What is the church?

Understanding Matthew 16:18

The church is the most important institution in the history of the world — and the most misunderstood. For many people, 'church' means a building with a steeple, a Sunday morning program, or a religious institution they attend (or avoid). The Bible means something radically different.

The word: ekklesia (ἐκκλησία)

The Greek word 'ekklesia' does not mean 'a place of worship.' It means 'assembly' or 'gathering' — specifically, a called-out assembly. In the Greek-speaking world, an ekklesia was a civic assembly of citizens called together for a specific purpose. When Jesus said 'I will build my ekklesia' (Matthew 16:18), His Jewish listeners would have heard echoes of the Old Testament 'qahal' — the assembly of Israel gathered before God (Deuteronomy 4:10, 9:10).

The church, therefore, is not:

• A building (the New Testament church had no dedicated buildings for 200+ years)
• A denomination or institution
• A weekly event you attend
• An organization you join

The church is the people — the community of all those who have placed their faith in Jesus Christ, called out of the world and gathered together as His body.

Biblical images of the church:

The New Testament uses multiple metaphors to describe what the church is:

1. The Body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:12-27, Ephesians 1:22-23) — The most developed metaphor. Christ is the head; believers are the members. Each member has a distinct function. 'The eye cannot say to the hand, I don't need you!' (12:21). The body metaphor teaches interdependence: no believer is self-sufficient, and no gift is unnecessary. It also teaches organic unity: the church is not an organization chart but a living organism.

2. The Bride of Christ (Ephesians 5:25-32, Revelation 19:7-9) — Christ loves the church as a husband loves his wife — sacrificially, protectively, and with the goal of presenting her 'holy and blameless' (Ephesians 5:27). This image emphasizes intimacy, covenant love, and the future 'wedding supper of the Lamb.'

3. The Temple of God (1 Corinthians 3:16-17, Ephesians 2:19-22, 1 Peter 2:5) — In the Old Testament, God's presence dwelt in the Temple. Now, the church is God's temple — 'built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone' (Ephesians 2:20). Individual believers are 'living stones' (1 Peter 2:5) in this spiritual house. God's address is not a building; it is His people.

4. The Household of God (Ephesians 2:19, 1 Timothy 3:15, Galatians 6:10) — The church is a family. Believers are brothers and sisters with God as Father. This is not a metaphor for friendliness; it is a statement of identity. In the ancient world, your household determined your loyalties, your resources, and your protection. The church is that for believers.

5. A Royal Priesthood (1 Peter 2:9) — 'You are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's special possession.' In the Old Testament, only Levites were priests. Now, every believer has direct access to God and a priestly ministry of worship and intercession.

The local church and the universal church:

The New Testament uses 'ekklesia' in two senses:

• The universal church — All believers in Christ across all times and places. This is the church that Jesus is building (Matthew 16:18), the body of which He is head (Colossians 1:18).

• The local church — A specific gathering of believers in a particular place (the church in Corinth, the church in Ephesus, the church that meets in Philemon's house). Most New Testament usage refers to local churches.

Both are essential. You cannot be part of the universal church without committing to a local expression of it. The 'I love Jesus but not the church' mentality is foreign to the New Testament — it would have been incomprehensible to the apostles.

What the church does:

The early church's practice (Acts 2:42-47) provides a template:

1. Teaching — 'They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching.' The church is a learning community grounded in Scripture.

2. Fellowship — 'They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts.' The church is a community of shared life, not just shared beliefs.

3. Worship — 'Praising God.' The church gathers to worship — in prayer, singing, the Lord's Supper, and the reading of Scripture.

4. Mission — 'The Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.' The church exists not for itself but for the world. It is sent, as Jesus was sent (John 20:21).

5. Mutual care — 'They shared everything they had.' The early church practiced radical generosity. Members sold property to meet needs. No one claimed private ownership of their possessions.

Why the church matters:

In an age of individualistic spirituality — 'I can worship God in nature,' 'I don't need organized religion' — the New Testament insists that Christianity is irreducibly communal. You cannot follow Christ alone:

• You need other believers to exercise your spiritual gifts (1 Corinthians 12)
• You need mutual encouragement (Hebrews 10:24-25)
• You need accountability (Galatians 6:1-2)
• You need the Lord's Supper, which is a communal meal (1 Corinthians 11)
• You need to practice the 59 'one another' commands of the New Testament — love one another, serve one another, bear one another's burdens, forgive one another — and these require other people

The church is messy, imperfect, and sometimes painful — because it is made of sinners being sanctified. But it is Christ's body, His bride, and His chosen instrument for reaching the world. He has not given up on it, and neither should we.