The church is defined theologically as an assembly of baptized, professing believers, where Christ indwells each believer, where the assembly is under the discipline of the Word of God, where the church ordinances are administered, where spiritual gifts are manifested, and where the purpose is to carry out the Great Commission by evangelizing, educating, worshiping, and providing fellowship among believers. Each of the parts of this definition comes from Scripture. Many come from or are directly supported by Acts 2:42-47, I Corinthians 11, I Corinthians 12, and Ephesians 4:1-16.
Acts 2:42-47 provides a close-up look at the first local church. I Corinthians 11:17-34 focuses on the keeping of the ordinances, particularly on the Lord’s Supper. I Corinthians 12 teaches about unity among believers and the giving of spiritual gifts. Ephesians 4:1-16 addresses God’s faithfulness to provide the right leaders to the church. It also speaks to the topic of spiritual maturity among Christians. In this paper, the theological definition of the church will be discussed, and the relevance of these four passages to the local church will be presented.
The church is defined theologically as an assembly of baptized, professing believers, where Christ indwells each believer, where the assembly is under the discipline of the Word of God, where the church ordinances are administered, and where spiritual gifts are manifested. The purpose of the church is to carry out the Great Commission by evangelizing, educating, worshiping, and providing fellowship among believers [1]. Each of the parts of this definition comes from Scripture. Many come from or are directly supported by Acts 2:42-47, I Corinthians 11, I Corinthians 12, and Ephesians 4:1-16. In this paper, the theological definition of the church will be discussed, and the relevance of these four passages to the local church will be presented.
A. The First Local Church. In his commentary on the Book of Acts, Dr. Oliver B. Greene associated Acts 2:42-47 with the first local church [2]. He said that that church was unusual in every respect. Its members were converted suddenly, and no one from that church ever backslid or became an apostate. They professed Christ as Savior and Lord, were immediately baptized and added to the overall number of believers, and were assembled together to follow the Lord daily. Acts 2:44-45 indicates that these early believers even shared everything with one another so that each person’s needs would be met. With the exception of Ananias and Sapphira, none of them are recorded as having ever held back any of their possessions. They joined together and placed all their earthly possessions on the altar of the Lord for the chief purpose of telling the world about Jesus.
In his book Lectures in Systematic Theology, Dr. Henry C. Thiessen discussed the organization of the local church. He wrote that the first church in Jerusalem had at least a type of loose organization and that the other local churches which followed were definitely organized [3]. They adhered to doctrinal standards (Acts 2:42), met for spiritual fellowship, prayed, observed the ordinances of baptism and the Lord’s Supper, kept a list of members, and provided material help to their own as needed (Acts 2:41-46). They even met in each other’s homes (Acts 2:46).
Acts 2:46 emphasizes the house-to-house, one-minded ministry of the early church as its members tried to reach their world for Christ. Matthew Henry wrote that the members of the early church were very much together [4]. They had great concern for one another, they were prayer warriors, they were diligent to attend all services, they were very thankful for their relationship with Christ, and they were very cheerful and generous. In short, they acted like an organism because they were totally focused on their worship of God, on learning more about Him, and on being in close fellowship with one another.
Like Dr. Thiessen, Dr. Elmer Towns, in his book Theology for Today, also wrote that the church is an organization because, in his opinion, the believers in the early church had assembled together to carry out the Great Commission [5]. Like Matthew Henry, Dr. Towns added to this idea of organization by saying that the church was and is an organism, and in that context, he was indicating that the church is alive because of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit within each Christian. He then suggested that without either of these two characteristics of organization and organism the church would cease to be a church.
B. Being Under The Discipline Of The Word Of God. Another aspect of the local church is in its source of direction. Acts 2:42 says that the members of the first local church continued in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship. Thus, they had placed themselves under the discipline and direction of the soon-to-be-written Word of God. Dr. Greene wrote that "they followed the apostles’ teaching and instruction, obeying the Word of God as the apostles taught them day by day and from house to house" [6]. Dr. Greene also pointed out that the word "fellowship" in this verse is often translated "communion," meaning that Christians do not always agree on each minor doctrine of the Christian Faith but that they do hold themselves in communion or fellowship around such major doctrines as "the verbal inspiration of the Scriptures, the deity of Christ, the blood atonement, salvation by grace, and the second coming of Jesus" [7]. In today’s economy, the local church must place itself under the discipline and direction of the Word of God to be a part of the true church.
Being under the discipline of the Word of God suggests submitting oneself to the teachings of Scriptures. According to Dr. Towns, being under the discipline of God’s Word also involves church discipline and doctrinal purity. He said that doctrinal purity is essential for a New Testament church. In addition, he said that when a church fails to bring itself under the discipline of the Word of God, it ceases to qualify as a New Testament church. "The purpose of discipline by the Word of God is the positive and negative correction of the New Testament church" [8]. Positive correction with positive biblical exhortation leads to right living and right doctrine. Negative correction leads to a person’s cleaning up their life and ultimately to right living. For these reasons, the Apostles gave themselves over exclusively to teaching Bible doctrine. Based on Acts 2:42, we know that they continued stedfastly in teaching doctrine. Later, in Acts 6, when administrative difficulties arose among some of the widows within the church, the Apostles had special men appointed who could attend to those difficulties rather than allow themselves to be drawn from their teaching and ministerial responsibilities. They never lost sight of the importance of teaching sound doctrine.
A. The Lord’s Supper. I Corinthians 11:17-34 speaks about the keeping of the Lord’s Supper. In addressing a problem with its members eating at the Corinthian church, the Apostle Paul indicated in these verses that the Lord’s Supper is the church’s way to memorialize the death of Jesus until He returns. I Corinthians 11:26 says, "For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord's death till he come." Dr. Greene wrote that the word "shew" in this latter verse comes from the Greek word which means "proclaim" [9]. Therefore, when the local church practices the ordinance of the Lord’s Supper, it is literally proclaiming to the world that Jesus died for our sins and that He is coming again. Because of the sacred nature of this ordinance, Dr. Greene also cautioned that we are to be serious when we partake. I Corinthians 11:27-29 even tells us that we should examine ourselves before we eat of the bread and drink of the cup so that we will not partake unworthily.
Dr. Millard J. Erickson, in his book Christian Theology, added to these thoughts about communion by saying that the Lord’s Supper was begun by Christ and that it is a continuing rite as opposed to just a one-time event [10]. We are to practice it right up until Jesus comes back in the clouds to receive us to Himself. Dr. Erickson also described the observance of the Lord’s Supper as having a special spiritual benefit to the person who partakes. "It can be a means, or at least an occasion, of spiritual growth in the Lord" [11]. Christians are only baptized in water once, yet we participate in communion usually several times during the year in the local church as a way to reflect on Jesus’ death and His eventual return.
B. Baptism. I Corinthians 11:1-2 says that the church should keep all the ordinances. In addition to the Lord’s Supper, the other church ordinance is water baptism. I Peter 3:20-21 says that baptism gives the Christian a good conscience before God. We are to be baptized as a first act of obedience to the Lord. As has already been mentioned, the early church baptized its new converts upon their profession of faith in Christ. Then, those new believers were immediately added to the fellowship. The local church typically baptizes those who wish to unite with their assembly because this ordinance gives the believer an opportunity to publicly associate him or herself with a particular group of worshippers. Baptism is a symbolic picture of the death of the believer to their old way of life, their burial, and then their resurrection to a newness of life in Christ Jesus. In contrast to the Lord’s Supper, Dr. Erickson stated that this ordinance is an initial, one-time only rite [12].
A. Baptized Into One Body. Colossians 1:27 speaks of the mystery among the Gentiles, which is "Christ in you, the hope of glory." I Corinthians 12:13 says that we are all baptized into one body by one Spirit, whether we are Jew or Gentile or whether we are bond or free. Dr. Lewis Sperry Chafer, in his book Major Bible Themes, described this baptism and indwelling of Christ within us as ministries of the Holy Spirit [13]. He later wrote , "The fact of indwelling is mentioned in so many passages in the Bible that it should not be questioned by anyone recognizing the authority of Scripture" [14]. Dr. Greene indicated that this baptism is clearly a Spirit baptism and that it involves an indwelling of Christ into every believer. He also wrote concerning his belief that I Corinthians 12:13 applies to a general baptism of the whole church at Pentecost and also to a specific spiritual baptism of each believer at conversion. "All who believe, all who trust in the finished work of Jesus, are baptized by ONE Spirit into ONE body" [15].
Dr. Theissen wrote that the church must be thought of in two senses: the universal sense and the local sense [16]. In the universal sense, again according to I Corinthians 12:13, all of those who have been born of the Spirit of God and baptized into the body of Christ are members. Therefore, those who profess Christ as Savior and who have been born again by His Spirit are members of the universal church. As an extension of this, the local church is a group of organized, professing believers who reside and worship in a specific locality. A person can be a member of the universal church yet never unite with a specific local church. On the other hand, all those who truly possess Christ as Savior, whether they are part of a local assembly or not, are a part of the universal church. The local church is organized in relatively small assemblies to conduct the business of the universal church. A Christian is not required to unite with a local church to be a Christian, but throughout the Church Age dispensation, God has worked through the local church to do His work in this world.
B. Personal Spiritual Gifts. The subject of personal, spiritual gifts are dealt with extensively in I Corinthians 12:4-11. Verse Four says that there are many kinds of spiritual gifts. Verses Eight through Ten say that one person is given the word of wisdom, another the word of knowledge, another the gift of faith, another the gift of healing, and to others are given the gifts of miracles, prophesying, the discerning of spirits, tongues, and the interpretation of tongues. I Corinthians 12:15-26 speaks about the relative importance of our spiritual gifts. Essentially, no one gift is exalted above another. Verses Twenty-one through Twenty-three clearly state that all parts have equal importance in the Lord’s work. No one should view themselves as better or worse than another based upon their spiritual gifts. Instead, all of us should seek to use our time, treasure, and talents (spiritual gifts) so that we can exalt Christ and bring lost sinners to Him. Dr. Chafer wrote that the possible variety of spiritual gifts is innumerable because no two lives are lived under exactly the same circumstances. He also said that "the blessing and power of the gift will be experienced only when the life is wholly yielded to God" [17]. Therefore, this passage from I Corinthians 12 indicates what God has done and will do, yet each individual still has responsibility towards God that he or she lives a life which He can use.
C. Unity Of Purpose Among Believers. In writing I Corinthians 12:12-26, the Apostle Paul was trying to show unity among all believers, whether they were Jew or Gentile. According to Matthew Henry, Paul was also trying to make the gifted men in the Corinthian church aware of their duty to Christ [18]. The Apostle Paul was bringing a truth of the universal church down to the level of the local church. If we were not baptized into one body, then we would not be bound together in quite the same way to the common task of evangelizing the world. The local church is not a civic group where people have come together to do good for their community. It is an assembly of those who have come to Christ and been changed by the Holy Spirit. Christ indwells the church because Christ indwells each believer who makes up the church. As one body in Christ and as individual local churches which make up that one body, we must seek to do the work of the Lord and the will of our heavenly Father.
A. A Living Organism. In his essay "The Church as the Body of Christ," Dr. Chafer described the church as a living organism where races and cultures are overlooked and where believers are assembled together in eternal unity [19]. In that discussion, he pointed out that the Gentiles share in the same eternal promises as the Jews, something which was not known until after the time of Christ. These truths and this unity among diverse cultures were particularly evident in the church at Ephesus and were reflected in the Apostle Paul’s writings in Ephesians 4:4-7 and 4:12-16. The universal church and the local church, by extension, are comprised of professing, baptized believers who share the common responsibility of carrying out the Great Commission. As part of that church, each of us should take on one another’s burdens and help those within our assembly as the Holy Spirit would lead.
B. The Giving Of Gifts. As stated above, the purpose of the church is to evangelize, educate, worship, and provide fellowship for other believers. I Corinthians 12:13 says that we are all baptized into one body by one Spirit. Ephesians 4:11 says that apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers have been given by God to the church for the express purpose of doing these works of the ministry [20]. The Great Commission, in Matthew 28:19-20, tells us to go, to preach, to baptize, and to teach. As a local church, we accomplish all of these tasks under the leadership of the Holy Spirit by using the spiritual gifts which we have been given. Like a single body trying to accomplish a single mission, the body of Christ, the universal church, seeks to satisfy the Great Commission in this world. In the same sense, the local church takes on this challenge and seeks to do the work of the universal church.
Dr. Greene wrote that it will be a "victorious day in the lives of some believers when they acknowledge the Bible fact that God is the One who appoints spiritual leaders in the New Testament church" [21]. He is also the One Who gives the gifts by which we do His work, and when that work is done as it should be, Ephesians 4:12-16 says that the saints will be made spiritually mature and no longer easily swayed by every wind of doctrine. They will speak the truth in love and work as a unified body to glorify Christ. Dr. Chafer wrote that "spiritual gifts are not secured by seeking, but rather by the Holy Spirit apportioning gifts ‘to every man severally as he will’ (I Corinthians 12:11)" [22].
The theological definition and specific roles of the local church can be seen from examining the four key passages which have been discussed in this paper.
Acts 2:42-47 provides a close-up look of the first local church. The people were assembled together in one accord, and upon their profession of faith in Christ, they were immediately baptized and added to the overall number. These verses strongly suggest the desire of the first church members to learn correct doctrine. They worshipped daily in the temple, they went from house to house carrying with them what they were already possessing inwardly, and they continued in one accord for the purpose of internal harmony and external witness. A church teaching proper doctrine, which is at peace with itself, sends a strong, positive message to those who are looking on. These verses from Acts 2 describe the harmony which should exist within a local church. They also show the single-mindedness of purpose for an assembly which seeks to follow Christ.
I Corinthians 11:1-2 and 17-34 focus on the keeping of the ordinances and particularly on the Lord’s Supper. Christians are encouraged to observe that ordinance within the local church as a way to memorialize the death of Jesus and also to celebrate the expectation of His soon return. In this chapter, the Apostle Paul cautioned the Christian to examine him or herself before partaking of the elements to make sure that they are worthy. The second church ordinance is baptism, and new converts should be baptized as a first step of obedience to God.
I Corinthians 12 teaches about unity among believers and the giving of spiritual gifts. The Apostle Paul identified numerous gifts which might be given to a child of God. These gifts, as he instructed, do not give us occasion to elevate ourselves over our brothers and sisters in the Lord. But they are given as the Holy Spirit wills so that we might join together, apply our specific gifts, and reach the world for Jesus. Paul taught in these verses that each Christian has been baptized into the body of Christ and that each of us is important in His work.
Ephesians 4:1-16 addresses God’s faithfulness to provide the right leaders to the church. It also speaks to the topic of spiritual maturity among Christians. Verses Eleven through Fifteen especially talk about the giving of prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers so that Christians can learn correct doctrine and manifest spiritual growth. These verses tell us that our local assembly should become more unified as each of us grows in the Lord. Similarly, we should be made more fit for the specific ministry to which we have been called, plus we should not be tossed to and from by every whim of doctrine. Immature Christians are frequently fooled into accepting false doctrine, but one of the marks of spiritual maturity is that we will not be so easily deceived.
As was stated at the outset, the church is defined theologically as an assembly of baptized, professing believers, where Christ indwells each believer, where the assembly is under the discipline of the Word of God, where the church ordinances are administered, where spiritual gifts are manifested, and where the purpose is to carry out the Great Commission by evangelizing, educating, worshiping, and providing fellowship among believers. Each of these parts of this definition have been summarized and described by the four passages which were identifed above.
1. Elmer Towns, Theology for Today (Dubuque, Iowa: Kendall/Hunt Publishing Company, 1989), pp. 631-632.
2. Oliver B. Greene, The Acts Of The Apostles. Volume 1 (Greenville, South Carolina: The Gospel Hour, Inc., 1968), p. 200.
3. Henry C. Thiessen, revised by Vernon D. Doerksen, Lectures in Systematic Theology (Grand Rapids, Michigan: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1979), pp. 318-319.
4. Matthew Henry, Matthew Henry’s Commentary On The Whole Bible, Volume VI - Acts To Revelation (McLean, Virginia: MacDonald Publishing Company), pp. 28-29.
5. Towns, p. 652.
6. Greene, p. 201.
7. Ibid, p. 201.
8. Towns, p. 631-632.
9. Greene, The First Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the Corinthians (Greenville, South Carolina: The Gospel Hour, Inc., 1965), pp. 376-377
10. Millard J. Erickson, Christian Theology (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker House, 1983), p. 1108.
11. Ibid, p. 1111.
12. Ibid, p. 1108.
13. Lewis Sperry Chafer, revised by John F. Walvoord, Major Bible Themes (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan Publishing House, 1974), p. 93-94.
14. Ibid, p. 103.
15. Oliver B. Greene, The First Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the Corinthians, pp. 400-401.
16. Thiessen, pp. 310-312.
17. Chafer, p. 73.
18. Henry, p. 569.
19. Ibid, pp. 276-278
20. Theissen, p. 330-331.
21. Oliver B. Greene, The Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the Ephesians (Greenville, South Carolina: The Gospel Hour, Inc., 1963), p. 145.
22. Chafer, p. 277.
Chafer, Lewis Sperry. Revised by John F. Walvoord. Major Bible Themes. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan Publishing House, 1974.
Erickson, Millard J. Christian Theology. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker House, 1983.
Greene, Oliver B. The Acts Of The Apostles. Volume 1. Greenville, South Carolina: The Gospel Hour, Inc., 1968.
Greene, Oliver B. The Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the Ephesians. Greenville, South Carolina: The Gospel Hour, Inc., 1963.
Greene, Oliver B. The First Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the Corinthians. Greenville, South Carolina: The Gospel Hour, Inc., 1965.
Henry, Matthew. Matthew Henry’s Commentary On The Whole Bible. Volume VI - Acts To Revelation. McLean, Virginia: MacDonald Publishing Company.
The Liberty Annotated Study Bible. Edited by Jerry Falwell. Lynchburg, Virginia: Old Time Gospel Hour, 1988.
Thiessen, Henry C. Revised by Vernon D. Doerksen. Lectures in Systematic Theology. Grand Rapids, Michigan: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1979.
Towns, Elmer. Theology for Today. Dubuque, Iowa: Kendall/Hunt Publishing Company, 1989.
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Index to Selected Essays And Book Reviews
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