Learning to draw lines.
To fathom, even to a limited degree, the depths of God’s wisdom and savor the beauty of His ways, the Bible student must “rightly divide” the Word. If we fail to do so, our view will be distorted, our position unbalanced, and our interpretation faulty.
What do we mean by the practice of the church? Is it the doctrines, the ordinances, the traditions, or the customs? What is the distinction between “practice” and these other terms? Webster defines practice: “to do or engage in frequently or usually; to make a habit of…” These terms as used in Scripture can be distinguished in the following way, illustrated in Acts 2 and 1 Thessalonians 1:
• Church doctrine – the teaching of the apostles (Acts 2:42; 1 Thes. 1:8)
• Church practice – the example of the church (Acts 2:44-45; 1 Thes. 1:7)
• Church custom – the unique experience of the church (Acts 2:46; 1 Thes. 1:6a)
The subject of church practices is as vast as the book of Acts and the New Testament epistles. Fortunately, our study here will be confined to 1 Thessalonians. I do recommend, however, that for a more exhaustive study, one would do well to read from Acts through Revelation 3 and note the many church practices therein. How often have we said of our assembly gatherings that we are following the pattern of the New Testament church as revealed in Scripture? Yet a casual study of the practices of the early church may indicate that we still have a long way to go.
The above terms have many overlapping elements. Note 1 Thessalonians 1:6: “And ye became followers of us, and of the Lord, having received the Word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Ghost.” These saints had the unique experience of being in the presence of apostles who had known the physical presence of the Lord. These were the men they were privileged to follow as together they followed the Lord. The teaching of the apostles’ and their walk of faith enabled the believers to follow the Lord in the truth of God.
Obedience demanded
As we consider the doctrine, practice, and customs of the church, we see a graduated level of adherence. Church doctrine leaves no room for deviation. The message of the gospel is preached without variation: “But as we were allowed of God to be put in trust with the gospel, even so we speak; not as pleasing men, but God, which trieth our hearts” (1 Thes. 2:4).
Church practice, however, may involve a limited variety of acceptable options, implemented as needed for the occasion and exercised with discretion and godly wisdom. Paul’s example in Thessalonica was to support himself financially rather than burdening the church with his needs (1 Thes. 2:9). Yet, at other times, he followed his counsel rendered to Timothy in 1 Timothy 5:17-18.
An example of church custom can be found in 1 Thessalonians 5:26: “Greet all the brethren with an holy kiss.” The holy kiss was pure and chaste. It was “a kiss of charity” (1 Pet. 5:14), a token of Christian fellowship, and still common in many countries today.
So we have:
• Church doctrine – absolute, non-negotiables
• Church practice – the example set by the early church with some flexibility while still honoring the principles of the New Testament
• Church custom – an experience unique to the first century believers and not a mandate of Scripture
Making distinctions
Many transitional issues of the early church have a profound effect on the process of rightly dividing doctrine, practice, and custom. The Bible student must take into consideration such factors now foreign to present-day church order. These issues include, but are not limited to:
• The transition of Judaism to Christianity – a church of Jewish converts
• The coming and indwelling of the Spirit in stages
• The exercise of “sign gifts” no longer present
• The presence of apostles, discontinued with the first generation
But none of these transitional factors ought to be used to explain away clear New Testament church doctrine. For example, there are three church ordinances: the Lord’s Supper, believer’s baptism, and the two-fold ordinance of the headcovering (uncovered heads of the males and covered heads of the females). Within the keeping of each of these ordinances, we can see a blend of all three elements: doctrine, practice, and custom. With each one, there are the clear biblical teachings and divinely appointed principles behind the symbols of the ordinance. These doctrinal truths are essential and absolute, independent of man’s creative tampering and societal changes. The ordinances cannot be dispensed with in order to appease our culture. But the practice of the ordinance from assembly to assembly around the world may reflect a measure of variation without violating the biblical truth of the ordinance itself. As well, a variety of local customs prevails today involving these three important church ordinances; however, none of these should have any impact on truth of Scripture or the preeminence of Christ. With just a little thought given to this, such variations and distinctions will readily come to mind.
In summary, consider the inter-relationships:
• Doctrine sets out the boundaries of our practice
• Practice shows the reality of our doctrine
• Voluntary customs should not violate our doctrine
Practices to emulate
Our attention is now drawn to the practice of this church in 1 Thessalonians. There is much practical instruction to the saints. Assuming their obedience, these teachings would soon translate into their church practice. We will refrain from making that reasonable assumption and address only what we know was their actual church practice as recorded in this letter.
The assembly in Thessalonica was not perfect. There were things lacking (3:10) and room for growth and improvement (3:12; 4:10). But in spite of its imperfections, the church was a great example to surrounding testimonies in Macedonia. Many of its practices are a real encouragement to our own local assemblies today:
1. The saints followed the godly example set forth by the apostles (1:6; 2:14). We would do well to give heed to the teaching of godly men of past generations, whom God has used for His glory.
2. They recognized the stamp of divine authority on the Word of God and allowed the teaching of the apostles’ doctrine to do its work in their gathering (2:13).
3. They upheld the apostle Paul and his co-laborers in prayer and with godly affection (3:6).
4. The believers maintained a consistent walk of strong faith and practical love for all the saints as a testimony before the world (1:3, 7-8; 3:6-7).
5. They exercised brotherly love not only toward one another in their immediate fellowship, but also toward other saints in a broader fellowship of their local geographical area (4:9-10). This represents inter-assembly involvement instead of isolation.
6. They were students of the Scriptures, having grown in spiritual maturity and understanding. Note the repeated use of the phrase, “for ye know…” (5:1-2).
7. Each served one another as a body of believers and church family, edifying and comforting (5:11).
Some closing observations. First, their fellowship had two hallmarks: faith in the truth of God’s Word and love for one another. Healthy doctrine produces Christ-like practices and God-honoring customs.
Second, it is interesting to note the instructions from the first epistle which are repeated in the second. This may give some indication as to what was obeyed, and what was still lacking at the time the latter epistle was written (e.g. 1 Thes. 4:11-12 and 2 Thes. 3:10-12).
Finally, we would be remiss if, after such a study, we failed to examine the church practice of our own assemblies. For what are we known? What characterizes our gathering of believers who claim strict adherence to New Testament church practice? How do we compare to Thessalonica? Searching questions like these should cause us to challenge and edify one another.