What is the Church?
Some of the most basic concepts are the hardest to pin down. Think about “love.” Now, give me a one-sentence definition of it. Not easy, right?
If you look up what the Greek word for “love” (agape) in a Greek dictionary, you might be surprised at how general the definition is – “sincere appreciation, a high regard, affection.” These are all true. But they’re missing something too. Yet, love is probably the most important term in the Bible. After all, “God is love” (1 John 4:8).
But it’s still a worthy effort to figure out what “love” – or any other biblical concept – means. So, we’re going to take a stab at defining some key biblical concepts – key to the Christian life in particular. And the first concept I want to define is “church.” What is the church?
We start by stating what it’s not – it’s not a building, a movement, a collection of people, and certainly not a brand or a business.
The Greek word for “church” (ekklēsia) means “called out ones.” It refers to those called out by God from the world to Himself through His Son (Acts 20:28), united with Christ, and indwelt by the Holy Spirit as a people for God’s own possession (Titus 2:14).
All of God’s people from Acts 2, when the church was born in Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost, to now, encompass what’s called “the universal church.” But then you have “local churches” from the very beginning. So, what is the local church?
Each local church is a group of believers with qualified leaders that proclaim the gospel, perform the ordinances (baptism and the Lord’s Supper), practice church discipline, and love one another in Christ. It exists to manifest the love of Christ and show unbelievers who Christ is and what He has done for sinners. And it exists to grow into full maturity in imitation of its head, Jesus Christ, as each member exercises his or her spiritual gifts for the common good.
And it’s a living, dynamic spiritual unity. So, like any other living thing, it changes over time as people grow and as people come and go. Just like a family goes through seasons, so too does a church. That’s not a bad thing. In fact, a church that never really changes or grows is going to become stagnant and blinded to its own deficiencies.
Now, here are some other truths that describe the local church:
It’s a refuge from the world and its values.
It’s a place of intercessory prayer and physical care for the hurting (James 5:14; 1 Tim 5:3, 9-10).
It’s a service center where people can be served, but more importantly, where people can serve just as Christ served them (Mark 10:45).
It’s a place of welcome and embrace, just as Jesus accepted us as sinners (Rom 15:7).
It’s the hub of church planting activity. The book of Acts shows us how God advances the gospel by planting churches and then strengthening them one by one.
Lastly, each local church is the church of God, such that when we do something for the church or against it, we are doing it for or against God Himself. That’s how closely He identifies with His people (cf. 1 Cor 1:2; 11:22).
So, what is the church? It’s a complex answer, isn’t it?
But that’s because the church is so rich – which makes sense. After all, God’s plan of salvation unfolds in this age through the church. And He makes known the glorious wisdom of the gospel to the angels through the church (Eph 3:10).
So, if you’re a part of the church, you’re taking part in that great unfolding. That’s God’s grace to each of us. So, love your church. Pray for your church. And be a healthy, joyful, and grateful participant in it.
More on that in our second post.