I. WHAT IS THE CHURCH?

Jesus said, "I will build my church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against her", Matthew 16:18.

A. The word CHURCH literally means "those who are called out." The CHURCH is a New Testament word and is not found in the Old Testament. Jesus Himself introduced the Church as a new concept to His disciples.

B. The New Testament speaks of the church in different ways: Ephesians 5:23, "For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the CHURCH: and he is the saviour of the BODY." WE ARE MEMBERS OF THE CHURCH, THE BODY OF CHRIST. We are members of THE church, THE body. Both of these words are SINGULAR.

C. The UNIVERSAL Church is INVISIBLE. There is only one Universal Church. It is a spiritual thing; and thus it is a MYSTERY (Ephesians 5:32): it was unknown in the Old Testament; unknown by the Prophets; unknown by the Disciples; those outside of the church don't understand it. You have to join the church to find out what is going on.

1. You have to say the secret phrase to join: "I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. He arose from the dead, and I now accept Him as my Lord and Savior."

1. The LOCAL Church began in homes, Romans 16:3-5; but also included many house churches as in a city, I Corinthians 1:2; yet the Thessalonica church consisted of churches in many cities, I Thessalonians 1:1. So a LOCAL CHURCH may designate a group meeting in a single house, several groups in a city, or even many groups in a region.

2. God established the LOCAL VISIBLE CHURCH in the NATURAL world to help us better understand the UNIVERSAL INVISIBLE CHURCH of the Lord Jesus Christ that is in the SPIRITUAL world.

3. WHATEVER WE READ ABOUT THE UNIVERSAL CHURCH SHOULD BE GOING ON WITHIN THE LOCAL CHURCH. THE UNIVERSAL INVISIBLE CHURCH IS THE PATTERN FOR THE LOCAL VISIBLE CHURCH.

4. SACRAMENTS are instituted in the local to teach us what has happened when you were born again. Water Baptism is instituted as an outward sign of the new birth, your emersion into the body of Christ.

II. THE RELATION OF THE CHURCH
TO JESUS CHRIST

A. When Jesus spoke of building His Church in Matthew 16:18 it is clear that He saw the Church as FUTURE, indicating that this was something Christ had not yet done up to that time. Thus the "Church" as we know it is a temporary creation or dispensation of God in the earth. The Church is a mystery of the Kingdom of God but is NOT that Kingdom of God the Messiah was to bring.

B. The Church did not begin functioning until the Spirit came on the Day of Pentecost!

C. Jesus is the FOUNDER of the Church, Matthew 16:18. As the Founder Jesus chose His disciples who would also become building blocks in the foundation of the Church, Ephesians 2:20.

1. Jesus gave gifts to the Church, Ephesians 4:11-16, appointing Apostles, Prophets, Evangelists, Pastors and Teachers for the perfecting of the saints for the work of ministry and edifying the body of Christ. These are five-fold ministry gifts to the body.

2. There are also the seven-fold ministry gifts within the body, Romans 12:4-8: Prophecy, Ministry, Teaching, Exhortation, Giving, Ruling or Leadership, and Mercy.

3. Jesus gave the gift of the Holy Spirit to empower the Church and to teach and lead the Church, John 14:15-21, 25-26, Acts 1:4-5, 7-8, 2:1-4.

4. Since Jesus gave the Holy Spirit to the Church we can rightly say that the gifts of the Spirit also are of Christ, I Corinthians 12:7-11: word of wisdom, word of knowledge, faith, gifts of healings, working of miracles, prophecy, discerning of spirits, divers kinds of tongues, interpretation of tongues.

E. Jesus is the HEAD (Ephesians 1:22-23, 4:15-16, 5:23, Colossians 1:18, 2:19) of the Church which is the BODY OF CHRIST, I Corinthians 12:12-27. The Church is spiritual body FIRST which is INVISIBLE; SECONDLY the Church is a physical body VISIBLE in the earth, showing forth the mysteries of God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit and the mystery of the Kingdom of God.

F. The Church is a SPIRITUAL BUILDING, Ephesians 2:19-22, I Peter 2:5, each believer being a lively stone.

G. The Church is also figuratively called the BRIDE OF CHRIST, Ephesians 5:25-32.

III. WHAT THE CHURCH IS NOT:

A. The Church is Not Israel:

I Cor. 10:32, "Give none offence, neither to the Jews, nor to the Gentiles, nor to the church of God:". Here are revealed three (3) classes of people: Jew, Gentile and Church. When a Jew is saved, he ceases being a Jew. When a Gentile is saved, he ceases being a Gentile, for Galatians 3:27-29 says, "AS many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek (Gentile) there is neither bond or free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus." So according to the flesh you might be male and female - Jew or Greek, but in Christ, one new man" (Ephesians 2:14,15).

1. THEONOMY: sees the Church's mission as establishing the Old Testament Law of God in the kingdoms of the world today. Sees the Church as the principle agent exercising the lordship of Christ over all the structures of the world. Jesus said, "My kingdom is not of this world" (John 18:36) and again "They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world" (John 17:16).

2. THE KINGDOM OF GOD: Ends in the proclamation of an infallible church or else the Kingdom is not present. Jesus said, "The Kingdom of God is within you."

3. THE UNIVERSAL KINGDOM: The Jews saw the Kingdom of God lost in Adam and reestablished with Abraham, because of rebellion to this Kingdom its revival is dependent upon the faithful remnant. Only the Messiah would bring the full realization of the Kingdom. To Christians God is the ultimate ruler of the nations which He shall someday judge. God is the Ruler; He rules over all; and He does it in all time and eternity. The Church is a part of this Kingdom.

4. THE DAVIDIC OR MESSIANIC KINGDOM: This will be realized at the second advent of Christ when He will establish His Kingdom and fulfill the promises to David. Christ is the Ruler; He will rule over the earth and its inhabitants for 1,000 years that follow His second coming. The Church has NEVER been or will be a part of this Kingdom.

5. THE MYSTERY FORM OF THE KINGDOM: This Kingdom is a mystery that began to be revealed by Jesus and works until all is revealed in His second advent. God is the Ruler; All the people of earth are a part. Of course the Church is a part of this Kingdom.

6. THE SPIRITUAL KINGDOM: The Kingdom of all believers, those who have entered by the new birth. The Ruler is Christ; He rules over believers ONLY; the relationship exists NOW. The True Church, the Body of Christ, is equivalent to this concept of the Kingdom.

IV. WHO IS THE CHURCH?

A. The APOSTOLIC FATHERS saw the Universal Church as the People of God, which He has chosen for a possession. The rise of heresies made it necessary to designate some external characteristics by which the True Catholic Church could be known. The Church became known as an external institute, ruled by a direct successor of the Apostles, and in possession of the True Tradition. The Local Churches were seen as parts of the Universal Church as long as they were loyal and subject to the catholic Church as a whole (History of Christian Doctrines, Berkhof, Page 227).

Against this trend of secularization and increasing worldliness, opposing sects saw the real mark of the True Church in the holiness of its members.

B. CYPRIAN (Bishop of Carthage, d. 258) was the first to teach an actual priesthood of the clergy IN VIRTUE OF THEIR SACRIFICIAL WORK. These Bishops represented the unity of the Church. He maintained the equality of the Bishops and gave no primacy to the bishop of Rome. Anyone who refused to submit to the rightful Bishop forfeited his fellowship with the Church AND consequently his salvation. The Church is no longer understood as the holy people of God believing on Jesus Christ, but a group of men belonging to the episcopy. The holiness of the Church is now more directly associated with her sacraments. Cyprian was the first to distinguish the idea of a catholic, universal, Church bound together by a visible and external unity.

C. AUGUSTINE (354-439) saw the real unity of the Saints and of the Church as INVISIBLE. However he also saw the catholic Church as that in which the apostolic authority is continued by succession; outside of the Church there is NO SALVATION. The SACRAMENTS of the Church are NOT SYMBOLS, but are accompanied with an actual exertion of divine energy.

D. The DONATISTS (4th Century) insisted on rigorous ecclesiastical discipline and pure church membership (the church is composed of saints ONLY; The History of Doctrines I,Seeburg, Page 318). They rejected unworthy ministers, and protested against State interference in religious matters. They accused Augustine of dividing the Church into two Churches. In answer AUGUSTINE maintained the purity of the Church in the present, but MORE PARTICULARLY in the objective institution with its offices, sacraments, and ministrations.

E. The Church Fathers spoke of the KINGDOM OF GOD to describe the result and goal of the Church's development. AUGUSTINE says, "THE CHURCH IS EVEN NOW THE KINGDOM OF GOD." While this is primarily made up of the saints, it is also the episcopally organized church (History of Christian Doctrines, Berkhof, Page 230).

1. AUGUSTINE's answer to "Who are in the Church?" is threefold:

a. all the predestined, including those who are still unconverted;

b. all believers, including those who will relapse;

c. all those who have a part in the sacraments.

1. Two ideas became prominent during the Middle Ages:

a. the primacy of Rome;
b. the identity of the Church with the Kingdom of God.

2. The concept of the Papacy grew after the fall of the Roman Empire (410) because it appealed to the renewal of the glories of Rome. In 533, the Byzantine Bishop recognized the primacy of the Bishop of Rome. Later Gregory the Great refused the title. In 607, Boniface III accepted the title of Pope and from this time on the primacy of Rome was accepted by the Western Church, but highly contested in the Eastern Church. This marks the beginning of the official Papacy.

3. The identification of the Visible and organized Church with the KINGDOM OF GOD had far-reaching consequences (History of Christian Doctrines, Berkhof, Page 233).

a. It meant that ALL Christian duties and activities must take the form of services rendered to the Church. All that did not come under control of the Church was considered secular, and its renunciation became a work of special piety.

b. All the blessings of salvation were thought of as coming to man through the ordinances of the Church, without which there could be no salvation.

c. This led to the practical secularization of the Church.

4. The official conception of the Roman Catholic Church was not formulated until AFTER the Reformation which are (History of Christian Doctrines, Berkhof, Page 234-236):

a. The Visible Church is stressed BECAUSE of the incarnation of the Word! The Popes are the successors of Peter, and the bishops, of the apostles in general. The Pope possess direct and absolute authority, while the bishops have a limited authority derived from the Popes.

b. A distinction is made between the teaching church and the hearing, learning or believing church. The first consists of the Pope and the priesthood; the second of all the faithful who honor the authority of their lawful pastors. The second is totally dependent upon the only, catholic, apostolic, infallible, and perpetual church, and has part in the glorious attributes of the Church only in a derivative manner.

c. The Church is made up of soul, "those who are called to the faith of Christ, and who are united to Christ by supernatural gifts and graces", and body, those who profess the true faith, whether they be just or sinners.

d. In the Church Christ distributes grace and blessings exclusively through the agency of the clergy. THUS THE VISIBLE CHURCH PRECEDES THE INVISIBLE CHURCH!

e. The Church is THE institution of salvation. The order in the work of salvation is, not that God be means of His Word leads men to the Church, but just the reverse, that the Church leads men to the Word and to Christ.

1. LUTHER rejected the idea of an infallible Church, a special priesthood, and of magical sacraments; and restored the Scriptural idea of the PRIESTHOOD OF ALL BELIEVERS. Luther regarded the Church as the spiritual communion of those who believe in Christ, a communion established and sustained by Christ as its head. Luther was the first to make a distinction between the Visible and the Invisible Church. His insistence upon the invisibility of the Church denied that the Church is essentially an external society with a visible head (Pope). The Visible Church is still important because Christ binds Himself to the elect by His Word and the sacraments. The BLESSINGS OF SALVATION can ONLY be obtained in and through the Church.

2. THE ANABAPTISTS denied the identity of the Old Testament Church with that of the New, and insisted on a Church of believers only. Children had a place in the Old Testament Church, but have no legitimate place in the New since they cannot exercise faith nor make a profession of it. Entrance into the Church came by regeneration and baptism as an outward sign of an inner experience. They demanded the absolute separation of Church and State.

V. VISIBLE AND INVISIBLE CHURCH IN AMERICA:

A. The Reformers questioned the church government of its day, the Pope and ecclesiastical hierarchy, because they refused to address the abuses of indulgences or the sin of the priests.

B. The Puritans, who derived from Zwingli and Anabaptist backgrounds, also questioned church government, which in England held the English King as its head. The Puritans sought to purify the church. In America the Puritans, who became the ground of American religious thought, became "Congregationists". They were not pioneers of religious liberty as they were unwilling to allow dissension. They are not forerunners of democracy as their churches had no democratic system; instead the Puritans fixed prices in their colonies and legislated social conduct. The looked upon the Bible as "The Final Authoritative Word of God" from which they drew all their guidelines of living; this along with a different outlook on Church government separated them from their mother Anglican Church.

C. Puritans were divided into two groups: Separatists and Non-Separatists.

1. The Separatists wanted to leave the Anglican Church, they became more Calvinists, Presbyterians; these were the Pilgrims which fled to Holland and then to Plymouth in 1620. CALVIN distinguished between the Visible and Invisible Church; believing that the True Church is visible, and must be pure and live by itself or separated.

The Separatists saw the True Church as a voluntary Covenant Community which was opposed to any established State Church.

2. The Non-Separatists accepted the Congregationalist Theory or Covenant Community, but could not separate themselves from the Anglican Church because they believed you could not have more than one church! These also fled to Holland and then to Massachusetts Bay.

VI. DOCTRINE OF THE SACRAMENTS

A. Although "SACRAMENT" at first held a loose definition it came to be used primarily of baptism and the Lord's Supper. The Roman Catholic Church in 1439 recognized seven sacraments: baptism, confirmation, eucharist, penance, priestly consecration, marriage and extreme unction.

B. AUGUSTINE understood the sacraments as visible signs of an invisible grace. Augustine saw the sacraments dependent upon the faith of the recipient and the external sacrament as an image of what God works in the soul. The Scholastics also held this opinion that the sacraments do not contain but only symbolize grace.

C. Along side this view was the view that grace truly resides in the visible Sacrament. Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274) held the view that "the words of the institution effect a spiritual efficacy in the external sign, which resides in the latter until this efficacy has accomplished its end", which was finally accepted by the Church.

D. The COUNCIL OF TRENT (1545-1563) confirmed that the grace of justification may be lost by unbelief or by a mortal sin, these persons may again be justified "by the sacrament of repentance, and not, as some fancy, by faith alone" (History of Doctrines II, Seeburg, Page 438). This required contrition, confession, absolution and the works of satisfaction. The eternal penalties as well as guilt are removed by absolution; the temporal penalties are removed by satisfaction, both of which must meet the requirements of the Roman Catholic Church. The fixed doctrines of the Church become necessary to salvation.

1) Rome sees the sacramental grace raising man to the supernatural order and making him a partaker of the divine nature. It is a supernatural gift that comes to man, not from within, but from without.

2) The connection of the sacrament with the Word is practically ignored.

3) Faith is no longer an absolute requirement for the reception of the sacrament. The most that is required of the recipient is that they place no insuperable obstructions in the way.

1. In each of the above points the Reformers gave a Scriptural revision (History of Christian Doctrines, Berkhof, Page 245-246).

a. The grace imparted in the sacrament is first of all the forgiving grace of God, which bears on the guilt of sin rather than on the lower nature of man.

b. The sacraments are signs and seals attached to the Word, which communicate no kind of grace that is not imparted by the Word, and which have no value apart from the Word.

c. Not the sacrament itself, but its operation and fruit is dependent on faith in the recipient, and therefore always presupposes saving grace.

2. LUTHER however as a result of a struggle with the Anabaptists (1524) emphasized the absolute necessity of the sacraments making their effectiveness dependent on the divine institution rather than on the subjective state of the recipient. In his opinion the divine power is present in the sacrament AS THE VISIBLE WORD, and as such the vehicle of divine grace.

3. ZWINGLI conceived the sacraments as being first signs and proofs of faith, and only secondarily means for the strengthening of faith as reminders of the blessings appropriated by faith, and as directing our faith away from ourselves to the grace of God in Jesus Christ. To Zwingli sacraments were memorials and badges of profession.

4. CALVIN saw sacraments as signs and seals of the promises of God which direct our attention to the riches of His grace. He also saw them as acts of confession. God is and remains the only source of grace, and the sacraments are merely the instruments by which it is communicated.

5. The ANABAPTISTS denied that the sacraments are seals and regarded them as signs and symbols ONLY, merely as acts of confession and not communicating any grace.

VII. WORSHIP IN THE CHURCH

Worship Scripturaly and traditionally has incorporated five (5) essential elements (Acts 2:41-47; 4:2,24; 6:4; 11:26; 20:7-12; I Corinthians 1:17-18, 21-24; 2:4-5, 12-13; 14:26; Colossians 3:16).

1) Preaching of the WORD;
2) PRAYER;
3) SINGING;
4) GIVING;
5) FELLOWSHIP.

VIII. DISCIPLINE IN THE CHURCH

Christ's purpose for the Church is to sanctify it and present it to Himself without spot or wrinkle (Ephesians 5:26-27). ALL THE ACTIVITIES OF A CHURCH SHOULD AIM AT THIS GOAL, INCLUDING DISCIPLINE. Discipline is designed to produce a holy character in the one who has to be disciplined.

Scripture gives four reasons why discipline is necessary:

1) To remove the defilement and leavening influence that sin brings (I Corinthians 5:6-8).

2) To protect other believers from sinning and challenge them to godliness (Galatians 6:1; I Timothy 5:20).

3) To produce soundness in faith (Titus 1:13).

4) To reclaim and restore the erring brother (II Corinthians 2:5-11).