We have seen that the church is the hidden mystery in God’s eternal economy. Now in this message we shall begin to consider the revelation of the mystery of Christ (the church).
The revelation of the church as the mystery of Christ is completed in two steps that involve the Triune God. In the Godhead the Father is the source, the Son is the expression, and the Spirit is the reaching of the divine Trinity to us. As the source, the Father has all the revelation, but He Himself does not give this revelation directly. Rather, the divine revelation is first given through the Son and then through the Spirit. Therefore, the first step in giving the revelation of the church, which is the mystery of Christ, is by Christ.
The revelation of the church is given by Christ in the Gospels. However, many readers of the New Testament have not seen in the Gospels the revelation of Christ as the embodiment of God. Neither have they seen the revelation of the church.
The revelation of the church by Christ in the Gospels was given to the first group of the apostles.
The first time the church was revealed by Christ was in Matthew 16:15-20. As we shall see the second time was in Matthew 18:15-20.
In Matthew 16:18 the Lord Jesus says, “I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church.” Here in the Lord’s first mentioning of the church, what is revealed is the universal church for the unique testimony of the Lord in the universe. In the universal aspect the church is uniquely one. The end of Ephesians 1 speaks of the church as the Body of Christ. Christ has only one Body, which is unique in the universe. Ephesians 2:15 says that Christ created the Jewish believers and the Gentile believers in Himself into one new man, which is the church. Hence, the church as the new man is universal and one.
The words “My church” in Matthew 16:18 indicate that the church is of the Lord, not of any person or thing. The church is not like the denominations, which are denominated after some person’s name or according to some thing. The church Christ is building is the universal church, not the church in a nation or the church in a city. The church in Matthew 16:18 is the universal church, the one church in the entire universe.
Home | First | Prev | Next