1.) Church is only a New Testament Institution
Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone, in whom the whole building, being fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.
Ephesians 2: 19-22
For context, Paul is talking to Gentiles (v.11).
Therefore remember that you, once Gentiles in the flesh.
Ephesians 2:11
Paul tells them that they (Gentiles) were once “strangers” and “foreigners.” The Unchosen, as I call them. But a change has occurred. They are now “members of the household of God.” How did that happen?
This “household” was built on the foundation of two groups of God-inspired people: “apostles and prophets.: The 12 New Testament apostles and the many Old Testament prophets are co-contributors to the foundation household of God.
Jesus is the chief cornerstone. He is what anchors and fits the building together. Paul continues…the building grows into a holy temple and states “you” (Gentiles) become a “dwelling place of God in the Spirit.” Paul points out that this temple of people “fitted together” and becomes a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.
Paul told the Gentile believers (See verse 2:11) something that caused great joy. They were now “members of the household of God.” This is a complete turnaround for them! Because, at one time, they were “aliens from the Commonwealth of Israel and strangers.” What made this change from strangers to members? It was Jesus! The great unifier! They believed Him! Sadly, a good part of the people of promise did not!
But now in Christ Jesus, you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.
Ephesian 2: 13
In Old Testament times, the Jews separated themselves from the Gentiles. But Jesus did something very radical. He broke down the wall of separation between Jews and Gentiles.
For He, Himself is our peace, who has made both one and has broken down the middle wall of separation.
Ephesians 2:14
Many have speculated about the identity of this “middle wall of separation.” Some say it was the Mosiac law. These laws made Israel unique., but that was a good thing. Why? Because God gave them to Moses to instruct His people in the ways of salvation and the coming character and purpose of the Messiah.
They were to obey them for their own good, but not to be saved. It was to lead them to the source of Salvation…the “Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world. ” But, they made their way of life a wall to keep out the undesirables i.e. the Gentiles or anyone that was not of Israel.
Paul calls the laws regarding sacrifice and ceremonies a “Schoolmaster” that taught them about the coming Messiah and His method of Salvation (Sacrifice). As the children of Israel participated in the ceremonies, they learned about God, the Messiah’s nature, and His great solution to the sin problem (i.e. sacrifice of God and justification through faith).
Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.”
Galatians 3: 24
It is faith in Christ, the Messiah, that unites both the believers of the Old Testament and those of the New Testament. This brings them into the “household of God.”
“…since there is one God who will justify the circumcised (Jew) by faith and the uncircumcised (Gentile) through faith.
Romans 3:30
Without this faith, it is impossible to please God (See Hebrews 11:6). God was teaching, by the people of God in the Old Testament and the New Testament, the great lessons on faith (or trust in Him as their God.). Many of the Old Testament Characters who lived by faith are listed in Hebrews 11.
The point is this: Jesus’ church (believers) now has no walls or boundaries that separate Jews and Gentiles. We are all one in Christ.
There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.
Galatians 3:28
Therefore, the church is the fellowship of believers from the Garden of Eden to the last church before Jesus comes. Metaphorically speaking, the believers are the building. The building is not brick and mortar or a denominational name. His temple is made of redeemed flesh and spirit. This is where God wants to dwell…in our hearts and minds. Therefore, our bodies and minds is the temple of the Holy Spirit.
Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body AND in your spirit, which are God’s.
1 Corinthians 6: 19-20
God has always had His people. Although the word “church” is not used in the Old Testament, it is used 177 times In the New Testament. The Greek word is ekklēsia. The primary translation, according to Strong’s Greek Concordance, is “a gathering of citizens called out from their homes into some public place, an assembly. It can also mean the assembly of the Israelites.
In Old Testament times, the church is referred to as an assembly of the congregation. The Hebrew word for this group is qāhēl and is used 123 times.
So the terms church and assembly are universal in nature. It is a simple term for the coming together of God’s people, but the building (people) is what Jesus loved, similar to a husband in love with His wife. He lived and died because of this great love for His people, whether in ages past or modern times.
“Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church and gave himself for it.“
Jesus gave Himself for the church (assembly) of those who accepted the sacrifice of Jesus by faith, regardless of the time period they lived. The sacrificial system taught sacrifice and faith. It pointed forward to Jesus. It was the shadow of “things to come.”
“… the shadow of things to come, but the substance is of Christ.
Colossians 2:17
2.) Jesus built the church on Peter
“…having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone,”
Ephesians 2:20
As mentioned at the start, the “building” of believers was built on the “apostles and prophets.” and they are unified or stabilized by Christ the cornerstone. The prophets mentioned here are a direct reference to the many prophets of the Old Testament.
So, it is not Peter alone who participates in the building; it is all the other eleven apostles as well. Included in these numbers are Old Testament believers such as Moses, Isaiah, Ezekiel, David, and many others. Each had a particular purpose in building a body of faithful believers.
Nevertheless, Peter’s confession or statement of faith is the bedrock of Christ’s church.
“You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
Matthew 16:16
Here is the starting point for all believers, both Old and New Testament people. To be people of faith, the believer must acknowledge and trust that Jesus is the promised Messiah, but also the Son of God, to be true members of the household of God i.e. the church.
Jesus reminded Peter that he was a stone even though his God-inspired statement was a rock; it is the foundation for all believers who make up the church.
Jesus stated He would build “His church” on Peter’s inspired confession. It is the transition from the shadows of the Old Testament….the faith of the loyal who looked forward to the day the Apostles were living the reality of their experience of “God with Us.”
Jesus gave Peter (petros) his name, which means a pebble or stone:
Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon son of John. You will be called Cephas” (which, when translated, is Peter).
John 1:42
Compared to the mighty power of the bedrock belief in Jesus as both the Messiah and His deity, Peter is just a stone. While Simon Peter is referred to as a stone, Jesus is often called the Rock (Petra). Peter had nothing to do with the work of Jesus in Old Testament times, but Jesus did! Here are just a few examples:
“…all drank the same spiritual drink, for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock was Christ. “
1 Corinthians 10:4
“No one is holy like the Lord, For there is none besides You, Nor is there any rock like our God.
1 Samuel 2:2
“The Lord lives! Blessed be my Rock! Let God be exalted, The Rock of my salvation!
1 Samuel 22:47
For who is God, except the Lord? And who is a rock, except our God?
Psalm 18:31
The only head of the church is Christ. No man, no prophet, no pope , no man or womand can claim that title:
He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come.
And He put all things under His feet and gave Him to be head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all. Ephesians 1: 20-23
There is no other name (including Peter, John, Paul, Pope Francis, etc.) that is responsible for our salvation.
Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”
Acts 4:12
Jesus is to be given “preeminence” (first place) above all others:
And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence.
Colossians 1:18
Preeminence in Greek is Prōteuō. It means to be first or hold first place. He is in first place before Peter, Paul, Mary, John, and any other. Is there any doubt as to who is the head of the church? Who should be first in our lives, and where we go to seek answers?
I like Paul, but Jesus is better. I like John, Isaiah, and Moses, but Jesus is better. He is number 1! He must have preeminence in our lives. He is number 1 ahead of our pastor or priest. No one is entitled to come between us.
A pastor priest is no longer needed in the process of salvation. God has made a way for us to go directly to the throne of grace for confession, forgiveness, and help:
Let us, therefore, come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
Hebrews 4:16
Only Jesus can forgive sins. He doesn’t assign silly things to do or recite to be forgiven. If sin is confessed to God, He freely forgives and provides what no earthly priest can give…power over the sin.
Only Jesus can forgive sins. He doesn’t assign silly things to do or recite in order to be forgiven. If sin is confessed to God, He freely forgives and provides what no earthly priest can give…power over the sin.
“I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me, you can do nothing.
John 15:5
3.) God commands us to go to church
Going to church is sometimes used as a test of whether a person is in Christ or not. When asked if Jesus is Lord and Savior, the response might be, “Yes, I go to church.”
Someone once said, “Going to church doesn’t make me a Christian any more than going to a garage makes me a mechanic.”
Can it be shown from the Bible any commandment to “go to church?” How about the 4th commandment?
“Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns. For in six days, the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.
Exodus 20: 8-11
Many people say that the 4th commandment is obeyed by going to church. But the commandment says nothing about remembering to go to church. The direction from God is to “Remember.” It gives the believer the right to rest by ceasing from the labor of the previous six days and by keeping it holy. Why? Because God blessed the Sabbath (Seventh-Day) and made it holy. Keeping it holy is confusing to many believers because the experience of being holy or sanctified is foreign in a materialistic secular world. This is a study for another time.
Most of Christendom does not remember the seventh day to cease labor and keep it holy because it is not convenient. It is often rationalized away as being for Jews only or changed by Jesus (both unbiblical).
God is not just giving another rule to follow or showing that He is God. He is giving His creation the gift of rest from their labors, both physical and spiritual.
Obviously, missing from the commandment is the idea of going to church. Going to church on the Sabbath is not prohibited. It is no doubt part of keeping the day holy. But neither is attending church on any other day of the week prohibited. Either way, the blessing of the seventh day still stands as a day that God blessed and made holy.
We can not make anything holy, but God can. Any other day of the week is not blessed and made holy as with the seventh day.
Jesus said,
The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.
Mark 2:27
From Jesus’ words, we understand that God made the Sabbath for you and me (mankind), but, too often, restrictions were made by the religious leaders so that people felt like they were serving the Sabbath. The only things God asked us to do is to remember that He blessed the day and made it holy and to cease our labors. If you do, you now have time to be with God, whether in worship, with family, or hiking along a trail. The Sabbath is to be a delight:
if you call the Sabbath a delight
and the Lord’s holy day honorable,…then you will find your joy in the Lord, Isaiah 58 13b-14a
Unfortunately, the religious leaders in Christ’s time put a burden of a multitude of rules and regulations on the Sabbath and turned it into a day of restrictions rather than allowing people to find their joy in the Lord. In many ways, these restrictions continue today. On a Jewish website, I found a few of these restrictions customized to modern times:
- No writing, erasing, or tearing;
- No business transactions:
- No driving or riding in cars or other vehicles;
- No shopping;
- No using the telephone:
- No turning on or off anything which uses electricity, including lights, radios, television, computer, air-conditioners, and alarm clocks;
- No cooking, baking, or kindling a fire;
- No gardening and grass-mowing.
- Reference: The Thirty-Nine Categories of Sabbath Work Prohibited By Law (ou.org)
Fortunately, God did not give lists of “no-nos”. He gave guidance using the words: “Remember,” “holy,” and “joy“. The only restriction was to cease our labor. Of course, religionists felt a need to help God out by making lists related to what labor or work meant. It seems that “not working” is the emphasis of the commandment rather than a day of joy in the Lord with family, friends, and fellow believers.
The only encouragement I can find in scripture about assembling together is here:
“ …not forsaking the assembling (episynagōgē) of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.”
Hebrews 10:25
This passage in words or context does not specify the day of assembling (church-going). At every opportunity, we should gather with other Christians, especially as we see the signs of Christ’s return.
After Christ ascended and the Day of Pentecost had come, Jesus’ followers did not limit coming together to just one day. It was daily! And they met in each other’s houses! Small groups! They were so excited about Jesus!
“…continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, Acts 2:46
Oh, that Christ meant that much to us today, and we greatly anticipated His return!
4.) Going to church will save me
The assembling of God’s people in a building of brick and mortar is for at least seven good reasons that I can think of: In no particular order, it is to…
1.) Worship the Creator;
2.) Encourage others;
3.) Encourage self;
4.) Learn about God;
5.) Serve others in the congregation (particularly those in need)
6.) Disciple the lost;
7.) Serve the community
Not one of these seven reasons saves a person as good as the reasons may be. Salvation is through Christ alone.
Going to Jesus saves you. Going to church should encourage you, but it won’t save you. It doesn’t help gain any favor with God. Faith or trust in God please Him.
Going to Jesus saves a person, not going to church. But, participating in these activities builds up strength in the Lord and thereby helps keep them from the sinful pull of the world. Involvement in the church, with good leaders, will build up (edify) the body of Christ and encourage each individual to go and make disciples of the lost. The church, or assembly of believers, has one main purpose: To equip the saints and take the gospel to the world.
And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying (building up) of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ;
Ephesian 4: 11-13
And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. Mark 16: 15
Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, Matthew 28:19
5.) My church is the only true church
There is a true church. It is the body of Christ. The church is not a building, not a name above the doors or on the sign out front. It is a body of believers wherever they may be. His church transcends time and space.
There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all. 1 Corinthians 12:12-14
Of the 2.5 billion Christians in the world today, there are over 34,000 denominations to choose from Catholic, Protestant, Methodist, Church of Christ, Baptist, and Non-denominational, plus many others.
But Jesus says there is only one body, one Spirit, one faith, and one baptism.
Jesus prayed for unity among us.
“My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me.” John 17: 20-21
Was this prayer answered? It would appear that God the Father ignored this prayer. But, I propose to you it was answered. The great Unifier, Jesus, brings us all into one body identified in a particular way.
If a person is in this one body, they are “in Christ.” The phrase “in Christ” appears some 85 times in the New Testament. Here are just a few:
For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 6:23
There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, Romans 8:1
Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
2 Corinthians 5:17
For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.
Galatians 3: 26-27
A summary of these few verses states clearly, “in Christ” we :
- Have eternal life “in Christ.”
- There is no condemnation “in Christ.”
- The old past is passed away, and all things are now new…
- You are sons of God “in Christ.” We have “put on Christ” if we are baptized “into Christ.”
So the true church is not one of the massive numbers of denominations. It is the Cornerstone, the Unifier, and Stabilizer of Christ alone.
My wife and I have enjoyed this truth. It gives us the joy to seek out our brothers and sisters who are “in Christ” at the different churches or denominations. It is by our love towards each other (not fear, suspicion, or judgment) that demonstrates to the world we are part of the body of Christ and are His disciples:
By this, all will know that you are My disciples if you have love for one another.”
John 13:35
Let us be careful not to make snap judgments about a person’s relationship with Christ based on the name of their church.
Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another;
Romans 12:10
“There will be people in heaven whose theology may not be totally correct, but they have the right spirit of Jesus, but there will not be a person there who has right theology, but the wrong spirit.”
Pastor Ignacio Silverio
A Quick Summary:
1.) The church (God’s People) has been the “apple of His eye” since the beginning of time. His love for the church transcends time and space.
2.) Jesus built His church (His people) on the truth that He is the Christ and the Son of God. The church is not built on anyone else. He is in First Place above all other names.
3.) Just going to church does not save us…Only Jesus. The church’s purpose is to edify its members and prepare them for ministry to the community and seek out the lost.
4.) Jesus doesn’t command us to go to church. The 4th Commandment invites us to have a date with Jesus, whether in church or not. He invites us to rest in Him. The Sabbath is to be called a delight. Not a day of dos or don’ts to gain favor with God. We go to church because Jesus saved us or we are looking for him, but the act of attendance does not save us.
5.) You are the true church only if you are “in Christ“. A set of beliefs, traditions, lineage, and theology does not make a true Church. His people are those “in Him” regardless of where they have their membership. Love for each fellow Christian proves that we are truly His disciples—no love…no discipleship.