The Heart of the Church: A Community of Imperfect People
As we explore the concept of the church, we must first ask ourselves: what is the church? The New Testament provides us with ninety-five images that describe the church, and most of these images are corporate in nature. They emphasize a shared life together, a body made up of many parts, a temple composed of living stones, and a household comprised of diverse members.
A Shared Life Together
The church is not just a gathering of individuals; it’s a community of people who share life together. We are not only called to be part of the church, but we are also saved into Christ’s church. As New Testament professor Joseph Hellerman puts it, “We do not find an unchurched Christian in the New Testament… a person is saved to community.” This means that our participation in the church is not optional, but essential to our Christian life.
The Early Church: A Model for Community
The early church organized itself into small to mid-sized gatherings in homes, which Paul visited “house to house” (Acts 20:20). These communities devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, fellowship, communion, and prayer (Acts 2:42). They were the first “small groups,” and they provide us with a model for how we can live out our faith in community today.
A Commitment to One Another
The commands of the Bible are often plural, not singular, presupposing our commitment to one another. The Beatitudes, for example, call us to meekness, mercy, and peacemaking (Matt. 5:3-11). These virtues cannot be lived out in isolation; they require community. We need to be around people who require mercy, people whom we may not choose to befriend apart from Christ.
A Temple of Living Stones
Scripture says that God comes to dwell in the church, making it a temple of living stones (1 Cor. 3:16). This means that we are not just individuals; we are part of a larger community that reflects God’s character. If we are God’s household, we ought to reflect God’s character. This means striving for personal holiness and encouraging holiness in others.
Disillusioned with Our Ideal of Community
Dietrich Bonhoeffer writes about the “wish dream” that everyone brings into community. This ideal of community is often shattered when we encounter the imperfections of real people. However, it’s precisely this disillusionment that allows us to enter into genuine community. We must learn to accept people as they are, not as we would prefer them to be.
The Heart of the Matter
At the heart of the church is not a perfect community, but a community of imperfect people who are being transformed by the gospel. Our faith is not in the church itself, but in Jesus, the only person who lives up to his own standards. As we gather together as a community, we are reminded that our satisfaction comes not from the church, but from Christ.
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