Thrust Statement: The Church is God’s appointed seat of His presence with men and women

Scripture Reading: 1 Timothy 3:14-16

            Many individuals who profess faith in God and Christ see no relevance for the Church for which Jesus died. As a result of this mindset, numerous Christians often live their lives in isolation from the Church that God ordained for the spread of His message of salvation by grace through faith in the atonement of Christ. It is not uncommon for individuals to identify the Church as an ecclesiastical organization rather than as the fellowship of Jesus Christ or the fellowship of the Holy Spirit. For this reason, modern men and women have outgrown their need for the Church of Jesus the Messiah?  As one seeks to understand the place of the Church in the lives of God’s people, every believer is confronted with many questions. For instance, why did God found the Church? Again, what is the purpose of God’s new community of believers? What is the Church? Is the Church visible or invisible? What constitutes the Church? Is the word church employed in the New Testament in the same way that many Christians today utilize the term? Is the Church simply an ecclesiastical institution? Or is the Church in the New Testament writings the fellowship of Christian believers?

These are questions that one ought to approach in seeking to understand what the Church is. Positively, one can declare that the Church is the fellowship of Jesus Christ? One can also state that the Church is the fellowship of the Holy Spirit. Where the Holy Spirit is, one can say, “there is the Christian communion.” Within the Body of Christ, the faithful are bound to each other through their common sharing in Christ and the Holy Spirit. In other words, the Church is simply composed of those who have a relationship with God through Christ. Within the Body of Christ, all Christians have one thing in common, namely, God, Christ and the Holy Spirit. Where the Spirit is, there is the Christian communion. The Church of the New Testament is simply the fellowship of Christian believers who have been purchased by the blood of Christ.

The Church of Jesus is not an “it,” it is not “a thing,” nor is it an “institution.” But rather, it is a unity of persons. The Church is people, that is to say, it is a communion of individuals who have responded to Jesus as Lord in their lives. Many expressions are utilized to express the very heart of the word church—the Israel of God, the seed of Abraham, the elect of God, the kingdom of God, the assembly, and so on. Unfortunately, many Christians read into “church of the living God” (ἐκκλησία θεοῦ ζῶντος, ekklhsia qeou zwntos) [1 Timothy 3:15] the image of the institutional church as it has developed within their own world of traditions handed down from their forefathers. Emil Brunner is forthright in his description of the church of Jesus: “The Ecclesia of Jesus Christ is God’s people, the elect people—that was also the rightful description of Israel.”^[1] The Church is fundamentally a fellowship of persons and not an institution, that is, an ecclesiastical organization.

This essay focuses upon the positive (biblical) understanding of the meaning of the English word church. The positive emphasis should enhance one’s appreciation for the wonder and beauty of what God brought into being through the death of Jesus upon the Cross. What is the purpose of the Church in God’s scheme of redemption? Paul expresses to Timothy the true nature of the Church and its mission. Listen to Paul as he sets forth God’s objective for His new community of believers:

Although I hope to come to you soon, I am writing you these instructions so that, ¹⁵ if I am delayed, you will know how people ought to conduct themselves in God’s household (οἴκῷ θεοῦ, oikw qeou), which is the church of the living God (ἐκκλησία θεοῦ ζῶντος, ekklhsia qeou zwntos), the pillar and foundation (ἑδραίωμα, Jedraiwma, “bulwark”)) of the truth. ¹⁶ Beyond all question, the mystery of godliness is great: He^c appeared in a body,^dwas vindicated by the Spirit, was seen by angels, was preached among the nations, was believed on in the world, was taken up in glory. (1 Timothy 3:14-16)^[2]

            How did Paul view the Church? He spoke of the church as “God’s household” (3:15), which is the same as saying that the Church is God’s family. What is the purpose of the family or church? An answer to this question should increase one’s gratitude of God’s wisdom in creating a body of believers to continue the preaching of God’s way of salvation in and through Jesus Christ. Paul also addresses the intent, or aim, of the Church by calling attention to God’s family unit as the “pillar and foundation” of the truth, which truth is none other than the Gospel. E. F. Scott is on target when he writes:

He has ordained the Church as the pillar and bulwark of the Truth, i. e. of the gospel, in which He has revealed Himself. The word translated bulwark means literally ‘something to rest on,’ and is commonly used for a basis or foundation. ^[3]

            Paul defines this “pillar and bulwark of the truth” by calling awareness to the “mystery of godliness.” What is this “mystery of godliness” that the church, as declared by Paul, is spoken of as the “pillar and the foundation of truth” (NIV)? It is Jesus! Pay attention to Paul as he explains: “He appeared in a body, was vindicated by the Spirit, was seen by angels, was preached among the nations, was believed on in the world, was taken up in glory” (3:16).^[4]      For Paul, the Church builds its faith upon the Lordship of Christ, which he sets forth in his magnificent and breathtaking hymn. In this hymn, Paul speaks of the virgin birth of Christ, the resurrection of Jesus, angels ministering unto Him, proclamation of Jesus as the Savior of the world, many believing on Him, and His ascension. The Gospel is about Jesus. The Church exists to make known this truth. Paul writes to the Galatians about the departure of some from this reality of God’s redemption—justification by faith in the finished work of Christ upon Calvary:

I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you by the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— ⁷ which is really no gospel at all. Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ. ⁸ But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let him be eternally condemned! ⁹ As we have already said, so now I say again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let him be eternally condemned! (Galatians 1:6-9)

            The word gospel like the word church often receives a definition that is based upon one’s own distinctive fellowship, not according to the Scriptures. Prior to Paul’s denunciation of those who perverted the Gospel, he defined the Gospel in 1:4: “Who gave himself for our sins.” It is this truth that the Church is to maintain. Paul defended this Gospel by saying: “But when God, who set me apart from birth and called me by his grace was pleased to reveal his Son in me so that I might preach him among the Gentiles” (1:15). After his conversion, Paul reveals a visit to Jerusalem in which he says that he “set before them the gospel that I preach among the Gentiles” (2:2). The Gospel focused upon how one is put in a right relationship with God. Again, Paul jots down:

We who are Jews by birth and not ‘Gentile sinners’ ¹⁶ know that a man is not justified by observing the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. So we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by observing the law, because by observing the law no one will be justified. (2:15-16)

The Book of Galatians is a book about how one is justified before God. In defense of justification by faith, Paul calls forth Abraham (b. 2166 BC) to explain the Gospel in its fullness: “The Scripture foresaw that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, and announced the gospel in advance to Abraham: ‘All nations will be blessed through you.’^b ⁹ So those who have faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith” (3:8-9). Again, he puts pen to paper: “The promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. The Scripture does not say ‘and to seeds,’ meaning many people, but ‘and to your seed,’^a meaning one person, who is Christ” (3:16).

This “mystery of godliness” is unfolded in great detail in the Book of Ephesians. Paul employs the word mystery (μυστήριον, musthrion) seven times in this short Epistle.^[5] This mystery is none other than Christ Himself. In fact, Paul, in the Book of Colossians, states emphatically that this “mystery” is Christ:

Now I rejoice in what was suffered for you, and I fill up in my flesh what is still lacking in regard to Christ’s afflictions, for the sake of his body, which is the church. ²⁵ I have become its servant by the commission God gave me to present to you the word of God in its fullness— ²⁶ the mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations, but is now disclosed to the saints. ²⁷ To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. ²⁸ We proclaim him, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone perfect in Christ. ²⁹ To this end I labor, struggling with all his energy, which so powerfully works in me. I want you to know how much I am struggling for you and for those at Laodicea, and for all who have not met me personally. ² My purpose is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ. (Colossians 1:24—2:3)

            In Ephesians 1:3-14, Paul briefly unfolds the “mystery of godliness.” He begins his comments with this startling statement: “He chose us in him before the creation of the world” (1:4). This “mystery” is completely unique in the annals of history. Christianity is absolutely unique among the religions of the world. It has a history before its actual history commenced—a life before its birth. Paul calls this “mystery” the “mystery of his will” in 1:9. In chapter three, he also writes of this mystery as “the mystery” (3:3), “the mystery of Christ” (3:4), “this mystery that is through the gospel” (3:6), and finally, “the administration of this mystery” (3:9). As stated above, in the Colossian Epistle, Paul says plainly, “This mystery, which is Christ in you” (Colossians 1:27). In Ephesian 6: 19, Paul requests prayers for strength to fearlessly proclaim Jesus as God’s way of salvation: “Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel.” In the third chapter of Ephesians, Paul discloses the purpose of the Church in God’s scheme of redemption:

I became a servant of this gospel by the gift of God’s grace given me through the working of his power. ⁸ Although I am less than the least of all God’s people, this grace was given me: to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, ⁹ and to make plain to everyone the administration of this mystery, which for ages past was kept hidden in God, who created all things. ¹⁰ His intent was that now, through the church (διὰ τῆς ἐκκλησίας, dia ths ekklhsias), the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms, ¹¹ according to his eternal purpose which he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord. ¹² In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence. ¹³ I ask you, therefore, not to be discouraged because of my sufferings for you, which are your glory. (3:7-13)

            What is this “manifold wisdom of God” about? Paul discloses this “wisdom” in his first Corinthian correspondence. How could God be just and, at the same time, justify sinful humanity. Paul discloses how God was able to accomplish this act and remain just. Listen to Paul as he speaks of God’s wisdom, which wisdom had been kept hidden from the foundation of the world: “It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. ³¹ Therefore, as it is written: “Let him who boasts boast in the Lord”^b (1 Corinthians 1:30-31). God in His wisdom made Jesus “our righteousness, holiness and redemption.” It is through the family of God that this information is communicated to a lost and dying world. Even the angels did not understand how God would redeem sinful humanity. Peter addresses this subject of the angels and their desire to know how God would justify sinful humanity in his first epistle to God’s elect by writing: “Even angels long to look into these things” (1 Peter 1:12).

How can Christians in good conscious disassociate themselves from God’s family, which family is commanded to spread the Good News of salvation by grace in and through Jesus? One does not read in the New Testament of the concept of “apartness” from God’s family. Christians are not to live their lives in isolation from His kingdom. The Church, as a whole, is to tell the story of redemption initiated by God and accomplished by Christ with the sealing by the Holy Spirit on those who believe. The Good News is that God loves the human race in spite of what they are. Emil Brunner writes: “The cross of Christ is the point where God’s love meets sinful man, if the sinful man, also, stands there, that is by faith.”^[6] The Good News is that God’s act in Christ gives men and women a new standing. It goes without saying that individuals cannot forgive themselves; forgiveness is His prerogative alone. God forgives! But, at the same time, He does it in such a way that it becomes clear to the one forgiven as to how seriously God takes guilt into consideration. God takes away guilt through the Cross. Paul explains this paradox of justice and forgiveness this way:

But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. ²² This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, ²³ for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, ²⁴ and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. ²⁵ God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement,^a through faith in his blood. He did this to demonstrate his justice, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished— ²⁶ he did it to demonstrate his justice at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus.  (Romans 3:21-26)

The Church is to continue to tell the story of how “God presented him (Jesus) as a sacrifice of atonement.” Is God’s Church important in your daily walk with Him. In Paul’s final farewell to the leaders (elders) from Ephesus, he speaks of the Church as significant: “Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God (ἐκκλησίαν τοῦ θεοῦ, ekklhsian tou qeou), which he bought with his own blood” (Acts 20:28). If the Church is purchased with the “blood” of God, can one treat the Church with contempt, dislike, or disrespect? Again, the author of Hebrews speaks of the Church in glowing terms:

But you have come to Mount Zion, to the heavenly Jerusalem, the city of the living God. You have come to thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly, ²³ to the church of the firstborn (ἐκκλησίᾳ πρωτοτόκων, ekklhsia prwtotokwn, “church of firstborn ones”), whose names are written in heaven. You have come to God, the judge of all men, to the spirits of righteous men made perfect, ²⁴ to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel. (Hebrews 12:22-24)

Just a cursory glance of Holy Scripture reveals the importance of the Church in the lives of God’s people. Prior to the author’s reference to the “church of the firstborn,” or “church of the firstborn ones,” he admonished Christians to not abandon the assembly: “And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. ²⁵ Let us not give up meeting together (ἐπισυναγωγὴν ἑαυτῶν, episunagwghn Jeautwn, “coming together of ourselves”), as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching” (10:24-25).

Even in the face of daily danger, they were told not to give up the habit of meeting together. Immediately, upon the heels of what he just wrote, he cautions these Christians to consider carefully their standing before God: “How much more severely do you think a man deserves to be punished who has trampled the Son of God under foot, who has treated as an unholy thing the blood of the covenant that sanctified him, and who has insulted the Spirit of grace?” (10:29). Are you trampling under foot the Son of God? Do you treat the covenant blood as an unholy thing? Are you insulting the Spirit of grace? Not only are Christians exhorted not to abandon the habit of meeting together, but they are also taught to be holy: “Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord. See to it that no one misses the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many” (12:14-15). The family of God should be living in such a way that the love of God is reflected in the light of the lives of His saints. Peter, too, deals with the relevance of the Church in his first Epistle. He writes:

As you come to him, the living Stone—rejected by men but chosen by God and precious to him— ⁵ you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. (1 Peter 2:4-6)

Christians are “living stones” within the family of God. Christians are also “being built into a spiritual house.” God’s elect constitutes a “holy priesthood,” which priests are to offer spiritual sacrifices.  Again, he writes down the very purpose of those who belong to God’s people:

But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. ¹⁰ Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. (2:8-10)

Peter says essentially the same thing that Paul expresses in his Epistle to the Ephesians. By Christians declaring the praises of God for redemption, one is fulfilling the intent of his or her part in God’s household. God’s intent was and is that His manifold wisdom should be made known to the world through His Church or community of believers.  Unfortunately today, the common foundation for many churches is not Jesus, but rather their own brand of orthodoxy, which orthodoxy they identity as the so-called “true church.”  The foundation for God’s new community, or Church, has been laid, and the starting point is Jesus. Christians need to recapture the essence of God’s Church, which consists of people, not an ecclesiastical organization. If the Church is to capture the world for Christ, there must be a reflection upon the common calling—the forces of κοινωνία (koinwnia, “fellowship, a close mutual relationship, sharing in”). Christians need to cross over denominational barriers and return to the New Testament concept of solidarity, which is expressed by Paul in his second Epistle to Corinth. He writes: “Besides everything else, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches” (2 Corinthians 11:28).

The collective body of God’s people is called the Church, or ἐκκλησία (ekklhsia, “assembly” or “congregation”). In Romans 16:1, Paul speaks of the church in Cenchrea, which is an assembly of God’s people in Cenchrea. Then he speaks of  “all the churches of the Gentiles” [ἐκκλησίαι τῶν ἐθνῶν, ekklhsiai twn eqnwn] (16:4). He also spoke of “the church” in the home of Priscilla and Aquila (16:5). In 16:16, he spoke of the “churches of Christ” (ἐκκλησίαι τοῦ Χριστοῦ, ekklhsiai tou Cristou). The expression “churches of Christ” is no more the name of the church than the expression, “churches of the Gentiles.” Paul begins his first Corinthian correspondence with: “Unto the church of God which is at Corinth, to them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all that in every place call upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both their’s and our’s” (1 Corinthians 1:2, KJV). The Book of Galatians begins with the phrase: “To the churches in Galatia” (Galatians 1:2). Also, in this same chapter, Paul refers to “the churches of Judea that are in Christ” (1:22). In the Ephesian Epistle, he begins with: “To the saints in Ephesus, the faithful in Christ Jesus” (Ephesians 1:1). As Paul closes his Epistle to the Philippians, he writes: “After this letter has been read to you, see that it is also read in the church of the Laodiceans and that you in turn read the letter from Laodicea” (Colossians 4:16). To the Thessalonians: “To the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ” (1Thessalonians 1:1).

The English word church is more accurately translated as “assembly.” Peter calls the assemblies of Christ “God’s elect” (1 Peter 1:1). The Book of Revelation also addresses “seven churches in the Province of Asia” (Revelation 1:4). The elect of God exists in various local assemblies. Christians, to some extent, are stuck with the English word church. Unfortunately, the Reformers were baptized Catholics. As a result of this mindset, there was not a total new beginning, but a slight cleansing of some issues. The Protestant Movement failed in its identification of “church” and “ekklhsia.” This failure in identification resulted in divisions within the Body of Christ. Christians isolated themselves from other Christians. Each isolated body identified itself as the “true church.” Emil Brunner goes right to the heart of this misconception: “The isolationist tendency hostile to co-operation, arises precisely from the false opinion that a particular church is the true Ecclesia, the legitimate heir of the Christian fellowship of the New Testament.”^[7]

Christians need to recapture the spirit of koinwnia, or communion, of His Body. Koinwnia should lead to a common proclamation of the Gospel of Christ and to a common action in the Church and in the world. This unity of purpose is set forth in the Lord’s Supper. This unity is the unity for which Jesus prayed (John 17). This unity is a world-embracing unity—to all who believe in His name. Everyone who is called of God is a part of this “fellowship of the Spirit.” Paul writes to the Philippians about this koinwnia:

If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit (κοινωνία πνεύματος, koinwnia pneumatos), if any tenderness and compassion, ² then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose. ³ Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. ⁴ Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. (Philippians 2:1-4)

            Christians participate in a particular history—the act of salvation, the life giving activity of the Holy Spirit. When believers reject God’s new community, they reject the life giving activity of the Holy Spirit. Life for the believer is a constant sharing with each other. God calls individuals into the fellowship of Jesus Christ. Paul expresses it this way: “God, who has called you into fellowship with his Son (κοινωνίαν τοῦ υἱοῦ αὐτοῦ, koinwnian tou Juiou autou) Jesus Christ our Lord, is faithful” (1 Corinthians 1:9). To those who responded to Jesus in repentance and baptism were added to the 3000 who were baptized on the Day of Pentecost. Luke writes: “Praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved (Acts 2:47). The saved met on a daily basis in the temple courts (2:46).  In this same context, Luke records: “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer” (2: 42). The KJV translates Acts 2:47: “Praising God, and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.” The NIV translates this passage: “Praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.” The English word church is not in the Greek text. The Greek text simply reads: “And the Lord added the ones being save (τοὺς σῳζομὲνους, tous swzomenous, “the ones being saved”) from day to day together (ἐπὶ τὸ αὐτό, epi to auto, “together”).” Those who responded to the Good News of God were added to the elect of God, not to a particular denomination.

            When one speaks of the Church today, one should be conscious that God’s family repeats the early testimony of the Βody of Christ—Christ was Crucified and Resurrected and is Head of His family. The early Church did not venerate the body of a dead Jew, but they did worship the body of a risen Lord. The Church wants to know Christ and the power of His Resurrection. The Church has always been made up of fallible and ordinary people—people saved by grace. For the believer, the Church is still the most important single phenomenon that human history has to show. The existing Body of Christ testifies to the authenticity of Christianity. When one repudiates the Church, one ignores the fact that one, too, is a part of the Church.  It is in Christ that one escapes the jungle of individualism.

The community of Christ is God’s gift to humanity. The Church of Jesus is a radically new fellowship. The new people of God represent the new humanity—a people separated for God’s service. It is in and through the Church that individuals are reminded that one is not his or her own. Within the Body of Christ, one is consciously aware of the reality of God’s redemption through the observance of the Lord’s Supper and Baptism. When Christians gather to hear the Word of God preached, this hearing of the word helps one to renew his or her life. Why do Christians assemble? They assemble in response to God’s act of redemption in the gift of His Son. When Christians gather to express their worship in a corporate setting, one draws reality and depth from this gathering of God’s people. Every assembly of God’s people should be a time where the barricade of race, nationality, class, sex, and education are done away. This get-together should be a place where the needy, the browbeaten, the outcast, and the unloved find a welcome and feel themselves at home. This meeting should be a place where individuals find support and encouragement.

With the coming of Jesus, one witnesses the breaking in of a new age in which Jesus creates a new ekklhsia. The Church is the New Jerusalem, the New Heaven and Earth, and the Elect of God. When God adds to His Body of believers, the faithful share in a new life. It is not possible for individuals to go on living in the old way when they have come fact to face with the Kingdom of God. As one reflects upon the New Israel of God, one is conscious of pure grace on the part of God. The Church consists of those set apart to be holy and to serve God. The Church does not allow for individualism, but fellowship. This essay is written to help individuals to rediscover the Church as the New People of God. W. A. Vissr’t Hooft and J. H. Oldham address the problem of division within the Body of Christ today with its various denominations. They capture the very heart of the matter: “All agree that there is essentially only one Church, since there is only one Lord. As a reality of faith, the word Church has no plural.”^[8] This concept is very difficult for many Christians, especially since they identify their particular church as the Church or the Lord’s Church. Once more, Hooft and Oldham focus on the heart of the issue when they write:

If it is said that there is only one Church, this implies for some Churches that only one visible Church is the true Church, but for others that no visible Church can claim to be the Church of Christ, since all Christian Churches together represent that reality. These examples might be multiplied ad infinitum; but the point is clear, namely, that our belief in the Church is both the basis which enables us to meet together, and at the same time the barrier which makes us unable to speak with a united voice.^[9]

            Unfortunately, for many, the Church often conveys the belief that in order for one to be a Christian, he or she must hold to the doctrinal formulation of a certain fellowship of God’s people. What makes an individual one is not his or her adherence to certain doctrinal issues, but rather that one has been reconciled to God through Christ. The Church is a Christian community, that is to say, a fellowship of persons living together. Yet again, Hooft captures the very essence of what the Church is and its mission: “The Church is the community which has been gathered and mobilized by the Holy Spirit in order to fulfill that part of the plan of God which must be fulfilled in the final period of History.”^[10] Christians are called into koinwnia, which koinwnia is in Christ. Every local Assembly of God’s people should have one goal—the proclamation of the Gospel.

As stated earlier, when Christians assemble to partake of the Lord’s Supper, this meal should be a constant reminder of unity among God’s people. Unity is found in none other than Jesus of Nazareth. In spite of the divisions existing among God’s people, God does not recognize the existence of parties or separated churches. Even with differences within the various communities of God’s people, Christians still belong to the one and only people of God. When churches are characterized by self-centered denominationalism and institutionalism, God is not pleased. What is the calling of the Church? It is to fulfill the mission of spreading the Gospel of God, which Gospel has been entrusted to the Church. Christians are united because they all share in one common calling. Unity in the early Church included all who called upon the name of Christ. Does the Good News of God’s Way of salvation still radiate from your face? Is there little warmth in your heart for God’s community of Resurrection? Every believer should wrap himself or herself up in the grace of God in and through Jesus. What does the Church mean to you? Christians should never forget that from the very beginning of the Day of Pentecost, the Christian community was a missionary society.

If one wishes to become more and more like God, one must allow the community of Resurrection to become a part one one’s life. In God’s blueprint for His people, one realizes that Jesus Christ and His kingdom are God’s blueprint for His children. The Church calls attention to the fact that Jesus cried from the Cross, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (ἠλὶ ἠλὶ λεμὰ σαβαχθάνι, hli hli lema sabacqani) in order to keep us from crying, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:45).^[11] Should Christians dispense with the Church? No! The Church exists for the sake of the world. The congregation is intended to be missionary in purpose and missionary in design. Every Church should adopt a “GO” theology, not a “COME” theology. The negative “wait” and “let come” is the very opposite of what Jesus taught His followers. Christians come together in order that they might “GO.”

CONCLUSION

As one reflects upon the Church in one’s life, one must ask himself or herself, what does life under the Cross of Christ mean to me? One can say that one’s life under the Gospel is the opening of one’s heart to Christ Jesus. Is Christ, first in your life? This opening of one’s life to Christ enables one to bring forth fruits that result in God’s glory. When one allows God, Christ, and the Holy Spirit the right-of-way in one’s life, then this individual maintains consciousness of God’s Good News who makes oneself available to be a channel that portrays His kingdom with a view of welcoming the fullness of God’s glory. Again, what does the Church mean to you? What does it mean to assemble with the saints during the week? Unfortunately, many Christians abandon the assembling of themselves with other believers. Yet, a life under the Gospel is a life that is active in the Church. Life in the Christian community is not only something between Christ and the individual, but it is also life in the Body of Christ. In other words, if one acknowledges Jesus Christ as Lord in one’s existence, this acknowledgement involves one’s sharing his or her faith with others.

To be a Christian means to be incorporated into the Body of Christ. The Church is the fellowship whereby the Gospel of God continues to be proclaimed throughout the world. Every individual is nourished through the Church. As one witnesses Christian baptism and the Lord’s Supper, one is constantly reminded of one’s life under the Gospel. One should keep in mind that life in the Church is not isolationism. Christians should identify themselves with other believers. Have you discarded the need for the Church in your way of life? One should never forget that the function of the internal life of the Church is to enable Christians to grow together in the Body of Christ. Jesus purchased the Church with His blood. The ultimate authority for the Church is found in the authority of God in His Revelation. Also, it is through the proclamation of the Good News of God that one discovers the function of the Church in society. Out of the Good News of God, one discovers the kingdom foretold by the prophets (Daniel 2, Isaiah 2, Joel 2).

One can say that the Gospel brought the Church into being and still keeps the Church in obedience to God.  If the Church wishes to be a witness to the world, it must again and again search the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments for those Scriptures that testify about Jesus Christ as the promised Messiah. If the Church is unimportant, one wonders why the Holy Spirit wrote: “And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved” (Acts 2:47). As one thinks about the significance of the Church in God’s scheme of redemption, one needs to be conscious that the essence of the new community of Christ, or Church, is the oneness of communion with Christ by faith and brotherhood in love. The Church is a spiritual organism, not an ecclesiastical organization. It is people. It is the elect of God. It is the community of God. It is the New Israel of God. Christ created a spiritual communion of persons redeemed by His blood, not a religious or clerical corporation. The body of Christ is responsible for proclaiming Jesus as the Mediator between God and humanity. It is in this vein that Paul writes:

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! ¹⁸ All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: ¹⁹ that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. ²⁰ We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. ²¹ God made him who had no sin to be sin^a for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. As God’s fellow workers we urge you not to receive God’s grace in vain. (2 Corinthians 5:17—6:1)