THE CHURCH Church and Sacraments 1 DEFINITION Hebrew
THE CHURCH Church and Sacraments 1
DEFINITION: Hebrew • qahal, “an assembly, gathering, ” used as noun 123 x; translated by ekklesia in LXX – In 36 instances, translated by sunagoge – Verb used 39 x – Used to refer to groups in general, such as those gathered for military purposes, judicial purposes • ‘eda, “assembly, congregation, multitude” practically synonymous with qahal 1/22/2022 Church and Sacraments 1 2
DEFINITION: Greek • ekklesia, “gathering or assembly, church”; – prior to NT used almost exclusively for secular assemblies – from ek (out of) and kaleo (call) – The calling out of citizens to attend to the discussion of public business 1/22/2022 Church and Sacraments 1 3
DEFINITION: Greek • In a local sense nearly 40 times; e. g. , Acts 5: 11 • In a generic sense, i. e. , of an institution: Matt. 18: 17; I Cor. 12: 28; I Tim. 3: 15; James 5: 14 • In a collective sense, i. e. , an organized mass of believers (perhaps what later theologians refer to as the Visible Church); Acts 8: 3; I Cor. 15: 9; Gal. 1: 13; Phil. 3: 6 • To the Church extended abroad, Acts 9: 31 • “Church” is used in the broadest sense: all believers (perhaps what later theologians refer to as the Invisible Church) Eph. 1: 22; Col. 1: 18 1/22/2022 Church and Sacraments 1 4
DEFINITION: Greek • Miscellaneous uses: – An assembly in the desert (O. T. ) Acts 7: 38 – An unruly “mob” gathering, Acts 19: 32, 39, 41 – To refer to kingly gathering for liturgical praise, Hebrews 2: 12 • Some difficult usages: – Matt. 16: 18, the Church Militant – Acts 20: 28, the assembly in Ephesus 1/22/2022 Church and Sacraments 1 5
DEFINITION: • Three basic meanings: – Local gathering of believers, The Visible Church – Collective number of professing Christians, The Visible Church – Sum total of all believers, The Invisible Church 1/22/2022 Church and Sacraments 1 6
DEFINITION: Other Words • circe, Saxon • kirk, Scottish • kirche, German • All of these are most likely derived from kuriakos, “of the Lord, the Lord’s” 1/22/2022 Church and Sacraments 1 7
DEFINITION: Confessional • L. C. # 62, “The visible church is a society made up of all such as in all ages and places of the world do profess the true religion and of their children. ” WCF, 25: 2 • L. C. # 64, “The invisible church is the whole number of the elect, that have been, are, or shall be gathered into one under Christ the head. ” WCF, 25: 1 1/22/2022 Church and Sacraments 1 8
THE CHURCH FROM BELOW • The Church is a natural community • It fulfills many socialization needs – There is recognizable fellowship in the Church – There is a sense of community which is foundational (not a luxury, but a necessity) 1/22/2022 Church and Sacraments 1 9
THE CHURCH FROM BELOW • The Church is a political community – There are socially ordered relationships and patterns of authority and decision-making – It is not a question of whether politics will exist in the Church; rather, it is only a question of the quality of the politics – “Ol’ Boy” networks often are alive and well. This is not entirely negative, but can have some negative considerations – There are positive considerations as well 1/22/2022 Church and Sacraments 1 10
THE CHURCH FROM BELOW • A community of common language: meanings, priorities, and values. This becomes conventional for the “In-Group” • A community of Interpretation: – Common meanings – The difficulty of translation • A community of memory and understanding: – Characterized by an inner continuity and empathy among persons who have understood and relived the same events. It has a shared story. 1/22/2022 Church and Sacraments 1 11
THE CHURCH FROM BELOW • The Church is a community of action and belief: it espouses a mission or a purpose which can be expressed in many forms of action – Evangelism – Education – Edification – Worship 1/22/2022 Church and Sacraments 1 12
THE CHURCH FROM BELOW • A sociological description of church: the church is a body of persons who share some measure of common life, values, meaning, and loyalty. It has an historical continuity, identifiable by certain beliefs, ways of work, rites, outlooks, and feelings. It may be more; But it is at least the above. 1/22/2022 Church and Sacraments 1 13
THE CHURCH IN THE WORLD • The First Church: Orthodox Churches, the Roman Catholic Church; Protestant churches in Eastern Europe, Greece, Middle East, Ethiopia, South India – The culture tolerates Christianity at best; in some instances, governments are openly antagonistic – There is a certain reliance on the spiritual legacy of what has gone before. In some instances, this substitutes for vital Christianity – There are examples (e. g. , Poland, Russia) of a renewal of traditional Christian churches. 1/22/2022 Church and Sacraments 1 14
THE CHURCH IN THE WORLD • The Second Church: Western Europe, USA, Canada, Australia – The “second church” is undergoing a time of serious crisis • Malaise and apathy • Ground for renewal (Pentecostalism, evangelical churches) – The effect of materialism – Breakdown in commitment – Yet, a renewed interest in spirituality among young people 1/22/2022 Church and Sacraments 1 15
THE CHURCH IN THE WORLD • The Third Church: Central and South America, Africa, Asia – A developing church, characterized by youth and activity – In the stage of “early” commitment – – 1/22/2022 • A simplicity and integrity to it • A church of the poor Many forms of lay leadership prominent New relationships with the “second church” Legacy of Liberation Theology remains Pentecostalism is quite prominent Church and Sacraments 1 16
THE CHURCH & CULTURE • Christ Against Culture – Christ opposed to culture, either-or (Tertullian) • The Christ of Culture – Agreement, guiding civilization (Lib. Protestants) • Christ Above Culture – Synthetic (Aquinas)- affirming, transcending • Christ and Culture in Paradox – Duality, both obeyed (Luther) • Christ Transforming Culture – Antithesis, yes, but Christ converts men and cultures (Calvin) 1/22/2022 Church and Sacraments 1 17
THE CHURCH IN SCRIPTURE • The Church is a mystery of faith in history – The Church and the mission of God – The Church as a reality of faith • The Apostles’ Creed (in its structure) relates the mission of Church to the mission of God • The Church cannot be understood as a selfcontained reality, but only from the perspective of belief in God and as a result of the Trinitarian life in history – The Church does not have a mission of its own 1/22/2022 Church and Sacraments 1 18
CHRIST AND THE CHURCH • As victorious Lord of the Covenant, Christ assembles his people – Calling the disciples, Mark 1: 17, 20; Matt. 4: 19 – The building of the New Israel, Matt. 16: 16 -8 • The Church is united with Christ as his body – This Union is not first and foremost mystical – This Union is primarily covenantal – Each individual is united directly to Christ – There is no salvation without union in Body of Christ, hence the importance of koinonia 1/22/2022 Church and Sacraments 1 19
CHRIST AND THE CHURCH • Christ is the builder of the Church – As Priest, he offers the perfect sacrifice of himself and meets the demands of the covenant – As Prophet, he calls his own and teaches them how to live – As King, he establishes order in the Church • He has the authority to give it the keys to the Kingdom • He gives offices to the Church and institutes its government • He established its sacraments and grounds of worship. 1/22/2022 Church and Sacraments 1 20
CHRIST AND THE CHURCH • The Holy Spirit and the Covenant Community – The Church of Jesus Christ is a Pentecostal Church – The Pentecostal Church is a New Covenant Church – The Pentecostal Church is a Great Commission Church • The Importance of the Abrahamic Covenant for the Great Commission • The Abrahamic Covenant and Covenant Blessing 1/22/2022 Church and Sacraments 1 21
CHRIST AND THE CHURCH • WCF, 25: 6, “There is no other head of the Church but the Lord Jesus Christ; nor can mere man in any sense be the head thereof. ” 1/22/2022 Church and Sacraments 1 22
REALITY OF THE CHURCH • The Church is simultaneously visible and invisible (2 aspects, not 2 churches) – The visible church should not be interpreted as a reflection of some more real, invisible Church (shades of Plato!) – The Holy Spirit always works on some material- in this regard, he works on the visible Church – The visible Church points us to the invisible Church 1/22/2022 Church and Sacraments 1 23
TRINITARIAN IMAGES OF CHURCH • It is called The People of God, II Cor. 6: 16 • It is The Body of Christ, Eph. 1: 22 -23; I Cor. 12: 27; Col. 1: 18 • It is the Temple of the Holy Spirit, I Cor. 3: 16 -17; 6: 19; 12: 13; I Peter 2: 5. 1/22/2022 Church and Sacraments 1 24
ADDITIONAL BIBLICAL IMAGES • • • The Bride of Christ, II Cor. 11: 2; Eph. 5: 22 -23 God’s Building, I Cor. 3: 9 -15; Eph. 2: 19 -22 The Fellowship of the Spirit, Eph. 2: 22 Branches on a Vine, John 15: 5 An olive tree, Rom. 11: 17 -24 God’s Field, I Cor. 3: 6 -9 A harvest, Matt. 13: 1 -30 The Pillar and bulwark of Truth, I Tim. 3: 15 A Royal Priesthood, I Peter 2: 5, 9 (Holy Nation) 1/22/2022 Church and Sacraments 1 25
CHURCH AND KINGDOM • The Church is not the Kingdom, per se – The kingdom is, at its most basic, the rule and reign of God’s saving grace with its promise of blessing and glory) • The Kingdom creates the Church • The Church witnesses to the Kingdom • The Church is the instrument of the Kingdom • The Church is the custodian of the Kingdom 1/22/2022 Church and Sacraments 1 26
AFFIRMATIONS OF THE CHURCH • The Church is not God: We are the face of God • The Church comes from God’s grace as it is made present in individual and communal acts of faith • From the perspective of faith and theology, the exact limits and boundaries of the Church cannot always be identified • As a faith reality, the Church eludes definition in a rigorous sense and is grasped more satisfactorily by the use of images, models, or perspectives 1/22/2022 Church and Sacraments 1 27
THE CHURCH Church and Sacraments 1
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