Church

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See also: Christian Church
For the architectural structure, see Church (building). For other uses, see Church (disambiguation).

The word church is used to denote both an association of people with a common set of religious beliefs, and a place of worship. The word is usually, but not exclusively, associated with Christianity.

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[edit] Etymology of church

The English language word "church" developed from Old English cirice, from West Germanic kirika, from Greek kyriake (oikia) "Lord's (house)", from kyrios "ruler, lord." [1] The Greek word kyriakon (an adjective meaning "of the Lord") was used of houses of Christian worship since c.300, especially in the East, though it was less common in this sense than ekklesia or basilike.[2] An abbreviation of ekklesia kyriake used in the septuagint to mean congregation of the lord.

[edit] Christian churches

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The church referred to by Jesus is an organism which Paul calls in 1 Corinthians 12 "the body of Christ", and to which he gives heavenly and earthly authority (Matt 16:18-20).

This group has two primary objectives:

  • Acceptance of salvation by the blood of Jesus through the confession of their mouths, not through works (Ephesians 2:8-10, Romans 10:9);
  • Emulating Christ's works (e.g., feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, caring for orphans and widows) and miracles (e.g., healing the sick, restoring sight to the blind, causing the lame to walk).

Where the term is taken to mean a denominational group with adherents of a particular creed or believers of a particular tradition, the largest church may be the global Roman Catholic Church. Various Christian churches are distinguished by their different ecclesiastical hierarchies, their creeds, and their Bibles and other sacred texts. Several Christian churches consider themselves to be the true church established by Christ (see Great Commission), including the Eastern Orthodox, Roman Catholic, and Restorationist churches. The Christian Church is sometimes also understood to mean the totality of believers across the various Christian churches. For example, Roman Catholics consider the Eastern Orthodox to be members of the Body of Christ, even though they are not Catholic.

Each church may recognize some or all other Christian churches as legitimate. Mainstream denominations can be far apart ecumenically, but generally do not require members to be rebaptized when they switch from one denomination to another. They share common ground in that they believe and follow Jesus Christ as the savior, and seek to follow Jesus' teachings.

[edit] Origins

The Christian concept of a "Church" is used for the Greek (ecclesia, church, ekklesia), ref. [Strong's Concordance] 1577, Bauer's, Thayer's, and Moulton's and is introduced by Jesus of Nazareth in the New Testament. Of the 114 occurrences of the term in the New Testament, three are found in the Gospel of Matthew: "And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my ekklesia, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it" (Mt 16:18); and "If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the ekklesia; and if he refuses to listen even to the ekklesia, let him be to you as the Gentile and the tax-collector" (Mt 18:17).

The Greek term 'ekklesia', which literally means a "gathering" or "selection" or "called out assembly", was a governmental and political term used to denote a national assembly.

This concept in Christian terms has its direct antecedent in the Koine Greek translation of the Old Testament (see also Septuagint), where the noun ekklesia has been employed 96 times to denote the congregation of the Children of Israel, which Christians regard as a Type of the "Body of Christ", as they also call the Christian Church of Jesus Christ.

[edit] Attributes

[edit] Spiritual authority

It is a widely held belief among Christians that the Christian church is guided by the Holy Spirit and given spiritual authority by Christ.

According to Christian tradition the "authority" of Jesus Christ to preach, to teach, and to do all the things that He had done while on Earth came from God. Before Jesus Christ ascended to Heaven He had given His apostles and disciples the authority to preach (that may include teaching, exhorting, rebuking, correcting[citation needed]) and to baptize. This "authority" was passed on by the apostles to the disciples, and was to be passed from one generation of disciples to the next until His second coming. The passing on of this authority had been conducted solely by the church. This passing on of authority was sometimes called the anointing or appointing of pastors or leaders of a church.

(Membership in the Christian church has traditionally been defined by baptism. The church administers Christianity's sacred acts: baptism, the Lord's supper, worship, etc.)

[edit] The visible and the invisible church

Many believe that the Church, as described in the Bible, has a twofold character that can be described as the visible and invisible church.

The Church invisible consists of all those from every time and place who are vitally united to Christ through regeneration and salvation and who will be eternally united to Jesus Christ in eternal life. The Church visible consists of all those who visibly join themselves to a profession of faith and gathering together to know and serve the Head of the Church, Jesus Christ.

The visible church exists globally in all who identify themselves as Christians and locally in particular places where believers gather for the worship of God. The visible church may also refer to an association of particular churches from multiple locations who unite themselves under a common charter and set of governmental principles. The church in the visible sense is often governed by office-bearers carrying titles such as minister, pastor, teacher, elder, and deacon.

Some say that no reference to the church is ever made in the Bible that is not referring to a local visible body, such as the church in someone's house or the church as Ephesis. They believe that the term is sometimes used in an institutional sense in which the term refers to all of a certain type, meaning all of the local visible churches.

[edit] Universal church

Church is taken by some to refer to a single, universal community, although others contend that the doctrine of the universal church was established until later. The doctrine of the universal, visible church was made explicit in the Apostles' Creed,[citation needed] while the less common Protestant notion of the universal, invisible church was not stated explicitly until the Reformation. The universal church traditions generally accept that the Church includes all who are baptized into her common faith, including the doctrines of the trinity, forgiveness of sins through the sacrificial action of Christ, and the resurrection of the body. These teachings are expressed in liturgy with the celebration of sacraments, visible signs of grace. They are passed down as the deposit of faith.

[edit] Church government

Major forms of church government include hierarchical (Anglican, Eastern Orthodoxy, Roman Catholic), presbyterian (rule by elders), and independent (Baptist, charismatic, other forms of independency). Before the Protestant Reformation clergy were understood to gain their authority through apostolic succession, as still affirmed by the Anglican, Eastern Orthodox, and Roman Catholic churches.

[edit] Metaphors

Christian scriptures use a wide range of metaphors to describe the church. These include:

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ Harper, Douglas (2001). "church". Online Etymology Dictionary. Retrieved on 2008-01-18. "O.E. cirice "church," from W.Gmc. *kirika, from Gk. kyriake (oikia) "Lord's (house)," from kyrios "ruler, lord." "
  2. ^ Harper, Douglas (2001). "church". Online Etymology Dictionary. Retrieved on 2008-01-18. "Gk. kyriakon (adj.) "of the Lord" was used of houses of Christian worship since c.300, especially in the East, though it was less common in this sense than ekklesia or basilike."
  • Anderson, Robert A., Church of God? or the Temples of Satan: A reference book of Spiritual understanding and Gnosis, TGS Publishers, Texas, 2006. ISBN 0-9786249-6-3.
  • Bannerman, James, The Church of Christ: A treatise on the nature, powers, ordinances, discipline and government of the Christian Church', Still Waters Revival Books, Edmonton, Reprint Edition May 1991, First Edition 1869.
  • Grudem, Wayne, Systematic Theology: An Introduction to Biblical Doctrine, Inter-Varsity Press, Leicester, England, 1994.
  • Kuiper, R.B., The Glorious Body of Christ, The Banner of Truth Trust, Edinburgh, 1967
  • Mannion, Gerard and Mudge, Lewis (eds.), The Routledge Companion to the Christian Church, 2007
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