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 Helping San Diego, California and beyond since 1997.
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General Information
In Christian theology, the church is defined as the community of those who are called to acknowledge the lordship of Jesus Christ and to collaborate in his historic mission for the coming of the kingdom, or reign, of God. The word church is derived from two Greek words, kuriake and ekklesia, the one meaning "belonging to the Lord," and the other "an assembly called forth." Etymologically, therefore, the church is God's holy people summoned to worship.
In addition to designating the entire body of Christians, church is used to denote the individual Christian denominations, as well as the building used for Christian worship.
Richard P McBrien
Bibliography
H Kung, The Church (1967); R McBrien, Church: The Continuing Quest (1970).
Derived probably from the Greek kuriakon (i.e., "the Lord's house"), which was used by ancient authors for the place of worship. In the New Testament it is the translation of the Greek word ecclesia, which is synonymous with the Hebrew kahal of the Old Testament, both words meaning simply an assembly, the character of which can only be known from the connection in which the word is found. There is no clear instance of its being used for a place of meeting or of worship, although in post-apostolic times it early received this meaning. Nor is this word ever used to denote the inhabitants of a country united in the same profession, as when we say the "Church of England," the "Church of Scotland," etc.
We find the word ecclesia used in the following senses in the New Testament:
The church visible
"consists of all those throughout the world that profess the true
religion, together with their children." It is called "visible" because
its members are known and its assemblies are public. Here there is a
mixture of "wheat and chaff," of saints and sinners. "God has commanded
his people to organize themselves into distinct visible ecclesiastical
communities, with constitutions, laws, and officers, badges,
ordinances, and discipline, for the great purpose of giving visibility
to his kingdom, of making known the gospel of that kingdom, and of
gathering in all its elect subjects. Each one of these distinct
organized communities which is faithful to the great King is an
integral part of the visible church, and all together constitute the
catholic or universal visible church."
A credible profession of the true religion constitutes a person a member of this church. This is "the kingdom of heaven," whose character and progress are set forth in the parables recorded in Matt. 13. The children of all who thus profess the true religion are members of the visible church along with their parents. Children are included in every covenant God ever made with man. They go along with their parents (Gen. 9:9-17; 12:1-3; 17:7; Ex. 20:5; Deut. 29:10-13).
Peter, on the day of Pentecost, at the beginning of the New Testament dispensation, announces the same great principle. "The promise [just as to Abraham and his seed the promises were made] is unto you, and to your children" (Acts 2:38, 39). The children of believing parents are "holy", i.e., are "saints", a title which designates the members of the Christian church (1 Cor. 7:14). (See Baptism.)
The church invisible "consists of the whole number of the elect that have been, are, or shall be gathered into one under Christ, the head thereof." This is a pure society, the church in which Christ dwells. It is the body of Christ. it is called "invisible" because the greater part of those who constitute it are already in heaven or are yet unborn, and also because its members still on earth cannot certainly be distinguished. The qualifications of membership in it are internal and are hidden. It is unseen except by Him who "searches the heart." "The Lord knoweth them that are his" (2 Tnn. 2:19). The church to which the attributes, prerogatives, and promises appertaining to Christ's kingdom belong, is a spiritual body consisting of all true believers, i.e., the church invisible.
(1.) Its unity. God has ever had only one church on earth. We sometimes speak of the Old Testament Church and of the New Testament church, but they are one and the same. The Old Testament church was not to be changed but enlarged (Isa. 49:13-23; 60:1-14). When the Jews are at length restored, they will not enter a new church, but will be grafted again into "their own olive tree" (Rom. 11:18-24; comp. Eph. 2:11-22). The apostles did not set up a new organization. Under their ministry disciples were "added" to the "church" already existing (Acts 2:47).
(2.) Its universality. It is the "catholic" church; not confined to any particular country or outward organization, but comprehending all believers throughout the whole world.
(3.) Its perpetuity. It will continue through all ages to the end of the world. It can never be destroyed. It is an "everlasting kindgdom."
(Easton Illustrated Dictionary)
The English word "church" derives from the late Greek word kyriakon, the Lord's house, a church building. In the NT the word translates the Greek word ekklesia. In secular Greek ekklesia designated a public assembly, and this meaning is still retained in the NT (Acts 19:32, 39, 41).
In the Hebrew OT the word qahal designates the assembly of God's people (e.g., Deut. 10:4; 23:2 - 3; 31:30; Ps. 22:23), and the LXX, the Greek translation of the OT, translated this word with both ekklesia and synagoge. Even in the NT ekklesia may signify the assembly of the realites (Acts 7:38; Heb. 2:12); but apart from these exceptions, the word ekklesia in the NT designates the Christian church, both the local church (e.g., Matt. 18:17; Acts 15:41; Rom. 16:16; 1 Cor. 4:17; 7:17; 14:33; Col. 4:15) and the universal church (e.g., Matt. 16:18; Acts 20:28; 1 Cor. 12:28; 15:9; Eph. 1:22).
The question thus arises: Did Jesus intend to establish the church? The answer to this question must be based not on statements of church dogma but on careful interpretation of the NT writings. Here one's conclusions will be affected by the degree to which one assigns various statements of Jesus to Jesus himself or to the postresurrection church and by one's interpretation of terms such as "Son of man" and parables such as the fish net, the leaven, and seeds of growth (Matt. 13:47 - 50; 13:33; Mark 4:1 - 20). Critical study of the Gospels reveals that Jesus probably did not give teachings for the purpose of establishing and ordering the church. Rather his whole life and teaching provide the foundations upon which the church was created and called into being through its faith in the risen Lord.
If one is to be true to the NT testimony, it must be acknowledged that there is a multiplicity of images and concepts that contribute to an understanding of the nature of the church. In the appendix of Images of the Church in the New Testament, Paul Minear lists ninety six images which he classifies as (1) minor images, (2) the people of God, (3) the new creation, (4) the fellowship in faith, and (5) the body of Christ. Listing only a few of these will demonstrate the great diversity of images: the salt of the earth, a letter from Christ, branches of the vine, the elect lady, the bride of Christ, exiles, ambassadors, a chosen race, the holy temple, priesthood, the new creation, fighters against Satan, the sanctified slaves, friends, sons of God, household of God, members of Christ, spiritual body.
Though such a plethora of images exists, it is nonetheless possible and useful to find the major concepts that hold these many images together. From the Council of Constantinople in 381 and reaffirmed at Ephesus (431) and Chalcedon (451) the church has affirmed itself to be "one, holy, catholic, and apostolic."
First of all, the NT witness is clear regarding the unity of the church. In 1 Cor. 1:10 - 30 Paul warns against divisions in the church and urges the people to be united in Christ. In this same letter (ch. 12), he states that while there are many gifts, there is one body (cf. Rom. 12:3 - 8). The Gospel of John speaks of the one shepherd and the one flock (10:16), and Jesus prays that his followers may be one even as Father and Son are one (17:20 - 26). In Gal. 3:27 - 28 Paul declares that in Christ all are one, with no distinction of race, social status, or sex. Acts 2:42 and 4:32 are likewise eloquent testimony to the oneness of the church. Perhaps the most stirring passage on this point is Eph. 4:1 - 6: "There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of us all, who is above all and through all and in all" (vss. 4 - 6).
Unity, however, does not demand uniformity. Indeed, from the beginning the church has manifested itself in many local churches (in Jerusalem, Antioch, Corinth, Ephesus, etc.); and the one NT church had neither uniformity of worship nor structures, or even a uniform theology. Certainly the ecumenical movement which arose in this century out of the missionary movement of the nineteenth century has challenged the church today to recognize that "God wills unity" (Faith and Order Conference, Lausanne, 1927). The challenge for Christians today is to live in unity without insisting that our worship, structure, and theology be more uniform than that of the NT church. Unity is possible when we stop thinking of our church or denomination as the vine and all others as the branches. Rather, Jesus is the vine and all of us are branches.
Various solutions have been proposed in the history of the church to reconcile the fact that the holy church is a sinful church. Donatists as well as Gnostics, Novationists, Montanists, Cathari, and other sects solved the problem by claiming that they alone were holy while all others were not really members of the church. But 1 John 1:8 reminds one that the church which has no sin to confess simply does not exist. Others have claimed that the members are sinful but the church is holy. But the church does not exist in the abstract; it is sinful people who constitute the church. Gnostics claimed that the body was sinful while the soul was holy. But biblical anthropology declares that it is the whole, undivided human being who is sinful.
The solution lies in the awareness of what "holy" means in the Bible. To be holy is to be separated from what is profane and to be dedicated to the service of God. It does not mean that the Christian is free of sin. The apostle Paul said of himself: "Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect" (Phil. 3:12a), and in the greetings to the Corinthian Christians he calls them "sanctified" and "saints." Christians are holy in that they are separated for God's service and set apart by God (2 Thess. 2:13; Col. 3:12, etc.).
While the local church is an entire church, it is not the entire church. As catholic, the church includes believers of past generations and believers of all cultures and societies. It is unfortunate that the church in the Western world has for far too long formulated theology and mission strategy in isolation from the churches of Africa, Asia, and Latin America, the churches of the two thirds world. The World Christian Encyclopedia shows that whites now represent 47.4 percent of the Christian population of the world, the first time in 1,200 years that whites are not the majority. Two hundred eight million Christians speak Spanish, 196 million speak English, 128 million speak Portuguese, followed by German, French, Italian, Russian, Polish, Ukrainian, and Dutch.
To claim that the church is apostolic is not to assert a direct line of succession through specific individuals. It is to recognize that the message and the mission of the apostles as mediated through Scripture must be that of the whole church.
The adjectives "one, holy, catholic, apostolic" are terms specific enough to describe the essential nature of the church and yet allow for differences within denominations and churches in the ways in which each fulfills the mission and ministry of the church in the world. As previously mentioned, the NT uses nearly a hundred images that relate to the church. One major image, the body of Christ, is especially rich in what it communicates about the nature of the church.
Christians are one body in Christ with many members (Rom. 12:4 - 5; I Cor. 12:27). Indeed, the church is the body of Christ (Eph. 1:22 - 23; 4:12), who is the head of the body (Eph. 5:23; Col. 1:18); and the body is dependent on its head for its life and growth (Col. 2:19). The church is never directly called the bride of Christ, but is so understood by Paul's analogy in which the husband - wife relationship is said to be like the Christ - church relationship (Eph. 5:22 - 33). Husband and wife are to be one flesh, and this is the same regarding Christ and the church (Eph. 5:31 - 32).
Through this image several important theological concepts are expressed concerning the church. Christians form a unity both with Christ and with one another, and Christ is acknowledged as both the authority who stands over the church and the one who gives life and growth. Also, this image is a strong assertion regarding the need for and proper appreciation of the diverse gifts that God gives to the church.
The church has a dual purpose; it is to be a holy priesthood (1 Pet. 2:5) and is to "declare the wonderful deeds of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light" (1 Pet. 2:9). It is the whole church in relationship to the world which is to exercise the tasks of priesthood. As a priesthood the church is entrusted with the responsibility of bringing God's word to mankind and of interceding with God on behalf of mankind.
In addition to the priestly function the church also has a missionary function of declaring God's wonderful deeds. The missionary task of the church is not optional, for by its very nature the church is mission. Furthermore, mission is in and to the world, not in and to itself.
R L Omanson
Bibliography
K Barth, Church Dogmatics IV; G C Berkouwer, The
Church; E Brunner, The Christian Doctrine of the Church, Faith, and
the Consummation; R N Flew, Jesus and His Church; H Kung, The
Church; J H Leith, ed., Creeds of the Church; P Minear, Images of
the Church in the NT ; K L Schmidt, T D N T, III; H Schwaz,
The Christian Church; E Schweizer, The Church As the Body of
Christ; D D Bannerman, The Scripture Doctrine of the Church; E G
Jay, The Church; D Watson, I Believe in the Church; F J A Hort,
The Christian Ecclesia; A Cole, The Body of Christ.
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