Meaning and nature of the church

Meaning:

            The English word ‘church’ is derived from the Greek adjective kuriake, which means ‘belonging to the Lord.’  The word in its most comprehensive meaning signifies the whole body of the faithful, whether in heaven or on earth, who have been or shall be spiritually united to Christ as their Savior (Eph.1:22; 3:10, 21; 5:23-25, 27, 32; Col. 1:18, 24).

Therefore, in its primary sense, the church is the worshipping assembly called forth by God.

Scriptural names for the church:

A.         In the OT:          The OT employs two words to designate the church, namely, qahal, meaning ‘to call,’ and ‘edhah,’ meaning ‘to appoint’ or ‘to meet or come together at an appointed place.’  These two words are sometimes used indiscriminately, but were not strictly synonymous.  ‘Edhah is properly a gathering by appointment, and when applied to Israel, denotes the society itself formed by the children of Israel or their representative heads, whether assembled or not assembled.  Qahal, on the other hand, properly denotes the actual meeting together of the people.  ‘Edhah is by far more common word in Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Joshua, but is wholly absent from Deuteronomy, and is found rarely in the later books.  Qahal, bounds in Chronicles, Ezra, and Nehemiah.  In the later books of the Bible, qahal is generally rendered by ekklesia (in the Septuagint)).

B.         In the NT:          The NT also has two words, derived from the Septuagint, namely, ekklesia, meaning ‘to call out,’ and sunagoge, meaning ‘to come or to bring together.’  The latter is used exclusively to denote either the religious gatherings of the Jews or the buildings in which they assembled for public worship (Mt.4:23; Acts 13:43; rev.2:9; 3:9).  The term ekklesia generally designates the Church of the NT, though in a few places it denotes common civil assemblies (Acts 19:32, 39, 41).  Deissmann would simply render ekklesia as ‘the (convened) assembly,’ regarding God as the convener.  Because the idea of the church is a many-sided concept, it is quite natural that the word ekklesia, as applied to it, does not always have exactly the same connotation.  Jesus was the first one to use the word in the NT, and he applied it to the company that gathered about him (Mt.16:18), recognized him publicly as their Lord, and accepted the principles of the Kingdom of God.  It was the ekklesia of the Messiah, the true Israel.  Later on, as a result of the extension of the Church, the word acquired various significations.  Local churches were established everywhere, and were also called ekklesiai, since they were manifestations of the one universal Church of Christ.

Nature of the Church:

A          The essence of the Church:        Regarding the essence of the Church there are some conceptions, namely, the Roman Catholic conception, the Greek Orthodox conception, and the Protestant conception.  Of these conceptions, we will stress on the Protestant conception

            For both Luther and Calvin the Church was simply the community of the saints, that is, the community of those who believe and are sanctified in Christ, and who are joined to him as their Head.  This is also the position taken in the Reformed confessional standards.  Thus the Belgic Confession says: “We believe and profess one catholic or universal Church, which is a holy congregation of true Christian believers, all expecting their salvation in Jesus Christ, being washed by his blood, sanctified and sealed by the Holy Spirit.”  The second Helvetic Confession expresses the same truth by saying that the Church is “a company of the faithful, called and gathered out of the world; a communion of all saints, that is, of them who truly know and rightly worship and serve the true God, in Jesus Christ the Savior, by the word of the Holy Spirit, and who by faith are partakers of all those good graces which are freely offered through Christ.”  And the Westminster Confession, defining the Church from the point of election says: “The catholic or universal Church, which is invisible, consists of the whole number of the elect, that have been, are, or shall be gathered into one, under Christ the head thereof; and is the spouse, the body, the fullness of him that filleth all in all”    The Church universal, that is, the Church as it exists in the plan of God, and as it is realized only in the course of the ages, was conceived as consisting of all the whole body of the elect, who are in course of time called unto life eternal.  But the Church as it actually exists on earth was regarded as the community of the saints.  And it was not only the invisible Church that was so regarded, but the visible Church as well.  These are not two Churches but one, and therefore have but a single essence.

The Church forms a spiritual unity of which Christ is the divine head.  As the body of Christ the Church is destined to reflect the glory of God as manifested in the work of redemption.  The Church in its ideal sense, the Church as God intends to be, and as it will once become, is an object of faith rather than of knowledge.  Hence the confession: “I believe one holy catholic Church.”

B          The character of the Church as militant and triumphant:   The Church in the present dispensation is a militant Church, that is, she is called unto, and is actually engaged in, a holy warfare.  Of course, this does not mean that she must spend her strength in self-destroying struggles, but that she is duty bound to carry on an incessant warfare against the hostile world in every form in which it reveals itself, whether in the Church or outside of it, and against all the spiritual forces of darkness.  The Church must be engaged with all her might in the battle of her Lord, fighting in a war that is both offensive and defensive..  If the Church on earth is the militant Church, the Church in heaven is the triumphant Church,  There the sword is exchanged for the palm of victory, the battle-cries are turned into songs of triumph, and the cross is replaced by the crown.  The strife is over, the battle is won, and the saints reign with Christ forever and ever.  In these two stages of her existence the Church reflects the humiliation and exaltation of her heavenly Lord.

C          Visible and invisible Church:      This means that the Church of God is on the one hand visible, and on the other invisible.  It is said that Luther was the first to make this distinction, but the other Reformers recognized and also applied it to the Church.  This distinction has not always been properly understood.  The opponents of the Reformers often accused them of teaching that there are two separate Churches.  But both Luther and Calvin stress the fact that, when they speak of a visible and an invisible Church, they do not refer to two different Churches, but to two aspects of the one Church of Jesus Christ.  The Reformed theology stresses the fact that the Church as it exists on earth is both visible and invisible.  This Church is said to be invisible, because she is essentially spiritual and in her spiritual essence cannot be discerned by the physical eye; and because it is impossible to determine infallibly who do and do not belong to her.  The union of believers with Christ is a mystical union; the Spirit that unites them constitutes an invisible tie; and the blessings of salvation, such as regeneration, genuine conversion, true faith, and spiritual communion with Christ, are all invisible to the natural eye; and yet these things constitute the real ideal character of the Church. 

The invisible Church naturally assumes a visible Church.  The Church becomes visible in Christian profession and conduct, in the ministry of the Word and of the sacraments, and in external organization and government.  The invisible Church is the Church as God sees it, a Church which contains only believers, while the visible Church is the Church as man sees it, consisting of those who profess Jesus Christ with their children and therefore adjudged to be the community of the saints.  This may and always does contain some who are not yet regenerated-there may be chaff among the wheat-, but may not tolerate public unbelievers and wicked persons (1 Cor.5:11; 2 Thess.3:6, 14; Tit.3:10).

D.         The Church as an organism and as an institution:  The Church as an organism is the communion of believers, who are united in the bond of the Spirit, while the Church as an institution is the mother of believers, a means of salvation, an agency for the conversion of sinners and the perfecting of the saints.  The Church as an organism exists charismatic: in it all kinds of gifts and talents become manifest and are utilized in the work of the Lord.  The Church as an institution, on the other hand, exists in an institutional form and functions through the offices and means which God has instituted.       The two are co-ordinate in a sense, and yet there is also a certain subordination of the one to the other.  The Church as an institution or organization is a means to an end, and this is found in the Church as an organism, the community of believers