What is the Church?
Question 9002
The word “church” is thrown around quite loosely today. People talk about “going to church” as if it were simply a building or a Sunday morning activity. But what does the Bible actually mean when it speaks of the Church? This is a question that deserves careful attention because understanding what the Church truly is shapes how we live as believers and how we relate to one another in the body of Christ.
The Word Itself
The English word “church” translates the Greek word ἐκκλησία (ekklēsia), which appears 114 times in the New Testament. The word comes from two Greek words: ἐκ (ek), meaning “out of,” and καλέω (kaleō), meaning “to call.” So the basic idea is “the called-out ones.” In classical Greek, ekklēsia referred to an assembly of citizens called out from their homes to gather for civic purposes. When the New Testament writers adopted this term, they filled it with new meaning to describe the gathering of those whom God has called out of the world and into fellowship with His Son.
It is worth noting that ekklēsia does not refer to a building. The New Testament knows nothing of “church buildings” in the way we think of them today. The early believers met in homes (Romans 16:5; 1 Corinthians 16:19; Colossians 4:15; Philemon 1:2), in the temple courts (Acts 2:46), and wherever they could gather. The Church is not a place you go; it is a people you belong to.
The Universal Church
When we speak of the Church, we must recognise that Scripture uses the term in two distinct senses. The first is what theologians call the “universal” or “invisible” Church. This refers to all true believers in Jesus from Pentecost until the Rapture, regardless of their location, denomination, or era in which they lived. This is the Church that Jesus spoke of when He said, “I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it” (Matthew 16:18).
Paul describes this universal Church in magnificent terms. In Ephesians 1:22-23, he writes that God “put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.” The Church is the body of Christ, with Jesus Himself as the Head. Every believer, whether in first-century Jerusalem or twenty-first-century Britain, is a member of this one body.
This body is formed by the baptising work of the Holy Spirit. Paul explains in 1 Corinthians 12:13, “For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit.” This spiritual baptism, which occurs at the moment of salvation, places every believer into union with Christ and with one another. It is not water baptism that makes someone part of the Church but the regenerating work of the Spirit.
From a dispensational perspective, it is important to understand that the Church is distinct from Israel in God’s programme. The Church began at Pentecost (Acts 2) and will be completed at the Rapture. Israel has her own promises and future in God’s plan, and though individual Jews can and do become part of the Church by faith in Christ, the nation of Israel as such is not the Church, nor is the Church “spiritual Israel.” This distinction helps us rightly divide the Word of truth and understand God’s purposes for different peoples in different ages.
The Local Church
The second sense in which the New Testament uses “church” is to refer to a local assembly of believers in a particular place. This is by far the more common usage. When Paul writes “to the church of God that is at Corinth” (1 Corinthians 1:2) or “to the churches of Galatia” (Galatians 1:2), he is addressing specific congregations in specific locations.
The local church is the visible expression of the universal Church. It is where believers gather regularly for worship, instruction, fellowship, and the ordinances. The New Testament assumes that every believer will be part of a local assembly. There is no concept in Scripture of a “lone ranger” Christian who has no connection to a local body of believers. Hebrews 10:24-25 exhorts us, “And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.”
The local church has its own leadership structure. Paul and Barnabas “appointed elders for them in every church” (Acts 14:23). The qualifications for elders (also called overseers or pastors) are given in 1 Timothy 3:1-7 and Titus 1:5-9. Deacons serve alongside elders, handling practical matters so that elders can devote themselves to prayer and the ministry of the Word (Acts 6:1-6; 1 Timothy 3:8-13).
Images of the Church
The New Testament uses several rich images to help us understand what the Church is. Each one reveals something different about our identity and calling.
The Church is called the body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:27; Ephesians 4:12). Just as a human body has many members with different functions, all working together under the direction of the head, so the Church has many members with different gifts, all working together under the headship of Christ. No member is unimportant; no member can say to another, “I have no need of you” (1 Corinthians 12:21).
The Church is described as a building or temple. Paul writes in Ephesians 2:19-22 that believers are “built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.” We are living stones (1 Peter 2:5), being fitted together into a spiritual house where God dwells.
The Church is the bride of Christ (Ephesians 5:25-27; Revelation 19:7-8). This image speaks of the intimate love relationship between Christ and His Church. Jesus loved the Church and gave Himself up for her. One day the marriage supper of the Lamb will take place, and the Church will be presented to Christ in all her glory.
The Church is also called a flock (Acts 20:28; 1 Peter 5:2-3), with Christ as the Chief Shepherd and under-shepherds (pastors) caring for the sheep. The Church is described as a family, with believers as brothers and sisters and God as our Father (Galatians 6:10; 1 Timothy 5:1-2).
The Purpose of the Church
Why does the Church exist? What is her mission? Several purposes emerge from Scripture.
First, the Church exists for worship. We gather to glorify God, to praise Him for who He is and what He has done. The early church devoted themselves to worship, breaking bread and praying together (Acts 2:42, 46-47).
Second, the Church exists for edification. Believers are to build one another up in the faith. The gifts God has given are “for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God” (Ephesians 4:12-13). Teaching, preaching, and mutual encouragement are central to the Church’s life.
Third, the Church exists for evangelism. Jesus commanded us to “make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:19). The Church is the primary vehicle through which the gospel goes out to the world. We are witnesses (Acts 1:8), ambassadors for Christ (2 Corinthians 5:20), entrusted with the ministry of reconciliation.
Fourth, the Church exists for fellowship. The Greek word κοινωνία (koinōnia) speaks of a deep sharing of life together. This is more than coffee and biscuits after the service. It is bearing one another’s burdens, confessing sins to one another, rejoicing with those who rejoice and weeping with those who weep.
Conclusion
The Church is not a building, not a denomination, not an institution. The Church is the people of God, called out of darkness into His marvellous light, united to Christ by faith, and joined to one another in love. We are His body, His temple, His bride. Understanding this should transform how we view our local congregation. These are not just people who happen to attend the same religious services as us. These are our brothers and sisters, fellow members of the body, living stones in the same building. Let us treasure the Church for which Christ died and gave Himself.
“And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” Matthew 16:18
Bibliography
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- Enns, Paul. The Moody Handbook of Theology. Chicago: Moody Publishers, 2014.
- Saucy, Robert L. The Church in God’s Program. Chicago: Moody Publishers, 1972.
- Grudem, Wayne. Systematic Theology. Leicester: Inter-Varsity Press, 1994.
- Pentecost, J. Dwight. Things to Come. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1958.
- Walvoord, John F. The Church in Prophecy. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1964.
- MacArthur, John. The Master’s Plan for the Church. Chicago: Moody Publishers, 2008.
- Getz, Gene A. Elders and Leaders: God’s Plan for Leading the Church. Chicago: Moody Publishers, 2003.
- Lightner, Robert P. Evangelical Theology: A Survey and Review. Grand Rapids: Baker, 1986.
- Chafer, Lewis Sperry. Systematic Theology, Vol. 4. Dallas: Dallas Seminary Press, 1948.
