We are a church of Jesus Christ. Our charter and authority to be and act as a church comes from Christ himself. We want to be a true church of Jesus Christ, so we need to think in a biblical, true way about the church. This means giving close attention to clear, concrete statements in Scripture about who we are, but we must also give heed to the truth behind the New Testament’s figures for the church. In our passage, Paul gives three key metaphors for the church.
