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Puritan Board Freshman
What is your belief on the nature of church membership? I hear two different viewpoints and I would like to hear your views. Please use Scriptures (as always) to justify.
My definitions below.
"Voluntary" Membership:
- The true church is the universal church; with the local church a subset of it (but consisting of unbelievers too). While joining a local church is important, it is by no means important compared to receiving Christ as Saviour. Should a member find his church policies' unacceptable, he may leave his congregation to commune with another local body of Christ. His membership in the local church has no tieing to his salvation.
"Involuntary" Membership:
- The true church is the universal church; the local church is a subset of it (but consisting of unbelievers too) and it is the only institution Christ had made to symbolically represent the universal Body of Christ. Therefore, church membership is a thing of utmost importance; nearly as important as one's salvation; one may only leave a congregation by death, letter of transfer or excommunication. A person who therefore is excommunicated, is under the curse of God even if he joins another congregation, until he repents.
My definitions below.
"Voluntary" Membership:
- The true church is the universal church; with the local church a subset of it (but consisting of unbelievers too). While joining a local church is important, it is by no means important compared to receiving Christ as Saviour. Should a member find his church policies' unacceptable, he may leave his congregation to commune with another local body of Christ. His membership in the local church has no tieing to his salvation.
"Involuntary" Membership:
- The true church is the universal church; the local church is a subset of it (but consisting of unbelievers too) and it is the only institution Christ had made to symbolically represent the universal Body of Christ. Therefore, church membership is a thing of utmost importance; nearly as important as one's salvation; one may only leave a congregation by death, letter of transfer or excommunication. A person who therefore is excommunicated, is under the curse of God even if he joins another congregation, until he repents.
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