For our present purpose we use the term “Church” in its wider and more general meaning as signifying those organised bodies of professed Christians who claim to hold to, and witness on behalf of, the Christian faith in its entirety. In Presbyterian Scotland the Church’s personnel consists of ministers, office-bearers, members in full Communion, and baptized persons. Non-Presbyterian denominations have their own distinctive features. Our point here is that persons of different status in the Church presumably undertake particular and common responsibilities and obligations to Christ and His Truth, while they claim to be Christians. On the other hand, the “World” we would write of is to be understood in the limited sense as representing unregenerate persons who, at heart and in reality, have no lot or part in those spiritual things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ, and who are, of course, a people entirely apart from the truly converted children of God, as far as their state, nature and also their practice is concerned. Yet they have a name and a place in what is ordinarily called the “Church”; but they are the “World” in the Church and bring into the Church a worldly spirit, worldly views, worldly things and worldly designs. “The world will love his own,” says Christ; and the world cannot love the Redeemer, His people, His Truth or Cause, be they ever so eminent in the Church. And the deplorable and lamentable fact is that to-day, as no doubt in other days, the world has a widespread influence over the Church, and an increasing ascendency in it, which conclusion is warrantable when we consider certain manifestations of out and out worldliness within the borders of the Church.
We recognise that David’s words, “An end of all’ perfection, here have I seen O God,” have their own application to the best state of any section of the visible Church of Christ. But by the divine guidance and measure of the Inspired Word of God, worldliness in the Church may be identified and exposed as it exists and prevails without cloak or covering. As Jesus said of certain men in His own day, “… but now they have no cloke for their sin,” (John xv, 22). We can, as far as that is possible, avoid arriving at rash judgments and judge conscientiously by the further method of employing the principle laid down by the Lord Jesus Christ, viz., “Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them,” (Matt. vii, 20). Worldly persons are to be known as such, by their fruit, inasmuch as the corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. And our opinion is that a large part of the Church to-day, generally speaking, is full of this “evil fruit”.
We can give here but a brief survey of specific aspects of the activities of the World in the Church. To begin with, men of all sorts and devoid of saving grace and a true spiritual experience, have been encouraged and flattered into accepting and assuming offices in the Church; and therein to teach and govern. Then, we are becoming sadly aware of the fact that there is no lessening of attacks on the Bible from Professorial Chairs and other directions. In recent times the virgin birth and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ, etc., have been publicly denied. Such unmasked attacks upon the glories of our Lord from within the visible Church, evidence the World, shall we say, at its worst, and are a form of anti-Christ. And from the religious beliefs and practices of multitudes of professing Christians to-day, we may conclude that in many pulpits in Scotland, as elsewhere, only a travesty of the Gospel is preached and reaches the ears and minds of the people. The theme which colours and forms the “modern sermon” is conspicuously the universal Fatherhood of God. His love is said to embrace all mankind and to ultimately secure a place in heaven for all. From the consistent and constant utterances of present-day ministers in every corner of the land, the public are, more often than not, led to accept the view that every one who dies and is buried is a brother or sister in Christ and is assured of a glorious resurrection. Sin, divine wrath and everlasting punishment, and man’s need of repentance unto life, are not subjects to be handled at all in the modern pulpit; and if touched on, they are presented in cautious phrases, which shall not be offensive to the itching ears in the pews. Thus another Gospel, which is not another, has prepared the way for very great numbers of unregenerate and spiritually ignorant men and women, young and old, to light-heartedly take upon themselves the responsibility and guilt of partaking of the Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper, unworthily. We are convinced that the World, in multitudes, are eating and drinking condemnation to themselves, not discerning the Lord’s body. The dance and theatre one day, and the Lord’s table the next, is the order of the day, with many “blind” and bold persons in the midst of the Church, who have been deceived into thinking that the remembrance of Christ’s death depends on them as well as others. And further, the World connected with the Church, is competing with the vain lovers of worldly pleasure who are outwith the Church, in providing for themselves, and those who may be permitted to join with them, the dance, the variety concert, the cinema show, and so on; and all under the auspices of the Church and within those buildings which should be devoted solely and alone to God’s worship. But we proceed no further in this deplorable line of things. The people of God are sorely tried and grieved at heart when they look out upon this unholy and God-dishonouring state of affairs—the World in the Church!
Yet when God will arise again and have mercy upon Zion, then He will by the power of His Holy Spirit through the Gospel of His Son, and also by scriptural government and discipline, cleanse the Church of ungodly, worldly persons and practices; and be Himself, “the glory in the midst” once more in our beloved land. At such a time, the righteous shall be exalted and such as shall be saved added to the Church in large numbers. Then erroneous doctrines will be opposed and forbidden as “doctrines of devils”; unconverted preachers will have little or no place, as they will expose themselves before a discerning people; carnal communicants will become fewer and fewer; the dance, concert and whist drive will be wholly banned as scandalous practices within the borders of the visible Church of Christ; and thus will the Church be renovated and restored to bear and reveal a blessed measure of the glory of the Lord in our land once more.