People have a lot of different ideas about the identity and purpose of the church. Some see the church as a source for physical goods and services. Others see it as a social club offering programs to the community. Some view the church as a traditional institution. Others see churches as nothing more than old buildings with historical or architectural significance.
The church is designed by God. He has chosen to display His wisdom through the church to those who are interested enough to investigate its design and purpose. “To the intent that now the manifold wisdom of God might be made known by the church to the principalities and powers in the heavenly places, according to the eternal purpose which He accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Eph. 3:10-11). The word manifold means many sided or complex. God’s complex wisdom is seen in the complex nature of the church. Notice the different ways the New Testament refers to the Lord’s church.
1. The Called-Out Body. The English word church is translated from the Greek word ekklesia which means “called out.” The church is a body or group of people who have been called out of the darkness of this world (1 Pet. 2:9-10). We have been called into fellowship with Christ (1 Cor. 1:9). This calling takes place through the gospel (2 Thess. 2:13-14). The church is a group of people who are called out and separated from the rest of the world.
2. The Body of Christ. “And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence” (Col. 1:18). Being the head of this body, Christ controls the church (Luke 6:46). He is the ultimate authority (Matt. 28:18).
Our physical bodies are made up of many different parts or members. This is also true of the spiritual body of Christ (1 Cor. 12:12-26). As members of the church, we have various strengths and different roles to play, but we are joined together in purpose, following the instructions and example set forth by Christ as the head.
3. The Bride of Christ. Some in the religious world see the church as being unimportant. Jesus cherishes the church as His bride. “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish” (Eph. 5:25-27). The church honors and respects Christ by wearing His name and submitting to His headship.
4. The Household of God. “But if I am delayed, I write so that you may know how you ought to conduct yourself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth” (1 Tim. 3:15). The church is the family of God. All the blessings of a family are found in the Lord’s church. God is the Father; members are His children (2 Cor. 6:17-18). We have the Father’s name, protection, provision, correction, and unconditional love. The members are spiritual siblings - brothers and sisters in Christ (Heb. 13:1). We love, encourage, correct, protect, and build up one another.
5. The Pillar and Ground of the Truth (1 Tim. 3:15). The local church stands in each community as the source and support of God’s truth. The word of God is to be taught in every assembly of the church, but it must never be confined to the building. The truth sounds forth from the church (1 Thess. 1:8) as individual members live the gospel in their daily lives and teach it to others.
6. The Temple of God. In the Old Testament, the temple was the place where God dwelt. The people would go there to worship Him and offer their sacrifices. Under the new and better covenant, the church is the temple of God.
This temple is not a physical structure made of lumber, bricks, and stone. It is a spiritual structure made up of individual Christians. Carefully read Paul’s words from Ephesians 2:19-22. “Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone, in whom the whole building, being fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.” As each person is saved, they are added to this spiritual structure, built on the foundation of the teaching set forth by the apostles and prophets of the Lord.
7. The Kingdom. After Peter uttered the great confession, Jesus replied, “And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven” (Matt. 16:18-19, emphasis mine - HR). Notice the words church and kingdom are synonymous. They are both referring to the same thing.
The kingdom of God is not a nation with physical borders (John 18:36). This kingdom is made up of people who submit to the rule of God in their hearts. “Now when He was asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, He answered them and said, ‘The kingdom of God does not come with observation; nor will they say, “See here!” or “See there!” For indeed, the kingdom of God is within you’” (Luke 17:20-21).
The kingdom is not something yet to be established when Christ returns. It was established when the gospel was preached after His ascension into heaven. The New Testament speaks of the kingdom being a present reality (Col. 1:13; Rev. 1:9). The kingdom and the church are the same thing.
Conclusion. The nature of the church shows it must never be disregarded as unimportant. Just like its Architect, the Lord’s church is complex, having many blessings to offer those who will make themselves a part of it.