusion. When one rightly divides the Scripture, he will find that the use of ” mechanical ” instruments are neither required nor forbidden. When man concludes otherwise, he is not reaching the same conclusion that the writer of Holy Script did.
I have made the charge that ” patternists ” must abandon their patternism theology in order to impose baptism ” in order to be saved ” on lost Gentiles today. Why? Because NO GENTILE is being saved in the book of Acts until after chapter seven, and their ” pattern ” comes from Acts 2:37, even though not one lost Gentile is in the crowd. The ” pattern ” for lost Gentiles should come from Acts 16:30, but is willfully neglected by patternists because it does not support baptismal remission theology as written. It is time for the Phillippian jailor to be afforded the same conclusion that ” patternists ” afford to Simon Magnus’ ” second ” conversion; that he was not required to be baptized in order to be saved because he was not told he needed to be baptized in order to be saved. Paternism and baptismal remission theology imposed on lost Gentiles are not compatable with each other, and it is time for baptismal remission apologists to choose which one to keep, and which one to abandon.
Larry, if you have time, take a look at http://www.wayoflife.org. Too, ask yourself: “Did the apostles teach the same thing (Eph. 2:20; 3:5; 2 Peter 3:1-2, 15-16).” I am not a Baptist nor trying for an argument here. But what you are saying goes against sound hermeneutics – to say the least. Take care. -Brian
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There is “some pattern” in worship, and too – in the individual life of the Christian. I recommend reading/watching debates on each subject of the N.T. instead of the shotgun approach you find here on this website. Also, I am very happy to say that I am a Democrat in politics and a Christian.