When people hear the word “church,” they will likely have many different ideas about what a church should look like, how it should be organized, and what it should be doing. However, we need to understand the description of the church that is given in the New Testament. This is how we can find the Lord’s church today.
So what is the church? Let us notice four points.
The Church Was Built by Christ
When speaking with His disciples, Jesus promised to build His church: “I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it” (Matthew 16:18). The “rock” (foundation) upon which the church would be built was not Peter, but the fact confessed by Peter – that Jesus is “the Christ, the Son of the living God” (Matthew 16:16). The church would be built upon Jesus’ identity as the Son of God.
Not only would Jesus build His church, He would also purchase it with His blood that He shed on the cross. Paul told the Ephesian elders, “Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood” (Acts 20:28). Therefore, because Jesus built and bought the church, it belongs to Him.
The Church Was Established on the Day of Pentecost
On the day of Pentecost following Jesus’ death, burial, resurrection, and ascension, Peter stood before the crowd in Jerusalem and preached the first gospel sermon (Acts 2:14ff). In his address he connected the events surrounding Jesus’ death with several Old Testament prophecies (cf. Joel 2:28-32; Psalm 16:8-11; 110:1) and declared that Jesus was “both Lord and Christ” (Acts 2:36).
Upon hearing this and realizing that they were guilty of crucifying the Messiah, the people asked what they needed to do. Peter answered, “Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:38). Amazingly, three thousand people “received his word [and] were baptized” (Acts 2:41). God continued to add to this number (the church, KJV) “day by day those who were being saved” (Acts 2:47).
The Church Is the Body of the Saved
As we just noticed, God added to the church “those who were being saved” (Acts 2:47). In his letter to the church in Ephesus, Paul described Jesus as “the head of the church” and “the Savior of the body” (Ephesians 5:23).
The “body” that has Jesus as its “Savior” is the church. Earlier in the letter to the Ephesians, Paul wrote, “And He put all things in subjection under His feet, and gave [Christ] as head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all” (Ephesians 1:22-23). Those who are saved are those who are in the church. Therefore, those who want to be saved need to be added by God to the Lord’s church.
The Church Is the Kingdom of God on Earth
When Jesus promised to build His church, He made a connection between the church and the kingdom: “Upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; and whatever you bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall have been loosed in heaven” (Matthew 16:18-19). The kingdom can be broadly defined as the domain of God, but it is seen visibly on earth in the form of the church. Referring to the church as the kingdom also points to its establishment on the day of Pentecost – the kingdom would come with power (Mark 9:1), power would come with the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:8), the Holy Spirit came on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:1-4), and from that time forward God was adding people to the church (Acts 2:47).
Paul told the brethren in Colossae, “For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son” (Colossians 1:13). In other words, we can be saved from our bondage to sin and become part of His kingdom. When does this happen? It happens when we obey the gospel to have our sins forgiven and God adds us to the church (Acts 2:38, 41, 47).
Conclusion
So what is the church? It is the institution that was built by Christ and established on the day of Pentecost. It is the home of all the saved and represents the kingdom of God on earth. Therefore, we need to be an active part of the Lord’s church today.
