"THE CHURCH JESUS BUILT"

What Is The Church?

INTRODUCTION
  1. In our first lesson, we began looking at "The Church Jesus Built"
    - cf. Mt 16:18
  2. We surveyed why the church is a subject worthy of careful study...
    1. Because of the high estimation of it in the Scriptures; e.g.:
      1. The church is the body of Christ - Ep 1:23
      2. The church is "the fullness of Him who fills all in all" - Ep 1:23
      3. The church is part of God's "eternal purpose" - Ep 3:10-11
      4. Christ "loved the church and gave Himself for it" - Ep 5:25
      5. Jesus' design is to present it as "a glorious church" - Ep 5:26-27
      6. He nourishes and cherishes the church - Ep 5:29-30
    2. Because of efforts by men to redefine the church in the Bible
      1. As represented by the denominational view
      2. As represented by the sectarian view
  3. But what exactly is the church...?
    1. What is this "church" Jesus said He would build?
    2. What is this "church" that Jesus loves, nourishes, and cherishes?
    3. What is this "church" that some have sought to redefine?
    -- For if we desire to be in "The Church Jesus Built", we should know exactly what it is, shouldn't we?

[Perhaps a good place to start is by defining the word "church" itself...]

  1. THE CHURCH DEFINED
    1. THE GREEK WORD IS "EKKLESIA"...
      1. Many have noted that this word is a combination of two words: ek (out of) and kaleo (to call)
        1. Concluding that the primary idea is that of being "called out"
        2. That Christians were called the "ekklesia" because they were "called out"
          1. Now it is true that Christians have been called out - cf. 1 Pe 2:9
          2. But the use of "ekklesia" in the New Testament does not stress the "called out" nature of the church!
        3. This is a common mistake of defining a word by its etymology rather than by its actual usage in its historical context
      2. The word "church" as defined by Easton's Bible Dictionary: "In the New Testament it is the translation of the Greek word 'ecclesia', which is synonymous with the Hebrew 'kahal'of the Old Testament, both words meaning simply an assembly."
      3. Notice Thayer's definition: "a gathering of citizens called out from their homes into some public place, an assembly"
        1. "an assembly of the people convened at the public place of the council for the purpose of deliberating" - cf. Ac 19:39
        2. "the assembly of the Israelites" - cf. Ac 7:38
        3. "any gathering or throng of men assembled by chance, tumultuously" - cf. Ac 19:40-41
        -- The usage of "ekklesia" therefore emphasizes the "assembled" nature of the church; i.e., it simply refers to a gathering, an assembly of people
    2. "EKKLESIA" AS USED IN THE CHRISTIAN SENSE...
      1. Thayer's definition offers the following uses of "ekklesia" in a Christian sense:
        1. "an assembly of Christians gathered for worship in a religious meeting" - cf. 1Co 14:19,35
        2. "a company of Christians, or of those who, hoping for eternal salvation through Jesus Christ, observe their own religious rites, hold their own religious meetings, and manage their own affairs, according to regulations prescribed for the body for order's sake" - cf. 1Th 1:1
        3. "those who anywhere, in a city, village, constitute such a company and are united into one body" - cf. 1Co 1:2
        4. "the whole body of Christians scattered throughout the earth" - cf. Ep 1:22-23
        5. "the assembly of faithful Christians already dead and received into heaven" - cf. He 12:22-23
      2. Putting it most simply, we can think of the church in two primary senses:
        1. The church universal - the whole assembly of people who are saved, both living and dead
        2. The church local - a company of saved people in a geographical area who work and worship together as a local congregation
        -- The difference between the "universal" and "local" church will be examined in another lesson

      [What is the church, then, especially in the universal sense? It is that grand assembly or company of people who are saved by Christ (cf. Ep 5:23,25-27).

      But the term "assembly" alone does not do it justice, which is why we find other terms in the Scriptures used to describe the company of God's people...]

  2. THE CHURCH DESCRIBED
    1. THE CHURCH IS "THE BODY OF CHRIST"...
      1. So described in Ep 1:22-23
      2. This metaphor depicts the relationship we enjoy with Christ and each other
        1. Christ is our Head, from which we as the body receive nourishment - Col 2:19
        2. We are members of the body, and of one another - 1Co 12:27; Ro 12:5
    2. THE CHURCH IS "THE HOUSEHOLD OF GOD"...
      1. I.e., the family of God - 1Ti 3:15
      2. This emphasizes the familial relationship we enjoy in Christ
        1. We are in Jesus' "family" - Mt 12:48-50
        2. We have many brothers and sisters - Mk 10:28-30
        3. We are to treat each other accordingly - 1Ti 5:1-2
    3. THE CHURCH IS "THE TEMPLE OF GOD"...
      1. I.e., a holy habitation or dwelling of God - Ep 2:19-22; 1 Pe 2:5
      2. As such, we have a responsibility to maintain purity - 1Co 3:16-17; 2Co 6:16-7:1
    4. THE CHURCH IS "THE KINGDOM OF CHRIST"...
      1. As Paul wrote to the Colossians, they had been "translated into the kingdom of the Son of His love" - Col 1:13; cf. also Re 1:9
      2. This emphasizes the authority-making power in the church; Christ is King, He has all authority! - cf. Mt 28:18,20
        1. The church is not a democracy, nor a republic
        2. The citizens do not make the laws, they are made by the King!
    5. THE CHURCH IS "THE BRIDE OF CHRIST"...
      1. We are betrothed to Christ - cf. 2Co 11:2
      2. This figure portends of an even greater relationship with Christ is the future! - cf. Re 19:6-9; 21:2
CONCLUSION
  1. What is the church? As used in its universal sense, the church is...
    1. A great assembly, a great company of people
    2. Made up of all those redeemed by the blood of the Lamb, both living and dead
  2. To illustrate the blessings and privileges of this great company, the church is also called...
    1. The body of Christ
    2. The household of God
    3. The temple of God
    4. The kingdom of Christ
    5. The bride of Christ
    -- This is "The Church Jesus Built", of which Jesus spoke when He said "I will build my church..." (Mt 16:18)

We will have more to say about the church as revealed in the Bible in our next lesson, as we begin to contrast the difference between the church universal and the church local...