Definition and Biblical Basis of the Church
(NTC4T-3)
I. The Church Defined
A. What it is not
1. A denomination
2. To be confused with Israel
3. The same as the kingdom of God
B. What it is
1. Universal Church
2. Local body
II. The Biblical Basis of the Church
A. A covenant relationship with God
B. Its foundation
C. Its head
Introduction
Jesus said, “I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it” (Matthew 16:18). This morning we are continuing our series of messages entitled, The New Testament Church for Today. Our particular focus will be to consider the definition and biblical basis of the Church.
The importance of a proper understanding of the nature and purpose of the Church cannot be overemphasized. It is clear from a study of the scriptures that the Church holds a unique and elevated position in the unfolding of history, in the created order, and in the heart of God. As J.I. Packer so astutely points out, “We cannot properly understand the purpose of God, nor the method of grace, nor the kingdom of Christ, nor the work of the Holy Spirit, nor the meaning of world history without studying the doctrine of the Church” (Henry, Basic Christian Doctrines, p. 241).
The Church as an institution and as a living organism is a pivotal entity. Yet, as we venture into the 21st century, it is readily apparent that there is much confusion revolving around the questions of what the Church is and why it exists. There are many people in our society, both inside and outside the Church, who are desirous of receiving a viable answer to these questions and a reasonable demonstration of the Church’s relevance for today. Much of the confusion can be attributed to the widespread aberrant behavior that is displayed by many professed Christians in local churches—confessing a well-rooted historical, biblical orthodoxy, but manifesting an uncertain ever-changing, situational orthopraxy. In light of such inconsistencies, it is imperative that we give consideration to Millard J. Erikson’s words:
… if it is to continue to be called the church, we must know just what it is that distinguishes the church as the church, or qualifies it to be called the church. This question is not being asked. We must also determine if there is a point at which the church ought rather to be termed a club, a social agency, or something similar (Christian Theology, p. 1030).
The ultimate intention this series of messages is to give a clear explanation of the nature and purpose of the Church from a biblical perspective that will inspire us to become a living demonstration of a healthy, Great Commission completing church. It is my hope that our pursuit will result in helping each of us gain a better understanding of what the Church is, why it exists, and serve as a call to return us to our Divine mandate to be The New Testament Church for Today. (Just as a word of warning, we will be looking at several scripture passages this morning. So I hope you’ve come practiced up for a good old-fashioned “sword drill.” As a word of comfort, I have not marked my Bible ahead of time—we’re all in this together.)
The Church Defined
Our message this morning begins by dealing with the matter of defining what exactly this thing is that we call the Church. I believe that this is a necessary exercise for at least two reasons. Granted, in the minds of some, this may seem like an needless and even wasted effort because it is altogether “obvious” as to how the Church is to be defined. But if you or I were to take a poll of a variety of individuals, giving each one the task of defining the Church, it would become readily apparent that there would exist at least as many differing conceptions as participants. This is the first reason.
The second reason that it is imperative that the Church be defined is related to the first. Due to the multiplicity of conceptions concerning the essence of the Church, it is only natural that some of those ideas are incorrect and even harmful. As one theologian has noted, “there is need of a clear understanding of the New Testament conception of the church. Various unscriptural views are being held by teachers and churches, and much mischief has been done by a confusion of things that differ” (Thiessen, ILST, p. 405). Therefore on the basis of these reasons, I will set out to give you a working, biblical definition of the Church.
What It Is Not
I will begin by defining the Church negatively. That is, I will begin by stating what the Church is not. My purpose in doing so is to put aside many of the popular misconceptions of what the church is. (When I use the term popular, I am referring to those notions which are circulating both inside and outside of “church” circles.)
A Denomination
The first misconception I would like to address is the notion of regarding a particular denomination as being “the Church.” The Church is not a denomination. It is common to refer to various denominations as churches, such as, the Assemblies of God church, the Baptist church, the Christian and Missionary Alliance church, the Lutheran church, the Methodist church, the Presbyterian church, the Roman Catholic church, etc. There may be occasions when a particular denomination will, if not explicitly through its doctrine perhaps implicitly through its attitude toward and relationship with other denominational bodies, claim that it is the “one true church.” For example, “the official doctrine of the Roman Catholic Church…is that it alone is the true church, that all other churches and religious groups are in error, either heretical or pagan, and that such churches and groups have not even the right of existence” (Boettner, Roman Catholicism, p. 409).
However, a comprehensive study of the scriptures does not reveal this use of the term “Church” being suggested by any of the biblical writers. In fact, the Bible explicitly warns against such divisions in the Church. Take a look at what Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 1:10-13 (p. 848). The Church is not to be identified with one denominational body to the exclusion of all others.
To Be Confused With Israel
A second misconception we want to avoid is blurring the lines between Israel and the Church—the Church is not to be confused with Israel. There seems to be a common temptation among many Bible scholars and teachers to deal with the question of the relationship between God’s covenant people in the OT, Israel, and His covenant people in the NT, the Church, in the most expedient manner. And often times the lines are drawn between two main opinions. The first is that the Church is simply a “new and improved” version of Israel. The second opinion is that Israel has been rejected by God and replaced by the Church.
However, as Robert Saucy points out, “the New Testament never confuses Israel and the church. As opposed to the church, which is a religious body composed of individuals from all nations, the term Israel retains its reference to the people which came physically from the loins of Abraham” (The Church in God’s Program, p. 70). It seems clear from the scriptures that the Church is a new and unique work of God. It is distinct in its purpose and relationship to God and the world.
Many passages could be cited to support this view, but perhaps the best text is found in Romans 11 (p.843). Look at Paul’s remarks in v. 1. Now skip down to vv. 11-20. In these verses, Paul maintains the distinctness of the Church (which he refers to as “Gentiles”) and Israel. He points out that Israel has neither been improved nor completely rejected. Rather he indicates that the Church has been “grafted in” among his covenant people.
The church has therefore been grafted into the great promises of blessing which are foundational to God’s total salvation program which had prior to this time been covenanted to only Abraham and Israel. This en-grafting is not to replace Israel nor to fulfill her specifically national prophecies…Rather, both Israel and the church share in their distinctive phases in God’s program as the people of God through whom He will be glorified (Saucy, p. 82).
The Same as the Kingdom Of God
The third misconception that we want to clear up is that the Church is not the same as the kingdom of God. A study of history will reveal that much injury has been wrought about through confusing the Church with the kingdom of God. For example:
Based on Augustine’s City of God, the church of the Middle Ages developed a theology which equated the church with the kingdom of God on earth, resulting in the absolute authority of the church in teaching and dispensing salvation. In another direction, this equation led to the concept of building the kingdom through the church, forgetting that the fulfillment of the promises of God’s reign is yet future (Saucy, p. 82).
Millard Erikson points out that “…the kingdom is to be thought of as the reign of God. The church, by contrast, is the realm of God, the people who are under his rule. The kingdom is the rule of God, whereas the church is the human community under that rule.” (Christian Theology, p. 1041-1042). Henry Thiessen draws this further distinction: “The main difference is this, the kingdom of God is larger than the Church, including the saved of all ages and having also an eschatological aspect, whereas the Church is confined to the believers of this present age” (ILST, p. 406).
What It Is
We have talked about what the Church is not; now let’s take a look at what the Church is. The biblical use of the term Church is seen to involve two senses.
Universal Church
The first sense in which the term Church is used is in reference to the universal Church. In the universal sense, it refers to “all who are true Christians, those who have been ‘born again,’ or ‘born anew’ (John 3:3), from all nations and denominations” (Boettner, p. 19). The term “church” is used 25 times in the NT to refer to the universal church. Some examples of this usage include: 1 Corinthians 10:32, Do not cause anyone to stumble, whether Jews, Greeks or the church of God; Ephesians 5:25, Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her; and Hebrews 12:23a, to the church of the firstborn, whose names are written in heaven.
Local Church
The term church is also used in the NT with reference to a particular, distinct group of professing believers who assemble in one locality—a local church. 90 times the word church is used in this sense. Some examples of this use include: Romans 16:16b, All the churches of Christ send greetings; 1 Thessalonians 1:1, To the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace and peace to you; and Revelation 1:11, “Write on a scroll what you see and send it to the seven churches: to Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea.”
Before moving on to address the subject of the biblical basis of the Church, I would like to make one additional comment with reference to defining the Church. It concerns the interrelationship that exists between the universal church and the local church. Robert Saucy points out, “it is important to note that the universal use of [the term church] does not denote the one church as the sum of many individual churches, or the many churches together producing the universal church. The one universal church is manifested in a particular locality, yet each individual assembly is the church in that place” (Saucy, p. 18).
Take a look at Acts 8:1-3 (p. 816). [Read] We see that Luke refers to the universal Church which is manifested in a particular region (Jerusalem), yet each individual assembly (house to house) is considered the church in that place. This is also attested to by such verses as the opening to both of Paul’s letters to the Corinthians. There he refers to that congregation as the church of God in Corinth (1 Corinthians 1:1; 2 Corinthians 1:1). What all of this means is simply this: while our particular church is not the full manifestation of the universal Church of Christ throughout the world, it is nevertheless representative of the Church—our local church is the church and we should expect the manifestation of God’s presence among us every time we gather together in Jesus’ name.
The Biblical Basis of the Church
Now that we have defined what the Church is, I’d like to use our remaining time together to talk about the biblical basis of the Church. We will give consideration to three specific areas with regard to understanding the biblical basis of the Church.
A Covenant Relationship with God
The first area has to do with the concept of a covenant relationship with God. Carl F.H. Henry writes, “The basis of the Church’s life in both testaments is the covenant which God made with Abraham. The fundamental idea of biblical ecclesiology [the study of the Church] is of the Church as the covenant people of God” (Basic Christian Doctrines, p. 242). In Matthew’s Gospel we read these familiar words which Jesus spoke on the night that He was betrayed, “This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins” (26:28). Jesus is telling us that it is on the basis of a covenant that He was establishing, through the shedding of His blood, that we can experience peace with God.
The Apostle Paul refers to this idea of an unbroken covenant relationship in several of his epistles. One example is found in Romans 9:6-8 (p. 842). Please turn to that passage. [Read]
And in Romans 11, which we considered earlier, Paul uses the imagery of a wild olive branch being grafted into the natural branches to teach that the Church has been “grafted in” and shares in all the promises of the covenant made with Abraham.
I would like to look at two other passages that also deal with the concept of the Church being rooted in a covenant. Please turn to Galatians 3:15-18 (p. 866). Here Paul makes the point that through faith in Christ, we (the Church) are also of the “seed” of Abraham. [Read]
Now turn to Ephesians 2:19 (p. 870). [Read] We are proclaimed to be fellow citizens with God’s people and members of God’s household. It is on the basis of the covenant—the covenant of faith and dependent upon faithfulness—that we participate in a living relationship with our Maker.
Its Foundation
The second area to consider with regard to the biblical basis of the Church is that of its foundation. What is the foundation of the Church?
There exists a considerable amount of debate over this is-sue of the foundation of the Church. There are generally four positions espoused, each of them claiming support in Jesus’ words to Peter in Matthew 16:17-19 (p. 730). [Read]
There are some, especially Roman Catholics, who claim that based on this text Peter is the foundation of the Church. This belief in the supremacy of Peter over the other Apostles, and others supposed “evidence,” gave rise to the Roman Catholic doctrine of the Pope and papal succession. Without going to great lengths into all the evidence against such a position, I will simply say that there is no biblical support even hinting that Peter was ever considered a universal father or Pope of the Church. In fact, the book of Acts seems to indicate that Peter quickly fell from his position of priority in the early Church. Furthermore, Paul’s rebuke of Peter in Galatians 2:11ff indicates that neither he nor Paul viewed him as being in an elevated position.
The second view concerning the foundation of the church is that Peter’s confession that Jesus is the “Son of the living God” is the “rock” or foundation. Recognition of Jesus’ messiahship and deity is certainly related to Christ’s intention to build the Church. However, the idea that the confession itself is the rock scarcely does justice to Christ’s obvious play on words in v. 18. This interpretation seems to be forced upon the passage in an attempt to avoid the main difficulty in it, namely, the issue of Peter and his relation to papacy which I already mentioned.
A third interpretation is that Peter and his fellow Apostles are intended as the rock. This interpretation has biblical support outside of Matthew. Ephesians 2:19-20 states, Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God’s people and members of God’s household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Jesus Christ himself as the chief cornerstone. The apostles and prophets are specifically mentioned as foundational components in the construction of the Church.
The final interpretation is that Christ is the foundation of the Church. Christ is called the “Rock” in both OT symbolism and NT teaching (Isa 28:16; Rom 9:33; 1 Cor 10:4; 1 Pet 2:7-8). Jesus Christ is explicitly called the only foundation in 1 Corinthians 3:11. Ephesians 5:25-27 points out that it was the work of Christ that made the creation of the Church a reality.
While it is easy to dismiss the ideas of Peter himself or his confession as constituting the foundation of the Church, one must reconcile the seeming disparity we find in the scripture between the other two interpretations. Are the Apostles the foundation or is Jesus Christ the foundation of the Church? It is my opinion that this apparent dilemma can be easily resolved by recognizing that is not a case of contradiction in the Bible; rather it is a matter of perspective and priority. It should be noted that the nature of the Church is such that it has a fourfold foundation. This can be summed up in the following table: [PPT]
Foundation: Priority In: Relation to the Church:
Person of Christ Authority Its Head
Messiahship of Christ Doctrine Its faith
Revelation about Christ Truth Its book
Apostles of Christ Time Its original Apostles
-original recipients
-recipients of divine revelation
Its Head
The final area to consider with regard to the biblical basis of the Church is that of its Head. The question of the headship of the Church is a matter that is non-debatable. It is quite clear from the scriptures that there is only one Head, and that is Jesus Christ. Let’s look at a few passages that demonstrate the headship of Christ over the Church.
Please turn to Ephesians 1:22-23 (p. 869). Paul states that Christ is the Head of His body, the Church. Turn just a couple of pages to Ephesians 5:23 (p. 871). Again, Christ is referred to as the head of the church. Turning just a few more pages in your Bibles to Colossians 1:18 (p. 875), Paul writes, he is the head of the body, the church.
In the natural order of things, the starting point for any activity of the body is with the head. The human body cannot act independently of the head. And except for those rare cases where there is some type of communication breakdown between the head and the other members of the body, whatever the head says, the body does. It must remain in connection with and be submitted to the authority of the head. Failure to remain connected to the head ultimately results in death.
The same is true in the supernatural realm of the relation-ship between Christ, the Head, and His body, the Church. As the Head of the Church, Jesus is the one who gives di-rection to the Church. He is the one we receive our “marching orders” from. He is the one we need to seek before starting off upon any course of action. He is the one we must be obedient to. And whenever we fail to listen to the Head, it is an indication of our disconnection from the Head and a precursor to our inevitable death.
Conclusion
Christ is building His Church. He is bringing about its completion. He has personally guaranteed its success. It is His Church. We are privileged to be part of that glorious creation. I encourage each of us to not lose sight of our Head, to not fix our eyes on the people who make up the Church, but to remain focused on Jesus and obedient to His will.
