"Whoever speaks, is to do so as one who is speaking the utterances of God"
(1 Peter 4:11)
WHAT
IS
THE
CHURCH
OF
CHRIST
What is the church of Christ? The term itself is not a name, or title, as you would name an organization of human origin. Scripture uses this phrase as an indication of ownership, a possessive description of who the church belongs to (Romans 16:16). We could just as easily translate it “Christ’s church.” It is a precious concept, then, that refers to those who belong to Christ. It speaks of His authority, as He alone built, or established, the church. As Jesus told Peter, “Upon this rock I will build My church” (Matthew 16:18). He established it, then, or purchased it, through His death on the cross. “Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her” (Ephesians 5:25). The church belongs to Christ.
But what is the church? Today, many people think of a building when they hear or read this word. Others may think of some religious organization with human creeds and hierarchy. The word, church, however, as it is used in the New Testament, simply means “assembly.” It speaks of the people who have come in faithful obedience to the gospel message of salvation, whom God Himself has added to His body. When the gospel was first preached on the day of Pentecost, those who received the message preached were baptized, “and that day there were added about three thousand souls” (Acts 2:47). Scripture goes on to tell us about these people, “And the Lord was adding to their number day by day those who were being saved” (Acts 2:47). The church, then, is those who have obeyed the gospel, been immersed for the forgiveness of their sins (Acts 2:38), and been added by the Lord to the assembly of the saved. These people constitute the church, following the will of God in worship and Christian living.
So, realizing this, what does the Bible teach about the church? Well, Christ affirmed it would be His church (singular) that He would establish; "upon this rock I will build My church" (Matthew 16:18). In New Testament times, there were no denominations, just the one church Christ died for. In writing to the congregation of the Lord's church in Ephesus, Paul reminded them that Christ was "head over all things to the church, which is His body" (Ephesians 1:22-23). He calls the church of Christ the body. Later in this same letter, he emphasizes there is one body (Ephesians 4:4).
In the pages of this website, we will examine what the New Testament teaches regarding the church and being a Christian, added by the Lord to His church. Our only source of authority is the word of God, as it alone is inspired, God-breathed (2 Timothy 3:16), able to equip us for life today and life eternal (2 Timothy 3:17). As the Hebrew writer exhorts us, “For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are open and laid bare to the eyes of Him with whom we have to do” (Hebrews 4:12-13).
"All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work."
(2 Timothy 3:16-17)
