Christians have many inaccurate concepts concerning the church. Some consider the chapel as the church; in their thinking, to go to the chapel is to go to the church. Actually, neither is the physical building the church, nor are the different associations and organizations in Christianity the churches. Today in a large city many denominations, missions, and evangelistic organizations can be seen. All these organizations and associations must not be considered churches. The church is a mysterious organism (Eph. 1:22-23). This organism, according to the pure word of the Bible, has the following eight aspects:
The church (Matt. 16:18; 18:17) in Greek is ekklesia, composed of two words: ek, out, and kaleo-, called; the two words put together mean the called out congregation, or the assembly of the called ones. Hence, according to the literal sense of the word, the church is the assembly of those called out of the world by God.
Although there is no plain mentioning of the church in the Old Testament, there is a picture concerning the church. When the children of Israel went out of Egypt, they came to the foot of Mount Sinai. There they were formed together into one coordinated entity to assemble before God with the tabernacle as the center and the twelve tribes as the circumference encamping around the tabernacle (Num. 2). Thus, they became one corporate body, the ekklesia, the assembly of God’s called ones. Hence, the New Testament calls them the ekklesia (Acts 7:38, the word assembly is ekklesia). On the one hand, they were called out by God from Egypt (signifying the world); on the other hand, they were the congregation gathering before God. The children of Israel did not have the nature of the church; they were only a type, a picture, showing us that the church is the assembling together of those who are called out of the world by God through His redemption and His saving power.
First Corinthians 1:2 says, “To the church of God which is in Corinth, to those who have been sanctified in Christ Jesus.” This indicates that the church is a composition of the saints, and the saints are the constituents of the church. First Corinthians 14:33 calls the churches the churches of the saints. This indicates that the saints are the constituents of the church; the church is composed of the saints. Individually speaking, we are the saints; corporately speaking, we are the church.
Ephesians 1:22-23 says, “...the church, which is His Body, the fullness of the One who fills all in all.” The church is the Body of Christ. The Body is not an organization but an organism. The church is an organic Body constituted of all the believers, who have been regenerated and have God’s life, for the expression of the Head. The Body is the fullness of the Head, and the fullness is the expression of the Head. If a person only has a head but does not have a body, he has no fullness and he cannot be expressed. If he has a body, but the body is small and skinny, that is not full enough, and such a body can hardly express him. Christ, as the One who fills all in all, needs a great Body to be His fullness. This Body is His church to be His expression.
The church is the Body of Christ, and Christ is the Head of the church (Col. 1:18). Hence, the church and Christ are one Body, the mysterious, universal great man, having the same life and nature and sharing the same position and authority. Just as Christ is far above all and sits in the heavenlies (Eph. 1:20-21), so also the church sits together with Him in the heavenlies (Eph. 2:6). Just as Christ has received all authority in heaven and on earth (Matt. 28:18), so also the church participates in His authority (Luke 10:19). Today the life of the church is hidden with Christ in God, and in the future the church will be manifested with Christ together in glory (Col. 3:3-4). What Christ is, what Christ has, where Christ is, and what Christ does are what the church is, what the church has, where the church is, and what the church does. Christ is the life and content of the church; the church is the organism and expression of Christ. The church receives everything from Christ; everything of Christ is expressed through the church. The two are mingled and joined as one, with Christ being the inward content and the church, the outward expression. Just as the body does everything, accomplishes everything, and is expressed in everything through the head, so the church does everything, accomplishes everything, and is expressed in everything through Christ. Hence, the church as the Body of Christ is also Christ (1 Cor. 12:12).
In the Bible, Christ sometimes refers to the personal Christ and sometimes to Christ and the church. The Bible considers Christ and the church as the one mysterious Christ. Christ is the Head of this mysterious Christ, and the church is the Body of this mysterious Christ. The two joining together become the one mysterious Christ, a universal great man. All the saved ones in all times and in all space added together become the Body of this mysterious Christ. Individually speaking, we, the saved ones, are members one of another (1 Cor. 12:27); corporately speaking, we are the mystical Body of Christ. Every saved one is a part of the Body of Christ.