In 2:19 we see that the church is the kingdom of God. This verse says, “So then you are no longer strangers and sojourners, but you are fellow-citizens of the saints.” The term fellow-citizens indicates a kingdom, for being a fellow-citizen refers to being one with certain civil rights, and civil rights are always related to a nation or kingdom. Thus, this verse reveals that the church is the kingdom of God and that we are the citizens of this kingdom possessing certain civil rights. As we enjoy these rights, we must also share the responsibilities. Hence, the church is the kingdom of God with both rights and responsibilities. If we want the rights, we must also bear the responsibilities. Sometimes, however, we may want to enjoy the rights without bearing the responsibilities. But we must participate in both, sharing the rights and bearing the responsibilities. This is the church as the kingdom of God.
Fourthly, the church is the household of God (2:19). The household is not a matter of civil rights, but a matter of life and enjoyment. At home you do not speak much about rights, for there you have the father’s life and the enjoyment of his life. Thus, the church as the household or family of God refers to life and enjoyment.
Many saints like the family-type church life, but not the kingdom church life. This means that they always want to have a good time, a marvelous enjoyment. But we cannot always stay home; we need to spend several hours a day away from home to earn a living. We should have not only the enjoyment of the family, but also the responsibility of the kingdom. The church cannot always be a family; it must also be the kingdom of God. Nevertheless, I am happy that in the church as the family of God we have life and enjoyment.
In 2:21 and 22 we see that the church is also the dwelling place of God. Verse 21 says that all the building is growing into a holy temple in the Lord. This refers to the universal building. Verse 22 says that the saints in Ephesus are being built together into a dwelling place of God in spirit. This is the local building. Universally the church is the temple in the Lord, and locally the church is the dwelling place of God in our spirit.
In chapter five we see the church as the bride, the wife, of Christ. A bride is for the satisfaction of the husband. In speaking of when Adam was alone, the Bible says, “It is not good that the man should be alone” (Gen. 2:18). This word indicates that when Adam was alone, he had no happiness or satisfaction; Adam needed a wife. When Adam was given a wife, he had rest and satisfaction. Therefore, according to the Bible, the bride, the wife, is for rest and satisfaction. How could we be satisfied without rest? Being fully satisfied implies enjoying a full rest. A man’s wedding day is a day of satisfaction and rest. Because Christ loves the church, the church is His rest and satisfaction.
Christ’s love for the church is different from His love for sinners. Christians often speak about Christ loving sinners, but very few talk about Christ loving His wife. We used to be sinners, but today we are the wife of Christ. Whether we are male or female, we are His wife. The church is a wife for the satisfaction of Christ.
Finally, Ephesians 6 reveals that the church is the warrior, a corporate fighter. An army is composed of many soldiers, but a warrior is simply one person. The church is the new man, and this new man is a warrior. The whole armor of God spoken of in chapter six is not for the individual Christian, but for the whole church as the new man. As the warrior, the church deals with God’s enemy and defeats him.
If we put together all these seven aspects of the church, we see a wonderful picture of the church as the Body to express Christ, as the new man taking Christ as the person, as the kingdom with rights and responsibilities, as the family with life and enjoyment, as God’s dwelling place for God to live in, as the bride for Christ’s satisfaction, and as the warrior for fighting the battle and defeating the enemy so that God can accomplish His eternal purpose. This is the church.
What the church does is not as important as what the church is. The church is the Body, the new man, the kingdom, the family, the dwelling place, the wife, and the warrior. What we do does not mean very much, but what we are means a great deal. In such a church as described in Ephesians Christ is expressed. Through such a church Christ, the Person, is lived out. In such a church there is the kingdom of God with rights and responsibilities and the family of God with life and enjoyment. This church is also God’s dwelling place, Christ’s satisfaction, and God’s warrior fighting the battle for His eternal purpose. What a church this is!
If we see this vision of the church, we shall realize how poor is the situation in religion today. In religion we cannot find the Body or the new man. Furthermore, we cannot find the kingdom, the household of God, the dwelling place of God, the bride of Christ, or the warrior of God. As the church, we need to be all these seven items. Especially those who bear responsibility in the churches need to see the vision of the church presented in Ephesians. The church is not a school, a society, or an organization. It is the Body, the new man, the kingdom, the family, the dwelling place, the bride, and the warrior. This is the church, and this is also the subject of the book of Ephesians. Because Ephesians has such a subject, this book is inexhaustible.
Still more aspects of the church, however, are found in the last book of the Bible. In Revelation we see four additional aspects of the church: the church as the lampstand, the man-child, the firstfruit, and the holy city. Only one aspect of the church found in Revelation, the bride, corresponds to the aspects seen in Ephesians.