The New Testament Church
Jesus, while on His
missionary journey, asked His disciples a question as
recorded in Matthew 16:13, “Whom do men say that I the
Son of man am?” Several of the disciples present
answered that question. And then Jesus asked them a
different question in verse 15, “But whom say ye that I
am?” Simon Peter spoke up and told Jesus exactly
who he thought Him to be. His answer is recorded in
verse 16, “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
In the original language, The term “Christ” comes from the
Greek word, “Christos” which means ‘anointed one’. It
has a Hebrew equivalent which is ‘mashiyach’, which in our
language has come to mean ‘Messiah’. So Peter’s answer
to Jesus’s question was, “you are the anointed one, the Son
of the living God”
Jesus responded to that
declaration with approval and in so doing, made a very
important statement which is of great significance to us
today. His response is recorded, starting in Matthew
16:17-18, “Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and
blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is
in heaven.
18 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…”
We notice regarding the
church, Jesus made two things clear.
1) When he told Peter He was
going to build His church, it was in the singular form,
meaning He promised to build only one.
2) Jesus said He was
going to build His church, meaning this church would be His
possession and would belong to Him.
The Greek word for “church”
is Ekklesia. This word has two meanings which are
important to this study. It is used in the New
Testament to refer to any assembly. It does not have
to be an assembly of Christians. In Acts 19:41, this
word is used in reference to an assembly of people who were
upset with Paul’s teachings and were intent on causing him
harm.
The other meaning of this
word which is what Jesus had in mind when He used the word
Ekklesia in response to Peter’s declaration was that of
being the “called out” This word used in English
would represent people who had been called into a collection
of like-minded individuals for a designated purpose.
It would be similar to a modern day activist rallying a
group of people to stand united against something like
abortion or racism. In the Greek language of the day,
the people that had been called to be in this group would be
an “Ekklesia” or the “called out” or “calling out” depending
on which tense the word was used in.
This is how Jesus used the
word. This group of people that would be “called out”
would be comprised of all of those souls, past, present and
future, who would follow after and serve Jesus Christ.
It simply means the assembly or inhabitants of Christ’s
community, or the universal worldwide church. And
Jesus promised to build only one.
This universal collective of
individuals, (Ekklesia/Church), was referred to in scripture
by many different names. Each name represents a
certain descriptive aspect of this group of Christ followers
who, according to scripture, were called Christians for the
first time in Antioch:
The church, or Ekklesia, that
Jesus promised to build in the first century was made up of
Christians and learners.
Acts 11:26
26 And when he had found
him, he brought him unto Antioch. And it came to pass, that
a whole year they assembled themselves with the church, and
taught much people. And the disciples were called Christians
first in Antioch.
The Greek word for
“Christian” is “Christianos” which came from the Greek word
for “Christ”, (Christos) and simply meant a ‘follower of
Christ’. So the assembly of ‘the called’ (ekklesia)
were known as followers of Christ.
And from this verse, we also
see that this “Ekklesia” or “Assembly” or “church” of
Christians’ were called “the disciples”. In the Greek
language of the day, this word meant a “learner” or a
“pupil/student”. So we learn here that the word
“learner” is applied in a descriptive sense to the universal
assembly of Christians. Also known in the first
century as the “Ekklesia” and referred to in modern day
English as the “the church”.
The new testament church, or
Ekklesia, that Jesus promised to build was made up of
foreigners in a strange land.
Peter used a number of terms
which were used in reference to Christians. Starting
in 1 Peter 1:1, we read, “Peter, an apostle of Jesus
Christ, to the strangers scattered throughout Pontus,
Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia”. Peter
referred to the readership of his first epistle recorded in
scripture as “strangers”, which in the original language
means a ‘resident foreigner’ or someone of another
nationality living in a foreign country. The Greek
word here is also used in 1 Peter 2:11 and Hebrews 11:13 as
pilgrims. The church Jesus promised to build would be made
up of followers of Christ who were like an assembly of
aliens living in a foreign land. The idea Peter was
trying to get across here is that Christians identify
themselves with a heavenly king and not an earthly one.
Christians don’t view this world as their home. Rather
they look to a heavenly home with God. Paul wrote in
Philippians 3:20, “For our citizenship is in heaven, from
which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus
Christ…” (NKJV)
The new testament church Jesus
built was a spiritual house and a holy priesthood.
1 Peter 2:5, “Ye also, as
lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy
priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to
God by Jesus Christ.” KJV
The church Jesus built was
never intended to be a physical thing. It was designed
from the beginning to be a collection of people who serve
Him in Spirit, meaning from the heart. The term house
carries the meaning of a place where we can live under the
shelter and care of God. Families live together in
houses. The word ‘house’ carries with it the meaning
of family. The new testament church was a spiritual,
non-physical collection of people who are family and living
under the shelter of God.
Looking back at 1 Peter 2:5
we see that the Christians Peter was writing to were
referred to as a holy priesthood. Under the old law of
Moses, only the Levites could serve in the priesthood, but
in the new testament church, all Christians are priests of
God. Under the old law, the temple was the place God
chose for His people to approach Him and offer worship.
Under the present age, God dwells not in temple made with
hands but rather, He dwells within the new testament church.
Paul wrote concerning this in
Ephesians 2:19-22
“Now, therefore, you are
no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with
the saints and members of the household of God, 20 having
been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets,
Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone, 21
in whom the whole building, being fitted together, grows
into a holy temple in the Lord, 22 in whom you also are
being built together for a dwelling place of God in the
Spirit. “ NKJV
In the new testament church,
all Christians have the same access to God through Jesus
Christ that the Israelites had through the Levitical
priesthood. In the new testament church, Jesus Christ
is our high priest and we all have access to God through
Him. Christians don’t need an earthly priesthood in
order to approach God and offer worship. All
Christians are priests, serving under one High Priest, Jesus
Christ.
Hebrews 9:11-12
“But Christ came as High
Priest of the good things to come, with the greater and more
perfect tabernacle not made with hands, that is, not of this
creation. 12 Not with the blood of goats and calves, but
with His own blood He entered the Most Holy Place once for
all, having obtained eternal redemption.” NKJV
The new testament church Jesus
built was a chosen generation.
In 1 Peter 2:9, the inspired
apostle wrote, “But ye are a chosen generation, a royal
priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye
should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out
of darkness into his marvellous light…”
The original language carries
the meaning of a people who have been picked out or selected
by God. These are people who have done those things
necessary in order to become the children of God. They
are followers of God and stand out from the rest of the
world. God knows this and has chosen them; He has
picked them as His own special people. Peter wrote in
chapter 2 and verse 4 of 1 Peter, “Coming to Him as to a
living stone, rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God and
precious…” NKJV
The "chosen generation"
in the original language carries the meaning of a hand
picked nation of people. "A holy nation"
carries the meaning of a sanctified race of people.
The Greek word for "Nation" in this context is the word
"Ethnos" which is where we get our English word "Ethnic".
In the Greek, this word usually means non-Jewish origin.
It is most often translated as 'Gentile', 'Heathen',
'nation' and 'people' in the KJV.
The new testament church is the
body of Christ
In Colossians 1:18; 1:24 and
Ephesians 5:23 and Paul identified the new testament
church as the body of Christ:
Colossians 1:18
"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." and then in verse 24: "Who
now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up that which
is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his
body's sake, which is the church"
The term body is
representative of a body or group of Christians and in this
context, Paul is speaking of the universal body of people
who make up the new testament church. Jesus is
identified in verse 18 as the head of the body of Christ.
The head and body illustration gives us a picture of the
oneness and unity of Christ and His body of followers.
The new testament church that Jesus built is a part of Him.
The two are inseparable. In fact when Jesus confronted
Paul on the road to Damascus, He didn't ask Paul why he was
persecuting His followers. Paul had been persecuting
Christians and was on his way to Damascus to do more of the
very same. Jesus appeared to him and asked. "Saul
Saul, why persecutest thou me?" Paul, formerly
Saul, directly persecuted Jesus when He persecuted
Christians. Jesus and the body of Christ are two
elements of the same thing.
Paul illustrates the oneness
of the body of Christ in 1 Corinthians 12:12-14, "For as
the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members
of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is
Christ. For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body,
whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free;
and have been all made to drink into one Spirit. For the
body is not one member, but many."
The body of Christ and the
church of Christ are the exact same thing.
The new testament church is the
kingdom of Heaven
Looking back at our
introductory text in Matthew 16:18 and expand that to
include verse 19: "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. 19 And I
will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven..."
The church and the kingdom of
Heaven or kingdom of God are the same thing. Jesus is
ruling His people from the right hand side of God the
Father, Hebrews 10:12, "But this man [Jesus], after he
had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the
right hand of God" And then in 1 Corinthians 15:25, "For
he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet."
The scriptures teach that Jesus is at the right side of the
Father and He is reigning over His people from Heaven right
now. Well His people are the members of the body of
Christ. Jesus is the head of the body and the king of
His kingdom. A king is someone who rules His people.
A kingdom is a people who live under the rule of a king.
You can't have a king without a kingdom. Scripture
declares that Jesus is reigning in heaven. Kings
reign. Kings have kingdoms. Kingdoms have kings.
The new testament church is the kingdom of God. The
new testament church is ruled from heaven, therefore it is
also the kingdom of heaven.
The new testament church that
Jesus built is the body of Christ and it is also the
kingdom. Jesus is the head of the body of Christ, He
is the ruler of the kingdom of God. All Christians who
ever lived, past present and future are the members of the
new testament church. All members of the body, the
kingdom and the church are disciples, or learners.
They/We are strangers in a foreign land. We are a
spiritual house and a kingdom of priests. We are a
chosen generation and we are citizens in the kingdom of
heaven.
The
new testament church was expensive
Ephesians 5:25, "...Christ
also loved the church, and gave himself for it"
Acts 20:28, "to feed the church of God, which he hath
purchased with his own blood." Jesus Christ built
His new testament church and the price He paid for it was
His own blood. Jesus suffered in order to build the
church we read of in the new testament. Jesus gave His
life to purchase the church we read of in the new testament.
Jesus Christ shed His blood and died for the church.
The church is the body, the kingdom, and it is us. He
shed His blood and died for the church. He shed His
blood and died for the kingdom. He shed His blood and
died for the body of Christ. He shed His blood and
died for the Christians in the first century. And He
shed His blood and died for us. We are the body of
Christ. We are the kingdom of Christ. We are the
church of Christ.
The church of Christ was
expensive. It cost God a lot to build it. He
must have really wanted to save us to do what He did.
Jesus only bled for one body. Jesus only died for one
people. Jesus only rules one kingdom.
Jesus only built one church. Doesn't it make sense
that if there was only one that was suffered for, bled for,
died for and is ruled over, then shouldn't that be the one
we should strive with all our hearts to be in? If it
was important enough for Jesus to die for, then isn't it
important enough for us to be in that one he died for and no
other?
How Can We Be Sure We are in the
New Testament Church?
There was only one church in
the new testament. Today when we look out across the
religious landscape we see many more than one and they all
believe and teach different things. It's difficult and
confusing to know for sure which one, if any are right.
It's a sobering thought because if nobody is right, then
everybody is wrong. Paul wrote in Galatians 1:9, "If
any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have
received, let him be accursed." Cursed people are
not in the kingdom of God. How can we be sure?
There were people becoming
Christians and being saved in the first century. We
read of them in scripture. We read of how they did it.
We read of how they worshiped and served God. We know
they were being saved. These people were in the
church, they were in the body of Christ, they were in
kingdom of God. Using the Bible and only the Bible, we
can study their Christian walk. We can be saved in
exactly the same way they did.
Using their Christian lives
as our guide, If we believe what they believed, if we are
added to the church the same way they were aded, if we
worship how they worshiped, if we live how they lived and if
we die how they died, then we will be today what they were
then. Christians only. In the new testament
church only. In the body of Christ only. And in
the kingdom of God only. It's just that simple.
And we have a Biblical example of a group of God's people
who did that very thing successfully.
1 Thessalonians 2:13-14
For this reason we also thank God without ceasing,
because when you received the word of God which you heard
from us, you welcomed it not as the word of men, but as it
is in truth, the word of God, which also effectively works
in you who believe. 14 For you, brethren, became imitators
of the churches of God which are in Judea in Christ Jesus
NKJV
The Thessalonian Christians
became imitators of the churches of God in Judaea and they
were saved. It worked for them in the first century,
why wouldn't it work for us today? If we want to
make absolutely sure we are in the new testament church that
Jesus suffered for, bled for, died for and purchased with
His blood, then we can do the same thing. If we will
do what they did, we will be what they were.
Christians only and only
Christians. in the body of Christ, the kingdom of God,
the church of Christ.
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