Books

Focus On The Fundamentals Of The Faith

By W. Douglass Harris

Is It too Far to Jerusalem?

"It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem” (1 Kings 12:28 — read entire chapter for background).

This chapter records the division of the kingdom of Israel after Rehoboam’s accession to the throne. Rehoboam had followed the advice of the younger men in his realm rather than that of the older men in redressing the grievances of the people. As a result, ten tribes revolted and summoned Jereboam from exile in Egypt to be their king. Jereboam established his government on idolatry, and set up two golden calves at Dan and Bethel as objects of worship. Knowing the people might desert if they went back to Jerusalem to worship (the place authorized by God), he made an appeal to them from convenience that it was too far for them to go to Jerusalem and was unnecessary. It was an appeal to the flesh, the love of ease, to the “sorry” in man, which is deadening and dangerous then as now.

Ancient appeal of Jerusalem: Jerusalem was always important to the Jews. It held a special charm and appeal for them. It was their capital city, seat of government, place of worship, and called “the city of the great king” (Matthew 5:35). In captivity Daniel prayed toward Jerusalem and when Nehemiah in captivity heard of the city’s state of disrepair, he wept (Daniel 6:10; Nehemiah 2:3). Their general love and attitude toward Jerusalem is expressed poignantly in Psalm 137:5,6.

In a figurative sense, Jerusalem is just as important today to the restorers of the New Testament church as it was to ancient Israelites. Peter in Jerusalem referred to Jerusalem by inspiration as “The Beginning” (Acts 11:15). The events of Acts 2 mark the beginning of many things: preaching the gospel in fact, the new covenant ratified by the blood of Christ, the gospel plan of salvation, baptism in the name of Christ for the remission of sins, execution of the Great Commission, the church of Christ, worship as authorized by Christ, binding and loosing authority of the apostles of Christ, and the reign of Christ on David’s throne.

The word “Jerusalem” is used today in a metaphorical sense to picture the true will of God. Since the gospel was first preached in fact in Jerusalem, when the same gospel is preached today unchanged, it is described as “the-old-Jerusalem” gospel. Preaching like that of the apostles is said to have the “Jerusalem ring” in it. When someone is unwilling to obey the conditions of the gospel bound in Jerusalem by the Spirit-guided apostles, we ask them: “Is it too far to Jerusalem?”

Too far for many today: Many in Christendom today find it too far to Jerusalem — they are not willing to go back of Catholicism and Protestantism by abandoning all human creeds and catechisms and make the New Testament our exclusive guide and restore the church that had its beginning in Jerusalem. Many are not willing to turn their backs on relative’s religions, forsake practices held dear for generations and go all the way back to Jerusalem and follow the inspired pattern for the church.

Many find it too far to Jerusalem to attain religious unity on the seven-step plan of Ephesians 4:4-6 — one Lord, one faith, one Spirit, one body, one hope, one baptism, one God. This is the Jerusalem gospel. There is no other basis or plan that will work. It will never be attained in sectarian division. Some find it too far to Jerusalem to restore the scriptural action in baptism. Effusion for baptism is the easy, convenient and unauthorized action. The Jerusalem gospel teaches that baptism is a burial in water (Colossians 2:12; Romans 6:3,4). Many find it too far to Jerusalem to practice the kind of music authorized by Christ and His apostles — vocal music (Ephesians 5:19; Colossians 3:16). As Israel did, the idol of mechanical instrumental music in the denominational world has become more appealing and popular. The majority of the religious world finds it too far to Jerusalem for the scriptural design of baptism, scriptural designations for the church, the scriptural creed of the church, and scriptural worship including the weekly observance of the Lord’s Supper. Advocates of the so-called “new hermeneutic” find it too far to Jerusalem for a correct way of determining how the scriptures authorize.

Conclusion: Have you obeyed the Jerusalem gospel? From Acts 2:22-47 we learn what was required in Jerusalem by the inspired apostles of Christ. They heard the death, burial and resurrection of Christ proclaimed, they were indicted for slaying Christ, cut to the heart they cried out asking what they needed to do to be saved, and as believers in Christ they were told to repent and be baptized for remission of their sins. Is it too far for you to go?