Faith About The Church

Minister:
Date: AM
Text: Ephesians 1:22,23, 2:20-22; Lord's Day 21
Psalters: 349, 342, 239, 379
  1. What it is.
    1. The church of Jesus Christ is an object of faith.
    2. As an object of faith, the church is composed of only true believers from the beginning to the end of the world.
    3. It is the church "of God" (Acts 20:28; I Cor. 1:2; 10:32; 11:22; 15:9; II Cor. 1:1; Gal. 1:13).
      1. It is chosen by God in election (compare I Cor. 1:2 with Eph. 1:1,4,5).
      2. It is built by God through Jesus Christ (Matt. 16:18)
      3. Its earthly manifestation takes place by it being "called out" of the world and into conscious fellowship with God.
  2. Jesus is the Head of the Church, which is His body.
    1. This figure implies that the church is a living organism, sharing one life.
      1. It is one whole with a definite number of members, each in their own place and each serving the purpose of the whole.
      2. As an organism, unlike the unity of a building, each member has the common life, and each grows from it.
    2. Christ is the Head.
      1. He is the life of all the members (Gal. 2:20).
      2. The relationship of Christ and the members is extremely close, never separated and almost indistinguishable.
    3. The body is so intimate that the church is the “fullness of Christ” (Eph. 1:23).
      1. Jesus is incomplete without His church.
      2. Jesus’ being in us means that He fills us; and our being in Him means that we fill (complete) Him.
  3. Implications.
    1. The church’s existence, nature, and calling are determined by his Head (not by the judgments of the members).
    2. Christ works all things in the history of the world “to the church,” i.e., for the church (Eph. 1:22).
    3. The church and every member must live in the conscious, total dependence on her Head.
    4. And then we are to strive to do the will of our Head.