The Church of God

"And I say also 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." (Matthew 16: 18)

What is the "church"? The Greek word is "ecclesia" and simply means an "assembly" or "congregation." It is a "gathering together" of people, a group. It is a New Testament word and is used as a title or designation for that group of individuals who find forgiveness with God through Christ.

There are many figures used to describe groups of people, such as house, temple, body, etc.

The church is also declared to be, in relation to Christ, a wife. Christ is the husband and head; the Church is the wife.

When a person believes in Christ and the gospel, and repents of sin, and is immersed in water in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, he is visibly made a member of this illustrious group.

"And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved." (Acts 2: 47)

Each Christian became attached and joined to this group when he was converted to Christ, when he was "joined to Christ." (I Corinthians 6: 17) In fact, when he "comes to" the Christ, he also comes to the church, and to salvation, to God himself.

"But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, (unto) the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels, To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect, And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel." (Hebrews 12: 22-24)

Note the things that the Christian "comes unto" when he is saved and born again of the Holy Spirit. He comes to Mt. Sion, to the city of God, to the heavenly Jerusalem, to the general assembly and church, and to God, and to the spirits of saints, and to Jesus and to his blood, and to the new covenant with its blessings. That is a lot of glorious things to "come unto"!

"Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood." (Acts 20: 28)

"For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body. Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing. Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it. That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish." (Ephesians 5: 23-27)

These verses speak of the work of Christ as being, in some respects, similar to a husband taking a wife. The husband choses his wife, and every wife choses her husband. Christ has chosen the believer, and the believer has chosen the Christ. Christ choice was first, "for in all things he must have the preeminence."

"My substance was not hid from thee, when I was made in secret, and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect; and in thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them." (Psalm 139: 15, 16)

David speaks of the mystery of his birth and creation, by God, in his mother's womb, when he was being formed, when being "made in secret," and when being "curiously wrought" by God in the "lowest parts of the earth." Each member of the physical body of David was the result of God's predetermined purpose and of his actual working in time.

Just as the members of David's body were foreknown by God, and written in God's "book," "when as yet there was none of them," so too were believers chosen and written in God's registry before they actually come to exist.

"And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church, Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all." (Ephesians 1: 22, 23)

"...his body's sake, which is the church" (Colossians 1: 24).

"And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence." (Colossians 1: 18)

The church is equated with the phrase "body of Christ" in the New Testament, as the above verses show. Every member of the body of Christ was placed there because God both predetermined to place him there, "before the foundation of the world" (Ephesians 1: 4) and because he actually places them into that body through the experience of conversion.

"But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth." (I Timothy 3: 15)

"Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen." (Ephesians 3: 21)

Friend, are you a member of the body of Christ? Are you part of that group that stands for truth and righteousness? Are you a member of that glorious assembly that is destined to eternal greatness? Then, you must be married to Christ.

"Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord." (Acts 3: 19)