What is the church?

This English word is said to be derived from the Greek κυριακός, which signifies 'pertaining to the Lord,' and is commonly used both for an association of professing Christians, and for the building in which they worship. It is the scriptural use of the word ἐκκλησία, or 'assembly,' that is here under consideration.

In the original there is no such ambiguity. The Greek word is used one hundred and fifty times in the New Testament. In three instances it is correctly translated "assembly," but in every other instance by this unfortunate word "church." … In Tyndale's translation of the New Testament, the basis of the Authorized Version, the Greek word is rightly translated by the word "congregation"; but in our Authorized Version of 1611, King James, for political reasons, insisted that the ecclesiastical word "church" should be used.

The first distinct intimation of the church we find in scripture is Matthew 16:18. … Christ the Son of God, revealed of the Father, was the Rock, on which the church was to be built. … Is it not also quite clear that the church was then a future thing? "I will build my church" — Jesus did not say, "I have built" or "I am building;" but "I will build."

There are no other scriptures whatever that speak of the church until we come to the church's birthday — Pentecost. … It was on the day of Pentecost: "They were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind … and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost." … What a wondrous new thing this was, the like of which had never taken place before. "And the Lord added to the church daily, such as should be saved." All this was entirely of God. The Holy Ghost came down from heaven. The Lord added together. Thus this assembly on the very first day of its existence, was God's assembly.

Is it, therefore, asked, what is the precise period to which the formation of the Church is confined? The answer is very simple, viz.: From the time that Christ took His seat at the right hand of God, and sent the Holy Ghost from on high to baptize believers into one body, until the time when He shall leave it to meet His Church in the air. … This, be it long or short, is, properly speaking, the Church period.

As Saul journeyed on his way to Damascus "breathing out threatenings and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord," he was struck to the ground by a light from Heaven and heard the voice of Christ from the glory saying to him "Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou Me?" The voice did not say, "Mine," nor even "us," but "Me." … "Me" involves a company of people in union with Christ, and in such intimate fashion that to touch them is to touch Christ.

The Church is something infinitely precious to Christ. He "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." … We are thus members of His body, of His flesh and of His bones; … the Church holds to Christ the place which Eve held with regard to Adam — the figure of Him that was to come.

Christ, the apostle says, in Ephesians 1, is the Head of the Church, "which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all"; that is to say, Christ is the Head, and the Church the body; and as the body is the complement of the head to make up a man, so it is with Christ and the Church.

The Holy Ghost united all Christians in one body; and Christian service, or the exercise of gifts, was nothing more than a member of the body exercising its functions for the good of the whole body. It was that one and self-same Spirit which divided to each, "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" — Christ; for the Church is Himself, His body. "For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body."

So early as in paradise, God said, "It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him." … Adam was laid in deep sleep — type of the depths of death to which Jesus must descend to redeem His bride. Of that dead rib, in figure, the living woman was built. … God only built one Eve, God only builds one bride for Christ.

Oh what a thought, what a fact, that "Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; that he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of 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."

Eve was thought of and spoken of before she had been called into being; it was "them" (Gen. 1), while none but the man existed. … "The Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and He took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof; and the rib which the Lord God had taken from man, made He a woman, and brought her to the man." … The Church is bound up in the same "bundle of life" with the Lord Jesus; yea, and in the same bundle of glory likewise.

I have a building which Christ builds, a building in which living stones come and are built up as living stones, a building which grows to a holy temple in the Lord. I have also what is called God's building, as that which is for Him and set up by Him on the earth, but which is built instrumentally and responsibly by man, where I may find very bad building and even persons corrupting it.

Let this great truth be only received in faith that all believers now are baptized into one body; and that this is of God; and the effect is sure to be that instead of fleshly boast we shall be deeply ashamed of sectarianism. And the believer who receives this truth can no longer belong to a sect, cost what it may.

It must be carefully observed that the churches or assemblies at Jerusalem, Corinth, Rome, etc., were not separate or independent organisations, as in the modern idea of the Church of Rome, the Greek Church, the Church of England, and so on. There was only one assembly, the Church of God, though expressed in different localities.