The rejection of brethrenism
THE REJECTION OF BRETHRENISM
Extracts of ministry
1963-1964
James Taylor Jr
(emphasis added)
“Remember your leaders who have spoken to you the word of God;”
(Hebrews 13: 7)
THE ASSEMBLY IN RELATION TO GOD AS REVEALED (9)
Ipswich, 19-21 July 1963
. . .
J.T.Jr. It was a time of joy really for Joseph, indicating the position that Paul comes into, as in Corinth he testified to the Jews that Jesus was the Christ. That is what he did first. Then it says he turned to the gentiles, that is, Joseph turned to the gentiles, he is among the gentiles, that is the assembly seen among the gentiles, an entirely new position, and Judaism had to be left by these men; Paul had to leave it, and in a similar way we have to leave any established religion, even the established religion of ‘brethrenism’.
. . .
S.D.K.R. Would you mind saying what you mean by ‘brethrenism’, please?
J.T.Jr. What Mr. Raven said, because Mr. Raven was afraid of brethrenism, something growing as a sect, a religion, and it became very prominent, and I think he was afraid of it. We do not want to have any religion. There in only one thing that has come down from Pentecost, that is what we have come into, there is nothing apart from that. We are identified with the assembly of God, that is, what has come down from Pentecost, so that I do not think we should use titles like Plymouth Brethren, that is not our name, even if they call us that. I do not think that we should identify ourselves with it at all.
G.F.S. There are occasions such as the hiring of a hall like this where something would have to be said. Could you help us?
J.T.Jr. What has to be said? You are arranging meetings for the reading of the word of God.
G.F.S. I was thinking, more, that there are sometimes forms to be filled in.
J.T.Jr. Well, what did you put in? I do not think we should use these things. What do you say, Mr. L.?
P.L. “Know that our brother Timothy is set at liberty”, after this great organisation is set up in the power of the Spirit in Chapter 12. Is this how we refer to one another?
J.T.Jr. They were first called christians in Antioch, it says that, so why should we assume anything, or want any name? I think we have done it, perhaps, not with anything wrong in mind — I know we have done it where we are, but is it so, that we should use that? Is it not enough to say christians?
H.J.T.B.As over against what you have said as to established religion, is this the establishing in verse 21, “Now he that establishes us with you in Christ”, is that the vital line that has come through?
J.T.Jr.Quite. If we are related to anything, we are related to what has come down from Pentecost, nothing else, no new church, the recovery was to what was at the beginning.
F.W.T. Would you say that what we are going on with is normal christianity, and everything else is abnormal?
J.T.Jr.That is true, everything else is abnormal; names are just abnormal — they were called christians at Antioch.
G.W.B. Paul discovered it, did he not? He said, “in the way which they call sect”, he did not own it.
J.T.Jr. Yes, we could say that, ‘In the way which they call sect, so I serve my father’s God’. One is not to be meticulous about these things, it is just that we do not want to indicate that there is another church. We say there is only one church and no other, we belong to that, and everybody has a right to it, as washing their robes.
. . .
THE BRIDE AND THE GLORY OF GOD (1)
Manchester, 31 July 1964
. . .
J.C.D. Would the two sides be seen at Antioch, the suffering side and then the glory? They were first called christians there.
J.T.Jr. That is an important point as to what we call ourselves. We do not identify ourselves with ‘Exclusive Brethren’. That should be clearly in our minds that we do not associate ourselves with that term. That is just another sect. So they were first called christians at Antioch; that is, the thought of glory was there in an exterior way; they were Christ-ed, that is what it means. There was an exterior with the brethren at Antioch that marked them off, and so there is no need of using any other references than we have in Scripture. ‘Brethren’ is right, but what brethren? Brethren of Christ, I think we have perhaps dropped into identifying ourselves with certain terms, whereas Scripture should be kept to and your own testimony comes out; a person is a christian. Then he shows that he has the Spirit of Christ in every relation. Some of these matters that have happened have rather brought out the flesh in us and we do not want any more of that. We want to exhibit the Spirit of Christ as exhibited in Paul; he had that Spirit in 1 Corinithians 4, as he went through the whole scene of pressure, and there were those reigning in Corinth who had no knowledge of it.
. . .
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