What is the church? How does it live in community? What does the church do? Who are its members? How big or small was it in the NT? Where did it meet? In this post I also briefly look at modern church structure and the NT roles of overseers, pastors, and elders and other leaders.

In this post “disciples” and “Christians” and “church” (plural members) are synonyms.

Let’s get started.

I.. Who the Church Is

A.. Brief intro.

In this section, the early church is described in the NT two thousand years ago (“the church was” …), which we can apply today, using the present tense (“the church is” …).

1.. The church is the people of God.

The background to the New Covenant people is the Old Covenant people.  Deuteronomy 7:6, 8 says that the Lord had chosen the old covenant people for his own possession because he loved them and to keep the oath he made with their forefathers. This is a perfect picture of God’s grace and love. But then after hundreds of years of covenant-breaking and disobedience to the law, God judged them and sent them into exile. So does this mean God has given up on his Old Covenant people? He gives up on no one who remains true to him, but he has abandoned the Sinai Covenant, and people who refuse to leave it behind are misguided. It is time to enter the New Covenant, the new thing God is doing.

Now the people of the New Covenant are the chosen “race,” a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s own people (1 Pet. 2:9), terms borrowed from the Old Covenant (Exod. 19:6; Is. 43:20-21). “Race” is applied to Christian disciples everywhere and from every tribe. Together, disciples are now the people of God, living under a better and New Covenant, ratified by the blood of Jesus.

2.. The church is made up of a new people.

The new people of his church consist in the redeemed people. Titus 2:13-14 says that Christ our great God and Savior gave himself for us—his people—to redeem us from all iniquity and to purify for himself a people of his own. This is reflected all the way back to Deuteronomy 7:8, which says that the LORD brought his people out with a mighty hand and redeemed them from the house of bondage, from the Pharaoh, king of Egypt. Now Christ’s redemption is expanded to include everyone who surrenders to God through Christ and are redeemed from their personal bondages and from the house Satan’s bondage.

The new people of his church who are in the new covenant are a purified people. Recall that Titus 2:13-14 says that God’s redemption has a purpose—to purify his people. It is not only to make us feel good, but to lift us higher than our old sinful-mammal nature and make us holy.

In one of my favorite verses, Hebrews 10:22 says our consciences have been sprinkled, and v. 10 talks of the blood of Jesus that cleanses. So your conscience has been sprinkled with the blood of Jesus, and it does not need to condemn you about your past sins, but it will warn you to avoid future sins.

The new people of his church are a changed people. Jeremiah 31:31 says that in the New Covenant the law of God will enter our hearts. Let’s never forget that the moral law contained in the Old is imported into the New and into our hearts. Second Corinthians 5:17 says that when anyone is in Christ he is a new creation; the new has come, and the old has passed away—died. The Spirit of God changes people, as well. Ezekiel 36:26-27 says that God will put a new spirit in his people and give them a new heart. The Spirit will move his new people to follow his decrees and keep his laws—his moral law. The Spirit, who causes us to be his new creation, is what makes us new.

3.. The church is the new people in whom God dwells.

Second Corinthians 6:16 is an extremely important verse. The people of God is the temple of the living God, and God lives in them and move among them. He will be their God, and they shall be his people. This fulfills the Old Covenant promise in Leviticus 26:12, which says God will walk among them and will be their God, and they shall be his people. The verse in 2 Corinthians 6:16 fulfills Ezekiel 25:8, which says that God will make a sanctuary that he will dwell among them. It fulfills Psalm 76:2 that his abode is in Salem and in Zion. God is no longer limited by a geopolitical site. He lives in his people around the globe.

Ephesians 2:19-22 says that the church is the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, and Christ Jesus himself is the chief cornerstone; the church is built into a dwelling place of God in the Spirit. So this is a Trinitarian formulation: God, Christ Jesus and the Spirit appearing in one passage. The church is built up on a foundation, guided to remain correctly plumbed by the chief cornerstone and lived in by God through the Spirit.

4.. The church is the divine construction project (building) of Christ.

Jesus said, “I will build my church” (Matt. 16:18). In Jeremiah 24:6 God says he will bring back Israel (Judah) from exile, and he will build them up, not tear them down, and plant them, not uproot them. In Matthew, Jesus said he will build his church, which equates him with God—continuing the process of building with his Father; indeed, the preincarnate Son of God was the one building up the exiles.

Jesus said that anyone who hears and obeys his words will be like a man who built his house on a rock (Matt. 7:24). So Jesus’s teaching is the foundation of the kingdom community.

To continue with Matthew 16:18, Jesus told Peter that on Peter’s words of proclamation that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God Jesus will build his church. The church was to be built on the divine revelation that Jesus was the Messiah, the divine Son, not on Peter’s words. However, let’s not discount apostolic authority too stridently, because Ephesians 2:19-20 says that the church is built on the foundation of the apostles. Surely Peter, the lead apostle, was at least one stone in the temple. However, it is Peter’s confession and teaching (cf. proclamation in Acts 2), not Peter the man, who was one foundation stone. So the church is not to be built on our obedience, but on Jesus himself.

In 1 Corinthians 3:9-11 Paul announces that the church is God’s building, and no one can lay any foundation other than the one that has already been laid, Christ Jesus. In Revelation 21:12, 14 the heavenly Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God, has twelve foundation stones, the names of the twelve apostles.

Jesus is the cornerstone of his own building. Isaiah 28:16 says that God is laying in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tested stone, a valuable cornerstone, a sure foundation. In Isaiah 8:13-15 if anyone stumbles over the rock, they will fall and be broken. Christ is also the rock, and if Jews reject him as their Messiah, they will fall—even though God loves than and calls them to receive their Messiah. Peter quotes this verse and everyone who believes in him will not be disappointed (1 Pet. 2:6).

Psalm 118:22-23 is the most important passage here. The stone that the builders, who were the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem, four decades before the destruction of the temple in A.D. 70, rejected has now become the chief cornerstone. Jesus quoted this psalm in Matthew 21:42 // Mark 12:10 // Luke 8:13-15; 20:17-18). Matthew’s Gospel adds that the kingdom of God will be taken from the Jewish leadership who represents the Jewish nation and given to a people that will produce fruit—the Gentiles and Messianic Jews around the entire globe.

Individual members of the church are like living stones that are being built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood where spiritual sacrifices are offered (1 Pet. 2:4-5). So once again the New Covenant Scriptures spiritualize Old Covenant rituals. We don’t offer animal sacrifices, but spiritual ones. The new sacrifices are ones of praise (Heb. 13:15), gifts we send (Phil. 4:18) and our bodies (Rom. 12:1). Finally, Ephesians 2:21 says that Christ is the person in whom the whole structure is joined together. That’s the bottom line. All the talk of apostles and confessions take second place to Jesus.

5.. The church is the body of Christ.

First Corinthians 12:27 says clearly that we are the body of Christ and individually members of it. Romans 12:5 says that though we are many, we are one body in Christ. Ephesians 5:23 says Christ is the head of the church, his body. And Eph. 1:18 says the same. Romans 7:4 says that we have died to the law through the body of Christ; that is, as we are members of the body, and Christ’s body died on the cross, so we died with it. But note: as Christ’s body was raised to new life, so are we too raised to new life.

And so what is the significance of our being in the body of Christ? We are connected to the life source because we are incorporated into his body (Eph. 1:1). In Ephesians 1:3-13 Paul uses the phrase “in Christ.” However, in this connection, let’s not draw the odd and erroneous conclusion that as the human head cannot exist without the body, so Christ cannot exist without his body. Wrong. That may be true with a natural body, but not for the spiritual one. Jesus is Lord, and he is not dependent on humans. He has a glorified, resurrected body in heaven right now, so let’s not stretch the metaphor too far. The church is not the bodily extension of Christ, for he is above and beyond it. However, he uses his body to reach people through the power of his Spirit. The main point is that the head does not depend on the body in this theological, miraculous metaphor.

As noted, Romans 12:5 says that we are members one of another. We need each other. We are equal to each other in our souls. We are benefitted with the love of God equally. We are all servants.

In 1 Corinthians 12:15-25 Paul extends the body metaphor. The hands, eyes, and feet need each other. No member of the body can say he does not need the hand, or the hand cannot say he is not part of the body. IN v. 26 if one member suffers, the other members suffer with it. If some member is honored, all members rejoice with it. No jealousy or rivalry, please.

One should not say, “I love Jesus” and say by words or actions “I don’t love the church.” That is like saying, “I love your head, but I don’t love your body.” Therefore we should be in love with his church. We need to belong to a local body. Take responsibility. Contribute your gifts. 1 Peter 4:10 says that as each one has received a gift, we must employ it for one another as good managers of God’s varied graces. In other words, contribute your gift that God has given you. “To each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good” (1 Cor. 12:7).

We are his body to serve humankind. Jesus took the form of a servant on earth (Phil. 2:7-8), so we should take the forms of servants and serve. Jesus said that he was one among the earliest followers as one who serves (Luke 22:27). Recall that Matthew 25:31-46 teaches us that when we serve the hungry, thirsty, stranger, those without clothing, the sick and the prisoner, then we have done it for Jesus. He identifies with the needy and suffering. It is almost—almost—as if he is there with them, as if he is them!

6.. The church is the bride of Christ.

Ephesians 5:21-33 discusses the relationships between husbands and wives, and Christ is the head of the church. Husbands are to love their wives, “as Christ loves the church and gave himself for her … to present her as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish. … This is a profound mystery, but I am talking about Christ and the church. … This is a profound mystery” (vv. 26, 33). Christ sacrificing himself for the church is the ultimate act of love. Is a husband willing to sacrifice himself for his wife? Isaiah 54:5 teaches us our Maker is our husband. The people of Israel followed God in the wilderness, just a bride loves him (Jer. 2:3). Ezekiel 16:8 says God gave his oath to Israel and entered a covenant with her, and she became his. However, Israel repeatedly cheated on God with other men—gods (Ezek. 2:16, 19-20; 3:20).

The Gospels refer to Jesus as a bridegroom (Mark 2:19; cf. Matt. 9:15; Luke 5:34). In John 3:29, John the Baptist compares himself to the friend of the bridegroom (Jesus), while the bridegroom is the one who has the bride. And the friend rejoices when he sees his friend the bridegroom step into the calling that is rightfully his—marrying the bride.

In the Parable of the Wedding Feast (Matt. 22:1-14), the king invites people to his Son’s wedding, but they refuse to come. The king punishes the ingrates. Then he sent his servants out to gather anyone they could find, good or bad, and the wedding hall was filled with guests. Clearly the first guests were Jews (Jewish leaders), but they rejected the king’s sons. Now we Gentiles are invited to the wedding feast. The picture of the church being the bride of Christ is not fully developed, but the imagery gets us closer.

In Matthew 25:1-13, the Parable of the Five Wise and Foolish Virgins says that the wise bridesmaids were ready with the oil (of the Spirit), while the foolish ones were not. This shows that the ones who have the Spirit are the bride of Christ.

Second Corinthians 11:2 says that Paul betrothed the Corinthian church to one husband, Christ, to present her as a pure virgin. So Paul is the best man, and Christ is the husband.

Revelation 19:6-7 says that the marriage supper of the Lamb is prepared, and the bride has made herself ready. Revelation 21:2 says that the New Jerusalem is prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And 21:9 says that the bride is the wife of the Lamb. Then 22:17 says that the Spirit and the bride say come. Clearly these passages in the Revelation equates the Lamb with Christ, and the Bride with the church, and 22:17 shows how the church is in heaven.

Three features of the bride-husband imagery stand out. First, the church and her Lord are united in love. Ephesians 5:25 says plainly that Christ loved the church. Unity in love, and love in unity. This unity is not corporeal, but spiritual. If a disciple from Africa meets a disciple from New York, they have instant unity in Christ, and then God’s love flows through them to each other. Second, the bride must keep herself pure and faithful. Ephesians 5:25-27, says that Christ sanctified his bride—set her apart for his purposes—and cleansed and washed her with he Word. The church has been cleansed the moment God saved her, but she needs continual sanctification, because she lives in the world. She needs to remain faithful and have no other gods or “Baals” (2 Cor. 11:2). Don’t let the serpent deceive you, as the serpent deceived Eve (2 Cor. 11:2-3). She must hold on to the truth. Third, the bride lives in expectancy. Whoever heard of a bride who doesn’t look forward to her wedding day? Revelation 19:7 says that we should rejoice and exult (jump for joy) because the marriage of the Lamb has come. Prepare to meet the Lord when he comes back. Have your lamps filled with oil. Be filled with the Spirit. Walk in holiness.

7.. It is bought with the blood of God.

This is startling. Acts 20:28 teaches that Paul was saying farewell to the Ephesian elders, and he reminded them to shepherd the church of God, “which he bought with his blood.” This is a key verse for the doctrine of the Trinity or Triunity, because it equates Jesus, who actually shed his blood, with God. Ephesians 5:25 says that Christ gave himself for the church, and the highest way he gave himself is through his death on the cross.

8.. The church is one flock with one shepherd.

In John 10:16 Jesus predicted that he has other sheep who are not here, but they will be brought forward later, and they too will hear his voice. Then he says clearly: “There shall be one flock and one shepherd.”

9.. The church is the community of the Holy Spirit.

John 3:3 says that his people must be born again, and he later clarifies that this is done by the Spirit (v. 6). John 6:63 says that Spirit gives life. Ezek. 37:14 says that God put his Spirit within us. In John 20:22, the resurrected Jesus breathed on his disciples and said to receive the Holy Spirit. Therefore, the church is the fellowship of the Holy Spirit. The fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all, Paul writes to the Corinthians (2 Cor. 13:14).

10.. The church is the communion of the saints.

The communion of the saints means that the “holy ones” or “saints” are in unity and fellowship. First Corinthians 10:16 says that we have the communion of the body of Christ, or the church. Holy ones or saints does not mean a special class of believers who are above everyone else. Everyone is a saint, because he has been set apart by God for service to him, the church, and the world. Together, we form a communion. The Greek noun is koinōnia, and I have already covered this term, above.

11.. The church is the fullness of Christ.

This is startling, but this is what the NT teaches. What does the fullness mean? It is the Greek word plēroma (pronounced play-roh-mah), which means the fullness of divine excellence and powers. The church is not perfect, far from it. But it is the answer to humanity’s need, only when it preaches Christ Jesus. We are called to be filled with the fullness of God (Eph. 3:19). To walk in his fullness, we need to be filled with his Spirit and continually filled (Eph. 5:18).

In Ephesians 1:22-23 Paul makes a remarkable statement. God put all things in subjection under Christ’s feet and gave Christ to be the head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all. Jesus has been so highly exalted that he is not only the head of the church, but of all things. And he is the Lord of the church, so he is the head of the world and the church. Christ is not limited in his exaltation. “Do I not fill heavens and earth? (Jer. 23:24). Eph. 4:10 says that he ascended far above the heavens that he might fill all things; Christ is the head over all things.

12.. The church is God’s special possession

God’s special possession (1 Pet. 2:9); the Greek here for “special” is God’s manifestation of his excellence and divine power. “Possession” is God acquiring, obtaining, or gaining you. You are his acquisition and now his property. Together, those two words mean that he did a good job to acquire you. He showed off his power in doing so.

B.. Table of additional images of the church

	Images of the Church
1	The temple of the Holy Spirit	1 Cor. 6:9
2	A holy temple	Eph. 2:21
3	God’s field	1 Cor. 3:9
4	The assembly of God	2 Cor. 1:1
5	A pure virgin	2 Cor. 11:2
6	The Jerusalem from above	Gal. 4:26
7	The Israel of God	Gal. 6:16
8	The chosen people	1 Pet. 2:9
9	A royal priesthood	1 Pet. 2:9; cf. Exod. 19:6
10	A holy nation	1 Pet. 2:9; cf. Exod. 19:6
11	The flock of God	1 Pet. 5:2
12	The bride of the Lamb	Rev. 21:9

C. Summary

The New Covenant church is qualitatively different from the OT assembly or qahal, regardless of the covenant (Abrahamic, Mosaic, Davidic, etc.). People in the OT were saved on the basis of grace through faith, and evidently a remnant of the ancient Israelites took this path of salvation. True, a Gentile could immigrate into the commonwealth of ancient Israel and become a participant in divine blessings and favor. But the New Covenant church, made up of redeemed Jews and redeemed Gentiles, is now the body of Christ. Those two groups are now one new person, and the dividing wall has been torn down. Salvation comes only through him, not by works of the law or law keeping. which had been mixed in with the salvation of the ancient Israelites, even the faithful remnant. So the Messiah makes all the difference.

Also, the Spirit permanently indwells the body of Christ, which the Spirit had not done in ancient Israel. True, the Spirit was at work back then and came on people for service, but not in the same way as he did at Pentecost and ever afterwards through the baptizing work of the Spirit.

So all in all, Israel and the church should be kept distinct. God still has a plan for ethnic and geo-political Israel all throughout the church age. But the centerpiece of his plan is his Son’s ekklēsia. Only the church is redeemed by the blood of Christ. Only the church is indwelt permanently by the Spirit. Only the church can preach the true gospel of God’s salvation by grace alone and faith alone. Only the church has experienced salvation that comes only through the Messiah, the Son of God. Only the church has been born again.

II.. What the Church Does

A. Brief intro.

We just observed who the church is. Now let’s explore what it does.

1.. Disciples publicly shared in the ordinance of baptism.

Acts 18:7-8 says that a God-worshipper Titius Justus and Crispus, the synagogue leaders, and his entire household believed in the Lord, along with many Corinthians, and they were all baptized. In many other verses in Acts, people were baptized (e.g. Acts 2:38).

2.. Disciples publicly broke bread together.

Acts 2:42 says that after the Spirit was poured out on the 120, thousands were added to the church, and they had fellowship together and ate together. Acts 20:7 says that Paul and his team were at Troas and met with the disciples the first day of the week and broke bread, and Paul spoke to them. In 1 Corinthians 11:23-33 Paul describes a remarkable scene. The Corinthians came together, as noted, but they did not conduct themselves properly and were in danger of judgment. But the point here is that they shared the agape feast regularly.

3.. Disciples were to be united.

Romans 12:5 teaches us that the disciples were many, yet they formed one body, and each member belonged to another. Ephesians 4:13 appears in the context of church structure and leaders, who are called to equip the members for service, until they all reach unity in the faith.

4.. Disciples enjoyed fellowship together.

As noted, Acts 2:4 says that the earliest church had close communion or shared togetherness or community. 1 John 1:7 says that as our fellowship grows closer to the God and we walk in the light, then we can have fellowship with each other.

5.. Disciples helped each other.

Acts 4:32-35 says that God’s grace worked so powerfully among the earliest disciples that the Haves shared with the Have-Nots. They helped the poorer dicsiples. In 2 Corinthians 8, Paul writes about the poorer believers in Judea, and the Corinthians and others eagerly helped them with finances.

6.. Disciples evangelized outsiders.

In Romans 1:8 Paul said he was thankful that the reports of the Romans’ faith was known around the world—the world he knew. In 1 Thessalonians 1:7-8 Paul was clearly thrilled that the faith of the Thessalonians “rang out” to the provinces of Macedonia and Achaea and everywhere else.

7.. The church grew numerically.

Acts 6:7 says: “So the word of God spread. The number of disciples in Jerusalem increased rapidly, and a large number of priests became obedient to the faith” (Acts 6:7). This verse ends the first of the so-called six “panels” of Acts, each one lasting about five years. Here they are:

1:1 to 6:7

6:8 to 9:31

9:32 to 12:24

12:25 to 16:5

16:6 to 19:20

19:21 to 28:31

But these terminal panel verses are not mere summaries. The number of disciples and the word of God really were growing.

8.. The church was organized.

Sample verses that show that structure and leadership are important. In Acts 14:3 says that Paul and Barnabas appointed elders in each church before they returned to Syrian Antioch, completing their first missionary journey (Acts 13-14). Philippians 1:1 says Paul addressed all of God’s holy people at Philippi, as well as the overseers and deacons. In 1 Timothy 3:1-13 Paul describes the characteristics of an overseer, implying that this was a practice they did throughout the churches they established. In Titus 1:5-9 Paul also informed his protégé Titus of qualities of a church leader or overseer. Ephesians 4:10-11 lists the leaders: apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers; 1 Corinthians 12:28 says that God gave apostles, prophets, and teachers.

See Section V., below.

9.. The church leaders corrected problems.

In Matthew 18:15-20 Jesus foresaw conflict in the later church when he sent his Spirit. If a brother falls in sin or offense, talk to him about it, and if he refuses to listen, take one or two others, so that restoration can happen.

In 1 Corinthians 1:11-12 Paul rebukes the Corinthians for favoring one teacher as the super-star over the others. “I follow Paul”; “I follow Apollos”; “I follow Cephas” (Peter). Paul said they were still like children. Christ is not divided. Paul writes that the Corinthians were not taking the Lord’s Supper in the right spirit and attitude and were bringing God’s judgment on themselves (1 Cor. 11:17-22). Galatians 3:1-5 teaches us that the Galatians were going astray by drifting from faith in Christ alone and adding circumcision and kosher food laws for salvation (2:11-14 ff.). First Corinthians 5:1-5 says that sexual immorality arose among the Corinthians, and Paul said that if the man refused to repent, then they would have to disassociate from him, which amounted to turning him over to Satan, so his spirit would be saved on the day of the Lord, though his body would die. Fortunately, he probably repented, though some interpreters say this reference is about another issue (2 Cor. 7). In 2 Thessalonians 3:11-15, Paul heard that some were idle and disruptive; they needed to find a job. Titus was encouraged to warn a divisive person once, and then twice. If he doesn’t change, they were to have nothing to do with him. He was self-condemned (Ti. 3:10-11).

10.. Disciples experienced persecution.

Here are sample verses describing persecution. In Acts 8:1-3, right after Stephen’s martyrdom, a great persecution arose against the Messianic Jews, and they scattered. In Acts 17:5-9, certain Thessalonians, particularly Jews, were jealous of Paul and Silas and the large of number of converts, both Jews and Greeks. One of them, Jason, was dragged out of his house and hauled before the city officials. Their accusers claimed they were defying Caesar’s decrees. In Thessalonians 2:14-16 Paul recounts the troubles that they Thessalonian converts experienced with their fellow-citizens, particularly the Jews. Paul says the wrath of God has come upon them at last. Tough words, but Paul believed that the law brings wrath (Rom. 4:15), and if Jews were to continue to live under the law, wrath would come.

B. Summary

In that list I learn that the church edifies people inside and reaches out to those outside. These are signs of a healthy church.

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Sec. 10, 1 Ecclesiology, Doctrine of the Church: The Basics