Grace and Peace

Our teens and their adults returned safely from Go Tell Camp 2005.  They were a little weary from their trip, but very excited.  Fourteen from our group trusted Christ as their Savior this week.  It is so awesome when God moves in.  Besides the 14, many others in our group experienced a renewal in their lives and a desire to walk closer with God and be used to impact their friends for Christ.  If you are in the Jacksonville area Sunday, be sure to drop by Enon Chapel to hear our young people share their camp experiences.  It will bless you.

As for me, Becky and I leave today to drive to Louisville, Kentucky for my third doctoral seminar.  Pray for us as we travel and study this week.  I will try to drop by the blog and let you know what we are doing, but I make no promises.  Seminar week is always high energy and labor intensive.  I am sure you have guessed by now, that our discussion series on the church will take a short recess until I am back in Jacksonville.  I was so busy yesterday finishing that last paper for class this week, that I forgot my Friday post.

Anyway, goodbye Jacksonville; Louisville, here we come!  I will see you when I return on July 2, 2005.

Is the New Testament church so crucial that it is worthy of several weeks of study? By and large the world has written off the church as irrelevant and a waste of time, as a bunch of fanatics who are ‘doing their own religious thing.’ Even among Christians there are those who are say, “I’m believe in Jesus, but I want no part of the church!”

I want to deal with this challenge of playing down the local church by many who call themselves Christians by way of two responses. First of all, I want to emphatically state that it is inconceivable for a Christian to be a part of Christ’s body, the universal church, without any relationship to the local church.  The local, geographical manifestation of the Body of Christ is the local church and fellowship with Jesus implies and necessitates fellowship with the saints. [1]

Second, there have been many failures in local churches, which justify a great deal of criticism. Much of the evangelism in the world, which has occurred in recent years, is not directly attributable to the local church. Even worse, a significant portion of the follow-up and fellowship, which these new Christians have received, has been a result of organizations other than the local church.

But these failures do not justify an abandonment of the local church; they necessitate a fresh look at the Scriptures in order to instruct us as to how the church must change in order to conform to the Scriptures, and to once again carry out its task in the world. Just as marriage is not to be abandoned because of its failures, so too, the church cannot be forsaken.

In my study thus far, I have by no means exhausted the wealth of images in the New Testament that depict the church.  Neither have I said all that is possible to say about the metaphors I chose to highlight. Yet, in reading through the New Testament in preparation for this discussion, there was one thing that struck me as common to each of the images of the church.  That common thread was that each symbol depicted some aspect of the relationship between Christ and the church.

The emphasis on God as Husband, King, Father, Foundation, Shepherd, Head, etc. and his gracious initiative in establishing the relationship and providing for every need of the church is readily apparent. The object of this extraordinary love is his people as a community, both in relation to him as his bride, kingdom, family, temple, flock, body, etc. and in relation to each other as branches of the same vine, sheep in the same flock, children in the same family, and members of the same body.

The fact that the church reciprocates his love and depends on his provision is understandable.  God loves his people and by a mystery we will never fully understand this side of heaven, desires to be in relationship with us and use us in his great plan.  We need look no further than the cross to understand the profundity of that love or the urgency of his desire to bring us into fellowship with him.  How then can we selfishly ignore our responsibility to share this good news with others?

In calling Abraham, God was choosing for himself a holy people (Gen 12:1-3). The recalling of this election and vocation found frequent expression in the words of the prophets: "I will be their God and they shall be my people" (Jer 31:33; Ezek 37:27; Hos 2:23, also echoed in 2 Cor 6:16; Heb 8:10). Through the Word of God and the Spirit of God, God chose one from among the nations to bring salvation to all. The election of Israel marked a decisive moment in the realization of the plan of salvation.

The covenant God made with Abraham entailed many things which are of interest to those of us in the church age.  This includes the foreshadowing of Messiah in Isaac, the promised son.  Of particular interest is the account of the offering of Isaac by his father upon “the mount of the Lord” in the land of Moriah.

Now fast forward about two thousand years to the time of Jesus. In light of the ministry, teaching, and above all the death and resurrection of Jesus and the sending of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, we see the ultimate fulfillment of what God promised Abraham.

In the Old Testament, the people of Israel were a pilgrim people journeying towards the fulfillment of the promise that in Abraham all the nations of the earth shall be blessed. In Christ this is fulfilled when, on the cross, the dividing wall between Jew and Gentile is broken down (Eph 2:14). Thus the Church, embracing Jew and Gentile is a "chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation", "God's own people" (1 Peter 2:9-10).

Another term with Old Testament implications, yet one, which serves as a very descriptive metaphor of the church, is the term “temple of God” (1 Corinthians 3:11, 16-17; Ephesians 2:29-22; 1 Peter 2:4-8).  The temple is the place where God dwells, thus the church is the dwelling place of God. God not only dwells in the members of the church collectively, but in each Christian individually.[1]  Not only was the temple the place where God established his presence, it was also the place of worship.[2]

In the temple of God, each Christian is a separate stone.  When joined together, we make up the temple with the Lord as the Chief Cornerstone (1 Cor 3:16-17; Eph 2:19-22; 1 Pet 2:4-8).  As the Cornerstone, Jesus forever unites two diverse groups (the Jews and Gentiles) as part of his temple (Eph. 2:14-22).[3] The cornerstone was the most significant part of the temple as it was the chief load bearing point of construction and it also insured that the building was “square”.

One consideration that is striking about the temple of God metaphor is that the temple is still under construction.  Stones are being added each day as the Lord adds to his church.  We are not only stones then, but workmen whose task it is to join the work of building God’s magnificent temple.

Another commanding metaphor for the church is that of the Shepherd and his sheep (Luke 12:32; John 10:1-16, 26-30; Acts 20:28-29; Heb 13:20; 1 Pet 5:2-4).  Jesus Christ is the Shepherd of the flock. In John chapter ten, we are reminded of His loving and tender care for His church, in feeding, leading, and protecting it from harm.

Jesus is variously identified as the Good Shepherd (John 10:11), the Great Shepherd (Hebrews 13:20) and the Chief Shepherd (1 Peter 5:4) who knows and watches over his sheep and gives his life for them.  In claiming the shepherding role for himself, Jesus touches Old Testament allusions to the leaders of the people as shepherds, especially Moses (Ps 77:20) and David (Ps 78:70-72).[1]  Yet, he expands this role in a way unlike anything seen before.

Jesus has plainly identified himself as the Messiah and here makes a clear claim to divinity (John 10:25-38). So when he declares that he is the Shepherd, he is claiming that Messiah has come and in him God has himself come to shepherd his people.

In turn, the sheep know the voice of their beloved shepherd and follow his loving direction (John 10:3-5).  The helplessness of sheep and their vulnerability to wild beasts and the roughness of the terrain are well known, as well as their tendency to wander.[2] This image aptly depicts the total dependence of the church upon the Lord.  As the sheep of his pasture, we need Jesus not only to make sure our salvation, but also to keep us by his continuing work in our lives through the Holy Spirit. We are likewise reminded of our dependency upon Him, and our helplessness apart from His care.  We can boast of nothing except the goodness and mercy of God.

Paul used the term "body of Christ" many times in his letters to the churches. In a few instances, he referred to the actual body of Jesus, but most of the time he employed this metaphor in referring to the local church.  This is the most prominent image in Paul's letters and the only one with no Old Testament equivalent.[1] Of all the images of the church, this is perhaps the most familiar. 

Paul often had to write the churches to call them to task over behavior that magnified the individual above the corporate body.  In Romans 12:4-21, he used the metaphor of the “body” to express the absurdity of one member exalting his function and importance over another.  Instead Paul argues that we “are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another.”[2]  He goes on to describe in detail the many ways we are to love and serve one another.

That Jesus Christ is the head of the body is made abundantly clear in Colossians 1:15-20 and Ephesians 5:19-32.  In the Colossian passage, Paul builds a multifaceted argument that establishes Christ as the head of the church due to his (Jesus’) deity, rights as Creator and death and resurrection.  The Ephesians passage uses that last point as its theme and builds the case for Christ’s headship on this ultimate act of love. Further, Paul affirms Christ as not only the head of the church, but also as “the head over all rule and authority.”[3]  From these two passages we can clearly see that there is no limit to the scope of the rule of Christ. 

As we move to consider the terms, “members” and “body,” we should note that within the New Testament, they are virtually synonymous in meaning and are used interchangeably by Paul.  Just as the head directs the human body and employs its members to get about and accomplish various tasks, “so the church from its inception has constituted the body of Christ, the means to the fulfillment of the purpose of him who fills all in all.”[4]

In letters to three separate churches ( Rome, Corinth and Ephesus); Paul used the "body" metaphor in discussing spiritual gifts.  The gifts were always given in the corporate context, no one individual being given all the gifts, but every member receiving at least one gift.  God knew this was best and gathered people into the local church so they could cooperate with each other and work together in order to discern and do God's will.  In this way, we learn to exercise our own gift(s), appreciate the gifts of other members and thank God for giving them to the body.  When the church functions in this manner, all the credit for its accomplishments goes to God.

Yet sometimes, selfishness and pride rears its ugly head even in the church.  Struggles can ensue over issues of position or prominence and individual members can refuse to exercise their giftedness.  Boatman suggests, “a non-functioning body may be occasioned by any one of three states—immaturity, injury or infirmity.”[5] 

This has tremendous significance for our individual-centered culture and warns us that we will not gain the full value of those gifts if we adopt the attitude that God should recognize and gift us as individuals so that we can each go out into the world and do great works with the Spirit's power thus claiming the credit for ourselves.  Neither will we prosper from selfishly withholding or stubbornly refusing to exercise our giftedness in service to others and for the glory of God.

From these passages, the image of the church as the “body of Christ” begins to come into focus so that we might better see its impact on evangelism and church growth. Let us first note that this image accents the church’s unity but recognizes its diversity.

The diversity is the result of the multiplicity of personality types, backgrounds, races and assortment of gifts that we are given by the Holy Spirit.  It might also be appropriate to mention here, that the picture of the church that emerges from the New Testament does not fit the homogenous unit principle so widely espoused in church growth circles.  The body of Christ certainly included Jews, Gentiles, rich, poor, male, female, old and young.  The unity of the body did not come from shared demographic similarities but rested wholly in the fact that all were members of Christ and each other.[6]  All born again believers in Christ have membership in the body of Christ.

This metaphor as discussed by Paul in Romans 12, demonstrates the foolishness of power struggles and church fights, which damage the public witness of the body of Christ.  On the last night of his earthly life, Jesus gathered with his disciples and prayed for the unity of the church:

I do not ask on behalf of these alone, but for those also who believe in Me through their word; that they may all be one; even as You Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be in Us, so that the world may believe that You sent Me.[7]

The integrity of our witness is predicated on our unity. Unity is only possible as we all acknowledge and follow the Lord Jesus as the Head of the body.

God chose marriage as an illustration to utilize in both the Old and New Testaments to express the intimacy of his relationship with his people.  In it we see displayed his love, concern and care for the church.  In turn, we discover our absolute dependence on him. 

In Criswell's, The Doctrine of the Church, he directs us to Isaiah 54 as an Old Testament expression of this type.[1]  God is pictured as both the husband and Creator of Israel and is identified by no less than eight names.  Each name reveals a different aspect of his relationship with Israel.   The passage also serves to highlight the unfaithfulness of Israel in contrast to God's unfailing love.

To explore this image in the New Testament one has but to examine Paul's writings in 2 Corinthians 11:2-3 and Ephesians 5:22-32.   Both passages emphasize the love of Christ for the church and his full and adequate provision for her.  In addition, we see the responsibility of the church to submit to the Lord, remain pure and continue in wholehearted devotion to him.

The Apostle John further contributes to the understanding of this metaphor in his writing in Revelation.  The bride mentioned in Revelation 19:7-9 is the church which will rule with Jesus on earth for a thousand years (Rev 20:4-6).  We also see an emphasis on the "righteous acts of the saints".[2]  This is in contrast to the Ephesians' passage, which stresses the work of Jesus in his sacrifice on behalf of the church:

So that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, that He might present to Himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she would be holy and blameless.[3]

In Revelation 21, we see "the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband."[4]  One interpreter sees this city, personified as a pure and holy bride, not so much as a place as it is a people; specifically a people meeting their God in eternal union.[5]

John's final mention of the bride is in Revelation 22:17.  Although the "I, Jesus" of verse 16 is not repeated here, there is no evident change of speaker in this verse.  J.R. Michaels shares this observation in his commentary on Revelation:

Contrary to all modern translations, therefore, Jesus, not John, is the one quoting what the Spirit and the bride are saying, and inviting the thirsty to take the free gift of the water of life (v. 17). This is appropriate because only God or Jesus has the authority to give such an invitation to life (compare 21:6; also Jn. 4:14; 6:35; 7:37-38).[6]

The bride is pictured in concert with the Spirit, echoing Jesus' "joyous summons to life."[7]  This invitation however, is not without its limitations.  Michaels helps us see the scope and limitations of this passage in his commentary:

Jesus' concluding invitation to come and take the free gift of the water of life is similarly directed to anyone. The only exception is those who are truly "outside" (v. 15)--in the lake of fire (Rev 20:15; 21:8, 27). Just as in the parables of Jesus (above all in Matt 22:1-14), there is an unmistakable tension between the universal offer of life and the rejection of those who have not prepared themselves to receive life. This tension pervades the entire book of Revelation, in fact, the entire Christian religion. Christianity preaches a universal gospel of salvation, but not a gospel of universal salvation. All are invited to come, but not all do come. God respects human freedom to the extent that evil never disappears, even though it is defeated.[8]

While no one is outside the scope of God's loving invitation, clearly there are those whose hard hearts will cause the summons to fall on deaf ears.

The church as the bride of Christ yields several insights that impact that the area of evangelism and church growth.  First, it is good for us to note that God is the originator of the church.  We have not banded together to seek him rather, it is he who has created and called us.  This is made clear in the prophet's declaration:

For your husband is your Maker, Whose name is the LORD of hosts; and your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel, Who is called the God of all the earth. For the LORD has called you, like a wife forsaken and grieved in spirit, even like a wife of one's youth when she is rejected," says your God.[9]

Even though we are inferring this truth from an Old Testament passage that deals in particular with God's relationship to Israel, we are not abusing the scripture.  Paul asserted Jesus' claim as the creator of the church when he wrote, "For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities--all things have been created through Him and for Him."[10]

This fact should lead us to be wary of evangelistic and church growth practices that become centered on methodology instead of the Master. It is easy to become more preoccupied with space analysis and demographics than we are with prayer and obedience to the Lord. I do not mean to minimize the importance of church growth methodologies, but we must not exalt them over the "God who causes the growth."[11]  It is, after all, his church.

Secondly, the intimacy of the marital relationship and the fact that our Lord willingly died for us eloquently expresses the depth of the Lord's love for us.  Paul powerfully reasons that "He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things?"[12]  Out of God's great love he provides everything we need.  That is why Paul could express such confidence in his letter to the Philippians:  "And my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus."[13] 

Such great love and provision motivates us to reciprocate that love, as the Apostle John wrote; "We love, because He first loved us."[14]  The ultimate motivator for involvement in evangelistic and missionary enterprise is the gracious and steadfast love of God.  Obeying his commands, living a pure life and embracing his mission are tangible ways of expressing our love for Jesus.

A life lived to the glory of God is a powerful witness.  People need to observe a living example of God's love and power at work in another human being. Jesus exhorted his followers not only to preach the Gospel, but also to live it.  As the evangelist D.L. Moody used to say:

The only Bible the world reads is the one bound in shoe leather: you and me! They must see this miracle-working power at work in our own lives, as a genuine living sample and proof that it can happen! This is our major witness.[15]

               Visit any evangelical church in the United States of America and it is likely the congregants would claim that theirs is a New Testament church.  Most would base their assertion on denominational identity and tradition or in some cases, on the fact that they eschew tradition and denominational entanglements.  Few would have given thought to what it actually means to be a New Testament Church in terms of identity, faith and practice.  This blog will, in this and succeeding  posts, attempt to discover the identity, nature, and practice of the church through careful analysis of the New Testament.  First, we will look at New Testament images (metaphors) of the church such as the Bride of Christ, the Body of Christ, etc.

Any study of the New Testament metaphors used to depict the church will not in itself automatically guarantee that we will fulfill all the promise of those images.  It is possible to have the proper set of doctrinal beliefs and correct practice of religious acts without the power of God (2 Tim 3:5).  Israel was often rebuked for going through the rituals of worship without a heart for God (Isa 1:11, Mic 6:6-8, Ps 40:6-8; 51:16-17). The same can be said of the church in Ephesus, who in spite of their abundant good work, was rebuked by the Lord for leaving their first love (Rev 2:1-7). Thus, to recognize and understand the identity of the church as revealed by its images in the New Testament is not an end in itself.  We must then live out that distinctiveness with a heart, which is right before God.

If we set our goal to be a New Testament church, the pattern to which we conform must not come from our notion of what a church should be nor from any denominational mandate, but it must come from the New Testament model itself.  A number of theologians have attempted to catalog the images of the church found in the New Testament.  Biblical scholar Paul S. Minear, the Winkley Professor Emeritus of Biblical Theology at Yale University, lists 96 images in the appendix of his book, Images of the Church in the New Testament, but believes that list might easily top 100.[1]  Regardless of their number, our blueprint must always be the Word of God.

Perhaps it would be helpful, at this juncture, to define the word "church."   In current usage, it certainly has more than one meaning.  Most people associate the word "church" with a building or location. Others think of the "church" in terms of its organizational structure and programming. Still others connect the term with a particular set of beliefs or denomination.

Although our English word, "church" comes from Germanic roots, it is used in the New Testament to translate the Greek word ekklesia.  Ekklesia is a compound word consisting of the preposition ek, 'out of,' and the verb kaleo, 'to call.'[2]  In ancient secular Greek this term was used to indicate an assembly that had gathered for some purpose, such as a mob or a civic assembly.[3]  In the Septuagint (the Greek translation of the Old Testament) this expression was used for most gatherings of people. The emphasis fell upon the act of gathering, rather than who met, or where, or for what purpose.   It is in the New Testament that we see this term come to mean a people who have gathered for the purpose of instruction and worship of God.[4]

The concept of the church as a people "called out" by God does not so much indicate separation (though a certain understanding of the church as those who are separated by their changed lives is appropriate) as it does purposefulness.  Used in its broadest sense the term church describes all believers in Christ from the day of Pentecost to the rapture "called out" by God to be trophies of His love and witnesses that proclaim His "Good News."  It is also used to identify believers in a certain location, such as is done in Revelation, chapters 2-3, where the seven churches are addressed.  Ekklesia is "that body of people spiritually united by the common experience of faith in Jesus Christ and physically united in assemblies at various times and places."[5]  The word "church" is never found in the New Testament in reference to a building, an organization nor a denomination.

I am committed to Christ and His church.  I want the local church that I attend and serve to be a reflection of the church of the New Testament.  That is why I am undertaking this renewed examination of the Word.  I want to know God's pattern and plan for His church and see it fleshed out right here, right now.  I invite you to join me in this journey and share your insights and comments.