THE CHURCH
THE CHURCH
The Church is the collective body of believers who accept Jesus Christ during the Church Dispensation, between Pentecost (Act 2) and the Rapture (1 Thessalonians 4:15-17), including all those who are currently asleep [dead in Christ], all those who are currently alive, and all those who have yet to accept Christ, until the last person of this present Church Dispensation accepts Christ and the Church is complete (Ephesians 1:22; 5:25–27; Colossians 1:17–18). The Church includes both Jews [biological descendants of Jacob [Israel] through the paternal line] and Gentiles [all those who are not a Jew] (Galatians 3:28).
The Church is a spiritual organism made up exclusively of all born-again believers in Jesus Christ of this present parenthetical dispensation of the Church [see diagram] irrespective of their age, gender, linguistic background, human IQ, socioeconomic status, national origin, cultural heritage, religious background, or affiliation with corporate churches or other religious or non-religious organizations (1 Corinthians 12:12-14).
Believers enter the universal Church at the moment of personal faith in Jesus Christ. Through the baptism of the Holy Spirit, they are placed in eternal union with Christ and made an entirely new spiritual creation (Romans 6:3; 1 Corinthians 12:13; 2 Corinthians 5:17). Members of the Church—male and female—come from all walks of life, all races and regions of the world, and speak many different languages, yet they are “all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3:26–28; 4:5–7). As His sons, the Church is not a nation or man-made organization but a spiritual family—God’s own royal family. Each member is indwelt by God in order to represent and glorify the resurrected King of kings, Jesus Christ (Acts 1:8; 2 Corinthians 5:20; Ephesians 2:10, 19; 3:10).
In Scripture, the Church being formed on earth is designated the Body of Christ. The image of Christ as the “head” illustrates His authority over believers (Ephesians 1:22–23; 5:23; Colossians 1:17–18; 2:10), and the image of believers as individual “members” emphasizes the varying spiritual gifts and functions that make up the collective organism (Romans 12:4–5; 1 Corinthians 12:18–28). When the Body of Christ is complete, the Rapture of the Church will occur (1 Corinthians 15:42–57). The resurrected Church in heaven is called the Bride of Christ, the “pure virgin” who is presented to the Groom in sanctified perfection (2 Corinthians 11:2; Ephesians 5:27; Revelation 19:6–8).
Additional scriptural imagery depicting the relationship between Christ and His Church includes the following: shepherd and sheep, illustrating the security and blessings that the leader of the Church provides for His helpless, directionless members (John 10:1–16; Hebrews 13:20; 1 Peter 5:4); vine and branches, portraying the Church Age believer’s union with Christ (John 15:1–6); chief cornerstone and smaller stones, first taught by Christ when He told the disciple Peter, “You are blessed, Simon, Son of Jonas . . . your name is now Peter [Petros, a stone], and upon this rock [petra, giant rock, Jesus Christ] I will build my church” (Matthew 16:17b–18, corrected translation). Peter recognized and later wrote that Jesus Christ is the foundation of the Church, the “PRECIOUS CORNER stone,” and that “you also [Church Age believers], as living stones, are being built up as [constructed into] a spiritual house [the Church]” (1 Peter 2:4–7).
THE LOCAL CHURCH
The local church is a localized subset of the universal Church; namely, a congregation assembling in a specific geographical location for the teaching of the Word of God (1 Corinthians 1:2; 11:18; 16:19; 1 Thessalonians 1:1; Titus 1:5–9; Rev. 1:11).
The local church functions as a classroom where believers assemble to learn Bible doctrine under the teaching of their right pastor. Instruction is received either face to face or through another system of communication (1 Corinthians 4:17; 1 John 2:1a; 2 John 12; Rev. 2—3). As head of the universal Church, Jesus Christ delegates authority to men with the gift of pastor-teacher (Colossians 1:25; Ephesians 4:11). Just as Christ is the great Shepherd over all Church Age believers, the pastor is the under-shepherd who guards and feeds the congregation under his authority through accurate teaching of Scripture (Acts 20:28; 2 Timothy 2:15; 4:2; Hebrews 13:20; 1 Peter 5:1–3). In accordance with biblical principles, each local church is administered through a governing policy and board of deacons (Philippians 1:1; 1 Timothy 3:1–13).
THE FUNCTION OF THE CHURCH
The Church is God’s representative on the earth in this present Church Dispensation (1 Peter 2:9). The Church has been given the privileges of: being custodians of the Holy Scriptures [which is the Bible, the Word of God] (Acts 1:8), spreading the Gospel [the good news of the person and work of Jesus Christ] (Mark 16:15), spreading Bible Doctrine [which is God’s teaching from Scripture to guide believers in their faith and in their walk [application] (Matthew 28:18-20), being potential members of the pivot [the nucleus of spiritually mature believers that furthers the plan of God for mankind, influences the course of human history, and provides prosperity and protection to those around it through blessing by association], being salt and light [being agents of and preserving moral uprightness, grace, and truth in a lost and dying world] (Matthew 5:13-16), restraining the destructive force of the sin nature on society, restraining the actions of unbelievers and all those under the influence of Satan’s cosmic system, restraining the implementation of the Beast system of the seven year Tribulation [which will gain total tyrannical control over the earth] (Revelation 13:14-18), restraining the actions of Satan to prevent him from bringing his Man of Sin [the Antichrist] onto the world stage (2 Thessalonians 2:6-7), being good stewards of the earth and its natural resources [using divine viewpoint thinking from the wisdom of Bible Doctrine to properly manage and maintain [keeping in order, cleanliness, and sustainability] the earth and its natural resources for the present generation and the generations to come] (1 Peter 4:10).
THE CHURCH IN GOD’S DIVINE OUTINE OF HISTORY
The Church is not Israel in another form. It is an entirely new spiritual creation. It was first revealed by Christ and was future in His day (Matthew 16:18). Its character is described in the writings of Paul. There is no warrant for applying Old Testament prophecies and promises that apply only to Israel and Judah to the Church. The Church, representing the Body of Christ, had its origin at Pentecost and will be completed at the Rapture. It is composed only of those saved [born-again or spiritually regenerated believers] during that time. The Church is depicted as “The Church of the New Born” in the diagram below and represents the true Church or Body of Christ. The Church is to become the “Bride of Christ” at the Second Advent or “The Revelation” as depicted in the diagram below. The dead "in Christ" of Old Testament times are “friends of the Bridegroom” but not a part of the “Bride.” The Church is being gathered out by the Holy Spirit from Jew and Gentile until the “Fulness of the Gentiles” is come in (Romans 11:25). The Fulness of the Gentiles is the point in time when the last born-again believer enters into the Body of Christ. It is at that point in time when the Body of Christ is complete and the Rapture occurs.
The diagram shows how Israel has been "sidetracked" for the Church. When the Church is complete and “caught out,” Israel will be “shunted back” to the main line and become the “head” of the nations. The “Church of the New Born” is shown in the midst of the “false professors” of the Protestant and Roman Catholic bodies. The shading shows the increase of apostasy in the professing churches, who are the “foolish virgins” mentioned by Christ in His Parable of the Ten Virgins, while the diminishing size of the “New Born” church reveals the fact that when Christ comes He will find but little of the “true faith” on the earth (Luke 18:8).
The Church is “caught out” or raptured BEFORE the Tribulation Period (2 Thessalonians 2:1-8).
