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"...The church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth."
I Timothy 3:15
Questions from a Local-Church-Only-Ite
1. If the universal church idea is true, it would include the saved of earth now as well as the saved in Heaven as being in the church. The part on earth is hopelessly divided on doctrine, yet the part in Heaven knows the perfect truth. How then can there be unity in such a church? Explain this in relation to the following Scriptures: 1 Cor. 1:10; 11:18-20; 12:24-25.
2. If the word “church” undoubtedly means an assembly, then how does the universal
church assemble? How does it function as an assembly?
3. If a human body is ground into hamburger and fed to the dogs on six continents, is it still a human body? How can Christians constitute a body scattered throughout the world and also in Heaven through twenty centuries of time?
4. If we are still all in this "universal body of Christ" should we not strive for
unity? What would you compromise in order to achieve such a unity? Inspiration of
the Bible, controversies of election or free will, sanctification?
5. The church is described as "the pillar and ground of the truth" (1 Tim. 3:15).
Since the "universal church body" cannot achieve unity with all its earthly divisions,
how can it be the "pillar and ground of the truth"?
6. The ecumenical movement is growing stronger in the last days. Is not the universal
church doctrine the main tenet of this movement? Will not this be one of the key
tenets that will bring together all apostates into the final "one-world church"?
Is this not the key doctrine of the World Council of Churches?
7. I have had people, who would neither join nor faithfully attend church, use this excuse - that they are in the "universal body of Christ" and therefore have no need to attend the "little church". Such minimize the importance of the local church. Does not this concept cause many to deny their responsibility to a local fellowship of believers?