Verse by Verse

Did you know that the Bible never says so and so went to church? It's pretty interesting considering that we hear that all the time, and we've probably even said it ourselves. But in one sense, it's actually inaccurate. Now I don't wanna make a huge deal out of it, but we should recognize that the Bible uses the word church very differently than how it's used today. So I wanna challenge how you view the word church because it's not a building.

It's not a location. It doesn't have an address. Jesus, his apostles, and all the disciples in the first century understood that the church was a spiritual body of people. The verse we're looking at is first Corinthians 12, which is actually just an introduction in one of Paul's letters. This is what it says, to the church of God which is at Corinth, to those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all who in every place call in the name of Jesus Christ our lord, both theirs and ours.

This is a pretty robust description of what the church is. Each phrase Paul used emphasizes a unique aspect of it. First, he tells us that the church belongs to god. He didn't say the Church of England, or the Methodist Church, or the Lutheran Church, or Joseph Smith's Church. He said the Church of God.

The Greek word for church is which literally means called out once. These people have been invited by god. They didn't initiate that invitation, god did. So this group, this body belongs to him. The next thing he says about the church is that it consists of people who are sanctified in Christ Jesus, not people who hope to be sanctified one day in the future, but people who are sanctified.

It's done. It's already happened. The church now is distinguished from the rest of humanity because Christ's blood has been applied to them. They've been cleansed from their sins and brought into a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. He now lives in each member of the church through his spirit.

The next thing he says about the church is that it's called to be godlike or the church is composed of saints. Another translation actually has it called to be his holy people. See, Christianity is not just some armband you put on. It comes with an enormous responsibility to live holy lives. One thing god told ancient Israel was be holy, for I am holy.

He wanted them to change their conduct, to do the right thing, to obey the ten commandments. It's the same expectation he has of his church today. He wants them to be holy. That's what the church aims to do. Then Paul says something truly remarkable.

The church is all who in every place call on the name of Jesus Christ our lord, both theirs and ours. So it doesn't matter if you're in China or Australia or some remote part of the earth, the church is the members who compose it wherever they may be. That was true back then as much as it is true today. See, god's hands have never been tied behind his back. He can add to his church at any time he wants.

Christ said that he would build a church, a group of people with the characteristics Paul mentioned here in this verse. He also indicated that it never die out. It always exists. So where is that church today? Do you know?

I wanna offer you a booklet we produce. It's entitled, Where is the Church Jesus Built? There is a way to identify that spiritual body of people. They are the ones with whom Jesus Christ is working, and they are the ones you wanna be a part of.

Verse by Verse is a companion podcast to the daily bible verse blog, which you can find on the Life, Hope, and Truth Learning Center. Check out the show notes for more.