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Xenos Adult Education
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Servanthood
1
Understanding
Ministry
Understanding the Church
What Is the Universal Church?
Definition:
The Universal Church derives its definition from the baptizing ministry
of the Holy Spirit. The key verse on this is 1 Cor. l2:l3,"by one
Spirit we are all baptized into one body." We see from this passage
that the church is like the physical manifestation of Christ, i.e., his
body.
Other passages which
use the same imagery are Rom. l2:4-5; 1 Cor. l2:11,l8,27. The point in
all of these passages seems to be that anyone who has experienced this
baptism is automatically a member of the body of Christ.
Words used for
the church in the New Testament
- Church
The word translated "church" in the English Bible is ekklesia.
This word is the Greek words kaleo (to call), with the prefix
ek (out). Thus, the word means "the called out ones."
However, the English word "church" does not come from ekklesia
but from the word kuriakon, which means "dedicated to
the Lord." This word was commonly used to refer to a holy place
or temple. By the time of Jerome's translation of the New Testament
from Greek to Latin, it was customary to use a derivative of kuriakon
to translate ekklesia. Therefore, the word church is a poor translation
of the word ekklesia since it implies a sacred building, or temple.
A more accurate translation would be "assembly" because the
term ekklesia was used to refer to a group of people who had been called
out to a meeting. It was also used as a synonym for the word synagogue,
which also means to "come together," i.e. a gathering. "Body
of Christ" Since believers have been united with Christ through
spiritual baptism, they are sometimes corporately referred to as the
body of Christ. (Rom. l2:4-5; 1 Cor. l2:11,13,l8,27; Col. l:l8; Eph.
5:30) The idea seems to be that the group of Christians in the world
constitute the physical representation of Christ on earth. It is also
a metaphor which demonstrates the interdependence of members in the
church, while at the same time demonstrating their diversity from one
another. (Rom. 12:4; 1 Cor. 12:14-17)
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- The Temple
of God
(1 Cor. 3:l6; Eph. 2:2l,22; 1 Pet. 2:5).
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- The Jerusalem
From Above or The Heavenly Jerusalem
(Gal. 4:26; Heb. l2:22). Both of these terms (as well as "temple")
illustrate how the Old Testament notions of outward sanctuary have been
replaced with the literal dwelling of God in his people.
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- Bride of Christ
or Christ's Betrothed
(Eph. 5:25-32; 2 Cor. 11:2). These titles refer to the love and
loyalty existing between Christ and believers.
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