Who is the Church?
Hey, Truth Seekers!
I’ve previously covered why church is important, according to the Bible. But now I’d like to expose even more about the church, according to the letter to the Ephesians.
I chose Ephesians 1:1-14, because it highlights who the church is, reveals God’s heart, and challenges you to consider whether you are in God’s church, or in man’s club.
Let’s begin!
They are the Faithful in Christ
Right off the bat, Paul in his introduction has addressed the saints in Ephesus, and the faithful in Christ. This letter has a lot to say about God’s church, so it’s easy to put together that the faithful in Christ are also God’s church.
Not only this, but he has mentioned Christ three times in two verses, and God as our Father. The focus here in this letter is clear. However, if you are not “the faithful in Christ”, He is not your Father. More on that later!
They are Blessed
Blessed be the God and Father! He has blessed the church with every spiritual blessing in the heavenlies. If you are the faithful in Christ, you are blessed!
I know it doesn’t always feel like this is true, but believers can rest upon this very fact. As stated later, they have an inheritance to look forward to, but right now they have joy unspeakable, and peace that passes all understanding, as it says in other places in the Bible. These are great blessings, and God’s down-payment for their future inheritance.
They are Chosen to be Holy and Blameless
The Church isn’t just chosen, but chosen to be holy and blameless.
Jesus speaks often about persevering, and enduring, and repenting, but to be holy and blameless means to be cleansed of sin. Ephesians has a focus on the work of God in the Church. They should recognize that He has chosen them to be holy and blameless. They shouldn’t fight against His cleansing work in their hearts.
Later in this letter, Paul says the Church is going to be presented as a bride without spot or wrinkle. And that this is accomplished by the washing of water by the word.
The Church is Predestined for Adoption
Predestination is a sticky topic in Christianity, and is a point where many people split in their theology (what you think about God).
Some say only certain people have been chosen, and only certain people are predestined for adoption.
There’s two ways you can look at predestination:
- Imagine a father runs the family business, and has a child. He predestined his child to one day run the family business after him. But it is still up to the child whether or not to partake in that destiny.
- God is all-knowing, and knows the beginning from the end. Before Genesis 1:1, He knew every one in their freewill would say “Yes”, or “No”, to God’s predestination of being an adopted son.
There are libraries full on this topic, and I am not representing every view fully. This is what you need to understand:
No matter how you view predestination, the point here is that it’s not about you at all. It’s about God.
That’s what this verse is saying.
It was according to the purpose of His will, whom we can trust is Good and Right. And it’s to the praise of His glorious grace! All of which is available in the Christ! Hallelujah!
We can’t get so wrapped up in doctrinal arguments that we forget it’s not about us. It’s about praising our Father in heaven who is willing to adopt us into His family.
They are Redeemed and Forgiven
Again, every time Paul brings up something incredible about ourselves, he immediately shifts the focus back to God.
The faithful in Christ are forgiven of every wrong they’ve done. All of their sins. They are redeemed, and what a glorious truth.
But we can’t lose sight that this is according to the riches of His grace. And He richly lavished these riches on the faithful ones.
The Church is a Revelation of God
The church was a secret plan of God’s. There were hints of it in the Old Testament, but they were mostly secret. This was a plan set forth in Christ and God in His wisdom and insight revealed it at just the right time.
This revelation is that all things, in heaven and earth, are to be united in Christ. Both Jew and Gentile. (As a gentile, I am very thankful for that. God didn’t have to include us gentiles, but He did.)
They have a Shared Inheritance
The church has a shared inheritance! Jew and Gentile, united together, have obtained an inheritance. Again Paul brings up predestination, according to God’s purpose, His work, and His will.
The we who were the first to hope he’s mentioning are Jews. Jesus’ ministry was first to the Jews. Again, Paul points the Jews “to the praise of His glory”. He lifts up the Jews as the first to believe, and first to receive the gospel, but reminds us it’s not about Jews, but God’s glory.
In Him you also, now Paul references the Gentiles in Christ. In Acts, what revealed this mystery that the Gentiles were included in the promises of God was that they, too, received the promised Holy Spirit, just as the Jews did. Peter was witness to this, and you can find this in Acts. Chapters 10 through 11.
Note: Acts uses the word received, but Paul here uses sealed, or authenticated, as being included as full members in God’s church.
Again, Paul immediately after lifting up the Gentiles stops, and says it’s not about the Gentiles, but God’s glory.
The Church is for God’s Glory to be Praised!
When you re-read these verses, I challenge you to count how many times Paul has mentioned God’s glory being praised.
The church is not a group of special people who are exalted above people who aren’t special. They’re a people who have been chosen to be all of the above points… for the praise of God’s glory!
Are you living a life that brings God praise? Are you living a life that could be counted as faithful in Christ?
These are hard questions, but all the more reason why we need Jesus to cleanse us, and to stay connected in the True Vine.
Conclusion
There you have it! If you are a “faithful in Christ Jesus”, then consider yourself blessed, chosen to be blameless, predestined for adoption, redeemed and forgiven, shared inheritors, and are to the praise of God’s glory!
There is so much more to be said about this topic of the church, but I encourage you to read Ephesians for yourself.
Paul expands so much more in-depth on this topic in his letter to the Ephesians. These verses are only the introduction, and set the tone for the rest of the letter.
Chapters 1 to 3 are an in-depth look at who the church is. Chapters 4 to 6 are practical instructions for the faithful in Christ.
If you are not a part of God’s church, God is making the call to join! Read more about joining His church here.
I hope you seek out God’s Truth, and are blessed by it,
Ken
