“What Is the Church?”
The fourth most asked theological question of Google (about 2 ¼ million requests) happened to be “What is the Church?” When taking a look around at the number of churches in a community, everyone ought to be able to understand why confusion exists. In addition to the denominations that most people know (or grew up in), new religious groups seem to pop into existence on a weekly basis. This article will not focus on the church as seen in the 21st century; it will answer the question based on the teaching found in the New Testament (church is not found in the Old Testament).
Who Built It?
Many folks entertain a false concept of the church, confusing it with a physical building. In the Old Testament era, worship did center around the temple built by Solomon a few years after 1,000 B.C. Israelites traveled to Jerusalem three times a year for the three annual feasts. Sacrifices were offered at the temple, and it figured prominently in what occurred on the Day of Atonement, although the tabernacle was first used for that purpose (Lev. 16).
In the New Testament, however, Christianity is not tied to any physical structure or any particular location. Christians worship in cities and town all over the world. So, the word church does not refer to a building—but rather to an assembly of people. The Greek word translated “church” is ekkleesia (ek clay see’ uh), and it literally refers to those who are “called out” (usually for the purpose of a meeting or an assembly).
The only references to “the church” in the gospel accounts of Jesus’ life are found in Matthew 16. Jesus promised that “on this rock I will build My church…” (v. 18). The only other reference to the church—until the reader gets to the Book of Acts—is in Matthew 18:17, where Jesus shows how the church may be helpful in resolving problems between members.
The Church in Prophecy
“Wait a minute! I thought you said the church was not mentioned in the Old Testament.” That’s right. Church cannot be found there, but a word referring to the church is used, and that word is kingdom. About a thousand years before Jesus was born, God made a promise to David through Nathan the prophet, who told the king that from his descendants would arise One who would build a house for His name. God said: “…and I will establish His throne forever” (2 Sam. 7:13). Yes, Solomon did come from David, and he built a house for God, but so did Jesus. Solomon built a physical temple; Jesus built a spiritual temple. Christians are living stones in that spiritual temple (1 Peter 2:5). When Jesus arose from the dead and ascended into Heaven, He sat down at the right hand of the throne of God (Acts 2:29-33).
The promise made to David is not the only mention of the kingdom to come in the Old Testament. Daniel mentions it as he explains the King of Babylon’s dream. King Nebuchadnezzar did not understand a dream he had during the night, but Daniel explained to him that it meant four world kingdoms would come to exist over the next 500 years. The first was Babylon, the second involved a combination of the Medes and the Persians, which was followed by Greece and then Rome (although the last two were not named in Daniel 2. Greece is specified in Daniel 8:21.
It is in the days of the fourth world kingdom (Rome) that “the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which will never be destroyed; and the kingdom will not be left to other people … it shall stand forever” (Dan. 2:44). Daniel the prophet also saw a vision of the king:
I was watching in the night visions, and behold, One like the Son of Man, coming with the clouds of heaven! He came to the Ancient of Days, and they brought Him near before Him.
Then to Him was given a kingdom and glory and dominion, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, And His kingdom the one which shall not be destroyed (Dan. 7:13-14).
Truly, during the time of the Roman Emperors, Jesus was crucified but arose from the dead. He did ascend to the Ancient of Days and was given a throne, an everlasting dominion, just as described in Acts 2. This kingdom will never be left to others because Jesus continually reigns, and no one possesses enough power to overthrow Him.
The Kingdom and the Church
But are the kingdom and the church identical? The Jews were expecting a king, were they not? John the Baptizer preached a consistent message: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!” (Matt. 3:2). This is obviously the kingdom of prophecy that was about to be fulfilled, and the message aroused a great deal of excitement. In fact, “Jerusalem, all Judea, and all the region around the Jordan went out to him” (v. 5).
Jesus also preached the same message: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matt. 4:17). When Jesus sent the disciples out, He gave them the same message to preach: “The kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matt. 10:7). The phrase, kingdom of heaven indicates that this kingdom is a spiritual one. Now, remembering that Jesus promised to build His church, notice that in the next verse He added: “And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven…” (Matt. 16:19). That’s right! The church is the kingdom!
But there’s more: the spiritual kingdom, the church, is also the temple, as mentioned previously. Another concept involves Jesus being the Head, and His body being the members of the church. “And He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all” (Eph. 1:22-23; cf. Col. 1:18). So, Jesus is the king over His kingdom, the head over His body, the cornerstone of the temple (Acts 4:11; 1 Peter 2:6-7), and the chief shepherd over the church (1 Peter 5:1-4).
The Price
Who knows the actual cost of the temple that Solomon built? With all the gold that was in it, the price was undoubtedly astronomical. Jesus also paid a price for the church—His blood. So affirms Luke in Acts 20:28; he writes that the church of God was “purchased with His own blood.” Peter later points out that no one was redeemed by such corruptible things as silver and gold—but rather by “the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish or spot” (1 Peter 1:19).
Without a doubt, Jesus owns the church. He built it, and He paid for it. He claims that it belongs to Him (Matt. 16:18). It does not belong to any mortal being—nor any group of men—no matter how pious they might be. Furthermore, Jesus possesses all authority. After His resurrection, He told the disciples: “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth” (Matt. 28:18).
Therefore, why would one man or a group of men attempt to claim ownership over Jesus’ body? In the Scriptures, the church is referred to as “the church of God” (Acts 20:28 et al.), “the church” (Acts 2:47), “the church which was at Jerusalem” (Acts 8:1) (or at some other location); or collectively (considering all the locations) as “the churches of Christ” (Rom. 16:16). Nowhere in the Bible will one find the Pauline Chapel, the Apollosite Church, or the Church of Peter the Apostle, or the High Energy Church. Paul specifically forbade brethren from calling themselves after the names of men—including his own (1 Cor. 1:10-13). If we respect the price that Jesus paid for the church, we will recognize it as belonging to Him.
Organization
Again, what we see today is nothing short of chaotic. In individual churches, we see congregations headed by a pastor—an arrangement not found in the Bible and, therefore, not authorized by Jesus. He may call himself Reverend or some such lofty title, which Jesus specifically forbade (Matt. 23:8-12).
The local congregation was designed to have elders and deacons (1 Tim. 3:1-13; Titus 1:5-9). We always find a plurality of elders (Acts 14:23) rather than a one-man rule. The church never had national and international organizations with synods and conferences that met every so often to oversee all the churches. The Bible instructs us with all we need to please God. Each congregation remains self-governing.
Preachers or evangelists have the responsibility of presenting the Word to brethren. They do not originate a message; they proclaim the good news of salvation recorded in the Scriptures. They are not in charge of churches; they have the responsibility to teach only those messages that the Scriptures contain. Each church contains members of the body of Christ, all of whom try to encourage and exhort each other.
The Purpose of the Church
Those who are saved from sins are put into the body, the church (Acts 2:47). On the Day of Pentecost, Peter told the Jews to repent and be baptized for the forgiveness of their sins (Acts 2:38). Three thousand did, and they were added to those already saved. So, what is their purpose now that they are saved?
First, they are the body of Christ, and they must interact with the other members of the church. They do this in worship on the first day of every week (a minimum requirement, as seen in Hebrews 10:25). One of the purposes for that worship is to honor the Head of the church, which is done in the Lord’s Supper, a memorial which He Himself established (1 Cor. 11:22-29). Other interaction occurs, also, with respect to work and fellowship. Members of the church edify one another (Eph. 4).
Jesus gave His disciples (including all of us) a command to be evangelistic. He commanded:
“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit,
teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen (Matt. 28:19-20).
As newborn babes (1 Peter 2:2), we are to desire the milk of the word in order to grow and eventually move on to solid food (Heb. 5:12-14). The task of the church is to spread the gospel, and all have a part to play in the expansion of the church. We must have compassion on those who are yet lost in sin.
A second responsibility is to teach and admonish one another—to help each other be the best Christians we can be. Some thirty passages explain things we can do to benefit each another.
Christians also have a responsibility to be benevolent when we have the opportunity (Gal. 6:10). Acts 6 describes a benevolent program to help widows on a daily basis. Widows could also qualify for long-term help if they met certain specifications (1 Tim. 5). However, the church is not concerned only about the physical; it is the body of Christ that seeks to help all people spiritually—especially with respect to salvation.