The "church"

[weary warrior]

Jim answered a post I had participated in regarding "local church only", and he wisely and graciously pointed out that we did not want to hijack the OP. I agree. Thank you, Jim.

 

I posted a brief study below I did once on the concept of the three different aspects of the church being mentioned in scripture, "local",  "visible" and "universal". I wanted to put it here so that the scriptures would be there to point to what I was referring to. I'm not looking for a debate, I just wanted to give my complete view with scripture, and not mess up the other thread.

 

THE CHURCH

“Church” – 79 times in Bible, “Churches” - 36 times  - all in NT
“Church”, from Greek word “ecclesia” means an assembly or gathering of people.

The church is not to be confused with a building or piece of property, but a particular gathering of people.

The word “Church” is used 3 different ways in the Bible

EXAMPLE OF 3 CHURCH DEFINITIONS
“The Noel Family”
·    Immediate – Deanna, the children and I
·    Alive and Extended - Dad, Mom, sisters, Uncles, aunts, cousins, et.
·    All ancestors from time of first founding Noel

1.    Universal Church – Spiritual - All saints, past, present and future, whose names the Father knows and are written in heaven. – UNDER CHRIST, UNDER NO OFFICE OR MAN ON EARTH.
A.    Hebrews 12:22-23
B.    Eph 5:23,25,27,29
C.    Col 1:18-24
D.    Revelation 19:7, Revelation 21:9 and (2Corinthians 11:2 – proof text that the bride is the church)

2.    Visible Church - Spiritual and Physical but not Judicial. - Made of all saints alive on earth, general reference to believers as a whole.
A.    1Co 12:13
B.    1Co 15:9
C.    Galatians 1:13
D.    Philippians 3:6

3.    Local Church – Spiritual, Physical and Judicial - A particular assembly of believers that meet together in one place, such as the churches addressed in the epistles. The word “churches”, plural, appears 36 times.
A.    Ro 16:5
B.    Col 4:15
C.    Ac 13:1
 

A brief synopsis of a larger topic, I know. However, Think about this one point. What makes me the member of a "local assembly"? Is it just my physical participation in that location? No, it is my spiritual position in Christ FIRST, then OBedience in baptism, and only then local participation. The church is called "the body of Christ"  1Co 12:27
Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular. 

 

Paul told the church at Rome in Romans 12:5 So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another. Yet most on here would say, if asked, that Paul was a member of the Church at Antioch, for they were his "sending authority" by which his church starts were made legitimate and "real churches". In fact, (and I could very well be wrong here) according to Romans 1:13 Paul had not yet even been to Rome. So he was not a member of any local assembly there, yet he associates clearly with them as "members of one body", and it is true that Ephesians 4 states there is only "one body".

 

I just believe that the "one body" happens to have a more mufti-faceted, well-rounded aspects to it than the simple one-dimensions we might be more comfortable recognizing. I look at it like this. If we the church are the body of Christ, is Christ himself so simple and easily depicted in one single-colored crayon drawing, or is he magnificent, eternal, physical, spiritual, absent yet present, a servant yet a king, yesterday and tomorrow, in my heart and on the throne of glory at the same time? That's how I understand the nature of the church from scripture. Not something else, but something more. So much more.

[Jim_Alaska]

WW, I am not ignoring you. Not feeling well and been real busy to boot. I would like to formulate a reply, but need time to do it right.

[weary warrior]

Jim, I know you're not. It's OK, I was not trying to draw you into a debate anyhow, just stating my view a little plainer with some scripture. I understand fully your view on the subject, and respect it. It is how I was raised and taught my whole life. I still believe fully in the physical, New Testament local church and it's complete autonomy and authority under Christ the head. I just also happen to recognize a bigger spiritual picture at the same time, and the two are not in conflict in my mind.

[Jim_Alaska]

First I would like to point out that there is a lot of misunderstanding regarding three different things. They are; The Family of God; The Kingdom of God; and The Church of God. I point this out because they are not the same things. Let me try to explain it this way: The Family of God includes all the children of God in Heaven and on earth. In Eph. 3:15 Paul speaks of the whole family in Heaven and on earth.

 

This family includes all believers, Gal. 3:26 says: Ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. So then, all believers are God’s children, this includes Old Testament believers since they were also saved by Faith in Jesus. Acts 10:43.

 

This is not the church. The Family of God is bigger than either the Kingdom of God or the Church, because it contains all the saved from Able to the present time, whether they are in Heaven or on earth. I liken this to what you called the “Universal Church.”

 

The Kingdom of God includes all the saved on earth at any given time, beginning with John the Baptist. I need to elaborate on this statement because in Mat. 13 it is used to include all professors, While in other places it is used to include all of the “born again” on earth. This is not to be confused with the Kingdom associated with the Millennium, which is yet future. Again, this is not the church. I liken this to what you called the “Visible Church.”

 

The Church of God is never used of any institution, except an assembly or congregation of baptized believers in some given locality; such as The Church of God at Corinth. 1Cor. 1:2

 

I know this is lengthy, but felt the need to try to address what you wrote about “Universal Church”; “Visible Church”; “Local Church”. I feel that the three examples I gave above are scriptural. The only other times that the word Church is used in the singular is when the scripture is talking about the church as a generic, or institution. The one, or singular, being put for all.

 

A body (church) is an organism occupying space and having a definite locality. A heap of legs, hands, feet and other parts are not a body. They must be united in a system, each in its proper place. They must be put in place before you have either a body or a house. So, even all the saved are not a church unless they are brought together and built into a house, or body. So….no universal church, either visible or invisible. Paul put it this way:

1Co 12:14 For the body is not one member, but many.

 15 If the foot shall say, Because I am not the hand, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body?

 16 And if the ear shall say, Because I am not the eye, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body?

 17 If the whole body were an eye, where were the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where were the smelling?

 18 But now hath God set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased him.

 

The references you provided under the heading, “Universal Church” are speaking about the “church” (singular) as an institution, meaning all true churches.

 

Under the heading “Visible Church” you gave a reference to 1 Cor. 12:13. Context is crucial always. Paul was speaking to the church at Corinth in these verses. If you look down to Ver 26 you have to explain how this verse can be accomplished among believers as a whole as you stated. It can only be accomplished in local Church capacity. Move down to ver. 27 and you see that Paul is speaking directly and solely to the church at Corinth: 1Co 12:27 Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular. This then cannot be “a general reference to believers as a whole”.

 

Your reference in Gal. 1:13 is again pointing to the church as an institution not individual believers as a whole. For ye have heard of my conversation in time past in the Jews' religion, how that beyond measure I persecuted the church of God, and wasted it:

Paul was not just persecuting one church; he was persecuting every church he could find.

 

Jesus only built one kind of church, He called it “My Church”. This makes His church exclusive and one of a kind, not three different kinds as you have listed. He gave His church specific directions and commands that can only be followed by a local church.

Here is just one example, can a Universal Church conform to this command? 1Co 12:25 That there should be no schism in the body; but that the members should have the same care one for another.

 26 And whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it; or one member be honoured, all the members rejoice with it.

 

Certainly it must be admitted that the church universal, composed of all the saved on earth, has schism. They all teach different doctrines. Paul gave this command directly to the church at Corinth: 1Co 1:10 Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.

 

All the saved on earth cannot conform to this command, no matter if you call it the visible or invisible church. They are all different, every one of them, with one exception, Baptist. Local Baptist Church is the only institution that can claim to be His church. All others are pretenders and instituted by man. That’s why I said that Jesus only built one kind of church and it was a Baptist Church and local.

 

OK, I don’t need to beat this subject to death, what I have written should suffice to show the inconsistency of the premise of the three different churches that you advocated for.

I am certainly not the last word on this subject and by no means a Bible scholar. But I think I have shown that local church is the only kind of church there can be. This must be true if for no other reason than to qualify as a true church it must be assembled, it cannot be scattered all over heaven and earth.

 

This last to Weary Warrior and others that may have an interest in this topic. What I have written is by no means meant to be argumentative or condescending, or start a debate among forum members. My reason for writing this was simply because it looked like there was a misunderstanding in terminology. For instance, Visible Church = Kingdom of God. My purpose then was to possibly correct any misunderstanding, not to prove “I am right”.

[weary warrior]

Jim, I appreciate your response, and I especially appreciate the spirit in which it was given. What a breath of fresh air for two brethren to hold different views on a subject and still not feel the need to get mad and get mean.

As I said, I am familiar with your position, I was raised with that teaching and held it myself for many years. After so many years, however, of visiting, starting, teaching and encouraging churches around the world, many of them secret churches in closed communist countries, and many in remote jungles and all pastored by national pastors, I began to see a broader picture as I studied scripture to find answers to questions that we just never run into here in the good ol' USA.

There are suppositions in your post regarding what I consider to be the church that are a little bit incorrect, but it really doesn't matter. I feel no compunction to try and convince you against your will of the validity of my position, and you have certainly not behaved in such a way as to cause me to degenerate into my second childhood and go on a ranting, pouting, godless rant of a defensive.   So we both agree that this is one subject we do not agree on but are able and willing to show others how the grownups do it.

[AVBibleBeliever]

here is a link to a well done KJV study of the church of God http://www.kingjamesbiblebelievers.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=295

 

Here is a snippet from the article

 

The following is a very brief study (from the Scriptures) covering the subject:
 

THE CHURCH OF GOD

Acts 20:28 Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood.

A Scriptural inquiry into the nature of the church of God – seeking the answers to the following questions:

1. WHAT IS THE CHURCH OF GOD?  

2. WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF THE CHURCH?

3. HOW IS THE CHURCH TO FUNCTION OR OPERATE?
  
The Holy Scriptures (God’s words) are to be our sole authority and source of information:

  

1. WHAT IS THE CHURCH OF GOD?

  ON EARTH: God has a church -  He has chosen to manifest that church locally – but the local church is not all there is to the “church of God.”

THE CHURCH BELONGS TO THE LORD JESUS CHRIST [Matthew 16:18; Ephesians 5:27; Colossians 2:17]

Matthew

16:18

And I say also u

nt

o thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build

my

church

; and the gates of hell shall n

ot

prevail against it.

Ephesians

5:23

For the husband is the head of the wife,

even

as

Christ is the head of the church

: and he is the saviour of the body.

24

Therefore

as

the

church

is

subject

u

nt

o

Christ

, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing.

25

Husbands, love your wives,

even

as

Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;

26

That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word,

27

That

he might prese

nt

it to himself

a

glorious

church

, n

ot

having sp

ot

, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.

28

So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself.

29

For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it,

even

as

the Lord the church:

30

For

we

are

members

of

his

body, of

his

flesh, and of

his

bones.

Colossians

2:16

Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath

days

:

17

Which are a shadow of things to come; but

the

body

is

of Christ

.

18

Let no man beguile you of your reward in a volu

nt

ary humility and worshipping of angels, i

nt

ruding i

nt

o those things which he hath n

ot

seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind,

19

And n

ot

holding

the

Head

, from which all

the

body

by joi

nt

s and bands having nourishme

nt

ministered, and knit together, increaseth with the increase of God

http://www.kingjamesbiblebelievers.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=295

[Jim_Alaska]

Jim, I appreciate your response, and I especially appreciate the spirit in which it was given. What a breath of fresh air for two brethren to hold different views on a subject and still not feel the need to get mad and get mean.

As I said, I am familiar with your position, I was raised with that teaching and held it myself for many years. After so many years, however, of visiting, starting, teaching and encouraging churches around the world, many of them secret churches in closed communist countries, and many in remote jungles and all pastored by national pastors, I began to see a broader picture as I studied scripture to find answers to questions that we just never run into here in the good ol' USA.

There are suppositions in your post regarding what I consider to be the church that are a little bit incorrect, but it really doesn't matter. I feel no compunction to try and convince you against your will of the validity of my position, and you have certainly not behaved in such a way as to cause me to degenerate into my second childhood and go on a ranting, pouting, godless rant of a defensive.   So we both agree that this is one subject we do not agree on but are able and willing to show others how the grownups do it.

 

Thank you brother, a well thought out, mature Christian response.

 

God bless you as you serve Him.