A LOCAL VISIBLE CHURCH
LESSON 2
Basic Scripture reading: Ephesians 3:6-11, “That the Gentiles should be fellow-heirs, and of the same body, and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel: 7- Whereof I was made a minister, according to the gift of the grace of God given unto me by the effectual working of his power. 8- Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ; 9- And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ: 10- To the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God, 11- According to the eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord:”
Key text: 1 Timothy 3:15, “that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God,”
I. THE USE OF THE WORD “CHURCH” IN THE NEW TESTAMENT.
A. Of the 115 times that the word “church” appears in the New Testament, it refers to, at least 93 times, the churches whose localities are mentioned. The majority of the other references should be explained as the “institutional, collective, or generic use of the word. That use we see in verses such as Ephesians 3:10 and 5:23-27. We can compare that use of the word to phrases like: “The American man…” It is understood by this generic phrase a certain quality of man. No one would imagine an enormous man made up of all American men! In the above text no reference is made of all believers in the world. When the institution called “the church” is expressed, it will always take the form of local, visible, organized churches.
B. The current use of the word church can be illustrated from the book of 1 Timothy. In 1 Timothy 3:5, Paul said that a pastor should govern well “his own house,” to the contrary he would not know how to take care of the “church of God.” No one will imagine the sense of “universal” in this case. How could a pastor that is “local,” and that has a local house and family, take charge of a universal church of believers scattered through out the whole earth? In the same chapter (1 Timothy 3:15, our key text) Paul affirms that the church “is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.” It would be difficult to understand this verse in another sense if not the local churches. All believers scattered through out the world are divided into thousands of groups, or denominations, that teach varied doctrines. Only a local church, that defends and practices “the faith which was once delivered unto the saints” (Jude 3) will be able to fulfill the requirements to be “the pillar and ground OF THE TRUTH!” 1 Timothy 5:16 also refers to the local church that realizes beneficial works for the widows.
C. All of the types used in the New Testament have a local sense: building, body, field, bride, flock, temple, house, lamp. Who would ever see a “universal house,” a “universal bride,” (what a woman!); a “universal flock” that includes all of the sheep of the world? It is much easier to understand a word in its basic, Biblical and simple sense: a group of believers united in the same confession of faith in Christ, baptized scripturally and organized by the authority of Christ to carry out His great commission to evangelize, baptize and teach the disciples that are made (Matthew 28:19-20).
D. All of the churches of the New Testament had a local address: the Church in Jerusalem, Acts 1:8; the Church in Antioch of Syria, Acts 13:1; the Church in Corinth, 1 Corinthians 1:2; the seven churches of Asia, Revelation 1:4; the Church in Thessalonica, 1 Thessalonians 1:1; the churches of Galatia, Galatians1:2; the churches in Judea, Galatians 1:22; the churches in particular houses, Romans 16:5; 1 Corinthians 16:19; Philemon 2; Colossians 4:15; etc. Christ directs each church in particular (Revelation 2 and 3).
II. CONCLUSION
If you have already accepted Christ after repentance and faith and you have already been converted to the truth, you are certainly a child born of God and saved eternally! However, until you confess Christ publicly and ask for baptism and join a local, scriptural Baptist church, you continue outside of the church that Jesus organized and left here in order to accomplish His work on earth! (Acts 2:41, 47). Put your light, now shining for Christ through salvation, on a “candlestick” so that it can shine along with the other members! (Matthew 5:16). Unite with a local, visible church.
Points To Ponder:
1. Explain the institutional or generic use of the word “church.”
2. Explain why the church of the key text could not be understood in the universal sense.
3. Comment on the figures used in the New Testament.
4. How does the idea of the locality of the church reinforce the fact that we encounter the “address” of many of the churches of the New Testament?