Center for Biblical Coaching

What is the church?

The church is the Body of Christ. In the Old Testament, God had a temple for His people. In the New Testament, the temple is His people. The church is not a building made of plaster, bricks and lumber. The church is the community of all true believers for all time. This definition understands the church to be made up of all those who have received forgiveness through Jesus Christ as an act of faith. So often, lines are drawn between denominations, worship styles, or family traditions but this is not what God sees as He looks down on His church.

The church is called, “The Bride of Christ” and is perfectly pictured in Ephesians 5 as we see the role of the husband and the role of the wife. Wives are called to submit and respect the husband. We submit to His authority in our lives and respect His leadership. His role is to be the leader in love, the leader in the Word and sanctifying, the leader in righteousness, the leader in selflessness, and the leader in intimacy. The mystery of marriage is that this is a reference to Christ and His bride.

Jesus Christ Himself builds the church by calling His people to Himself. He promised, “I will build my church.” (Matt 16:18). In its true spiritual reality as the fellowship of all genuine believers, the church is both visible and invisible. The invisible church is the church as God sees it since “The Lord knows those who are His” (2 Timothy 2:19).

The marks of a true church are seen in the fact that believers are part of the membership and the sacraments of baptism and the Lord’s Supper are instituted regularly. There is the opportunity to worship God through psalms, and hymns and spiritual songs, there is nurturing of the people to “present every man mature in Christ” (Colossians 1:28), a ministry of evangelism to the world outside the church, and to be merciful.

While there are many different “churches” in our world today, there is only one true church that is recognized by God. This church is worldwide and not limited by walls or distance.