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The Church |
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The Church |
Lesson 3
Christ and His Church
Christ - the Heart of the Bible
Jesus Christ is the very heart of the Bible.
Remove him from the Word of God and what is left? The purpose of the Bible is to
show man the way to God, and Christ is the way (John 14:6). True, the Bible
tells of the origin of all things and the creation of man. But even when the
fall of man is depicted, even here God indicates His purpose to redeem man from
the curse of sin. At the dark moment God gives the first promise of
redeeming help some time in the future (see Genesis 3:15). Of course, this
promise points to the coming of Christ.
After the fall and expulsion from the paradise of Eden, man became progressively
wicked, until the flood came and all but Noah and his family perished. The
covenant made with Abraham has its definite connection with Christ, for God
said, "I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make
your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you,
and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed
through you" (Genesis 12:2-3). It is obvious that Christ is the object of this
promise. He is the promised seed of Abraham who was destined to bring salvation
for a ruined race (Genesis 22:18; Galatians 3:16). The very selection and call
of Abraham to walk in God's way was related to God's plan of salvation for all
men in Christ.
Other choices by God point forward to the promised Christ coming in the future.
In the sons of Jacob, who became the twelve tribes of Israel, there is a
connection with Christ. The tribe of Judah was selected as the group from whom
the Messiah would come, for Jacob prophesied, saying, "The scepter will not
depart from Judah, nor the ruler's staff from between his feet, until he comes
to whom it belongs and the obedience of the nations in his." (Genesis 49:10; see
also Hebrews 7:14). The very nation of Israel, selected as God's own people, was
protected and nourished by the Almighty for the definite purpose of bringing
Christ into the world.
The giving of the Law of Moses to the Israelites had as its final purpose the
manifestation of Christ, and it was to guide the people until the Lord would
come. Paul writes in Galatians 3:19. In this same chapter, the apostle further
explains: Galatians 3:24. It is plain that the Law of Moses was for the purpose
of preparing for the Christ who would offer salvation to the world. The
priesthood under that law pre-figured the priesthood of Christ and His church
far in the future.
The kings of Israel really pointed to the rule and reign of King Jesus. Through
the prophets that were sent to Israel - men like Isaiah, Jeremiah and Daniel -
God kept before the world the promise first made in the Garden of Eden.
Beginning with the promise in Genesis 3: 5, the prophetic words appeared as
brilliant stars in the dark night during different times until the close of the
Old Testament, the promises and prophecies all pointed to the coming of Jesus
the Savior.
The Bible takes us back into what otherwise would be the unknown past. Its
prophecies carry us forward into what otherwise would be the unknown future. Its
spiritual direction through Christ takes us into the salvation which we as
humans could never produce or provide. We owe everything to Christ. In Eden, man
was given one law, and he broke it. On Sinai, many laws were given to man, but
they were also broken. However, Christ the God-Man, came to earth and did what
no other man had ever done: he kept the law of God perfectly so that at the
great judgment we should be justified by faith in Him. Without Christ and His
church there would be no salvation, no future. This is the story of the Bible!
Truly the Bible is filled with Christ and His church. From Adam to Abraham we
have the history of the human race; from Abraham to Christ, we have the history
of Israel. But from Christ forward, we have neither the history of the human
race nor the history of Israel! Rather, it is the history of how all men in the
human race may participate in the new Israel, the Church of Jesus Christ.
Yes, the wonderful thread that runs throughout the Bible is Christ! He is there
from the beginning to end and beyond. For, the Bible ends with the promises of
His Second Coming and portrays in such glowing words the place called heaven.
Right now Christ is preparing for His people for the future when human history
ends at His coming.
The Bible deals with many subjects such as sin, sacrifice, rulers, priests,
prophets, law, grace and others. Yet it is easily seen that all of these have
one thing in common: they are connected with Christ and His church. Christ died
for the sins of the world; He is our sacrifice, our King, our priest and our
prophet. His New Testament is our law of spiritual life, and He came to us by
the grace of God.
Truly Jesus Christ is the very heart and essence of the Bible, for when He is
removed, all purpose is gone and all hopes are dashed! The Bible has as its
central theme Jesus Christ and His glorious church.
In the New Testament, Christ is revealed in all His fullness. He stands pictured
as the central person in man's history. The books of Matthew, Mark, Luke and
John deal with Christ's life, His mission, His teaching, His sacrificial death
and His glorious resurrection from the dead. In the book of Acts the
establishment of His church is recorded, and in the epistles a comprehensive
view of Christ's church is pictured.
Christ and His Church
Christ and His church are inseparable. To speak of the one is to introduce the
other. To emphasize Christ does not mean that we must de-emphasize the church,
for these two are inseparable realities! The connection between Christ and the
church may be seen by consulting the New Testament to find some descriptive
phrases that are applied to the church. These will confirm that Christ and His
Church always belong inseparably together.
The Church: a Body
The church is called the "body of Christ." Paul writes that "God placed all
things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the
church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every
way." (Ephesians 1:22-32). In Colossians 1:18, the apostle declares that,
"And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the
firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the
supremacy"
and in verse 24 of that chapter, there is the same idea of the church as the
body of Christ. This expression contains the idea of possession. The metaphor of
the head naturally suggests that of the body. The church belongs to Christ, even
as the body belongs to the head and is one with the head.
The words in Ephesians 1:23 - "Which is his body, the fullness of him who fills
everything in every way"- explain that the majestic Christ is the creator of the
church, and He is fully present in the church. In short, the church is the
expression of Christ in His completeness. How then can we separate the body
(church) from Christ (head)? Also, how can we minimize the importance of the
church, since it is to be the expression of His fullness?
There is a real and vital unity between the head and the body. Although the
language is figurative, the thing expressed by the words is not. The spiritual
bond uniting Christ and the church is organic, structural, and real. Christ as
the Head of the church is the source of her life, her nourishment and
well-being. All members of the body function from the Head and are united in
harmonious action by their common connection and dependence on Him. The body
lives, acts and functions because of its connection with the head. A body
without a head is dead! Without the Head, there can be no intelligent activity,
no coordinated direction, no useful service performed.
With Christ as the Head of the church, His Body, this plainly puts the church on
a level different than any other institution in the world. The church is one of
a kind: the Head does not have many bodies - only one! This means that this
one-of-a-kind Body of Christ, living in intimate connection with Him, is
something far more than an earthly institution. This also means that the life
and hope of the church is not limited to itself: the Head supplies His fullness
to her strength, direction and resources.
How can we separate the body from the Head, and still have life?
It goes without saying that the body is incomplete without the head. A body
without a head has no direction and cannot be controlled; it is lifeless! Even
though Jesus as Lord is complete and perfect, He has chosen to function through
the church. Just as a head without a body cannot function or serve any useful
purpose, so Christ as Head lives out his will and purposes through His body, the
Church. His willingness to do this is a mark of His love for the Church and
expresses how much He values it. And, for the church, the Lord's choice of the
church puts His mission in a special category: we are His hands, His feet, His
mouth in this world!
How can we fail to grasp these two inseparable realities - the Head and the
Body, the church?
The Church: a Building
The church is also referred to as a building in the New Testament. Paul calls
the church "God's building" (1 Corinthians 3:9). Now the church as a building
must have a foundation, and that is Christ.
Listen as Paul explains:
"By the grace God has given me, I laid a
foundation as an expert builder, and someone else is building on it. But each
one should be careful how he builds" (1 Corinthians 3:10-11). Please note that
Jesus is the only foundation for the church. No other person, however great,
deserves to be the foundation of the church and Christian lives. We must build
our lives only on Him! The foundation of the building is extremely important.
The quality of a building and how long the building endures depends on the
strength of the foundation. In the case of the church, Christ as its foundation
determines the quality and lastingness of the building. There is no other person
who provides the perfect and eternal foundation for the church.
Every building has a foundation, but it also has a superstructure as well. What
is a foundation without a building resting on it? Christians are Christ's
building, the church. When Christians are saved from their sins, they become
"living stones" placed in the church, the building resting upon the great
Foundation, Christ. This is what Peter writes: "You also, like living stones,
are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering
spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ" (1 Peter 2:5).
Christ's building, the church, is made up of living Christians! The church is
not a physical, material structure. It is "living" in the fullest
sense-Christians yielding their will and heart in joy, and receiving the
vitality that only comes from their eternal Foundation, Christ.
Can the stones that make up a structure stand alone without footings and
foundation to give support and harmony? How can the structure exist and stand
without the foundation? How can the church have eternal life, harmony, structure
and purpose without Christ? The two go together to form "God's building." It is
Christ and the church, two inseparable realities.
The Church: a Kingdom
The Lord Jesus is a king. Yet a king must have a kingdom. Paul wrote to the
church at Colosse saying that God "For he has rescued us from the dominion of
darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have
redemption, the forgiveness of sins" (Colossians 1:13-14). Christians are people
who have been delivered from darkness and placed into Christ's kingdom. In
Christ there is forgiveness of sins and escape from Satan's darkness. Those
people who accept Jesus as Lord and submit to Him as King are in His kingdom.
The church is the kingdom of Christ.
Once again, the New Testament shows the vital connection between Christ and His
church. A king without a kingdom does not rule. A kingdom without a ruler is a
realm of anarchy and chaos. There are here two inseparable realities, Jesus and
His kingdom, or Christ and His church. When the church began on Pentecost, that
was the inaugural day for the kingdom. The coming of the Spirit on Pentecost to
bring life to the church was the coming of the Spirit to give power to the
kingdom. Jesus had promised that the kingdom would come with power (Mark 9:1)
and that Spirit would come with power (Acts 1:8). It was on this Pentecost Day
that Peter declared Jesus was at the right hand of God exalted as Lord (Acts
2:33,36). The church and the kingdom of Christ have the same ruler, the same
beginning time and place. The two are one and the same. Christ cannot be
separated from His church because He is its King and it is His kingdom.
Pitfalls
As we consider Christ and His church and their inseparable connection, it is
well to think about some of the dangers that can result when unbalanced
attention is given either to Christ or to His church.
Emphasizing Christ is an activity with which Christians cannot quarrel; but to
emphasize Christ is not equivalent to de-emphasizing the church! When unbalanced
attention is placed on Christ so that the church is grossly neglected in
teaching, the result will be that men will conclude that the church has no
value.
Let us remember some of the important things we have learned about the church.
The church is a part of God's eternal plan; it is by the church that the
many-sided wisdom of God is to be made known. The church was purchased with the
blood of Jesus. It is Christ's Body; it is His Kingdom. The mission of the
church is to preach Christ and hold Him up as the hope of the world. All of the
se statements show the tremendous importance of the church. If the church is not
accorded its rightful place in preaching and teaching, then it will be minimized
and neglected by men. The church is a glorious part of God's program for man's
salvation in Christ. So to preach Christ and neglect the church is a terrible
mistake.
But an equally serious mistake happens when attention is put on the church to
the neglect of Christ. Remember, without Christ there is no church, for, the
church is the church of Christ. When Christ is not proclaimed, the mistaken idea
can be promoted that the church is its own savior! But salvation is in Christ
alone! He is the only Savior. That is why the apostle Paul keeps this truth
before Christians: the church has all spiritual blessings through Christ. The
church cannot produce its own salvation and claim all blessings from God on its
own. In Ephesians 1:3 Paul writes,
"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in
the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ."
All blessings are in Christ; He is our redeemer and through His blood we are
saved. God has placed salvation in Christ, but to be in Christ is to be in His
body, which is the church (Ephesians 1:22-23).
A part of preaching Christ is to preach how one accepts Christ-or, put another
way, how one enters the church or is saved. In Acts 8:26-40 there is the example
of Philip preaching Jesus to the Ethiopian officer (see verse 35). And in
preaching Jesus, Philip preached baptism in water to the Ethiopian eunuch. So we
see that preaching Christ leads us to preach about the church and the entrance
into Christ/the church/the Christian life. But preaching and teaching about the
church must never omit or minimize Christ!
It is not "denominational" to preach the value and true significance of Christ's
church. It is not "partyism" to show the world that salvation has been placed in
Christ and the church (Ephesians 5:23). To preach Christ is to preach the church
for which He died. In preaching this we honor the New Testament information
about both Christ and His church.
For a number of years, some denominations have told the public that the church
is not important. Some even teach that the church is not important. Some even
teach that the church is "Non-essential."
Others say that the quality of the church doesn't make any difference: many say that "one church is as good as another." For these reasons, a proper understanding of the Lord's church is necessary. We will pursue this in the next lesson.
Scripture for Further Study
Please read any or all of the following:
Genesis 12:1-3--God's covenant with Abraham.
Genesis 26:1-5--God repeats the covenant to Isaac.
Genesis 49--Israel blesses his sons. Note the blessing on Judah in Genesis
49:8-12, but pay special attention to 49:10. Deuteronomy 18:15--Moses
predicts the Christ.
Galatians 3:6-29--Christ is the Seed promised to Abraham.
Ephesians 5:23-32--Shows the loving and saving relationship between Christ and
the church.