The Doctrine of the Church: Nature of the church
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The Doctrine of the Church
Introduction
Introduction
A lot of people across the world have noticed a problem with the rise of secularism. The amount of people attending church is waning compared to the massive population explosion. In the 1990’s the solution to this problem was to create more programs, especially programs focused on discipleship. These programs were merely plugging holes in a sinking ship. Anytime there was a problem or need discovered in the church (real or apparent), a program was created to address it. Parachurch ministries also thrived during this time.
Churches with the best and most well-run programs gained a lot of people throughout the 2000’s.
People flocked to these churches who seemed to meet the needs that the smaller less-programmatic churches did not address. On top of the multiple programs, churches were offering multiple worship services, usually one more traditional and another more contemporary. This was done to be more relevant and appeal to the younger generation who seemed to be leaving the church at a much faster rate.
And yet, there was another problem.
These large churches were so large and had so many things going on it was difficult to see if that church was really united as a single church.
Furthermore, some, like Thom Rainer and Eric Gieger noticed that all this clutter was making the church ineffective at what it was supposed to do. In their book Simple Church, they attempted to refocus churches back to making disciples.[1] In a similar vein, Tony Morgan wrote The Unstuck Church and founded a ministry to help churches do just that.[2] He argues things such as, “Trying to convince people to become “members” at your church? You’re fighting a losing battle. Anyone under the age of 40 has probably never been a member of any organization, and they certainly aren’t looking to ‘join’ a church.”[3]
All of this brings one to the problem of understanding the nature of the church.
What is the church? Is church a building one goes to? Is it the programs or ministries? Does it primarily refer to the stage and performances a group of people provide? Is a business that needs to up its marketing techniques? Is it a brand or mission statement crafted by the leadership?
The modern culture has a lot of unsaid things competing to be the very nature of the church. It’s important to let the Bible define it rather than doing “whatever is right in our own eyes” (Judges 17:6).
The Nature of the Church: Overview
The Nature of the Church: Overview
Understanding how the Bible uses the term church will get one closer to understanding its nature.
The term “church” comes from the Greek ekklēsia (eh-clay-see-uh; ἐκκλήσια) literally means “those who are called out.”
During the time the Bible was written, ekklēsia was used to refer to any assembly of people, not just Christian, or even religious. So “church” was not originally a Christian term; although, today it is almost exclusively used in a Christian context.
The Bible uses the term church in three major ways. First, it is used to refer to a secular gathering of people.
Read Acts 19:32
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.
In this passage, the city of Ephesus is gathered together because of the uproar Paul has caused due to the fact several people are getting rid of their idols made of silver. They are rallying together to settle a civil dispute with religious connotations. The word used to describe this large group of (non-Christian) people is ekklēsia.
Second, the Bible uses the term “church” to refer to all believers everywhere. This is often called the invisible or universal church. The universal church is all true believers who are redeemed by Christ regardless of time, location, or their state of being.
Read Ephesians 5:25
Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her,
Paul compares a husband’s relationship to his wife to Christ’s love for the church. In the rest of this passage, Paul describes Christ doing four things for his church: (1) gave himself up for her, (2) sanctify her, (3) cleansed her, (4) present her to himself completely holy. If Christ does this for someone, he is saved. Therefore, if someone is “saved” (i.e., a Christian) he is “the church.”
Third, the Bible uses the term church for a local gathering of believers.
The local church is people who profess Christ and covenant together to gather regularly to worship God and practice the ordinances.
There is a lot of tradition, history, and biblical study that goes into the definition of the local church. The above definition should be considered elementary or basic and will continue to be refined throughout the chapter.
Read 1 Corinthians 16:19
The churches of Asia send you greetings. Aquila and Prisca, together with the church in their house, send you hearty greetings in the Lord.
Notice that this mentions “churches” in Asia (Asia here is a province of the Roman Empire, modern day Turkey). “Churches” cannot be the universal church, but rather local manifestations of the universal church. Furthermore, the verse mentions a church that is “in their house.” This further reinforces the fact that the church is not the building, but the people who are gathered.
Institution of the Church
Institution of the Church
How the church was instituted gives insight into its nature.
Hebrews 8 extensively lays out the fact that the Mosaic covenant is old and obsolete. A New Covenant was anticipated by the prophets in places like Jeremiah 31 and Ezekiel 36.
Read Ezekiel 36:26-27
And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules.
This passage promises a new heart. God also promises to place his Spirit within his people who will aid them in obedience. The prophet Joel expands on this idea.
Read Joel 2:28-29
“And it shall come to pass afterward,
that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh;
your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,
your old men shall dream dreams,
and your young men shall see visions.
Even on the male and female servants
in those days I will pour out my Spirit.
Usually throughout the Old Testament the Holy Spirit’s indwelling and work is through a singular leader like Moses, Saul, David, and Elijah. However, according to Joel 2, the Holy Spirit will be poured out on all flesh. What types of people does the text go on to list? Sons, daughters, old men, young men, male and female servants.[4]
The Holy Spirit’s work of purifying and delivering will not be limited to one particular leader but will spread to all people.
This indwelling of the Holy Spirit is brought about by the work of Jesus.
Write Mark 1:8
I have baptized you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”
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Pentecost was the day that the Holy spirit was poured out on “all flesh.”
Read Acts 2:1-4
When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.
The events that occur all reflect biblical imagery in the Old Testament concerning the presence of God. Fire and smoke or cloud is often associated with God’s presence. The torch and smoking pot in the Abrahamic covenant, the burning bush, the pillar of fire and cloud over the tabernacle, and the cloud at the dedication of the temple all serve as examples of this. Also, breath, wind, and spirit are closely associated because of the meaning of the words (ru’ach and pneuma) in Hebrew and Greek. Acts 2:1-4 is like a culmination of all these ideas in the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. The wind rushes in symbolizing the Spirit’s work. The flames above the believers’ heads represents the fact that the presence of God is no longer located in a building but in a people.
Certainly, in the church, God has made his dwelling with man.
Read Zechariah 2:10-11
Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion, for behold, I come and I will dwell in your midst, declares the Lord. And many nations shall join themselves to the Lord in that day, and shall be my people. And I will dwell in your midst, and you shall know that the Lord of hosts has sent me to you.
On top of the fact that the church is people who confess Christ, it is also God’s way of making his dwelling with mankind.
The universal church is God’s way of mediating his presence with all of mankind. The local church is a physical manifestation of that desire.
So while the Old Testament had a building and priests to mediate God’s presence with his people (although eschatologically this was more than just his people and included all nations). The church is the fulfillment of the temple institution.
[1]Thom S Rainer and Eric Geiger, Simple Church : Returning to God’s Process for Making Disciples (Nashville, Tenn.: B & H Pub. Group, 2011).
[2]Tony Morgan, The Unstuck Church (Thomas Nelson, 2017).
[3]Tony Morgan, “20 NEW Politically Incorrect Thoughts on Church in America,” The Unstuck Group, last modified September 25, 2018, accessed March 23, 2024, https://theunstuckgroup.com/20-new-politically-incorrect-thoughts-church-america/.
[4]And in this sense “all” means all without distinction rather than all without exception.