What Is the Church?
Let us investigate the origin of the word "church" first.
Matthew 16:18 (NET) - “And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overpower it.”
ORIGIN OF THE WORD CHURCH
This is an explanation regarding the origin of the word "church" in Christianity and its connection with terms in the Greek Bible.
The Word "Church" (English): This word, along with words like kirche (German) and kirk (Scottish), is generally believed to originate from the Greek word kuriakon.
Kuriakon is the neutral adjectival form of kurios, which means "Lord."
So, kuriakon literally means "belonging to the Lord" or "house of the Lord" (place of worship).
The term for "church" exists in the Bible (New Testament), which was originally written in Greek. That term is ekklesia.
Word Origin: Ekklesia is a combination of:
- Ek: Meaning "out of."
- Kaleo: Meaning "to call."
Literal Meaning: Literally, ekklesia means "the called-out ones" or "assembly/congregation."
Initial Concepts:
- In the classical (secular) Greek context, ekklesia referred to a popular assembly or a meeting of citizens called out for city governance affairs.
- In the New Testament Bible, the word ekklesia was first used by Jesus (Matthew 16:18) and refers to the community of believers called out from the world to be a people belonging to Christ.
EXAMPLES OF VERSES CONTAINING THE WORD EKKLESIA
The word ekklesia was first mentioned by Jesus Himself, providing the foundation for the concept of the church:
1. In the Gospel of Matthew (3 times)
Matthew 16:18: "And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church (ekklesia), and the gates of Hades will not overpower it."
(This is the first appearance of the word in a Christian context.)
Matthew 18:17: "If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church (ekklesia). If he refuses to listen to the church (ekklesia) as well, treat him like a Gentile or a tax collector."
(Here it refers to a local community authorized to make disciplinary decisions.)
2. In the Acts of the Apostles (Important Examples)
- Acts 7:38 (Non-Christian/classical use, referring to the people of Israel in the wilderness as the "assembly").
- Acts 19:32, 39, 41 (Used for the rowdy "assembly/popular gathering" of Ephesus in the theater, in the secular sense of ekklesia).
- Acts 20:28 (Paul speaking to the elders of the Ephesian church: "...to shepherd the church (ekklesia) of God, which he obtained with the blood of his own Son.")
3. In the Epistles of Paul (Important Examples)
- 1 Corinthians 1:2: "To the church (ekklesia) of God that is in Corinth, to those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus, and called to be saints, with all those in every place who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ..."
(Refers to the local church.)
- Ephesians 1:22-23: "...and he put all things under Christ's feet, and gave him to the church (ekklesia) as head over all things. Now the church (ekklesia) is his body..."
(Refers to the universal church—the Body of Christ.)
- Colossians 1:18: "He is the head of the body, the church (ekklesia). He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that he himself may have first place in everything."
(Affirms the role of Christ as the Head.)
4. In Revelation
Revelation 1:11: "...'Write in a book what you see and send it to the seven churches (ekklesia)—to Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea.'"
(Refers to local churches in Asia Minor.)
So if we use the guidance of the Word, what is meant by the church is the gathering of people belonging to the Lord, alias the congregation, not the building—especially since there is a Word stating that our bodies are the temple of God.
1 Corinthians 6:19 (NET) - “Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own?”
You must be able to distinguish between the church, the church building, the church organization, and the church denomination.
- Church = the congregation or gathering of Christians or children of God.
- Church Building = the building where the church (alias Christians) gathers for worship services.
- Church Organization = Church organization is the formal institutional framework within the Christian community that has the vision and mission of that institution.
- Church Denomination = a specific group or branch within Christianity that can be identified and distinguished based on doctrines, practices, and institutional structure.
DIVISION IN THE CHURCH
1 Corinthians 1:11-13 (NET) - “For members of Chloe’s household have made it clear to me, my brothers and sisters, that there are quarrels among you. Now I mean this, that each of you is saying, 'I am with Paul,' or 'I am with Apollos,' or 'I am with Cephas,' or 'I am with Christ.' Is Christ divided? Paul was not crucified for you, was he? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul?”
1 Corinthians 3:3-4 (NET) - “for you are still influenced by the flesh. For since there is still jealousy and dissension among you, are you not influenced by the flesh and behaving like unregenerate people? For when someone says, 'I am with Paul,' and another says, 'I am with Apollos,' are you not merely human?”
Members Connected Directly to Christ
John 15:5 (NET) - “I am the vine; you are the branches. The one who remains in me—and I in him—bears much fruit, because apart from me you can accomplish nothing.”
The essence of our spiritual body is connected or joined directly to Christ, not to a church denomination.
If we leave or step out of a denomination, it does not mean we are apostate or leaving God.
When a Denomination Is Wrong
A denomination can be wrong in some doctrines, traditions, customs, or teachings.
If a person as a member knows the error of that denomination and does not want to be "infected," they may leave that denomination, provided that they are unable to rebuke or fix the error within that denomination.
In this case, when they leave that denomination, they do not apostatize from God because the doctrines, traditions, customs, or teachings of that erroneous denomination risk hindering their spiritual growth (and can even mislead them).
They do not apostatize from God if, upon leaving, they continue to live in Christ according to His Word.
Revelation 3:15-16 (NET) - “I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either cold or hot! So because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I am going to vomit you out of my mouth!”
Take the Laodicean Church as an example: they had problems regarding commitment to God and were threatened with being "vomited out" by God. If a member of the congregation becomes aware of this and has tried to rebuke them but turns out they refuse to change, then this "aware" member may leave the Laodicean Church and look for another congregation. In this case, they do not apostatize from God.
When Denominations Have Different Roles
Each denomination has its own strengths and weaknesses. Some are better at evangelism but weak in teaching; some are better at teaching but weak in fellowship.
Just like denomination "A", which acts more like a hand; it is strong in the role of a hand but weak if it acts like a foot.
Furthermore, a certain denomination "B" or "C" might be more suitable or fit for older people compared to young people, some fit introverts compared to extroverts, and some are more suitable for a specific ethnicity (just like in biblical times where some were a better fit for Jews and others for Gentiles).
So this is not about a heretical denomination. This is a matter of different roles. If a person as a member feels less compatible due to this difference, and then leaves to look for a denomination that fits them better, they are not apostatizing from God.
1 Corinthians 1:11-13 (NET) - “For members of Chloe’s household have made it clear to me, my brothers and sisters, that there are quarrels among you. Now I mean this, that each of you is saying, 'I am with Paul,' or 'I am with Apollos,' or 'I am with Cephas,' or 'I am with Christ.' Is Christ divided? Paul was not crucified for you, was he? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul?”
NON-DENOMINATIONAL CHURCH
A congregation or gathering of believers can be said to be non-denominational if they:
(1) The results of evangelism (converts) do not have to become their members. They convert someone to bring them to Christ, not to a specific group. A newborn Christian is free to choose whichever denomination they want to register with.
(2) Do not dare to consider other groups heretical. While it is true there are denominations that are heretical and do not line up with the Word, one heretical group does not mean all other groups are DEFINITELY heretical.
(3) Free their members to choose to worship in other groups. As long as the group outside is a gathering of God's children, members of a Non-Denominational Church are free to move there and will not be considered apostate.
(4) Serve all denominations. A Non-Denominational Church does not limit its ministry only to its own group, but also to other groups. This is because the one being served is Christ, not group A, nor group B.
WHY MUST WE GO TO CHURCH?
(1) All children of God are members of the body of Christ, where each member is bound together in the body. A child of God is part of a gathering of His people, not just an individual.
1 Corinthians 12:27 (NET) - “Now you are Christ’s body, and each of you is a member of it.”
1 Peter 2:9 (NET) - “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people of his own, so that you may proclaim the virtues of the one who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.”
(2) The command to live in fellowship.
Hebrews 10:24-25 (NET) - “And let us take thought of how to spur one another on to love and good works, not abandoning our own meetings, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging each other, and even more so because you see the day drawing near.”
(3) As a means to grow mutually as a unity.
Ephesians 4:16 (NET) - “From him the whole body grows, fitted and knit together through every supporting ligament. As each one does its part, the body grows in love and is built up.”
Going to church is not just about attending Sunday services; it is about fulfilling the identity given by Christ as part of His body, obtaining the spiritual nourishment necessary for growth, and participating in a mission that can only be carried out collectively.
Awan (Andreas Hermawan)