What is the Church? Carl

The following is an exert taken from an essay that I wrote on Church unity. The essay takes the form of a dialogue between two friends named John and Ian.

“So Ian help me understand what the ‘real’ Church is?”
Ian reached down unzipped his briefcase and pulled out his seventeen inch MacBook Pro. Opening it up and placing it on the table Ian began opening up Word documents, searching for one in particular. “Oh here it is” he excitedly states as he opens an essay that he had written about the “real” Church. Ian reading off the computer screen began to say “Ephesians 1:22-23 tells us that Christ is the head of the Church, which is his body. The ‘real’ Church is the community of all true believers.’(Grudem, page 853). ‘The use of the word Church [in the New Testament] in many places speaks of the one universal Church. When the word Churches is used it speaks of this one Church in various localities. The only reason for distinction in the Church is geographical setting–––Nothing else!’ (Conner, page 27).
The ‘real’ Church in its spiritual reality is an invisible Church, because it exists in the hearts of all true believers (Erickson, page 1141). 2 Timothy 2:19 tells us, ‘The Lord knows those who are his’. The ‘real’ Church is no one particular organization or denomination as some might have you believe, like for example the Roman Catholic Church, which claims to be the true Church.
‘On the other hand, the true Church of Christ certainly has a visible aspect as well … The visible Church is the church as Christians on earth see it. In this sense the visible Church includes all who profess faith in Christ and give evidence of that faith in their lives’ (Grudem, Page 856). ‘There are going to be occasions when churches enter into organizational alliances in order to accomplish their common purposes. They band together into what is called a council or association of churches’ (Erickson, page 1142).
In the New Testament the word church is used for both the universal Church and the local church. So in such way we must separate its use and realize that not all churches are going to be true or ‘real’ churches that are part of the universal Church. Some false churches will come under the guise of being a church but teach false doctrines and heresies. Like when John calls a church in the book of Revelation a synagogue of Satan.
John I hope that helps to give you a better understanding of the ‘real’ Church. Having an understanding of the ‘real’ Church helps us to comprehend unity within the body of Christ.”
John sits up crosses his left leg over the right, and begins to try to formulate a response while at the same time trying to absorb everything that Ian had just read him. John takes a sip of his now cold coffee, “Ian I never really thought about the church like that. I just assumed that through all the denominations and different ministries that the Church had become this huge divisive monster. I did not realize that it is not about the physical church, but rather an invisible Church that transcends the walls we put up.”

Work Cited:
Erickson, Millard J.. Christian Theology. Second Edition.
Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Books, 1998.

Conner, Kevin J.. The Church in the New Testament. Portland,
Oregon: Bible Temple Publishing, 1989.

Grudem, Wayne. Systematic Theology. Grand Rapids, Michigan:
Zondervan, 1994.

What is the Church? Antonio

To start I must admit most of my thoughts are heavily borrowed from Dr. Rick Bartosik. We are asking, what is the Church? I think that there 2 major things that need to be express when dealing with this subject. First being a definition of what the church is in a technical sense. Second, what are the purposes and functions, if there are any, of said church. The most common use of the word church is, ekklesia. Ekklesia is a compound word of Ek and Kaleo. Ek, meaning out and Kaleo means to call or summon. Therefore the ekklesia would mean, “To call out”. This word is used 114 times through out the New Testament. The word church, is never used in reference to a building, but always referring to a group of people.
The Church is both invisible and visible. The invisible church is the church as God sees, made up of all who genuinely belong to Christ Jesus. While the visible church is as seen by people on earth. Because of this there are many with in the visible church who are not apart of the invisible church. The visible church is made up of local churches, they can be manifested in any place. The invisible church can also be called the universal church. The universal church is made up of true believers and only true believers, not just here on earth, but also those who are with Jesus in Heaven. Lutherans and John Calvin have similar marks of the church, basically stated as such. That a church is, where ever the Word of God is purely preached and the Lord’s sacraments are rightly administered.
The way I see it there are 3 basic purposes of the church and 5 functions. The first major purpose of the church is for the ministry of God. This is done through worship. As Bartosik states, “In relationship to God the church’s purpose is to worship him. God has destined us and appointed us in christ to ‘live for the praise of his glory’. Worship in the church is not merely a preparation for something else; it is in itself fulfilling the major purpose of the church with reference to its Lord.” Second, is the ministry to believers. Paul states that his job is not only to preach the Gospel to bring people into saving faith, but to present every man as mature in Christ. The last is the Ministry to the World. This is done in evangelism and mercy.
The church has set functions. The first being evangelism. No church can grow with out believers sharing the Gospel of Christ with non believers. Then the non believers repent and place their trust in Jesus. The next function is that of discipleship. Two Christians engaging another with the direct result being both being made more and more in the image of Christ. This is not an option, it is a mandate from Christ. Third function is Ministry. This is a natural out pouring of evangelism and discipleship. Fourth is the function of Fellowship. Fellowship is again a natural out pouring of the other functions. To be able to do any of the other functions fellowship is required in some form or another. Lastly, the most vital function of the church is Worship. New Testament has at least eight elements of worship: Preaching, Prayer, Praise, Confession of sin, Confession of faith in God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, Scripture reading and study, Lord’s supper and Baptism, Offerings. This is the Church as I see it.

The Dead Heretics Society

When society becomes stagnant people are forced to go to the fringes in order to develop new thought. From the very beginning of Christianity its growth has existed in the fringe. Jesus Christ, the very person, whom Christianity personifies, was crucified for being on the fringe of societal thought. Throughout the history of this way known as the Christian faith one has been forced to go to the fringe to rethink, reshape, or reform popular thought.

The purpose of this blog is to join this conversation as our own society of heretics on the fringe. Joining the discussion of Jesus Christ like Martin Luther, John Calvin, James Arminius and many others who have developed remarkable truths, either created or forgotten.