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Adult Class: September-November 2006

The Church

Lesson 1

The Church As The Purpose of God

            Peter confessed that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God. In response, Jesus declared that upon that confession “I will build my church” (Matthew 16:18). But it is a mistake to assume that until the coming of Jesus there was no plan to gather a church, an assembly of people, around the Messiah.

            God’s purpose has always been to bring about the redemption of humanity through Jesus Christ (Ephesians 1:9-10; Colossians 1:24-29). Those who are redeemed are gathered into the church (Acts 2:47). This plan was nothing that Jesus invented on the spur of the moment. It was always God’s intention that the church would exist. The church was an important part of God’s plan of human salvation. That plan was in place before the beginning (1 Peter 1:20).

            This plan was pointed out long ago when, for example, Daniel revealed that long years after the Babylonian Empire had crumbled, God would raise up a kingdom that would never be destroyed (Daniel 2:44). At about the same time, the prophet Jeremiah revealed that God planned another, different, covenant that would govern all His people and that would provide for the forgiveness of sins (Jeremiah 31:31-34). Although this plan was a mystery to humanity, hidden for ages and generations, it has now been revealed in Christ (1 Timothy 1:8-12). And that covenant has come to pass, so that the former covenant is superceded and now is obsolete (Hebrews 8:8-13).
            The march of Bible history shows that God was clearly working out a progression of covenants that moved toward the establishment of a covenant that would operate for all people and for all time. There are five major covenants between God and humanity recorded in the Bible. Each has a representative man, designated beneficiaries, terms that God will keep and a sign of the institution of the covenant.

            The word “church” is often used in the New Testament, but it is used in two very different ways, and the context must determine which way it is used. In some places, “church” means “the universal church that belongs to God no matter where it may be in the world.” This is how the word is used in Galatians 1:13. In some places, though, the word “church” means only “the congregation of God’s church that meets in this particular place.” That is how it is used in Galatians 1:2 and 1:22.

            The phrase “the church of God” (1 Corinthians 1:2) and “churches of Christ” (Romans 16:16) both carry the same understanding. This church is the property of God and of Christ. It is the church that belongs to Christ.

            The rest of this study of the New Testament church will include:

• The church as the people of God,
• Biblical images of the church as body, family, vine and temple,
• Entry into the church, including man’s sin and God’s grace along with man’s response and God’s gifts,
• Worship in the church, including a theology of worship, the importance of assembly and the activities we undertake,
• Ministry in the church, including work, leadership and the spread of the church,
• The life of church members, including ethics and fellowship as well as discipline and unity.

            The English word, “church” is derived from the Greek kuriokos, meaning “belonging to the Lord.” It does not describe a building, but a people. It is to that critical idea that we turn next.