Ron Halbrook

When sinners enter the assembly of the saints, are they permitted to participate in any way?  Are saints obligated to forbid and prevent them from singing, eating the Lord’s Supper, or giving into the collection?  The case of Cornelius and instructions to the church at Corinth shed light on such questions.

The Case of Cornelius

Acts 10:2 says of Cornelius, a Gentile who had not yet been saved by the gospel of Christ, “A devout man, and one that feared God with all his house, which gave much alms to the people, and prayed to God alway.”  While Cornelius was praying on one occasion, an angel appeared and said, “Cornelius, thy prayer is heard, and thine alms are had in remembrance in the sight of God” (Acts 10:30-31).  This did not mean he was in a right relationship with God, but God recognized his honest heart and told him to send for Peter, “who shall tell thee words, whereby thou and all thy house shall be saved” (Acts 11:14).

The case of Cornelius illustrates how that God recognizes the sincere desires of people to do right, even when they are not fully informed or qualified to fulfill certain duties.  All men are always obligated to worship God as the creator and sustainer of our lives (as in Psalm 100).  People like Cornelius attempt to do so, but because of lack of teaching they do not realize they are not in a right relationship to God, and therefore they are not qualified to worship in fellowship with God.  Their attempt to serve God is not sin if what they are doing is right, but their sins must be forgiven before their efforts to worship God will be accepted as fellowship with God.  As they attempt to serve God, God can open doors for them to learn more truth and to enter a right relationship with Him so that they will be qualified to offer acceptable worship.

The sense in which Cornelius’ prayers were heard is that God saw an honest searching heart and sent someone to teach him how to be saved.  After he was baptized into Christ, he could pray as a child of God.  His sins having been washed away, he was qualified to worship in fellowship with God and His saints.  “The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ?

For we being many are one bread, and one body: for we are all partakers of that one bread” (1 Cor. 10:16-17).  This was not possible before he was baptized into Christ.

Unbelievers in the Assembly at Corinth

Our loving and patient God always opens doors for people who seek Him to find Him.  This principle is very evident in passages such as 1 Corinthians 14:23-25,

23 If therefore the whole church be come together into one place,

and all speak with tongues,

and there come in those that are unlearned, or unbelievers,

will they not say that ye are mad?

24 But if all prophesy,

and there come in one that believeth not, or one unlearned,

he is convinced of all, he is judged of all:

25 And thus are the secrets of his heart made manifest;

and so falling down on his face he will worship God,

and report that God is in you of a truth.

Sinners are not prevented from entering the assembly of the saints but are welcomed!  This is God’s way to open a door for them to learn many things.  If they choose to participate in certain activities of the assembly, this is not evidence that we accept them into the fellowship of the saints, but only it is evidence that they are sincerely seeking God.  Since they are not in fellowship with God and His saints as members of the church, their participation in worship activities is not received by God as the worship of His saints.  But, we have no instructions from God to prevent these sincere seekers from joining and participating in the activities of the assembly.

Let us apply this in a concrete way.

1. Saints are commanded to assemble to worship God (Heb. 10:25).  Sinners sometimes join the assembly and we will not prevent them to do so.  This is God’s way to open a door for them to learn many things (see 1 Cor. 14:23-25).

2. Saints are commanded to sing praises to God when we assemble to worship Him (Eph. 5:19).  Sinners sometimes join the assembly and join the singing, and we will not prevent them to do so.  This is God’s way to open a door for them to learn many things (see 1 Cor. 14:23-25).

3. Saints are commanded to listen to the teaching of the Word of God when we assemble to worship Him (1 Cor. 14:26; Acts 20:7).  Sinners sometimes join the assembly ready to listen and learn (sometimes holding a Bible and a note pad), and we will not prevent them to do so.  This is God’s way to open a door for them to learn many things (see 1 Cor. 14:23-25).

4. Saints are commanded to pray when we assemble to worship Him (Acts 2:42; 1 Cor. 14:15).  Sinners sometimes join the assembly and even say, “Amen,” after the prayer, and we will not prevent them to do so.  This is God’s way to open a door for them to learn many things (see 1 Cor. 14:23-25).

5. Saints are commanded to eat the Lord’s Supper when we assemble to worship Him on the Lord’s day (Matt. 26:26-29; Acts 20:7).  Sinners sometimes join the assembly and partake the Lord’s Supper, and we will not prevent them to do so (if they take the unleavened bread, will we forcibly wring it out of the hand and rebuke them?).  This is God’s way to open a door for them to learn many things (see 1 Cor. 14:23-25).

6. Saints are commanded to give as they prosper into the collection when we assemble to worship Him on the Lord’s day (1 Cor. 16:2).  Sinners sometimes join the assembly and put a donation into the collection, and we will not prevent them to do so (if they put money in the collection, will we forcibly put it back into their hands and rebuke them?).  This is God’s way to open a door for them to learn many things (see 1 Cor. 14:23-25).

We will teach the sinners who are sincerely seeking the truth how to obey the gospel so that their worship will be recognized or accepted as fellowship with God and His people.  In other words, while they are yet sinners, their singing and giving are not recognized by God as fellowship with Him and His people, but only it is recognized as acts of seeking Him.  When they are baptized into Christ, their worship will be received as fellowship with God and His saints.

It is our obligation to conduct the worship service in a Scriptural way, but it is not our prerogative to “police” the assembly and prevent people from entering, singing, studying with us, saying “Amen” when we pray, eating the Lord’s Supper, or giving into the collection.

If we attempt to police the assembly, there will be another necessary step.  Sometimes saints are present who have fallen into sin (in some cases we know it, and in some cases it is secret sin and we do not know).  God does not accept the worship of brethren who persist in sin.  If we will police the assembly so that only faithful saints will be allowed to participate, we must post someone at the door to prevent erring brethren from entering.  If they forcibly enter, we must post someone to present them from singing.  Next prevent them from all the other acts of worship!  How is that possible???

Our efforts to police the assembly and the participation of people will totally fail because some of our brethren are secret sinners!  We will allow them to participate because we did not know their hearts as God alone knows their hearts, and so our policing of the assembly will collapse.

Is it inconsistent for us to allow sinners to make their own decisions about participating in the collection, because we do not include them in benevolence distribution?  No, it only means we consistently and strictly follow the instructions of the Lord (Matt. 28:19).  The Lord instructed us to conduct Scriptural worship, and He did not authorize us to “police” the participation of sinners.  The same Lord instructed us to distribute benevolence from the treasury to saints (2 Cor. 9:1).  We are consistent to follow all of these instructions.  If the sinner thinks it is not consistent, we will gladly have a Bible study with him to clarify it!

Is it inconsistent for us to allow sinners to make their own decisions about participating in the singing, because we do not include them to lead the songs?  No.  If the sinner thinks it is not consistent, we will gladly have a Bible study with him to clarify it!

When we teach lessons on worship, it will be helpful to explain that only people who have been forgiven of their sins are qualified to worship in fellowship with God.  We must be in a right relationship with Him.  This will help sincere sinners who are seeking the truth to understand another very important reason they need to obey the gospel without delay.

[Published in Truth Magazine 58, 8 (Aug. 2014):26-27]