What is the Church?
Sermon • Submitted • Presented
0 ratings
· 4 viewsNotes
Transcript
Handout
What is the Church? This is the question that will carry us along as we study the doctrine of the church. Have you ever heard a statement like this, “Praise the Lord, we are going to build a new church.” What do people mean when they make that kind of a statement?
We will call the new building the church. The problem is nowhere in the NT does the word church, mean a building. The church of the NT is never a structure composed of bricks and mortar or wood. A statement such as “I pass the church everyday on my way to work” would have been unintelligible to the writers of the NT.
So we know that the church is not the building, but the body- its the people.
But what exactly makes a group of people a NT church? Schools are not churches. Camps are not churches. Small gatherings of believers in homes are not necessarily churches. What makes the gathering of people a church?
What exactly is the NT church? What should it be according to the Scriptures? What should it look like? How should it function? What are its goals and what are its purposes? What is the difference between attending a church and being a member of a church?
More specifically, how should each one of us, as members of this church, function? What are the roles and responsibilities of every member of a church? Why even join a church membership in the first place?
What exactly in the NT church?
The Usage of the Word Ekklesia
The Usage of the Word Ekklesia
18 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.
Usage in Classical Greek
Usage in Classical Greek
We will start with a discussion of etymology.
What is etymology?
Etymology is the study of words, including how they got their meanings and how words develop throughout history.
The etymology of ekklesia is straight forward. Ekklesia comes from the preposition ek (out) and the verb kaleo (to call or to summon).
Some people attempt to define ekklesia on this understanding alone. Thus the word church would mean “called out ones.” The meaning would be a people or a number of individuals called out of the world.
The problem with basing the meaning of a word off of its combined parts is we can often add meaning to the word that was never intended.
Example: Butterfly—Butter + fly does not result in the correct meaning of the word.
You have to understand how the word was used and how it developed throughout history.
Why do we need to understand how words develop throughout history?
Words change in meaning over time. Examples? English word gay used to mean happy. It has a very different meaning in our culture today.
What did Ekklesia mean to ancient Greek-speaking people?
Ekklesia did not mean “called out ones” in classical Greek. It meant assembly or called out assembly. It signified primarily the assembly of citizens in a self-goverened state. The idea that ekklesia meant to call out in the sense of separation from the world is a mistake.
To the Greek-speaking people ekklesia came into use as the designation for the regular assembly of a self-goverened state’s citizens (who were called out from their homes or places of business by the herald) so that they could discuss and decide public business.
Usage in the Septuagint
Usage in the Septuagint
What is the Septuagint and why is it important?
LXX- the Greek translation of the Hebrew Scriptures. The LXX was the Bible of the early church.
In the synoptic gospels alone there are about six hundred NT verses that are quoted from the LXX. This would roughly equal Philippians, Colossians, Philemon, 1 & 2 Timothy, Titus, and 1 & 2 Thessalonians.
More than half the quotations from the OT found in the NT are taken from the LXX.
Qahal
Qahal
Why is the Hebrew word qahal important in understanding the nature of the church?
The word ekklesia is used in 77 passages in the LXX OT.
Qahal- an assembly, congregation, convocation. There can be many different kinds of qahal’s.
1: An assembly specially gathered for a specific purpose
An assembly of people that give evil Counsel:
6 Let my soul come not into their council; O my glory, be not joined to their company. For in their anger they killed men, and in their willfulness they hamstrung oxen.
Civil Affairs:
14 I am at the brink of utter ruin in the assembled congregation.”
War or invasion:
4 And Moab said to the elders of Midian, “This horde will now lick up all that is around us, as the ox licks up the grass of the field.” So Balak the son of Zippor, who was king of Moab at that time,
Company of returning exiles:
8 Behold, I will bring them from the north country and gather them from the farthest parts of the earth, among them the blind and the lame, the pregnant woman and she who is in labor, together; a great company, they shall return here.
Religious purposes:
22 “These words the Lord spoke to all your assembly at the mountain out of the midst of the fire, the cloud, and the thick darkness, with a loud voice; and he added no more. And he wrote them on two tablets of stone and gave them to me.
2. A congregation as an organized body
Of Israel:
5 Therefore you will have none to cast the line by lot in the assembly of the Lord.
A Restored Community in Jerusalem:
12 Then all the assembly answered with a loud voice, “It is so; we must do as you have said.
Of Angels:
5 Let the heavens praise your wonders, O Lord, your faithfulness in the assembly of the holy ones!
More generally, a company, assembled multitude:
11 And God said to him, “I am God Almighty: be fruitful and multiply. A nation and a company of nations shall come from you, and kings shall come from your own body.
Why is this important to understand? Qahal is a broad term. The breath of the term means is was an untechnical noun that only gained particularity by the context.
“After noting this nontechnical usage of the word, one is able to see the fallacy of those definitions that explain it as a technical term for the redeemed community or the church in the Old Testament.”
What is a technical term?
A word that has a specific meaning within a specific field of expertise.
Example: Personification
12 “For you shall go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and the hills before you shall break forth into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.
Why does this matter? Some people think the Hebrew word qahal is a technical term that means the called of God, referring to the nation of Israel. They transpose this meaning into the NT term ekklesia and see it as simply a development of the same concept.
“Many who see the origin of the church in the OT and see the NT ekklesia as simply the development of the OT qahal. One severe fallacy of this interpretation is the usage of qahal as a techical term.” (Radmacher)
“In the LXX ekklesia has no ecclesiastical significance; it simply means “gathering” and denotes either coming together, or being together. The nature of the gathering depends entirely upon the nature of those who compose it.” (Schmidt)
Thus you can have an assembly of evildoers / military hosts / military officers / of Israel / etc.
“It is easily seen, then, that ekklesia is NOT a technical term in the LXX. Rather, the content of the word ekklesia was determined by its modifiers.”
Summary:
In the LXX an ekklesia may meet for any purpose, but there always seems to be some deliberate purpose for the meeting.
Ekklesia seems to be autonomous in nature.
To be a member of an ekklesia a person must be physically present at the assembly. The ekklesia is never contemplated as a spiritual fact, independent of spatial and temporal limitations.
There is no evidence that the word acquired a specifically religious connotation in the LXX. All uses of the word never go beyond the simply meaning of an assembly. Thus, there is no place for reading the church back into the OT on the basis of prevalent usage of ekklesia.
Usage in the New Testament
Usage in the New Testament
Remember from our study of ekklesia in classical Greek and in the LXX that is simply meant an assembly of people. The type of assembly was entirely dependent upon the context.
114 occurences of ekklesia in the NT. Only occurs three times in the gospels. All in the book of Matthew.
The word is absent from 2 Timothy, Titus, I Peter, 2 Peter, I John, 2 John, and Jude.
We are going to break the usage of ekklesia into its literary classifications in our study of the NT usage.
Nontechnical usage
Nontechnical usage
When the NT time began what did the word ekklesia mean?
It simply meant an autonomous physical assembly.
The LXX ekklesia was not a Christian ekklesia, and there are NT ekklesia that are not Christian ekklesaia.
How do we now when the NT speaks about a Christian ekklesia?
Because of the context or the modifying words in the particular passage.
18 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.
What kind of ekklesia is Jesus speaking about here?
Jesus said, “I will build MY ekklesia.” The pronoun mou (my) is in the emphatic position in the Greek text, suggesting that the distinctiveness was not to be associated with the word ekklesia but with the content of the ekklesia. When Jesus established “my ekklesia” It was a different from the Old Testament ekklesia as it was from the numerous ekklesia that existed in every city. (Radmacher, 134)
Thus, the content of ekklesia is determined by its modifiers.
Example: Is there a difference between a “gambling” house and “God’s” house? They both have the word house in them right? What makes them very different houses?
What are the 5 nontechnical uses of ekklesia in the NT?
Acts 7:38 (ESV)
38 This is the one who was in the congregation in the wilderness with the angel who spoke to him at Mount Sinai, and with our fathers. He received living oracles to give to us.
Stephen is here speaking of the gathering of Israel before Mt Sinai for the receiving of the law.
Hebrews 2:12 (ESV)
12 saying, “I will tell of your name to my brothers; in the midst of the congregation I will sing your praise.”
From Ps 22:22, speaking of a physical assembly of Jews.
Acts 19:29–32 (ESV)
29 So the city was filled with the confusion, and they rushed together into the theater, dragging with them Gaius and Aristarchus, Macedonians who were Paul’s companions in travel.
30 But when Paul wished to go in among the crowd, the disciples would not let him.
31 And even some of the Asiarchs, who were friends of his, sent to him and were urging him not to venture into the theater.
32 Now some cried out one thing, some another, for the assembly was in confusion, and most of them did not know why they had come together.
What type of ekklesia is described here? An unruly mob
Acts 19:39 (ESV)
39 But if you seek anything further, it shall be settled in the regular assembly.
What type of ekklesia is described here? An orderly and authoritative legislature.
Acts 19:41 (ESV)
41 And when he had said these things, he dismissed the assembly.
Subtechnical usage
Subtechnical usage
What do we mean by “subtechnical”?
“Because words are constantly changing and developing in meaning, it would be natural that some of the usages would be on the borderline of the nontechnical use, or in what may be called the subtechnical use.”
“Four occurrences of ekklesia in the early writings of Paul should be classified as subtechnical. These are found in the very earliest of the epistles, when ekklesia had not taken on a very definite Christian content.” (Radmacher, 136)
Notice the DESCRIPTIVE MODIFIERS!
1 Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy, To the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace.
14 For you, brothers, became imitators of the churches of God in Christ Jesus that are in Judea. For you suffered the same things from your own countrymen as they did from the Jews,
1 Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy, To the church of the Thessalonians in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ:
4 Therefore we ourselves boast about you in the churches of God for your steadfastness and faith in all your persecutions and in the afflictions that you are enduring.
Some characteristics common to these four uses indicate that ekklesia had not yet come to be identified definitely with a Christian assembly.
What common modifiers do we find in these verses?
City or place / kind of assembly- the kind that is in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
It seems clear that Paul’s modifying descriptions of the ekklesia were of necessity added because the word ekklesia had not yet become a technical Christian word.
It is interesting to note that in Paul’s later epistles ekklesia is not characterized by these extensive qualifying phrases in order to define its content. This seems to be assumed.
Technical usage
Technical usage
What did ekklesia come to mean as it developed into a technical term?
“In the literary development of words there is an unconscious process whereby when words are applied in a restricted way to a particular field, they oftentimes assume what is termed a technical character, caused by the transference of ideas.” (Radmacher, 138)
That is exactly what happened to ekklesia over time. It became associated uniquely as Christ’s ekklesia. It became a Christian ekklesia exclusively. The spiritual or Christian characteristic became accepted as a part of the word itself. Thus, there came to be a new content in the use of the word ekklesia as applied to the Christian assembly.
Early on there was a need to modify the word to differential a Christian ekklesia from a secular one. As the church grew and the connection of ekklesia as a term to the NT church it took on a technical definition.
“The Christian ekklesia may be defined, then, as a local assembly spiritually united in Christ, with an autonomous nature.” (Radmacher, 139)
Most of the NT usages are technical and can easily be recognized by two characteristics—both physical and spiritual unity.
List some example passages of the technical usage
22 The report of this came to the ears of the church in Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas to Antioch.
1 Now there were in the church at Antioch prophets and teachers, Barnabas, Simeon who was called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen a lifelong friend of Herod the tetrarch, and Saul.
2 To the church of God that is in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints together with all those who in every place call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours:
Problem passage:
17 If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector.
Possible Answers:
Referring to the local Jewish synagogue
Uses ekklesia and not synagogue
There was a clear distinction between the disciples of Jesus and the Jewish disciples of the synagogue
The Jewish synagogue was opposed to Christ and His followers.
42 Nevertheless, many even of the authorities believed in him, but for fear of the Pharisees they did not confess it, so that they would not be put out of the synagogue;
Referring to an existing community of believers
No evidence such a group existed yet. Christ never, during his earthly ministry, established an assembly with authority to execute the discipline referred to in this passage.
Christ spoke of the ekklesia in anticipation of the local Christian assemblies that would be organized after the coming of the Holy Spirit and the formation of the body of Christ on the day of Pentecost.
Metaphorical usage
Metaphorical usage
Review:
Historical and nontechnical usage? simply means “an assembly”
Technical sense? “a Christian assembly”—both physical and spiritual unity.
There are some usages in the NT that seem to go beyond the technical meaning. We call these metaphorical usages.
Four of these metaphorical usages deal with Paul’s persecution of the ekklesia.
1 And Saul approved of his execution. And there arose on that day a great persecution against the church in Jerusalem, and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles.
Great persecution against the ekklesia at Jerusalem, and thus the members were scattered throughout all the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles.
3 But Saul was ravaging the church, and entering house after house, he dragged off men and women and committed them to prison.
Continues the description of how Saul ravaged or made havoc of the ekklesia entering into every house and hauling men and women to prison.
Acts 9:31 closes the incident of Paul’s persecution by saying this:
31 So the church throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria had peace and was being built up. And walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, it multiplied.
What is striking about the use of ekklesia in Acts 9:31?
(Note: there is a textual variant here. Some manuscripts have the plural, ekklesiai, with the following verbs plural. This is the reading of the TR. The great weight of manuscript evidence, however, favors the singular throughout.)
The problem is that one ekklesia is represented as being in three distinct geographical areas at the same time.
The church (singular) throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria had peace...
How can there be the physical unity demanded by ekklesia?
Now Luke employs the term ekklesia for an unassembled group scattered throughout Judea, Galilee, and Samaria. There was no physical, local gathering. There was no physical unity in this passage because they were not assembled in one location, but scattered abroad. What then united these scattered believers into an ekklesia? Not a physical unity, the term has broadened to take on the idea of a spiritual unity. These believers are an ekklesia because they are all unified in Christ, there is a spiritual unity. This is a new idea that been added to the idea of ekklesia.
9 For I am the least of the apostles, unworthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.
13 For you have heard of my former life in Judaism, how I persecuted the church of God violently and tried to destroy it.
6 as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless.
In each of these references the physical unity in one location cannot be maintained. These scattered members of Christ’ body have one characteristic that makes them constitute an ekklesia— a spiritual unity.
What other terms are used to describe the metaphorical use?
Other terms are used to describe this metaphorical usage of ekklesia—spiritual church, ideal church, universal church, or invisible church.
14 other uses of the metaphorical usage:
List and be able to summarize the metaphorical uses of ekklesia
Matthew 16:18
Matthew 16:18
Controversial:
18 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.
This is a personal project of Jesus
Who is the one that promises to build “my church”? Jesus!
Implications:
Who does the church belong to? Jesus
Who is ultimately responsible for building it? Jesus
This is why the church will never fail. Jesus promises to build it. He does not promise to build soccer camps or bible institutes. The church is the primary program of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Who gets to determine how the church functions / what is the church’s mission / how it behaves?
The church belongs to Jesus and it must be characterized by the content Jesus gave it.
This is a future project of Jesus
“I will” build my church- future tense.
What does that tell us about the existence of the church when Jesus spoke these words? The church didn’t exist yet. It was future. The church did not exist before or during Christ’s earthly ministry.
“This fact alone deals the death blow to any teaching that sees Jesus’ ekklesia as simply the continuation of the OT ekklesia.” (Radmacher, 147)
This was a permanent project of Jesus
What does it mean that the gates of hell shall not prevail against it?
Gates of hell = Hades (not referring to the lake of fire)
Hades = Sheol, means realm of the dead
10 I said, In the middle of my days I must depart; I am consigned to the gates of Sheol for the rest of my years.
13 Be gracious to me, O Lord! See my affliction from those who hate me, O you who lift me up from the gates of death,
17 Have the gates of death been revealed to you, or have you seen the gates of deep darkness?
All speak in the OT of death.
Gates of Sheol = Gates of Hades
Thus, this is a promise of future resurrection, in other words the ekklesia built by Christ could not succumb to the power of death.
This could not have been referred to the local ekklesia at Jerusalem, for it did succumb to the power of death. Such is the case for us as well (and especially for you as your return to your local churches)
18 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.
Jesus is promising that His church, those who are united with Christ and are a part of His body (not the local visible church, but the universal invisible church), will never be overcome by the power of death. One day, Jesus will raise up all those who are part of His ekklesia. And no force on earth can prevent that from happening. His church will endure, it will be permanent.
Hebrews 12:23
Hebrews 12:23
22 But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable angels in festal gathering,
23 and to the assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect,
24 and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.
The author of Hebrews is contrasting the privileges of the Christian believer in this present age as opposed to the terrors of the Law.
These verses are speaking of the present privileges that believers in this age have entered into.
“You have come”- προσέρχομαι (perfect, act, ind) We have already entered into this privilege and it will continue on into the future.
“Firstborn Ones”- speaking of our privileged position not time of birth. Example:
15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.
Jesus is the firstborn of all creation in terms of preeminence, not time of birth.
“Who are enrolled in heaven” (Perfect, passive, part) right now the church (universal) is and has been and will be enrolled in in heaven.
That means this use of ekklesia is not speaking of a local physical assemble on earth. This another example of the metaphorical use which stresses spiritual unity apart from any present physical unity.
“It gives the heavenly character of the church below, the invisible side of sonship and citizenship.” (Radmacher, 154).
28 And God has appointed in the church first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, helping, administrating, and various kinds of tongues.
18 And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent.
24 Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church,
22 And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church,
23 which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.
Summary:
Technical ekklesia: an autonomous group of people united both physically and spiritually in Christ.
Metaphorical ekklesia: implies spiritual unity alone, without reference to physical unity.
Relation of the Universal Church to the Local Church
Relation of the Universal Church to the Local Church
Universal church (aka the metaphorical usage of ekklesia, is also called the ideal church. It is spoken of in Scripture as the way the church ideally ought to function. The local church is a microcosm of the universal church.
So as we study the Scriptures concerning the universal church we will also learn exactly how Jesus wants each local church to function.