| <p> The [[Greek]] word εκκλησια , so rendered, denotes an assembly met about business, whether spiritual or temporal, Acts 19:32; Acts 19:39 . It is understood also of the collective body of Christians, or all those over the face of the earth who profess to believe in Christ, and acknowledge him to be the [[Saviour]] of mankind; this is called the visible church. But, by the word <em> church, </em> we are more strictly to understand the whole body of God's true people, in every period of time: this is the invisible or spiritual church. The people of God on earth are called the church militant, and those in heaven the church triumphant. It has been remarked by Dr. John Owen, that sin having entered into the world, God was pleased to found his church (the catholic or universal church) in the promise of the [[Messiah]] given to Adam; that this promise contained in it something of the nature of a covenant, including the grace which God designed to show to sinners in the Messiah, and the obedience which he required from them; and that consequently, from its first promulgation, that promise became the sole foundation of the church and of the whole worship of God therein. Prior to the days of Abraham, this church, though scattered up and down the world, and subject to many changes in its worship through the addition of new revelations, was still but one and the same, because founded in the same covenant, and interested thereby in all the benefits or privileges that God had granted, or would at any time grant. In process of time, God was pleased to restrict his church, as far as visible acknowledgment went, in a great measure, to the seed of Abraham. With the latter he renewed his covenant, requiring that he should walk before him and be upright. He also constituted him the father of the faithful, or of all them that believe, and the "heir of the world." So that since the days of Abraham, the church has, in every age, been founded upon the covenant made with that patriarch, and on the work of redemption which was to be performed according to that covenant. Now wheresoever this covenant made with [[Abraham]] is, and with whomsoever it is established, with them is the church of God, and to them all the promises and privileges of the church really belong. Hence we may learn that at the coming of the Messiah, there was not one church taken away and another set up in its room; but the church continued the same, in those that were the children of Abraham, according to the faith. It is common with divines to speak of the [[Jewish]] and the [[Christian]] churches, as though they were two distinct and totally different things; but that is not a correct view of the matter. The Christian church is not another church, but the very same that was before the coming of Christ, having the same faith with it, and interested in the same covenant. Great alterations indeed were made in the outward state and condition of the church, by the coming of the Messiah. The carnal privilege of the Jews, in their separation from other nations to give birth to the Messiah, then failed, and with that also their claim on that account to be the children of Abraham. The ordinances of worship suited to that state of things then expired, and came to an end. New ordinances of worship were appointed, suitable to the new light and grace which were then bestowed upon the church. The [[Gentiles]] came into the faith of Abraham along with the Jews, being made joint partakers with them in his blessing. But none of these things, nor the whole collectively, did make such an alteration in the church, but that it was still one and the same. The olive tree was still the same, only some branches were broken off, and others grafted into it. The Jews fell, and the Gentiles came in their room. And this may enable us to determine the difference between the Jews and [[Christians]] relative to the Old [[Testament]] promises. They are all made to the church. No individual has any interest in them except by virtue of his membership with the church. The church is, and always was, one and the same. The Jewish plea, is, that the church is with them, because they are the children of Abraham according to the flesh. Christians reply, that their privilege on that ground was of another nature, and ended with the coming of the Messiah: that the church of God, unto whom all the promises belong, are only those who are heirs of the faith of Abraham, believing as he did, and are consequently interested in his covenant. These are Zion, Jerusalem, Israel, Jacob, the temple, or church of God. </p> <p> <strong> 2. </strong> By a particular church we understand an assembly of Christians united together, and meeting in one place, for the solemn worship of God. To this agrees the definition given by the compilers of the Thirty-nine Articles of the [[Church]] of England: "A congregation of faithful men, in which the true word of God is preached, and the sacraments duly administered according to Christ's ordinances, in all those things that of necessity are requisite to the same," Acts 9:31; Acts 20:17; Galatians 1:2; Galatians 1:22; 1 Corinthians 14:34; Colossians 4:15 . The word is now also used to denote any particular denomination of Christians, distinguished by particular doctrines, ceremonies, &c, as the Romish church, the Greek church, the English church, &c. </p> <p> <strong> 3. </strong> On the subject of the church, opinions as opposite or varying as possible have been held, from that of the Papists, who contend for its visible unity throughout the world under a visible head, down to that of the Independents, who consider the universal church as composed of congregational churches, each perfect in itself, and entirely independent of every other. The first opinion is manifestly contradicted by the language of the Apostles, who, while they teach that there is but one church, composed of believers throughout the world, think it not at all inconsistent with this to speak of "the churches of Judea," "of Achaia," "the seven churches of Asia," "the church at Ephesus," &c. Among themselves the [[Apostles]] had no common head; but planted churches and gave directions for their government, in most cases without any apparent correspondence with each other. The Popish doctrine is certainly not found in their writings; and so far were they from making provision for the government of this one supposed church, by the appointment of one visible and exclusive head, that they provide for the future government of the respective churches raised up by them in a totally different manner, that is, by the ordination of ministers for each church, who are indifferently called bishops, and presbyters, and pastors. The only unity of which they speak is the unity of the whole church in Christ, the invisible head, by faith; and the unity produced by "fervent love toward each other." Nor has the Popish doctrine of the visible unity of the church any countenance from early antiquity. The best ecclesiastical historians have showed, that, through the greater part of the second century, the Christian churches were independent of each other. "Each Christian assembly," says Mosheim, "was a little state governed by its own laws, which were either enacted, or at least, approved, by the society. But in process of time, all the churches of a province were formed into one large ecclesiastical body, which, like confederate states, assembled at certain times in order to deliberate about the common interests of the whole." So far indeed this union of churches appears to have been a wise and useful arrangement, although afterward it was carried to an injurious extreme, until finally it gave birth to the assumptions of the bishop of Rome, as universal bishop; a claim, however, which, when most successful, was but partially submitted to, the eastern churches having, for the most part, always maintained their independence. To very large association of churches of any kind existed till toward the close of the second century, which sufficiently refutes the papal argument from antiquity. The independence of the early Christian churches does not, however, appear to have resembled that of the churches which, in modern times, are called Independent. During the lives of the Apostles and [[Evangelists]] they were certainly subject to their counsel and control, which proves that the independency of separate societies was not the first form of the church. It may, indeed, be allowed, that some of the smaller and more insulated churches might, after the death of the Apostles and Evangelists, retain this form for some considerable time; but the larger churches, in the chief cities, and those planted in populous neighbourhoods, had many presbyters, and, as the members multiplied, they had several separate assemblies or congregations, yet all under the same common government. And when churches were raised up in the neighbourhood of cities, the appointment of <em> chorepiscopi, </em> or country bishops, and of visiting presbyters, both acting under the presbytery of the city, with the bishop at its head, is sufficiently in proof, that the ancient churches, especially the larger and more prosperous of them, existed in that form which, in modern times, we should call a religious connection, subject to a common government. This appears to have arisen out of the very circumstance of the increase of the church, through the zeal of the first Christians; and it was doubtless much more in the spirit of the very first discipline exercised by the Apostles and Evangelists, (when none of the churches were independent, but remained under the government of those who had been chiefly instrumental in raising them up,) to place themselves under a common inspection, and to unite the weak with the strong, and the newly converted with those who were "in [[Christ]] before them." There was also in this, greater security afforded both for the continuance of wholesome doctrine, and of godly discipline. </p> <p> <strong> 4. </strong> Church members are those who compose or belong to the visible church. As to the real church, the true members of it are such as come out from the world, 2 Corinthians 6:17; who are born again, 1 Peter 1:23; or made new creatures, 2 Corinthians 5:17; whose faith works by love to God and all mankind, Galatians 5:6; James 2:14; James 2:26; who walk in all the ordinances of the Lord blameless. None but such are members of the true church; nor should any be admitted into any particular church without some evidence of their earnestly seeking this state of salvation. </p> <p> <strong> 5. </strong> Church fellowship is the communion that the members enjoy one with another. The ends of church fellowship are, the maintenance and exhibition of a system of sound doctrine; the support of the ordinances of evangelical worship in their purity and simplicity; the impartial exercise of church government and discipline; the promotion of holiness in all manner of conversation. The more particular duties are, earnest study to keep peace and unity; bearing of one another's burdens, Galatians 6:1-2; earnest endeavours to prevent each other's stumbling, 1 Corinthians 10:23-33; Hebrews 10:24-27; Romans 14:13; steadfast continuance in the faith and worship of the Gospel, Acts 2:42; praying for and sympathizing with each other, 1 Samuel 12:23; Ephesians 6:18 . The advantages are, peculiar incitement to holiness; the right to some promises applicable to none but those who attend the ordinances of God. and hold communion with the saints, Psalms 92:13; Psalms 132:13; Psalms 132:16; Psalms 36:8; Jeremiah 31:12; the being placed under the watchful eye of pastors, Hebrews 13:7; that they may restore each other if they fall, Galatians 6:1; and the more effectually promote the cause of true religion. </p> <p> <strong> 6. </strong> As to church order and discipline, without entering into the discussion of the many questions which have been raised on this subject, and argued in so many distinct treatises, it may be sufficient generally to observe, that the church of Christ being a visible and permanent society, bound to observe certain rites, and to obey, certain rules, the existence of government in it is necessarily supposed. All religious rites suppose order, all order direction and control, and these a directive and controlling power. Again: all laws are nugatory without enforcement, in the present mixed and imperfect state of society; and all enforcement supposes an executive. If baptism be the door of admission into the church, some must judge of the fitness of candidates, and administrators of the rite must be appointed; if the Lord's [[Supper]] must be partaken of, the times and the mode are to be determined, the qualifications of communicants judged of, and the administration placed in suitable hands; if worship must be social and public, here again there must be an appointment of times, an order, and an administration; if the word of God is to be read and preached, then readers and preachers are necessary; if the continuance of any one in the fellowship of Christians be conditional upon good conduct, so that the purity and credit of the church may be guarded, then the power of enforcing discipline must be lodged some where. Thus government flows necessarily from the very nature of the institution of the Christian church; and since this institution has the authority of Christ and his Apostles, it is not to be supposed, that its government was left unprovided for; and if they have in fact made such a provision, it is no more a matter of mere option with Christians whether they will be subject to government in the church, than it is optional with them to confess Christ by becoming its members. The nature of this government, and the persons to whom it is committed, are both points which we must briefly examine by the light of the Holy Scriptures. As to the first, it is wholly spiritual:— "My kingdom," says our Lord, "is not of this world." The church is a society founded upon faith, and united by mutual love, for the personal edification of its members in holiness, and for the religious benefit of the world. The nature of its government is thus determined; it is concerned only with spiritual objects. It cannot employ force to compel men into its pale; for the only door of the church is faith, to which there can be no compulsion;— "he that believeth and is baptized" becomes a member. It cannot inflict pains and penalties upon the disobedient and refractory, like civil governments; for the only punitive discipline authorized in the New Testament, is comprised in "admonition," "reproof," "sharp rebukes," and, finally, "excision from the society." The last will be better understood, if we consider the special relations in which true Christians stand to each other, and the duties resulting from them. They are members of one body, and are therefore bound to tenderness and sympathy; they are the conjoint instructers of others, and are therefore to strive to be of "one judgment;" they are brethren, and they are to love one another as such, that is, with an affection more special than that general good will which they are commanded to bear to all mankind; they are therefore to seek the intimacy of friendly society among themselves, and, except in the ordinary and courteous intercourse of life, they are bound to keep themselves separate from the world; they are enjoined to do good unto all men, but "especially to them that are of the household of faith;" and they are forbidden "to eat" at the Lord's table with immoral persons, that is, with those who, although they continue their Christian profession, dishonour it by their practice. With these relations of Christians to each other and to the world, and their correspondent duties, before our minds, we may easily interpret the nature of that extreme discipline which is vested in the church. "Persons who will not hear the church" are to be held "as [[Heathen]] men and publicans," as those who are not members of it; that is, they are to be separated from it, and regarded as of "the world," quite out of the range of the above mentioned relations of Christians to each other, and their correspondent duties; but still, like "Heathen men and publicans" they are to be the objects of pity, and general benevolence. Nor is this extreme discipline to be hastily inflicted before "a first and second admonition," nor before those who are "spiritual" have attempted "to restore a brother overtaken by a fault;" and when the "wicked person" is "put away," still the door is to be kept open for his reception again upon repentance. The true excommunication of the Christian church is therefore a merciful and considerate separation of an incorrigible offender from the body of Christians, without any infliction of civil pains or penalties. "Now we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord [[Jesus]] Christ, that ye withdraw yourselves from every brother that walketh disorderly, and not after the tradition which ye have received from us," 2 Thessalonians 3:6 . "Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump," 1 Corinthians 5:7 . "But now I have written unto you not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner: with such a one, no not to eat," 1 Corinthians 5:11 . This then is the moral discipline which is imperative upon the church of Christ, and its government is criminally defective whenever it is not enforced. On the other hand, the disabilities and penalties which established churches in different places have connected with these sentences of excommunication, have no countenance at all in Scripture, and are wholly inconsistent with the spiritual character and ends of the Christian association. </p> <p> <strong> 7. </strong> As to the <em> persons </em> to whom the government of the church is committed, it is necessary to consider the composition, so to speak, of the primitive church, as stated in the New Testament. A full enunciation of these offices we find in Ephesians 4:11 : "And he gave some, Apostles; and some, Prophets; and some, Evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ." Of these, the office of [[Apostle]] is allowed by all to have been confined to those immediately commissioned by Christ to witness the fact of his miracles, and of his resurrection from the dead, and to reveal the complete system of Christian doctrine and duty; confirming their extraordinary mission by miracles wrought by themselves. If by "prophets" we are to understand persons who foretold future events, then the office was from its very nature extraordinary, and the gift of prophecy has passed away with the other miraculous endowments of the first age of Christianity. If, with others, we understand that these prophets were extraordinary teachers raised up until the churches were settled under permanent qualified instructers; still the office was temporary. The "Evangelists" are generally understood to be assistants of the Apostles, who acted under their especial authority and direction. Of this number were Timothy and Titus; and as the Apostle Paul directed them to ordain bishops or presbyters in the several churches, but gave them no authority to ordain successors to themselves in their particular office as Evangelists, it is clear that the Evangelists must also be reckoned among the number of extraordinary and temporary ministers suited to the first age of Christianity. Whether by "pastors and teachers" two offices be meant, or one, has been disputed. The change in the mode of expression seems to favour the latter view, and so the text is interpreted by St. Jerom, and St. Augustine; but the point is of little consequence. A pastor was a teacher, although every teacher might not be a pastor; but in many cases his office might be one of subordinate instruction, whether as an expounder of doctrine, a catechist, or even a more private instructer of those who as yet were unacquainted with the first principles of the [[Gospel]] of Christ. The term <em> pastor </em> implies the duties both of instruction and of government, of feeding and of ruling the flock of Christ; and, as the presbyters or bishops were ordained in the several churches, both by the Apostles and Evangelists, and rules are left by St. Paul as to their appointment, there can be no doubt but that these are the "pastors" spoken of in the [[Epistle]] to the Ephesians, and that they were designed to be the permanent ministers of the church; and that with them both the government of the church and the performance of its leading religious services were deposited. Deacons had the charge of the gifts and offerings for charitable purposes, although, it appears from [[Justin]] Martyr, not in every instance; for he speaks of the weekly oblations as being deposited with the chief minister, and distributed by him. These pastors appear to have been indifferently called BISHOPS and PRESBYTERS, and with them the regulation of the churches was, doubtless, deposited; not without checks and guards, the principal of which, however, was, in the primitive church, and continues to be in all modern churches which have no support from the magistracy, or are made independent of the people by endowments, the voluntariness of the association. A perfect religious liberty is always supposed by the Apostles to exist among Christians; no compulsion of the civil power is any where assumed by them as the basis of their advices or directions; no binding of the members to one church, without liberty to join another, by any ties but those involved in moral considerations, of sufficient weight, however, to prevent the evils of faction and schism. It was this which created a natural and competent check upon the ministers of the church; for being only sustained by the opinion of the churches, they could not but have respect to it; and it was this which gave to the sound part of a fallen church the advantage of renouncing, upon sufficient and well-weighed grounds, their communion with it, and of kindling up the light of a pure ministry and a holy discipline, by forming a separate association, bearing its testimony against errors in doctrine, and failures in practice. Nor is it to be conceived, that, had this simple principle of perfect religious liberty been left unviolated through subsequent ages, the church could ever have become so corrupt, or with such difficulty and slowness have been recovered from its fall. This ancient Christian liberty has happily been restored in a few parts of Christendom. See EPISCOPACY and See PRESBYTERIANISM . </p>
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| <p> '''''chûrch''''' : </p> <p> I. Pre-Christian History of the Term </p> <p> II. Its [[Adoption]] by [[Jesus]] </p> <p> III. Its Use in the New [[Testament]] </p> <p> 1. In the [[Gospels]] </p> <p> 2. In Acts </p> <p> 3. In the [[Pauline]] [[Epistles]] </p> <p> IV. The Notes of the [[Church]] </p> <p> 1. [[Faith]] </p> <p> 2. [[Fellowship]] </p> <p> 3. [[Unity]] </p> <p> 4. [[Consecration]] </p> <p> 5. [[Power]] </p> <p> V. Organization of the Church </p> <p> 1. The General and Prophetic [[Ministry]] </p> <p> 2. The Local and Practical Ministry </p> <p> Literature </p> <p> The word "church," which is derived from κυριακός , <i> '''''kuriakós''''' </i> , "of or belonging to the Lord," represents in the English [[Versions]] of the [[Bible]] of the New Testament the [[Greek]] word ἐκκλησία , <i> '''''ekklēsı́a''''' </i> ; Latin, <i> ecclesia </i> . It is with the signification of this word <i> '''''ekklēsia''''' </i> as it meets us in the New Testament, and with the nature of the society which the word is there used to describe, that the present article is concerned. </p> <h4> I. Pre-Christian History of the Term </h4> <p> Although <i> '''''ekklēsia''''' </i> soon became a distinctively [[Christian]] word, it has its own pre-Christian history; and to those, whether Jews or Greeks, who first heard it applied to the Christian society it would come with suggestions of familiar things. Throughout the Greek world and right down to New Testament times (compare Acts 19:39 ), <i> '''''ekklēsia''''' </i> was the designation of the regular assembly of the whole body of citizens in a free city-state, "called out" (Greek <i> '''''ek''''' </i> , "out," and <i> '''''kaleı́n''''' </i> , "to call") by the herald for the discussion and decision of public business. The [[Septuagint]] translators, again, had used the word to render the [[Hebrew]] <i> '''''ḳāhāl''''' </i> , which in the Old Testament denotes the "congregation" or community of Israel, especially in its religious aspect as the people of God. In this Old Testament sense we find <i> '''''ekklēsia''''' </i> employed by [[Stephen]] in the Book of Acts, where he describes [[Moses]] as "he that was in the church (the Revised Version, margin "congregation") in the wilderness" ( Acts 7:38 ). The word Thus came into Christian history with associations alike for the Greek and the Jew. To the Greek it would suggest a self-governing democratic society; to the Jew a theocratic society whose members were the subjects of the [[Heavenly]] King. The pre-Christian history of the word had a direct bearing upon its Christian meaning, for the <i> '''''ekklēsia''''' </i> of the New Testament is a "theocratic democracy" (Lindsay, <i> Church and Ministry in the [[Early]] Centuries </i> , 4), a society of those who are free, but are always conscious that their freedom springs from obedience to their King. </p> <h4> II. Its Adoption by Jesus </h4> <p> According to Matthew 16:18 the name <i> '''''ekklēsia''''' </i> was first applied to the Christian society by Jesus Himself, the occasion being that of His benediction of Peter at [[Caesarea]] Philippi. The authenticity of the utterance has been called in question by certain critics, but on grounds that have no textual support and are made up of quite arbitrary presuppositions as to the composition of the First Gospel. It is true that Jesus had hitherto described the society He came to found as the "kingdom of God" or the "kingdom of heaven," a designation which had its roots in Old Testament teaching and which the Messianic expectations of [[Israel]] had already made familiar. But now when it was clear that He was to be rejected by the [[Jewish]] people (compare Matthew 16:21 ), and that His society must move on independent lines of its own, it was natural that He should employ a new name for this new body which He was about to create, and Thus should say to Peter, on the ground of the apostle's believing confession, "Upon this rock I will build my church." The adoption of this name, however, did not imply any abandonment of the ideas suggested by the conception of the kingdom. In this very passage ( Matthew 16:19 ) "the kingdom of heaven" is employed in a manner which, if it does not make the two expressions church and kingdom perfectly synonymous, at least compels us to regard them as closely correlative and as capable of translation into each other's terms. And the comparative disuse by the apostolic writers of the name "kingdom," together with their emphasis on the church, so far from showing that Christ's disciples had failed to understand His doctrine of the kingdom, and had substituted for it the more formal notion of the church, only shows that they had followed their Master's guidance in substituting for a name and a conception that were peculiarly Jewish, another name whose associations would enable them to commend their message more readily to the world at large. </p> <h4> III. Its Use in the New Testament </h4> <p> 1. In the Gospels </p> <p> [[Apart]] from the passage just referred to, the word <i> '''''ekklēsia''''' </i> occurs in the Gospels on one other occasion only ( Matthew 18:17 ). Here, moreover, it may be questioned whether Our Lord is referring to the Christian church, or to Jewish congregations commonly known as synagogues (see the Revised Version, margin) The latter view is more in keeping with the situation, but the promise immediately given to the disciples of a power to bind and loose ( Matthew 18:18 ) and the assurance "Where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them" ( Matthew 18:20 ) are evidently meant for the people of Christ. If, as is probable, the <i> '''''ekklesia''''' </i> of Matthew 18:17 is the Christian <i> '''''ekklesia''''' </i> of which [[Christ]] had already spoken to Peter, the words show that He conceived of the church as a society possessing powers of self-government, in which questions of discipline were to be decided by the collective judgment of the members. </p> <p> 2. In Acts </p> <p> In Acts the <i> '''''ekklēsia''''' </i> has come to be the regular designation for the society of Christian believers, but is employed in two distinct senses. First in a <i> local </i> sense, to denote the body of [[Christians]] in a particular place or district, as in [[Jerusalem]] ( Acts 5:11; Acts 8:1 ), in [[Antioch]] ( Acts 13:1; Acts 15:22 ), in Caesarea ( Acts 18:22 ) - a usage which reappears in the [[Apocalypse]] in the letters to the [[Seven]] Churches. Then in a wider and what may be called a universal sense, to denote the sum total of existing local churches ( Acts 9:31 the Revised Version (British and American)), which are Thus regarded as forming one body. </p> <p> 3. In the Pauline Epistles </p> <p> In the Pauline Epistles both of these usages are frequent. Thus the apostle writes of "the church of the Thessalonians" ( 1 Thessalonians 1:1 ), "the church of God which is at Corinth" ( 1 Corinthians 1:2; 2 Corinthians 1:1 ). Indeed he localizes and particularizes the word yet further by applying it to a single Christian household or to little groups of believers who were accustomed to assemble in private houses for worship and fellowship ( Romans 16:5; 1 Corinthians 16:19; Colossians 4:15; Philippians 1:2 ) - an employment of the word which recalls the saying of Jesus in Matthew 18:20 . The <i> universal </i> use, again, may be illustrated by the contrast he draws between Jews and [[Greeks]] on the one hand and the church of God on the other ( 1 Corinthians 10:32 ), and by the declaration that God has set in the church apostles, prophets, and teachers ( 1 Corinthians 12:28 ). </p> <p> But Paul in his later epistles has another use of <i> '''''ekklēsia''''' </i> peculiar to himself, which may be described as the <i> ideal </i> use. The church, now, is the body of which Christ is the head ( Ephesians 1:22 f; Colossians 1:18 , Colossians 1:24 ). It is the medium through which God's manifold wisdom and eternal purpose are to be made known not only to all men, but to the principalities and powers in the heavenly places ( Ephesians 3:9-11 ). It is the bride of whom He is the heavenly Bridegroom, the bride for whom in His love He gave Himself up, that He might cleanse and sanctify her and might present her to Himself a glorious church, a church without blemish, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing ( Ephesians 5:25 ). This church clearly is not the actual church as we know it on earth, with its divisions, its blemishes, its shortcomings in faith and love and obedience. It is the holy and catholic church that is to be when the [[Bridegroom]] has completed the process of lustration, having fully "cleansed it by the washing of water with the word." It is the ideal which the actual church must keep before it and strive after, the ideal up to which it shall finally be guided by that [[Divine]] in-working power which is able to conform the body to the head, to make the bride worthy of the Bridegroom, so that God may receive in the church the glory that is His ( Ephesians 3:21 ). </p> <h4> IV. The Notes of the Church </h4> <p> 1. Faith </p> <p> Although a systematic doctrine of the church is neither to be found nor to be looked for in the New Testament, certain characteristic notes or features of the Christian society are brought before us from which we can form some conception as to its nature. The fundamental note is <i> faith </i> . It was to Peter confessing his faith in Christ that the promise came, "Upon this rock I will build my church" ( Matthew 16:18 ). Until Jesus found a man full of faith He could not begin to build His church; and unless Peter had been the prototype of others whose faith was like his own, the walls of the church would never have risen into the air. Primarily the church is a society not of thinkers or workers or even of worshippers, but of believers. Hence, we find that "believers" or "they that believed" is constantly used as a synonym for the members of the Christian society (e.g. Acts 2:44; Acts 4:32; Acts 5:14; 1 Timothy 4:12 ). Hence, too, the rite of baptism, which from the first was the condition of entrance into the apostolic church and the seal of membership in it, was recognized as preëminently the sacrament of faith and of confession ( Acts 2:41; Acts 8:12 , Acts 8:36; Romans 6:4; 1 Corinthians 12:13 ). This church-founding and church-building faith, of which baptism was the seal, was much more than an act of intellectual assent. It was a personal laying hold of the personal Saviour, the bond of a vital union between Christ and the believer which resulted in nothing less than a new creation ( Romans 6:4; Romans 8:1 , Romans 8:2; 2 Corinthians 5:17 ). </p> <p> 2. Fellowship </p> <p> If faith in Christ is the fundamental note of the Christian society, the next is <i> fellowship </i> among the members. This follows from the very nature of faith as just described; for if each believer is vitally joined to Christ, all believers must stand in a living relation to one another. In Paul's favorite figure, Christians are members one of another because they are members in particular of the body of Christ ( Romans 12:5; 1 Corinthians 12:27 ). That the Christian society was recognized from the first as a fellowship appears from the name "the brethren," which is so commonly applied to those who belong to it. In Acts the name is of very frequent occurrence ( Acts 9:30 , etc.), and it is employed by Paul in the epistles of every period of his career ( 1 Thessalonians 4:10 , etc.). Similar testimony lies in the fact that "the <i> '''''koinōnia''''' </i> " (English Versions "fellowship") takes its place in the earliest meetings of the church side by side with the apostles' teaching and the breaking of bread and prayers ( Acts 2:42 ). See [[Communion]] . The <i> '''''koinōnia''''' </i> at first carried with it a community of goods ( Acts 2:44; Acts 4:32 ), but afterward found expression in the fellowship of ministration ( 2 Corinthians 8:4 ) and in such acts of Christian charity as are inspired by Christian faith ( Hebrews 13:16 ). In the Lord's Supper, the other sacrament of the primitive church, the fellowship of Christians received its most striking and most sacred expression. For if baptism was especially the sacrament of faith, the [[Supper]] was distinctively the sacrament of love and fellowship - a communion or common participation in Christ's death and its fruits which carried with it a communion of hearts and spirits between the participants themselves. </p> <p> 3. Unity </p> <p> Although local congregations sprang up wherever the gospel was preached, and each of these enjoyed an independent life of its own, the <i> unity </i> of the church was clearly recognized from the first. The intercourse between Jerusalem and Antioch ( Acts 11:22; Acts 15:2 ), the conference held in the former city ( Acts 15:6 ), the right hand of fellowship given by the elder apostles to Paul and [[Barnabas]] ( Galatians 2:9 ), the untiring efforts made by Paul himself to forge strong links of love and mutual service between [[Gentile]] and Jewish Christians (2 Cor 8) - all these things serve to show how fully it was realized that though there were many churches, there was but one church. This truth comes to its complete expression in the epistles of Paul's imprisonment, with their vision of the church as a body of which Christ is the head, a body animated by one spirit, and having one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all ( Ephesians 4:4; Colossians 1:18; Colossians 3:11 ). And this unity, it is to be noticed, is conceived of as a visible unity. Jesus Himself evidently conceived it so when He prayed for His disciples that they all might be one, so that the world might believe ( John 17:21 ). And the unity of which Paul writes and for which he strove is a unity that finds visible expression. Not, it is true, in any uniformity of outward polity, but through the manifestation of a common faith in acts of mutual love ( Ephesians 4:3 , Ephesians 4:13; 2 Corinthians 9:1-15 ). </p> <p> 4. Consecration </p> <p> Another dominant note of the New Testament church lay in the <i> consecration </i> of its members. "Saints" is one of the most frequently recurring designations for them that we find. As Thus employed, the word has in the first place an objective meaning; the sainthood of the Christian society consisted in its separation from the world by God's electing grace; in this respect it has succeeded to the prerogatives of Israel under the old covenant. The members of the church, as Peter said, are "an elect race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God's own possession" ( 1 Peter 2:9 ). But side by side with this sense of an outward and priestly consecration, the flame "saints" carried within it the thought of an ethical holiness - a holiness consisting, not merely in a status determined by relation to Christ, but in an actual and practical saintliness, a consecration to God that finds expression in character and conduct. No doubt the members of the church are called saints even when the living evidences of sainthood are sadly lacking. Writing to the [[Corinthian]] church in which he found so much to blame, Paul addresses its members by this title ( 1 Corinthians 1:2; compare 1 Corinthians 6:11 ). But he does so for other than formal reasons - not only because consecration to God is their outward calling and status as believers; but also because he is assured that a work of real sanctification is going on, and must continue to go on, in their bodies and their spirits which are His. For those who are in Christ are a new creation ( 2 Corinthians 5:17 ), and those to whom has come the separating and consecrating call ( 2 Corinthians 6:17 ) must cleanse themselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God ( 2 Corinthians 7:1 ). Paul looks upon the members of the church, just as he looks upon the church itself, with a prophetic eye; he sees them not as they are, but as they are to be. And in his view it is "by the washing of water with the word," in other words by the progressive sanctification of its members, that the church itself is to be sanctified and cleansed, until Christ can present it to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing ( Ephesians 5:26 , Ephesians 5:27 ). </p> <p> 5. Power </p> <p> Yet another note of the church was spiritual <i> power </i> . When the name <i> '''''ekklēsia''''' </i> was given by Jesus to the society He came to found, His promise to Peter included the bestowal of the gift of power ( Matthew 16:18 , Matthew 16:19 ). The apostle was to receive the "power of the keys," i.e. he was to exercise the privilege of opening the doors of the kingdom of heaven to the Jew ( Acts 2:41 ) and to the Gentile ( Acts 10:34-38; Acts 15:7 ). He was further to have the power of binding and loosing, i.e. of forbidding and permitting; in other words he was to possess the functions of a legislator within the spiritual sphere of the church. The legislative powers then bestowed upon Peter personally as the reward of his believing confession were afterward conferred upon the disciples generally ( Matthew 18:18; compare Matthew 18:1 and also Matthew 18:19 , Matthew 18:20 ), and at the conference in Jerusalem were exercised by the church as a whole ( Acts 15:4 , Acts 15:22 ). The power to open the gates of the kingdom of heaven was expanded into the great missionary commission, "Go ye therefore, and make disciples of all the nations" ( Matthew 28:19 ) - a commission that was understood by the apostolic church to be addressed not to the eleven apostles only, but to all Christ's followers without distinction ( Acts 8:4 , etc.). To the Christian society there Thus belonged the double power of legislating for its own members and of opening the kingdom of heaven to all believers. But these double functions of teaching and government were clearly recognized as delegated gifts. The church taught the nations because Christ had bid her go and do it. She laid down laws for her own members because He had conferred upon her authority to bind and to loose. But in every exercise of her authority she relied upon Him from whom she derived it. She believed that Christ was with her alway, even unto the end of the world ( Matthew 28:20 ), and that the power with which she was endued was power from on high ( Luke 24:49 ). </p> <h4> V. Organization of the Church </h4> <p> It seems evident from the New Testament that Jesus gave His disciples no formal prescriptions for the organization of the church. In the first days after [[Pentecost]] they had no thought of separating themselves from the religious life of Israel, and would not realize the need of any distinct organization of their own. The temple-worship was still adhered to ( Acts 2:46; Acts 3:1 ), though it was supplemented by apostolic teaching, by prayer and fellowship, and by the breaking of bread ( Acts 2:42 , Acts 2:46 ). Organization was a thing of gradual growth suggested by emerging needs, and the differentiation of function among those who were drawn into the service of the church was due to the difference in the gifts bestowed by God upon the church members ( 1 Corinthians 12:28 ). At first the Twelve themselves, as the immediate companions of Jesus throughout His ministry and the prime witnesses of the Christian facts and especially of the resurrection (compare Acts 1:21 , Acts 1:22 ), were the natural leaders and teachers of the community. Apart from this, the earliest evidence of anything like organization is found in the distinction drawn by the Twelve themselves between the ministry of the word and the ministry of tables ( Acts 6:2 , Acts 6:4 ) - a distinction which was fully recognized by Paul ( Romans 12:6 , Romans 12:8; 1 Corinthians 1:17; 1 Corinthians 9:14; 1 Corinthians 12:28 ), though he enlarged the latter type of ministry so as to include much more than the care of the poor. The two kinds of ministry, as they meet us at the first, may broadly be distinguished as the general and prophetic on the one hand, the local and practical on the other. </p> <p> 1. The General and Prophetic Ministry </p> <p> From Acts 6:1 we see that the Twelve recognized that they were Divinely called as apostles to proclaim the gospel; and Paul repeatedly makes the same claim for himself ( 1 Corinthians 1:17; 1 Corinthians 9:16; 2 Corinthians 3:6; 2 Corinthians 4:1; Colossians 1:23 ). But apostle ship was by no means confined to the Twelve ( Acts 14:14; Romans 16:7; compare <i> [[Didache]] </i> 11 4ff); and an itinerant ministry of the word was exercised in differing ways by prophets, evangelists, and teachers, as well as by apostles ( 1 Corinthians 12:28 , 1 Corinthians 12:29; Ephesians 4:11 ). The fact that Paul himself is variously described as an apostle, a prophet, a teacher ( Acts 13:1; Acts 14:14; 1 Timothy 2:7; 2 Timothy 1:11 ) appears to show that the prophetic ministry was not a ministry of stated office, but one of special gifts and functions. The apostle carried the good tidings of salvation to the ignorant and unbelieving ( Galatians 2:7 , Galatians 2:8 ), the prophet (in the more specific sense of the word) was a messenger to the church ( 1 Corinthians 14:4 , 1 Corinthians 14:22 ); and while the teacher explained and applied truth that was already possessed ( Hebrews 5:12 ), the prophet was recognized by those who had spiritual discernment ( 1 Corinthians 2:15; 1 Corinthians 14:29; 1 John 4:1 ) as the Divinely employed medium of fresh revelations ( 1 Corinthians 14:25 , 1 Corinthians 14:30 , 1 Corinthians 14:31; Ephesians 3:5; compare <i> Didache </i> 4 1). </p> <p> 2. The Local and Practical Ministry </p> <p> The earliest examples of this are the Seven of Jerusalem who were entrusted with the care of the "daily ministration" ( Acts 6:1 ). With the growth of the church, however, other needs arose, and the local ministry is seen developing in two distinct directions. First there is the presbyter or elder, otherwise known as the bishop or overseer, whose duties, while still local, are chiefly of a spiritual kind ( Acts 20:17 , Acts 20:28 , Acts 20:35; 1 Timothy 3:2 , 1 Timothy 3:5; James 5:14; 1 Peter 5:2 ). See [[Bishop]] . Next there are the deacon and the deaconess ( Philippians 1:1; 1 Timothy 3:8-13 ), whose work appears to have lain largely in house to house visitation and a practical ministry to the poor and needy ( 1 Timothy 5:8-11 ). The necessities of government, of discipline, and of regular and stated instruction had Thus brought it to pass that within New Testament times some of the functions of the general ministry of apostles and prophets were discharged by a local ministry. The general ministry, however, was still recognized to be the higher of the two. Paul addresses the presbyter-bishops of [[Ephesus]] in a tone of lofty spiritual authority ( Acts 20:17 :ff). And according to the <i> Didache </i> , a true prophet when he visits a church is to take precedence over the resident bishops and deacons ( <i> Didache </i> 10 7; 13 3). See [[Church Government]] . </p> <h4> Literature </h4> <p> Hort, <i> The Christian [[Ecclesia]] </i> ; Lindsay, <i> The Church and the Ministry in the Early Cents. </i> , lects I-V; Hatch, <i> Bampton Lectures </i> ; Gwatkin, <i> Early Church History to ad 313 </i> ; Köstlin, article "Kirche" in See Hauck-Herzog, <i> Realencyklopadie fur protestantische Theologie und Kirche </i> ; Armitage Robinson, article "Church" in <i> Encyclopedia Biblica </i> ; Fairbairn, <i> Christ in Modern [[Theology]] </i> , 513-34; Dargan, <i> [[Ecclesiology]] </i> ; Denney, <i> Studies in Theology </i> , Ch viii. </p>
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