What is a ‘Church’ ?
Some Questions about what is a ‘church’ answered through Scripture ~
What makes a church a ‘Church’?
What does it mean to be a ‘Church’?
What is a ‘true’ Church?
How can we recognize a ‘true’ Church?
True and false churches of today – do false churches exist?
Importance of the Bible and study of God’s word – why have Bible Study? Do we really need to study so much scripture?
Purposes of the ‘church’
Scriptural Definition of the ‘Church’
As Apostle Paul says, “Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her” (Ephesians 5:25).
Here in the New Testament epistle of Paul, the ‘church’ applies to all those in the entire world whom Christ died to redeem – all those who are saved by the death of Christ. The Scriptural definition understands the church to be made of all those who are truly saved.
Historical Context: The Greek word ekklesia, translated as ‘church’ in the New testament, simply means “assembly.” The Old Testament word, Qahal, is the Hebrew version, and also similarly means ‘assembly of God’s people.’ Another frequent translation used in the Bible is synagogue, which means ‘a place of meeting.’
The author of Hebrews understands the present-day Christians, who constitute the church on earth today, to be surrounded by a great “cloud of witnesses” (Hebrews 12:1). These witnesses reach back into the earliest, ancient eras of the Old Testament as are given tribute in Hebrews 11 ~ Hall of Faith. All of these people of God, the ‘witnesses,’ are depicted to surround the present-day people of God, and they together with the New Testament people of God, as well as Christians of the past and present, are thought of as God’s great spiritual “assembly” or “church.”
The usage of the word ‘Church’ throughout Scripture illustrates that God has always called for His people to assemble and to worship Himself. It is therefore appropriate to think of the church as constituting all the people of God for all time, both Old Testament and New Testament believers.
Ekklesia, as used in Matthew and in Acts, can also be applied to people of God even when they are not assembles in public worship, but when they simply exist in a certain location. In addition, Jesus speaks of future events concerning His church when He talked of “building my church” in Matthew 16:18. Paul calls Christ the “cornerstone” of this ongoing and future church, as Christ Himself laid the foundation by His life, death and resurrection.
The Church is invisible, yet visible
In its true spiritual reality as the fellowship of all genuine believers (New and Old Testament, all of God’s people past and present), the church is therefore “invisible.” As Paul says, “The Lord knows those who are his” (2 Timothy 2:19). This invisible church is the church as God sees it!
Historically, both Martin Luther and John Calvin affirmed this ‘invisible’ aspect of the church against the Roman Catholic teaching that the church was the one visible organization that had descended from the apostles in an unbroken line of succession through the bishops of the Catholic church.
Both Luther and Calvin argued that the Catholic church was not the only true Church (as Catholics stated) and that it had an outward form and an organization, but was just a shell. They argued that it had departed from the true teachings of the Bible, and that their ‘visible’ organization was not the only, one, true church.
Today in the world as we know it, Christians see the “visible” Church as we ‘see’ it on earth.
Thinking about it more deeply, the visible church on earth includes all who profess faith in Christ and give evidence of that faith in their lives. Unbelievers, and those who hold to false teachings, may see it very differently!
The Church is Both Local (small and large) and Universal
In the New Testament, new privileges and new blessings are given to the people of God who make up the ‘Church.’
Unlike the Temple of the Old Testament where people of God came to worship, the word ‘Church’ in the New Testament is applied to a group of believers at many levels and sizes. Ranging from a very small, group meeting in a home or place of some sort, there are varied descriptions of sizes of meeting places, all the way up to the ‘universal’ church. (No way implied to be a ‘Universalist Church’, simply meaning, all encompassing.)
We therefore may conclude that a group of God’s people, considered at any level from local to universal, may rightly be called “a Church.”
We should not make the mistake of saying that only a Church meeting in a building (or location) at a city-wide level, can rightly be called a Church – rather the community of God’s people considered at any level can be rightly called a Church!
The ‘Church’ today is viewed as a new temple, not built with literal stones, but built with Christian people, who are “living stones” built upon the “cornerstone,” who is Jesus Christ (1 Peter 2).
As Apostle Paul says, the Church is viewed as the body of Christ, who represents the Church, and is the one whom the Church serves and worships (1 Corinthians 12).
Paul goes on to say in Ephesians and Colossians, that Christ is the head, and the Church is the body “held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love” (Ephesians 4:15).
We are privileged and should appreciate that God has given us the wonderful privilege by incorporating us into His Church.
The Church is God’s family, which should increase our love and fellowship with one another. We should strive for greater purity and holiness and also greater love for Christ and submission to Him.
The Church should be viewed as an instrument of the Kingdom of God with the Holy Spirit manifesting the power of the kingdom.
The Church is the custodian of the Kingdom of God, as it has been given the ‘keys of the kingdom of heaven’ (Matthew 16:19).
As the Church advances the Kingdom of God on earth, as it should, believers will begin to affect the people around them in whatever sphere of activity we, as Christians, find ourselves.
Through the guidance of the Holy Spirit in our lives, lives will be transformed and various benefits will be experienced by non-Christians, because of the influence of Christians around them!
What makes a church a Church?
What are the characteristics, the ‘marks’ of the true Church?Are there true Churches, are there false churches?
Let me pose a difficult question to you in another way – might a group of people who claim to be a Christian church become so unlike what a Church should be that they should no longer be called a church?
Some background and context is necessary to answer this question.
Context: The Reformation brought up a crucial question – being how can we recognize a true Church?
Through study of God’s Word, prayer and the guidance of the Holy Spirit, people during the Reformation discussed and decided what the marks of a true church were, the distinguishing characteristics that lead us to recognize it a true church.
Going back to Scripture, we read quite a lot about false teachings and false churches and there was much discussion over these concepts ( 1 Corinthians, Revelation 2,3).
For instance, in the Book of Revelation, Jesus rebukes many of the seven churches mentioned in Asia Minor for false teaching and idolatry.
Rebuked as being religious assemblies of people who still belonged to the kingdom of darkness, Jesus called for repentance and warned that many were not truly Christ’s people.
A true Church of God, as was agreed upon by both Luther and Calvin during the Reformation in 1530, was defined as a congregation of saints (saints being true, faithful believers in Christ) in which the Word of God was effectively taught, heard, and preached, and the in which the Sacraments are rightly administered according to Christ’s institution.
Combining these early views of Luther and Calvin about what were the marks of a true church, we can still look upon these as being true and apply them to the marks of what is a true church in the world today.
The First Mark of a true Church: The right preaching of the Word
When the Doctrine of God, the Bible, is not being preached, but simply ‘false’ doctrines or ‘doctrines of men’, there is no true church!
The Gospel message, evident in the entire Bible as God’s Plan of Salvation, must be clearly proclaimed, that being that salvation is by genuine faith in Christ alone.
The Second Mark of a true Church
The right administration of the Sacraments (baptism of new converts and administration of the Lord’s Supper).
Participation in the sacraments is not seen as a work that can earn merit with God, but are ceremonies Jesus commanded His church to perform. They should both be occasion for giving great glory and praise to God, be an integral part of the Christian life, and manifests our obedience to and fellowship with Christ.
How do these ‘marks’ of performing baptism and regular administration of the Lord’s Supper apply to churches of today?
In the words of noted theologian, Dr. Wayne Grudem, once an organization (that has true, right preaching of the Bible) begins to practice baptism and the Lord’s Supper, it is a continuing organization and is functioning as a church.
What are the applications to us as a Church?
Baptism is a means for admitting people into the Church and the Lord’s Supper is the means for allowing people to give a sign of continuing in the membership of the Church, of continuing fellowship with Christ and faith in Christ.
By contrast, groups who do not administer the Lord’s Supper, or baptism when appropriate for new converts, signify that they are not intending to function as a church.
For example, a neighborhood Bible study meeting can have teaching and hearing of the Word without becoming a ‘Church.’
But if this Bible study began regularly participating in the Lord’s Supper, and began baptizing new converts when applicable, these things signify an intention to function as a church and this group should be considered a church in itself.
What About True and False Churches Today?
Examples of False ‘churches’
For instance, how can we say that those ’churches’ that give false assurance to unrepentant sinners, that do not teach the Bible in meaningful ways, are true churches?
How can those that do not read, study, and understand the Bible, the Word of God, on a regular, consistent basis – the Gospel of saving faith, be considered true ‘churches’?
How can a true Church even think about not having regular, consistent study of the Bible, God’s word, in an effectual, pure manner dedicated to the Truth of finding what God is telling us?
How can those that administer the sacrament of the Lord’s Supper (if they even do administer the Lord’s supper) without sound teaching of its true meaning and symbolism, therefore likely giving false assurance to unregenerate sinners, be considered a true church?
How can a group who does not worship/pray in an effectual, meaningful way in accordance with the Bible be considered a true Church?
A true pure Church, following God’s will and His Doctrine, and following the Holy Spirit’s direction, must be free of wrong doctrine and conduct (doctrine of man), and have a degree of conformity to God’s revealed Will for His church.
The Bible – Authoritative Teaching of the Church
In a true Church, the Bible has utmost authority. No later teachings have authority equal to the words of the Bible, which alone are the very words of God. The Bible, not any human person or persons, has ultimate authority over the ‘church’.
The Importance of Bible Study in the ‘Church’
Why study the Bible?
An important reason is it enables us to obey the command of Jesus to teach believers to observe all that He commanded (Matthew 28:19-20).
Teaching all that Jesus commanded means more than merely teaching the words he spoke while on the earth. It implies what Jesus continued to do and teach through the Apostles in all of the New Testament.
Furthermore, considering the reliability of the Old Testament Scriptures as God’s Word, it becomes evident that we cannot teach all that Jesus commanded without including all of the Old Testament as well.
The task of the Great Commission involves teaching all that Jesus commanded us, it involves the task of teaching the entire Bible!
Studying the Bible is a means of obedience to our Lord’s command and helps us overcome our wrong ideas.
Through false beliefs rampant in our culture of today, and through incomplete knowledge of the Bible, all of us have temptations to resist ‘certain’ teachings of the Bible.
We must be careful not to pick and choose one verse about a topic to form a ‘doctrine of man’.
So it is helpful and of extreme importance to study the ‘total’ weight of Scripture, often tying New Testament verses to Old Testament. This helps us, and benefits us in our application of Scripture to our lives and furthers our growth and maturity as Christians.
The Bible connects sound doctrine with Christian maturity as Paul speaks of, “the teaching that accords with godliness” (1 Timothy 6:3). By contrast, all kinds of disobedience are “contrary to sound doctrine” (1 Timothy 1:10).
Purposes of the Church
- Ministry to God ~ Worship God! Be filled with the Holy Spirit with thankfulness and praise in our hearts to God (Colossians 3, Ephesians 1,5).
- Ministry to believers (Nurture, Teaching of the Bible) ~ to build them up in maturity in the faith, to present to God every Christian “mature in Christ” (Colossians 1:28), to equip the saints (Ephesians 4:12-13),
- Evangelism and ministries of mercy ~ make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:19) and bring people to saving faith through kindness and love (Luke 4:40).
- Teaching that Accords with Godliness (to the church and to the world) ~ the task of fulfilling the Great Commission includes not only evangelism but also teaching and knowledge of God’s truth! Teaching of what the whole Bible says to us today!