WHAT IS THE CHURCH?
Introduction
What is the church? You may think you know. But do you know what the Bible teaches about the church?
Definition
The word translated, church, in the New Testament is from the Greek word, ekklesia {ek-klay-see'-ah}, according to Thayer[1]. The word is a compound of ek {ek} (out of, from, by, away from[2]) and kaleo {kal-eh'-o} (to call[3]) – “to call out.” The word is translated as "church" 115 times and "assembly" 3 times. The church is a called-out assembly. It is called out of the world for service to God.
The Body of Christ
The church is the body of Christ. The apostle Paul writes in Ephesians 1:22-23[4], “And He put all things in subjection under His feet, and gave Him as head over all things to the church, 23 which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.” He writes in Ephesians 5:28-30[5]:
So husbands ought also to love their own wives as their own bodies. He who loves his own wife loves himself; 29 for no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ also does the church, 30 because we are members of His body.
James Burton Coffman writes:
It is not merely the fact of Christ's universal, eternal power which Paul affirmed here; the significant thing is that he is the head of that community of men and women on earth called "the church" who are his body, his spiritual body, having an intimate and eternal connection with the all-powerful One who is actually the "head" of that spiritual body[6].
Jesus is the head of His body, the church.
The House of God
The church is the household (house) of God, the church of the living God, and the pillar and ground of truth. Paul wrote to Timothy in 1Timothy 3:15[7]:
But in case I am delayed, I write so that you will know how one ought to conduct himself in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and support of the truth.
Notice that the apostle says the church is the church of the living God, thus emphasizing that God is alive as opposed to the heathen gods of the world.
Paul says the church is the “pillar and ground of the truth.” The church believes, obeys, and teaches the truth to a world lost in sin.
The Kingdom of Heaven
The church is the kingdom of heaven. Upon Peter’s confession that Jesus was “the Christ, the Son of the living God,” He told him:
I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it. 19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; and whatever you bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall have been loosed in heaven[8].” (Matt. 16:16-19).
Notice four things that Jesus told Peter:
1. I will build one church, my church.
2. I will build my church upon the truth that I am the Christ the Son of the Living God (not upon Peter).
3. The gates of Hades will not overpower the church.
4. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; and whatever you bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall have been loosed in heaven.
Notice that Jesus used the terms “kingdom of heaven” and “kingdom of heaven” interchangeably. Thus, the church and the kingdom of heaven are the same. Jesus is the King over His kingdom (John 18:33-38; 1 Tim. 6:15[9]).
Not a Denomination
The church is not a denomination. The word, denomination, implies division and a plurality of churches. Etymology Online state concerning “denomination:”
From mid-15c. as "a class name, a collective designation," of things; of persons, "a society or collection of individuals," 1660s. From the first comes the monetary sense (1650s) from the second the meaning "religious sect" (1716)[10].
But remember, Jesus said he would build my church (singular), one church. The church is the body of Christ, and Paul writes in Ephesians 4:4-6[11]:
There is one body and one Spirit, just as also you were called in one hope of your calling; 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all.
Conclusion
The church is the assembly called out of the world for service to God, the body of Christ, the kingdom of heaven, and the house of God. Jesus is the head of the body, the church, and king over the kingdom of heaven, the church.
The church is not an insignificant institution. It was bought and paid for with the blood of Christ shed for our sins on the cross. Paul told the elders of the church at Ephesus in Acts 20:28[12], “Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood.” Peter writes in 1 Peter 1:18-19[13]:
…knowing that you were not redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold from your futile way of life inherited from your forefathers, 19 but with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ.
Have you been to church lately? We at the Strasburg church of Christ would love to have you at our services. See you this Sunday!
[1] Strong's Number 1577 Greek Dictionary of the New Testament Online Bible with Strong's Exhaustive Concordance, Thayer's Lexicon, Etymology, Translations Definitions Meanings & Key Word Studies - Lexiconcordance.com.
[2] Strong's Number 1537 Greek Dictionary of the New Testament Online Bible with Strong's Exhaustive Concordance, Thayer's Lexicon, Etymology, Translations Definitions Meanings & Key Word Studies - Lexiconcordance.com.