The Doctrine of Incorporation
Posted by Michael Bunker
mbunker@michaelbunker.com
Reposted From
http://www.markswatson.com/incorp.html
Michaels Site is at
http://www.lazarusunbound.com/
“For
by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews
or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to
drink into one Spirit. For the body is not one member, but many…Now
ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular. (1Co
12:13-14,27)
July 28, 2003
- The Bible teaches plainly that
the true Church of God is a Body, begotten by God and created in
order to serve the Head of that Body which is Jesus Christ (Eph.
5:23). Each body may only naturally have one head, lest it be known
as some freakish beast or a monster, striving against itself with
contrary wills. Through this understanding we see the words of
Christ with utter clarity:
“No
servant can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and
love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the
other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon”
(Luke 16:13)
Now
this word “hate” does not mean that one will have a fury or utter
burning anger for one master rather it means that this servant who
has two masters will not regard or obey one of his heads. He will
not truly serve the one head, nor will he truly obey it. He will
regard one of his heads and disregard the other. So it is clear
that no truly authentic functioning body may have two heads. It may
not have a “chief head” and a “lesser head”, nor may the body
rightfully propose to serve a head foreign to its character and
purpose.
The Greek word for the “BODY”
described in these verses is “Soma”. This word was translated into
Latin as “Corpus”, and was adopted into the everyday language by the
early Church which described itself as the “Corpus Christi” or the
“Body of Christ”. According to the American Heritage Dictionary, a
“corporation” is:
“a
group of people combined into, or acting as one body.”
This
word “Corporation” was derived from the Common Law and was directly
take from the Christian understanding of the “Corpus” or Body of
people.
Christ’s Body (Corporation) is ordained by Christ (John 15:16). It
is headed by Him (1 Cor. 11:3). He is the lawful Creator of it (1
Peter 1:13). It is a mystery (Eph. 1:9), and it is Universal, in
that it has no carnal, national boundaries (Rev. 5:9, Hebrews
11:14).
Note
what Jesus says to us in His parables, specifically, in the parable
of the prodigal son. We all know that when the Prodigal leaves the
Father, the Bible says that he goes to “a far country”. I have
heard a lot of messages preached about this far country, but read
what else the Bible has to say about the Prodigal. He not only WENT
to a far country, but…
“And
he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country; and he sent
him into his fields to feed swine.” (Luke 15:15)
So, the Prodigal had hit rock
bottom when he actually JOINED himself to a citizen of another
country. He became incorporated with a people who served another
head, and by default, he hated his own Father by disregarding Him.
James B. Jordan wrote this in his
book entitled The
Sociology of the Church,
“The
Christian doctrine of “incorporation” is sacramental. It is the
sacramental body of Jesus Christ that creates oneness of the church
on the earth, and that makes her one “body,” one corpus,”
incorporated into Christ and into one another… The church as a
sacramental corporation has given a perspective of continuity to
men, and thus man has analogously set up other corporations that
provide continuity for their works…The church is already a true
corporation. She is so by virtue of the sacramental presence of
Christ’s body in her midst and at her heart. She does not need to
“obtain incorporation” from any earthly power.”
The true corporation of God is
His Kingdom made evident on earth. As we have taught on many
occasions, there are two “Kingdoms” evident in the world. Jesus
announced to the religious people of His day that, “…the kingdom of
God is come upon you” (Luke 11:20). Jesus plainly stated that the
kingdoms of this world were separate from His Kingdom. He stated
that Satan had a kingdom (Matt. 12:25), and that Satan’s kingdom was
not divided against itself, rather, Satan’s kingdom is opposed to
the Kingdom of God. Satan has sown his seed amongst the children of
God’s Kingdom (Matt. 13:38). These tare seeds exist among the
Lord’s field, but are incorporated unto another head. They serve
another head, while purporting to serve Christ.
When
the Lord calls an elect child to be part of his Body, he first
instructs Him to LEAVE His own country, as God told Abraham:
“And
said unto him, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred,
and come into the land which I shall shew thee”
(Acts 7:3)
Jesus said, “My kingdom is not of this world” (John 18:36). Yet the
kingdom of this world creates its own “corporations”. Black’s Law
Dictionary says this about worldly corporations:
“Corporation.
An artificial person or legal entity created by or under the
authority of the laws of a state”
Here
is a further explanation of State created “corporations”:
“A
corporation derives its existence and all of its powers from the
State and, therefore, has only such powers as the State has
conferred upon it.” (Smith and Roberson’s Business Law, pages
796,931)
So a
corporation is created and ruled by the entity that incorporated it,
and derives its just powers from that entity.
With a few exceptions, Churches
in America and around the world are incorporated by the State. In
America, most so-called “churches” are incorporated by the
government, and they apply to the state for protection and
tax-exempt status under Title 26, USC, Section 501(c)(3). This
concept of being “incorporated” by the state would have been totally
foreign to the ancient church, and would have been violently opposed
by the Protestant Reformers. The Westminster Confession of Faith
says this,
“there
is no other head of the Church, but the Lord Jesus”
The early Puritans in America
concurred,
“…the
true Church by the power it hath received from Christ can gather
itself together when, and as often as, it pleaseth. The company of
believers have power to gather themselves together for their mutual
good, instruction, preservation, edification, and for the avoiding
or preventing of evil, and that without the consent or authority of
any extrinsical and foreign power whatever; else Christ were not a
sufficient founder of his Church.” (Puritanism and Liberty, William
Dell essay, “The Way of Peace and Unity”)
When the early Church refused to
“incorporate” under the State, it was persecuted to the ends of the
earth. Remember, it was those who rejected Christ who screamed out,
“We have no King but Caesar” (John 19:15). The governments of the
earth will not countenance a church that does not bow the knee to
it. The attempt has forever been made to force the true Church to
its knees before Caesar, or better yet, join with it as its “Lord
Protector” (The State). The struggle for the independence of the
True Church of God is indeed the very History of God’s people, both
in bondage and occasionally in freedom.
The 501(c)(3) incorporation is a deception so
cleverly devised that it has succeeded in fooling all but the very
elect. It is still our prayer that the true children of the Father
will wake up in that “Far Country” to which they have joined
themselves as citizens, stir themselves up to leave it, forsake it
and never return to it. State incorporation is the citizenship
paperwork for the Kingdom
of Satan. It matters not that some
people write us to tell us that their so-called “church” teaches
right doctrine, even though they are “creations” of the state. We
are never surprised when the enemy creates close facsimiles of
Christ’s true Church. Deception would not be deception without such
concoctions. The world’s churches admit freely that they are
creations of the State when they announce their incorporation under
the State. Christ’s Body does not have two heads. We cannot serve
two masters. The rage of the State will always come down upon those
who do not serve it as master. The so-called “church” today,
Apostate and swollen from gorging itself on the world’s dainties,
refuses to accept the legitimacy of all those believers who reject
the “corporate churchstate”. The Emperor Diocletian embodied the
persecution that his descendants in the corporate “churches” would
bring down upon all those who do not bow the knee to Caesar. In 256
a.d., Diocletian sent out an edict of persecution calling for the
punishment and death of all who would presume to hold “secret
assemblies for the purpose of religious worship.”
I
have had Pastors tell me that they will keep their incorporated
status, “until the day the Government tells me to do something that
is banned by scripture”. By saying this, the Pastor believes that
he has exempted himself from the sanctions in scripture, and
convinced himself that he stands apart from the bulk of apostate
Christianity. But let us look at his deception. The Pastor who
proposes to continue to operate with two heads, refuses to recognize
that only one of the heads is his creator. The state claims to be
creator and lord over all those to whom it offers to incorporate.
The so-called “church” agrees to this lordship by seeking protection
and incorporation by the state. To say that “when the Government
tells me to do something that is banned by scripture, then I will
reject it”, is to deny that INCORPORATION by the State itself is
banned by scripture! The words of Christ emphasize it! When a man
“joins” a corporation that is headed by another (other than Christ),
he joins himself to a Harlot. This corporation claims to be
Christ’s bride, but she commits harlotry with another master. To
join with this harlot, is to commit fornication. This is banned in
scripture:
“Know
ye not that your bodies are the members of Christ? shall I then take
the members of Christ, and make them the members of an harlot? God
forbid”
(1 Cor. 6:15)
These Pastors are causing people to join a harlot. They give
lip-service to independence, while serving another head. They wake
up in a “far country” and instead of coming to themselves so that
they might return to the Father; they harden themselves with the
rationalizations of their mind. What does this say of them?
We
as Christians enter into contract with the Living God, not with the
intent of disobeying Him or rebelling against Him. We do not hold
out provisions against God, saying that we will rebel against Him if
He requires something of us that we are not willing to give. What
does it say of the corporate church “Pastor” when he enters into
contract with his incorporation’s creator (the State) with the
express purpose of disobeying the State if he doesn’t like what his
lord (the State) requires of Him? Is this Pastor not saying, “I
will serve to masters, so long as neither requires me to serve only
one”?
The
Body of Christ is a corporation. We have only one head. We serve
only one master. To incorporate and to ally oneself with the State
is to hate one master (The Lord Jesus Christ) by disregarding his
claims on us and our persons.
To
those in church leadership who are hearing this message. You are
likely very angry with me right now. That is fine. I’ve never
tried to be popular. You are either very convicted in your spirit
that your state incorporation is wrong, or you will be even further
hardened against God’s call of separation. We know that the carnal
mind is capable of rationalizing anything. I ask you to
un-incorporate your church as soon as possible. No one ever said
being a Christian was going to be easy. Throw down the weapons of
your rebellion and flee back to the Father. Those that do such
things prove that they seek a better country.
State incorporation, at its root,
is all about money. As the Lord said, “Ye cannot serve God and
mammon”. Incorporation is about staying “tax free”, although it is
evident that NO true church
of God owes any taxes at all. State incorporation is about
maximizing revenue, by giving the churchgoers a tax deduction for
“charitable giving”. It’s all about the money. Offerings decrease
when a church is not incorporated by the State. So at its root,
this latter day “incorporation” apostasy is about the worship of
mammon.
Serve one, or serve the other. You cannot serve both. Defend
yourself with rationalizations and excuses. But you cannot serve
both God and the State. Your head is EITHER Christ, or it is the
State. To those who are currently “joined” to these incorporations,
you are commanded to flee that iniquitous city before it is
destroyed by a jealous God.
The
only TRUE Christian corporation is God’s true Body. They are easy
enough to find. You will find them being crucified by religious
compromisers and stoned by State-sponsored Pharisees.
You may hear a sermon on this
by clicking
here.
Your
servant in Christ Jesus,
Michael Bunker
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