The Church Of Christ, What Is It?
"And I also say unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it." (Matt. 16:18)
The word "church" in this text and in other places in the New Testament is from the Greek word ekklesia, which means "the called out." Originally the word had no religious significance, and was applied to any group of people called together for any purpose. In this sense the word is used in Acts 19:32, 39, and 40. In these verses the word ekklesia is translated "assembly." and is an example of the common or everyday usage of the word by the Greek-speaking people. But Christ extended the use of the term and gave it a spiritual meaning; hence, in the New Testament we find the word used with reference to the saved, that is, those called out of the world into a saved relationship.
All those who are called out of the world by the gospel of Christ are united together in Christ and make up a spiritual assembly. (II Cor. 6:14-18) This "calling out" is not physical but spiritual. One does not necessarily have to change his residence to become a Christian. It is not a colonization of people into some certain area; neither is it a community or civic relationship. People in any community, nation, or country, regardless of race or earthly citizenship, may be members of the Lord's church by simply obeying the gospel of Christ. One cannot "join" the church, but rather is added to it when he obeys the gospel. (See Acts 2:38-41, 46, 47; Heb. 5:8,9; I Peter 1:22) In obeying this gospel one must do all that the gospel teaches him to do to be saved. He must (a) Believe in Christ (Jno. 3:36; 8:24); (b) repent of his sins (Acts 17:30, Luke 13:3); (c) Confess Christ (Rom. 10:10); and be baptized for the remission of sins. (Acts 2:38; 22:16) These are prerequisites of salvation and conditions of entrance into the Lords' church.
Two Uses
The word ekklesia is used in two basic or primary senses with relation to the "called out" of the Lord. It refers to the total body of the saints in one sense, the complete number of those who have obeyed the gospel and been added to the church of the Lord. In this, the universal sense, the church never comes together into one physical assembly, but is always united spiritually in Christ. (Gal. 3:28) This is the sum total of all Christians the world over in a spiritual body or assembly (Heb 12: 22 23), and is one and the same as the kingdom of Christ. (Matt. 16:18,19; Col. 1:13) We have received this kingdom (Heb. 12:28), which is the church; and, as instituted by the Lord, this church never changes. If in any given generation or period of time every saved person on earth should apostatize and fall away, not one single member being left alive who was faithful, the institution of the Lord's church would remain the same. At any time any one obeyed the gospel, doing just what the Scripture teaches, no more, no less, the Lord would add him to the church; he would be a member of the same church as the early Christians were.
The word ekklesia, or "church, is also used in a local or restricted sense, and designates what is commonly called a "congregation." In this sense the church assembles physically, but in the New Testament even this usage of the word has a spiritual meaning, and does not refer simply to the fact of an assembled group of people. Otherwise the "church" would be "the church" only when assembled, and would cease to be "the church" when the assembly was dismissed. But in their spiritual affinity Christians are always united, or "assembled." Hence, they never cease to comprise "the church" in any given community, assembled or scattered. Also when the local church assembles there are occasionally some, who by reason of illness or other reasons beyond their control, are not able to be present; but they are still members of "the church" and particularly still members of and a part of "the congregation" under whose elders they are submissive. So we see that the physical assembly, as such, is not "the church," but is an essential function of the church. The congregation, or "church local" is any group or part of that spiritual host of the universal church which regularly assembles together for the purpose of worship and to do the work scripturally assigned to the church in its collective or congregational sense.
The "called out" (Greek ekklesia) suggests that there are two groups of people in the world: those "called out," and those not "called out." These two classes make up the entire human race. Primarily these two groups represent the righteous and the unrighteous, the saved and the lost, the regenerate and the unregenerate. However, there are no doubt many in the church, among the "called out" who are not faithful to the calling, and who will be lost. Faithfulness on the part of every member is required in order to be finally and ultimately saved. (Rev. 2:10) Even though many in the church will be lost because of their unfaithfulness, it is most certainly true that no responsible being outside the church can be saved, regardless of the purity and high moral standard of his life. It has been said that "the church doesn't save anyone," but we know that the Lord saved the church. (Eph. 5:23) The church IS "the saved." Hence, only those in the church can be saved, and only that number of them who remain faithful to the Lord. Many people obey the gospel, start out in a fine and zealous way, and then become discouraged or through temptation fall away. These lose what they had already wrought, and will be eternally lost unless they repent and seek God's forgiveness. (Acts 8:22) Others start out in the same fine way, and through personal ambition or misguided zeal, in an attempt to build up the church numerically, deviate from the truth to introduce and practice those things within the church which God has no authorized. In so doing they depart from the New Testament pattern. They, too, must repent and seek God's forgiveness.
The church of Christ, then, is a spiritual institution with a spiritual purpose, designed to meet the spiritual needs of mankind. It is the church of which Jesus spoke in Matthew 16:18, the one he promised to build. Hence, it is His church, the church of Christ. He is the head of the church; his word as revealed in the New Testament, is the law of the church, the only source of authority in religious matters. All those faithful to Christ must be content to "speak where the Bible speaks, and be silent where the Bible is silent."