By Preston McElyea
Depending on who you ask, one’s definition concerning the church might differ. To some, the church is simply the building in which we assemble on Sundays and Wednesdays to worship God and learn more about Him. For others, the church is merely a social club where we mingle and interact with others. Others recognize the church as being the whole body of believers regardless of the name on the front of the building. If we wish to better understand the church, however, we ought to focus our attention on what we learn of the church in God’s word.
The church did not originate with man. As Paul was speaking with the overseers of the church in Ephesus, he points out that the church was “purchased with [Christ’s] own blood” (Acts 20:27, NKJV). This denotes divine ownership. Furthermore, Jesus says to His disciples, “I will build My church” (Matt. 16:18). Because Jesus is the one who built and purchased the church, he, therefore, has all authority within the church (Eph. 1:22-23). While other passages could be considered concerning the church’s divine origin, these passages ought to suffice seeing as they point out that the church is not from man, but it is from God through the sacrifice of His Son. Therefore, the church with which we assemble ought to reflect His ownership in both its name and its practice.
How then does one find entrance to the Lord’s church? Some might require the meeting of a council or a vote from other members, but what does the authoritative word of God say concerning this matter? In the same context where Jesus tells His disciples that He would build His church, He also tells Peter that he would be given “the keys of the kingdom of heaven.” Following Jesus’ return to the Father, we find Peter using the keys as he reveals the terms of entrance to the church in Acts 2:37 – “Repent, and let everyone of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” It is through this obedience that salvation is found, and “the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved” (Acts 2:47; cf. 1 Cor. 12:13). No man can add another man to the body of Christ Jesus. Only the Lord Himself will add those who have obeyed Him in order to be saved.
The church is not man’s and therefore should not reflect man in its name or its operation. Rather, the church should reflect the One who built and purchased it “with His own blood” (Acts 20:7). If we find ourselves assembled with a church that fails to submit to Jesus’ authority in all things or that makes their terms of membership beyond what Christ has set in place, then we have found ourselves assembled with a church that is not the church we read of in the New Testament. If we wish to be counted among “those who were being saved” (Acts 2:47), we must make sure to follow the authoritative word of God and look to Christ for authority in all things – including the church with which we worship.