“Without Me…nothing,” said the Lord. That pretty much covers it.
The course calendar said it was Latin, but maybe the class should have been called Miscellaneous. Some days we learned more English, French, and history than Latin. Long ago I forgot what prompted me to sign up for the course, but surprisingly I’m still glad I did. And even though Mr. Doherty informally intruded upon the fields of so many other teachers, he did teach us about Latin. For instance, he loved to teach us Latin phrases. Repeitio mater sapientia est. “Repetition is the mother of knowledge.” (For some reason he kept telling us that.) Caveat emptor. “Let the buyer beware.” And Sine qua non. “Without which… nothing.” It denotes that element of an object which is essential, vital, indispensable; it’s paramount feature; that without which the item would be, well, nothing.
When we study an object, we can benefit from considering any of its components. But we learn most from its sine qua non. The study of the Church is no different. And when we ask, “What is the sine qua non of the Church?” there can only be one answer: the Lord Jesus.
The pictures of the Church point us to Him. For what is a bride without a Bridegroom, a body without a Head, a flock without a Shepherd, or a building without a Foundation and Cornerstone?
The principles of the Church direct us to Him. The New Testament has a lot to say about shepherds, but much more about the Chief Shepherd. The Breaking of Bread is a remembrance of Him. Headcoverings turn out to be not some cultural triviality, but an object lesson about the headship of Christ and the glory of God. When we consider the autonomy of the local church, we see Christ walking among seven lampstands.
And what of those lampstands? Seven golden lampstands “which are the seven churches” (Rev. 1:20), everyone with its own special circumstances. Some with strengths, some with weaknesses, most with both. In each case, the Lord has a special message for the church. In each case, the message starts with a revelation of Christ Himself. And, if we look a little closer, we see that in each case that revelation isn’t arbitrarily selected. Rather, the Lord reveals Himself to the church in a way that addresses its unique circumstances— perfectly. The answer to every weakness and the source of every strength.
Every aspect of the Church centers on Christ—every picture, every principle, every word. Every blessing and wonder directs us to Him in gratitude and worship; every failure drives us to Him in repentance and petition. In the end every detail about the Church comes back to Him. Without which…without whom…nothing!
Written by J. B. Nicholson Jr