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What is the church?
Answer: Many people today understand the church as a building. This is not a biblical understanding of the church. The word church comes from the Greek word ekklesia which is defined as “an assembly,” or “called out ones.” The root meaning of “church” is not that of a building, but of people. It is ironic that when you ask people what church they attend they usually identify a building or a denomination. Romans 16:5: “…also greet the church that is in their house...” Paul refers to the church in their house, not a church building, but a body of believers.
The church is the Body of Christ. Ephesians 1:22-23 says, “And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.” The Body of Christ is made up of all believers in Jesus Christ, from the day of Pentecost (Acts chapter 2) until Christ’s return. He alone is the supreme Head over the church, not a pope, minister or pastor.
The universal Church is the Church that consists of all those who have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. First Corinthians 12:13 says, “For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink.” We see that anyone who believes is part of the body of Christ. The true Church of God is not any particular church building or denomination. The universal Church of God is all those who have received salvation through faith in Jesus Christ.
The local church is described in Galatians 1:1-2: “Paul, an apostle…and all the brothers with me, to the churches in Galatia.” Here we see that in the province of Galatia there were many churches—what we call a local church. A Baptist church, Lutheran church, nondenominational church, etc. is not the Church, as in the universal Church, but rather is a local church. The universal Church is comprised of those who have trusted in Christ for salvation. These members of the universal Church should seek fellowship and edification in a local church.
In summary, the Church is not a building or a denomination. According to the Bible, the Church is the Body of Christ—all those who have placed their faith in Jesus Christ for salvation (John 3:16; 1 Corinthians 12:13). Local churches are gatherings of members of the universal church. The local church is where the members of the universal church can fully apply the “body” principles of 1 Corinthians 12—encouraging, teaching, and building one another up in the knowledge and grace of the Lord Jesus Christ.



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