In Matthew 16:18 the Lord Jesus also says that “the gates of Hades shall not prevail against” His church. The gates of Hades refers to Satan’s power of darkness. Satan’s power of darkness will attack the church but will not prevail against it. God’s enemy is nothing compared to the church built up by Christ.
In Matthew 16:19 the Lord Jesus says, “I will give to you the keys of the kingdom of the heavens, and whatever you bind on the earth shall be what has been bound in the heavens, and whatever you loose on the earth shall be what has been loosed in the heavens.” Here “the kingdom of the heavens” is interchangeably used for “church” in the previous verse. This indicates that the universal church is related to the kingdom of the heavens. Where the church is, there is the reality of the kingdom of the heavens. Today, in actuality and in practicality, the kingdom of the heavens is with the church and in the church.
The universal church is also revealed by the Apostle Paul in his fourteen Epistles. These Epistles may be divided into two groups of seven. The first group, including the Epistles from Romans through Colossians, concerns the Body of Christ and our Christian life. The second group, from 1 Thessalonians through Hebrews, may be regarded as a supplement to what is covered in the first group. Four of the Epistles in the first group speak of the Body of Christ: Romans, 1 Corinthians, Ephesians, and Colossians. The other three Epistles in this group-2 Corinthians, Galatians, and Philippians-speak only of our experience of Christ in our daily life and thus are concerned with our Christian life. Because Romans, 1 Corinthians, Ephesians, and Colossians touch the Body of Christ, these Epistles are deep and profound.
The universal church is the house of the living God, the pillar and base of the truth, for His manifestation in the flesh (1 Tim. 3:15-16). First Timothy 3:15 tells us that the church is the house of God. In the Old Testament both the tabernacle and the temple were called the house of God (Judg. 18:31; 1 Kings 6:1), which was a type of the church. The word “house” both in the original language and in English has two meanings. On the one hand, it refers to the household; on the other hand, it refers to the dwelling place. Hence, the church as the house of God indicates that the church, on the one hand, is the household, the family, of God, and, on the other hand, is the dwelling place of God.
The church is the composition of the believers, and the believers are the children of God, who are born of God and have His life and nature. Hence, they become members of the household of God (Eph. 2:19), the family of God. The members of God’s family added together become the house of God, which is the dwelling place of God (Eph. 2:22), the place where God can have His rest and put His trust. In this dwelling place God lives and moves to accomplish His will and satisfy His heart’s desire.
A house is also the best place for one to express himself. If you look at a person’s house, you will be able to tell what kind of person he is because a person’s house is his expression. The principle is the same with the church as the house of God. The church as the house of God is the place where God expresses Himself on earth.
The church as God’s house is “the pillar and base of the truth.” The pillar supports the building, and the base holds the pillar. The church is such a supporting pillar and holding base of the truth. In this verse “truth” refers to the real things which are revealed in the New Testament concerning Christ and the church according to God’s New Testament economy.
First Timothy 3:16 shows us that the church as God’s house, the pillar and base of the truth, is God’s manifestation in the flesh. God not only desires to make home in the church and have a resting place there, but He also wants to express Himself in the church. He wants to practice His New Testament economy, speak forth His desire, and manifest His glory in the church. All that He is, all that He is doing, and all that He wants to obtain are to be manifested in the church as His house.
The church is the house of the living God, the pillar and base of the truth, for His manifestation in the flesh, that is, His manifestation in regenerated, transformed, and built-up humanity.
Home | First | Prev | Next