NO ONE WILL deny that the Bible talks about a church…

But whose church? Which church? What church?

Let us begin by pointing out what it is not. The church as described in the Bible is not Catholic, Protestant, or Jewish. It is not denominational, inter-denominational, or sectarian. It is not a political organization, just another social organization, and neither is it a material meeting house.

The majority of people do not understand the church because they do not know what it is. Consequently, they do not understand the purpose of it, the importance of it, or the work of it. But the Bible plainly tells us what it is. The word church comes from the Greek word ekklesia, which means “the called out.” So the church is a called out body of people, those who have been called out of the world into the kingdom of God’s dear Son (Colossians 1:13). It is the spiritual body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:27), made up of those who have obeyed Christ (Hebrews 5:8,9), and therefore saved by Him and added to His church (Mark 16:16; Acts 2:47). Another way of putting it, the church consists of the followers of Christ.

The word church appears in the Bible in two senses. First, it is spoken of in the universal sense. This is what Christ had in mind when he said, “And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it” (Matthew 16:18). There are many other verses where the word church is used in the same way, speaking of the church in a universal sense. That is, wherever the church may be found in the world, if it is the Bible church, it is that church which Jesus said He would build. Second, it is spoken of in the local sense. For instance, when Paul was writing to the church at Rome, and speaking of the various congregations, he said, “The churches of Christ greet you” (Romans 16:16). He wasn’t speaking of a number of churches, in the sense of denominations, but rather a number of local congregations of the Lord’s church. J. C. Choate

“To the church of God which is at Corinth, to those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all who in every place call on the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours” (1 Corinthians 1:2).

Mike Benson