BY DR. JOHN SULLIVAN
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR-TREASURER
FLORIDA BAPTIST CONVENTION

The church: a fellowship of believers and divine organism

This is the second in a series discussing the Doctrine of the Church. The nature of a church reflects the nature of the membership. As the nature of a Christian is to be like Christ, the church is to reflect the nature and work of Christ on earth. That nature has several elements.

Children of God: Jesus taught that man must have a new birth before he could be a child of God (John 3:16). This birth into the family of God was of divine power through personal faith in and repentance toward Jesus Christ (John 1:12-13).

This acceptance into the household of God was described by Paul as an adoption and as a joint heir with Jesus (Romans 8:14-17).

Children of God have a new nature: They are no longer sons of Adam or the children of darkness. By their nature they will seek to be like Christ and carry out his work on earth. Paul speaks of the believers of God in Ephesians 2:19. The same idea of a family prevails in Galatians where Paul writes of the household of faith in Galatians 6:10. God’s children were to be together as his family. The nature of a church is such that it reflects the coming together of God’s children.

Fellowship of the Believers: Christians are not only sons of God, they are brothers in Christ. The kinship of one Christian with another is often designated by the word “fellowship.”

The Greek word Koinonia translated fellowship means more in the Christian sense than the usual connotation of having a good time with family and friends. The word describes Christians who share in a common life. It is an inner relationship of people who have been transformed into a new life through God’s spirit. The basic ingredient in this fellowship is love. It is a love that was expressed by God in the giving of His Son for our salvation (1 John 4:10-11).Love for Christ and for each other is necessary if a church is to do its work.

Love should be a unifying force in church membership. The decisions, plans and work of a congregation should carry a desire and commitment on the part of each member. In this way the objectives and plans of the church become those of each member.

The early Christians were characterized as, “…continued steadfastly in the apostles; doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.” (Acts 2:42)

Fellowship was essential for the early church. Fellowship is very vital to the life of any church.

A Divine Organism: The church was created by God through the redemption of people through Jesus Christ. Paul made this explicit in speaking to the pastors of Ephesus (Acts 20:28). Southern Baptist theologian W. T. Conner noted, “A man must belong to Christ first and to the church as a result of belonging to him.”

Only those who have experienced redemption through Christ can be designated as a member of the church. In this sense the church is divine and spiritual. It is neither manmade nor dependent upon man for life or direction.

The life of the Christian is life in Christ. At the same time it is the life of Christ in the believer. The Christian has died with Christ and his life is hid with Christ in God (Colossians 3:3). He is crucified with Christ and now Christ lives in him (Galatians 2:20). He has put off the old man and put on the new which is being renewed unto knowledge after the image of him that created him (Colossians 3:9-10). Christians were given one to another and to him who was raised from the dead (Romans 7:4). The Christian can not exist apart from Christ.

As an organism, Christ is the head. His “rulership” is exercised through the Holy Spirit. The church is Christ’s body, a living organism.

Body of Christ: As a spiritual body the church shares a spiritual union and fellowship with the living Christ. The church embodies the life of Christ and seeks to manifest that life to all mankind. Christ is the head of the body the church (Ephesians 1:22; 4:15; Colossians 1:18). The business of the body is to obey the head. The head’s desires should be the desire of the body. Christ is the light of the world (John 8:18) and so are his people the light of the world (Matthew 5:14).

In 1 Corinthians 12-14, Paul discussed spiritual gifts in relationship to the church as the body of Christ. He shows that every gift and work performed by members of the body should be for the building up of Christ on earth,

Just as a physical body has many parts, the congregation of God’s people is a body with many parts. These parts are individual members of the congregation.

The hand, the eye, the foot and other parts of the human body have separate and distinct functions. Yet, each member serves the human body in accordance with the mind and will of the head. They serve for a single purpose, to obey the will of the head.

All of the members of Christ’s body have gifts and abilities which the church needs to fulfill its work on earth. The members of the church serve to carry out the will and purpose of Christ.

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