Question: What is the main purpose and role of the church, as a collection of believers? And does this purpose affect the form and function of worship? Note the two sides of this issue are typically: 1) “edify the body” and 2) “reach the lost.” Be clear whether the church has one or multiple tasks, and which one is primary and which is secondary.
Response:
Ecclesiology is the study or doctrine of the church (374). One of the early church father, Isidore of Pelusium, defined the church as “the assembly of saints joined together by correct faith and excellent manner of life” (377). Luther stated that a church’s identity is tied to the preaching of the gospel taught by the apostles than to be an organization that descended from them (382). John Calvin taught that a true church rightly preached the gospel and rightly administered the sacraments (383). For Calvin, the church was the body where God brings about the sanctification of the elect (383). In the twentieth century, Karl Barth taught the church was a gathering of called persons united with Christ whom he has commissioned to serve the world (387).
The church is the corporate gathering of elect (Eph. 1.4). The church is the representative body of Christ on earth (Eph. 1.23). Jesus Christ is the head of the body and the one who keeps every member connected and organized for his purposes (Eph. 4.16). The purpose of the church is to worship God, to nurture believers, to proclaim the gospel, and to show Christian mercy to the world (Grudem, Systematic Theology, 867).
God created all things for his glory. In our union with Christ we are to bring him praise and glory (Eph. 1.12). The church is to gather together regularly (Acts 19.39; Heb. 10.24). Corporate gathering is the place where we come together to pray, sing, and worship the Lord with all our hearts (Eph. 5.19). We bring God glory through our praises when we gather together in one place with one spirit to worship him as the one true God.
The church is the organization which is tasked with the nurturing of believers. Church is the gathering where the sacraments are taken (Acts 2.47, 20.11). It is the place where believers gather to study the Scriptures and the teachings of the apostles (Acts 2.42). The church is to provide education by developing leaders and teachers who can communicate the gospel and sound doctrine (2 Tim. 2.2). The goal of this education is to make mature disciples (Eph 4.12-13; Col. 1.28). The church is to provide welfare for the physical needs of its members (Acts 2.45, 6.3, 11.29; 2 Cor. 8.4; Gal. 6.2; 1 Jn. 3.17).
Jesus commanded the church to proclaim the gospel. The church is commanded to go into the entire world to be witnesses of the truth of the gospel (Matt. 28.19; Acts 1.8). The church also is referred to as salt and light (Matt 5.13-16). The church is “salt” by bringing the cleansing and healing message of Jesus. The “light” refers the enlightening work of the Spirit through the church when the gospel is proclaimed. The church is who God has called out to proclaim the message that brings spiritual light to dark and damned world (1 Peter 2.10).
Jesus came to meet man’s spiritual and physical needs. Jesus died for the church to redeem her from her sin (Eph. 5.25). The church should imitate the mercy of God toward all men (Luke 6.35-36). The church will show the love of God both when the gospel is proclaimed and individual’s physical needs are met.
The church has multiple tasks that it is challenged to undertake as it fulfills it purposes. The diversity in these purposes for the church necessitates a prioritization of those purposes. The first priority of the church is the worship of God because the church was created by God for God. The church is God’s bride and this symbolizes the primary relationship between God and the church (Eph. 5.22-33). The second priority for the church is the edification of the body. The church is the organization which builds itself up for God. The church is a diverse organization of members whose goal is the unity and the growth of the whole body (1 Cor. 12.12-31). The third priority is the proclamation of the gospel to reach the lost world. The church is commanded to declare the gospel to the entire world because the preaching of the word is God’s means of salvation (Luke 24.47; Acts 20.21; Rom. 10.14).
Practically, the church must be formed and organized to meet all the purposes for which God has created it. God has gifted the members of the church with different skills and abilities. God has given the church instruction about how to organize itself to complete its missions. Some are called and gifted to praise God while others are called to teach the body. Some are called and gifted to proclaim the gospel through evangelistic means while others are gifted with the ability to other’s needs. The members of the church must seek unity in purpose and spirit so that it can efficiently and effectively complete its mission in this age.
Works Cited:
McGrath, Alister E. Christian Theology: An Introduction. 5th Edition. Chichester: Wiley-Blackwell, 2011.
Wayne A. Grudem, Systematic Theology: An Introduction to Biblical Doctrine. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1994.
Filed under: MIN504, Theology | Leave a Comment
Question: Describe/summarize briefly the main views of the Eucharist (aka Mass, Lord ’s Supper, Communion). Defend why a particular interpretation explains best what Jesus meant when he said: “this is my body.” Is this an issue that churches should “split” over?
Response:
A sacrament is an act or visible sign by which God offers his promise of grace (McGrath, 415). Jesus instituted, or ordained, two sacraments for the church. One is baptism and the other is the Eucharist. The Eucharist also is known as Mass, Holy Communion, or the Lord’s Supper. For the purpose of continuity this sacrament will be referred to as the Eucharist.
Throughout church history there have been many interpretations or views of the Eucharist. The primary difference centers on what Jesus meant when he said “this is my body” (Matt. 26.26). The debate is over the nature of the real presence of Jesus in the Eucharist (415). The three major views are: transubstantiation, consubstantiation, and memorialism or transignification.
The Roman Catholic Church holds the transubstantiation view. This view represents the consolidation and development of the views of Paschasius Radbertus that the bread and wine literally become the body and blood of Christ after their consecration (417). This theory states that although the physical appearance, or species, is unchanged while the substance, or essential nature, changes into the body and blood of Jesus Christ at the moment of consecration (471). This change in substance is the miraculous transformation into the actual body and blood of Christ.
This approach was criticized by the German Protestant theologian Martin Luther. Luther’s view was referred to as consubstantiation. This view holds that the no change or transformation is necessary since there is a simultaneous presence of the both the bread and the body of Christ at the same time (419). Luther held that Christ was really present at the Eucharist and that transubstantiation was an absurd attempt to rationalize how he was present (420).
Whereas these first two views differed on how the real presence of Christ occurs in the Eucharist, the third view focused on the symbolic meaning of “this is my body” (420). Huldrych Zwingli, a Swiss Protestant reformer, developed the theory of transignification (420). Transubstantiation and consubstantiation represented a real sacrifice of the body but transignification (or “the Remembrance”) is a memorial to the sufferings and sacrifice of Christ. Zwingli denied a literal interpretation of “this is my body” which turned the real presence issue into a real absence. He taught that Matthew 26 is to be taken metaphorically or figuratively in such a way that the “this” represents the body that Christ would offer up as a sacrifice (420). Therefore, Christ is teaching his followers to take the bread and wine as a way to remember and memorialize Jesus’ sacrificial death for believers. For Zwingli there was no need to explain the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist because there was no real presence represented.
The “Remembrance” or transignification view is the best view of what Jesus meant by “this is my body” (Matt. 26.6). Jesus, who was literally present, took bread and instructed the disciples to partake of it as a remembrance of his bodily sacrifice for them (Luke 22.19). Paul teaches that each time believers partake of the bread and the wine they, through an act of remembrance, are proclaiming the Lord’s sacrificially death (1 Cor. 11.24-26). This action is a proclamation of the act of Christ on our behalf not a re-sacrifice of his literal body and blood.
Churches should not “split” over this issue because the members must be in unity on their view of the sacrament. Questions about this should be taken as an opportunity to build the spiritual maturity and fellowship of the body and should not be allowed to become a source of division.
Works Cited:
McGrath, Alister E. Christian Theology: An Introduction. 5th Edition. Chichester: Wiley-Blackwell, 2011.
Filed under: MIN504, Theology | Leave a Comment
Alcohol and Church Membership
From the Desiring God Blog
By: Michael Johnson
Piper explains his position on alcohol and church membership:
When I came to Bethlehem Baptist Church over [three] decades ago, this was one of the first controversies I had to deal with. We survived it and are he better for it. I think what I learned may be helpful.
Among Baptist and other congregationally governed churches, the local church constitution generally contains an affirmation of faith and church covenant. The church covenant describes a core set of Biblical expectations relating to how members live; while the affirmation of faith describes a core of Biblical expectations relating to what members believe. As a general rule, therefore, the expectations of the church covenant, along with the affirmation of faith, function as prerequisites for church membership.
Many congregationally governed churches have a sentence in their church covenants which goes something like this: ‘We engage to abstain from the use and the sale of intoxicating liquors as a beverage.” In principle, therefore, these churches exclude all persons except teetotalers from church membership. . .
I am persuaded that such a regulation from church membership falls into the category of legalistic exclusivism and stands under the judgment of the apostolic word in Scripture. This is my persuasion even though I am a total abstainer myself and believe total abstinence is a wise and biblically defensible way of life for our day.
John Piper, Brothers, We Are Not Professionals (Nashville, TN: Broadman and Holman, 2002), 151-152 (emphasis and paragraphing by Michael Johnson).
Filed under: Church Membership | Leave a Comment
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Erasing Hell by Francis Chan
A piece of clay trying to tell other pieces of clay what the Potter is like . . . think about that for a second.
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New Style Small Group
Dissatisfied with your current small-group? You might want to check out this one. “We hate bad theology as much as the next guy. And we know the surest way to prevent bad theology is to avoid theology altogether.”
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