Since Christ is currently functioning as the great shepherd . . . . an high priest
over the house of God . . . . the saviour of the body, this second aspect of salvation
certainly gives the church the proper place of importance in God's plan for His
children in this age.
It is not my purpose to recapitulate and rebut every religious theory related to the
subject of the body of Christ. Yet, I would be less than honest if I failed to tell
you the importance of this realm in God's plan for His people.
The Lord's church is not the place of salvation for alien sinners. It is the place
where God offers blessing and deliverance to baptized believers who walk in the truth.
Most of the writing, teaching and preaching today minimizes the importance of the
church of the Bible, and the universal, invisible church theory is one of the most
damaging. The importance of word meanings is immeasurable, as Greek scholars have long
pointed out, yet there are countless words today which are used in an entirely
different sense than originally understood in Bible times.
The word baptize means to dip or to immerse. Yet, in modern vernacular the word also
is used to pour, or to sprinkle. These are meanings the word never had. The word saint
is defined today in religious circles by a meaning it never originally had and so it
is with the word church.
Church is the English word we are accustomed to using but the Greek word from which it
is translated is spelled by the English, ekklesia, derived from ek, out of, and kaleo,
to call, according to scholars. This word was already in use at the time it was
brought into the New Testament. It is also a word the people of that period knew and
understood.
It is not necessary to modify ekklesia by words such as local and visible inasmuch as
those features are inherent in the term. But, to modify ekklesia by universal and
invisible is to use it in a manner never used in scripture, to use it in a manner
never understood by the people of that period, and to use it in a manner which is
contradictory to the inherent characteristics of the word itself.
Greek scholars define the word, ekklesia:
1) H. Strong, ". . . . the term . . . . signified merely an assembly, however
gathered, or summoned. The church was never so large that it could not assemble."
2) Dean Richard C. Trench, ". . . . the lawful assembly in a free Greek city of all
those possessed of the rights of citizenship, for the transaction of public affairs."
3) Marvin R. Vincent, "Originally an assembly of citizens, regularly summoned."
4) Kenneth S. Wuest, "The word church is ekklsia, a called-out body of individuals who
assemble in a certain place . . . . The noun ekklsia was used in pagan Greek to
designate a meeting of the citizens of a town called by the town officials to an
assembly. The local church is therefore an assembly of God's people."
5) Henry George Lidell and Robert Scott, "an assembly of the citizens summoned by the
crier, the legislative assembly."
6) The International Standard Bible Encyclopaedia, "Although ekklesia soon became a
distinctively Christian word, it has its own pre-Christian history; and to those,
whether Jews or Greeks, who first heard it applied to the Christian society it would
come with suggestions of familiar things. Throughout the Greek world and right down to
New Testament times . . . . ekklesia was the designation of the regular assembly of
the whole body of citizens in a free state, called out . . . . by herald for the
discussion and decision of public business."
7) The Englishman's Greek Concordance of the New Testament, "an assembly."
8) A.T. Robertson, "The word originally meant assembly . . . .."
9) Joseph Henry Thayer, "a gathering of citizens called out from their homes into some
public; an assembly."
10) W.E. Vine, "from ek, out of, and klsis, a calling (kale, to call), was used among
the Greeks of a body of citizens gathered to discuss the affairs of State . . . .."
The word, therefore, means an assembly. It is not necessary to modify such a word with
local and visible for if it is a gathering of those summoned to meet in one place,
then the word itself expresses locality and visibility. But, since the assembly can be
any kind, or for any purpose, then the word needs to be modified, as it is in the New
Testament, to distinguish between one kind of assembly and another and assembling for
one purpose or another.
Thus, modifiers like the ekklesia of God which is in Corinth would distinguish this
assembly from one of a different kind, just as modifiers like gathered together in my
name would distinguish the purpose of one asembly from another.
One may as well speak of millions of bricks scattered throughout the world as a house,
as to speak of a universal, invisible church. Roy Mason, in his Church that Jesus
Built said, the ". . . . very strongest argument agaisnt the universal invisible
theory is a correct understanding of the meaning of the word ecclesia or church."
Thomas Armitage wrote, "In the Apostolic Age, the Church was a local body; and each
Church was entirely independent of every other Church. The simple term Ecclesia
designates one congregation, or organized assembly, and no more, this being its
literal and primary meaning . . . .. It follows, then, that the New Testament nowhere
speaks of the Universal, Catholic or Invisible Church . . . .. A local organization
fully expresses the meaning of the word Ecclesia, where ever it is found in Holy Writ."
If this is true, then it follows that the confession, in what is called the apostles'
creed, that there is a Holy Catholic Church is false. There is no mention of a Holy
Catholic Church in any thing God inspired the apostles to write. Yet, the majority of
the religous world confesses the apostles' creed.
H. Frank Fort wrote, "I do not believe in the holy Catholic Church, for I do not
believe such a thing ever existed. The term Catholic Church is self contradictory. The
word Catholic means universal, while Church means assembly, therefore there has never
been a Catholic Church within the definition of the term."
Adolph Harnack, former Professor of Church History at the University of Berlin was
said by the Standard Encyclopedia to be by far the greatest living writer on
theological subjects. Bob L. Ross quotes from Harnack's work, History of Dogma,
saying, "The expression, invisible church, is found for the first time in Hegessipus.
Eusebius, Tertullian, Clement of Alexander, Hiero, Cornelius, and Cyprian, all used
the term holy churches and never the Catholic or Universal Church."
How about the usage of ekklesia in the Septuagint? The Septuagint is the Greek
translation of the Hebrew Old Testament in the third century B.C. The Hebrew word that
corresponds to ekklesia is gahal as Psalms 22:22, quoted in Hebrews 2:12 shows. The
word congregation in Psalms 22:22 is from gahal and is translated church in Hebrews
2:12 from ekklesia.
It is true the word gahal is used in places where reference is not to an assembly of
people, but the whole Israelite nation. It has, therefore, been mistakenly argued that
since ekklesia is used as the equivalent of gahal in some places that it must have the
same latitude of meaning.
Jesse B. Thomas refutes the idea by saying: "it was, thereupon, inversely and most
illogically inferred that since gahal sometimes means the whole Israelitish people and
is sometimes translated by ekklesia, therefore ekklesia must always take on like
breadth of meaning. Reference to the LXX, however, will show that the Greek
translators of the Old Testament, so far from encouraging such an implication, have
carefully precluded it. For when gahal has the broad sense it is never translated by
ekklesia but by another word."
B.H. Carroll similarly wrote, "By an inductive study of all the ekklesia passages, you
will see for yourselves that in the Septuagint it never means all Israel whether
assembled or unassembled, but that in every instance it means a gathering together, an
assembly . . . .. In no one of the 114 instances does it mean an unassembled ekklesia."
Dr. F.J.A. Hort wrote, "There are two words in Hebrew . . . . referring to the
Israelitish community. The one (edhah) designates the society itself, formed by the
children of Israel or their representative heads, whether assembled or not assembled.
The other (gahal) is properly their actual meeting together. The two words sometimes
occur together and may be rendered, in such a case, the assembly of the congregation.
The LXX choice of the word ekklesia to designate the actual local assembly, rather
than the Israelitish people at large, he things due, as before explained, to the
apparent etymological origin of the Greek and Hebrew word from a common root,
signifying to summon or call out."
We conclude by saying: 1) Ekklesia means an assembly, no more, no less; 2) the word
universal does not occur in the scriptures; 3) the early writers, after the completion
of the scriptures, did not refer to the universal church; and 4) Ekklesia is used to
translate gahal only in those places where reference is to Israel's actual meeting
together.
Since the body of Christ is the realm wherein this second aspect of salvation is made
available to those therein, then it behooves us to know what this realm is and how to
get into it. The local church, which is the only kind of New Testament Church, is not
emphasized today in religious circles. Yet, Paul wrote, "Unto him be glory in the
church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen" (Eph 3:21). In
the next article, we purpose to look at the New Testament usage of ekklesia. BD
References: H. Strong, Greek Dictionary of the New Testament; M. Vincent, Word Studies
in the New Testament; K. Wuest, Word Studies in the Greek New Testament; A.T.
Robertson, Word Pictures in the New Testament; W.E. Vine, Expository Dictionary of New
Testament Words; T. Armitage, History of the Baptists; R. Mason, The Church that Jesus
Built.
over the house of God . . . . the saviour of the body, this second aspect of salvation
certainly gives the church the proper place of importance in God's plan for His
children in this age.
It is not my purpose to recapitulate and rebut every religious theory related to the
subject of the body of Christ. Yet, I would be less than honest if I failed to tell
you the importance of this realm in God's plan for His people.
The Lord's church is not the place of salvation for alien sinners. It is the place
where God offers blessing and deliverance to baptized believers who walk in the truth.
Most of the writing, teaching and preaching today minimizes the importance of the
church of the Bible, and the universal, invisible church theory is one of the most
damaging. The importance of word meanings is immeasurable, as Greek scholars have long
pointed out, yet there are countless words today which are used in an entirely
different sense than originally understood in Bible times.
The word baptize means to dip or to immerse. Yet, in modern vernacular the word also
is used to pour, or to sprinkle. These are meanings the word never had. The word saint
is defined today in religious circles by a meaning it never originally had and so it
is with the word church.
Church is the English word we are accustomed to using but the Greek word from which it
is translated is spelled by the English, ekklesia, derived from ek, out of, and kaleo,
to call, according to scholars. This word was already in use at the time it was
brought into the New Testament. It is also a word the people of that period knew and
understood.
It is not necessary to modify ekklesia by words such as local and visible inasmuch as
those features are inherent in the term. But, to modify ekklesia by universal and
invisible is to use it in a manner never used in scripture, to use it in a manner
never understood by the people of that period, and to use it in a manner which is
contradictory to the inherent characteristics of the word itself.
Greek scholars define the word, ekklesia:
1) H. Strong, ". . . . the term . . . . signified merely an assembly, however
gathered, or summoned. The church was never so large that it could not assemble."
2) Dean Richard C. Trench, ". . . . the lawful assembly in a free Greek city of all
those possessed of the rights of citizenship, for the transaction of public affairs."
3) Marvin R. Vincent, "Originally an assembly of citizens, regularly summoned."
4) Kenneth S. Wuest, "The word church is ekklsia, a called-out body of individuals who
assemble in a certain place . . . . The noun ekklsia was used in pagan Greek to
designate a meeting of the citizens of a town called by the town officials to an
assembly. The local church is therefore an assembly of God's people."
5) Henry George Lidell and Robert Scott, "an assembly of the citizens summoned by the
crier, the legislative assembly."
6) The International Standard Bible Encyclopaedia, "Although ekklesia soon became a
distinctively Christian word, it has its own pre-Christian history; and to those,
whether Jews or Greeks, who first heard it applied to the Christian society it would
come with suggestions of familiar things. Throughout the Greek world and right down to
New Testament times . . . . ekklesia was the designation of the regular assembly of
the whole body of citizens in a free state, called out . . . . by herald for the
discussion and decision of public business."
7) The Englishman's Greek Concordance of the New Testament, "an assembly."
8) A.T. Robertson, "The word originally meant assembly . . . .."
9) Joseph Henry Thayer, "a gathering of citizens called out from their homes into some
public; an assembly."
10) W.E. Vine, "from ek, out of, and klsis, a calling (kale, to call), was used among
the Greeks of a body of citizens gathered to discuss the affairs of State . . . .."
The word, therefore, means an assembly. It is not necessary to modify such a word with
local and visible for if it is a gathering of those summoned to meet in one place,
then the word itself expresses locality and visibility. But, since the assembly can be
any kind, or for any purpose, then the word needs to be modified, as it is in the New
Testament, to distinguish between one kind of assembly and another and assembling for
one purpose or another.
Thus, modifiers like the ekklesia of God which is in Corinth would distinguish this
assembly from one of a different kind, just as modifiers like gathered together in my
name would distinguish the purpose of one asembly from another.
One may as well speak of millions of bricks scattered throughout the world as a house,
as to speak of a universal, invisible church. Roy Mason, in his Church that Jesus
Built said, the ". . . . very strongest argument agaisnt the universal invisible
theory is a correct understanding of the meaning of the word ecclesia or church."
Thomas Armitage wrote, "In the Apostolic Age, the Church was a local body; and each
Church was entirely independent of every other Church. The simple term Ecclesia
designates one congregation, or organized assembly, and no more, this being its
literal and primary meaning . . . .. It follows, then, that the New Testament nowhere
speaks of the Universal, Catholic or Invisible Church . . . .. A local organization
fully expresses the meaning of the word Ecclesia, where ever it is found in Holy Writ."
If this is true, then it follows that the confession, in what is called the apostles'
creed, that there is a Holy Catholic Church is false. There is no mention of a Holy
Catholic Church in any thing God inspired the apostles to write. Yet, the majority of
the religous world confesses the apostles' creed.
H. Frank Fort wrote, "I do not believe in the holy Catholic Church, for I do not
believe such a thing ever existed. The term Catholic Church is self contradictory. The
word Catholic means universal, while Church means assembly, therefore there has never
been a Catholic Church within the definition of the term."
Adolph Harnack, former Professor of Church History at the University of Berlin was
said by the Standard Encyclopedia to be by far the greatest living writer on
theological subjects. Bob L. Ross quotes from Harnack's work, History of Dogma,
saying, "The expression, invisible church, is found for the first time in Hegessipus.
Eusebius, Tertullian, Clement of Alexander, Hiero, Cornelius, and Cyprian, all used
the term holy churches and never the Catholic or Universal Church."
How about the usage of ekklesia in the Septuagint? The Septuagint is the Greek
translation of the Hebrew Old Testament in the third century B.C. The Hebrew word that
corresponds to ekklesia is gahal as Psalms 22:22, quoted in Hebrews 2:12 shows. The
word congregation in Psalms 22:22 is from gahal and is translated church in Hebrews
2:12 from ekklesia.
It is true the word gahal is used in places where reference is not to an assembly of
people, but the whole Israelite nation. It has, therefore, been mistakenly argued that
since ekklesia is used as the equivalent of gahal in some places that it must have the
same latitude of meaning.
Jesse B. Thomas refutes the idea by saying: "it was, thereupon, inversely and most
illogically inferred that since gahal sometimes means the whole Israelitish people and
is sometimes translated by ekklesia, therefore ekklesia must always take on like
breadth of meaning. Reference to the LXX, however, will show that the Greek
translators of the Old Testament, so far from encouraging such an implication, have
carefully precluded it. For when gahal has the broad sense it is never translated by
ekklesia but by another word."
B.H. Carroll similarly wrote, "By an inductive study of all the ekklesia passages, you
will see for yourselves that in the Septuagint it never means all Israel whether
assembled or unassembled, but that in every instance it means a gathering together, an
assembly . . . .. In no one of the 114 instances does it mean an unassembled ekklesia."
Dr. F.J.A. Hort wrote, "There are two words in Hebrew . . . . referring to the
Israelitish community. The one (edhah) designates the society itself, formed by the
children of Israel or their representative heads, whether assembled or not assembled.
The other (gahal) is properly their actual meeting together. The two words sometimes
occur together and may be rendered, in such a case, the assembly of the congregation.
The LXX choice of the word ekklesia to designate the actual local assembly, rather
than the Israelitish people at large, he things due, as before explained, to the
apparent etymological origin of the Greek and Hebrew word from a common root,
signifying to summon or call out."
We conclude by saying: 1) Ekklesia means an assembly, no more, no less; 2) the word
universal does not occur in the scriptures; 3) the early writers, after the completion
of the scriptures, did not refer to the universal church; and 4) Ekklesia is used to
translate gahal only in those places where reference is to Israel's actual meeting
together.
Since the body of Christ is the realm wherein this second aspect of salvation is made
available to those therein, then it behooves us to know what this realm is and how to
get into it. The local church, which is the only kind of New Testament Church, is not
emphasized today in religious circles. Yet, Paul wrote, "Unto him be glory in the
church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen" (Eph 3:21). In
the next article, we purpose to look at the New Testament usage of ekklesia. BD
References: H. Strong, Greek Dictionary of the New Testament; M. Vincent, Word Studies
in the New Testament; K. Wuest, Word Studies in the Greek New Testament; A.T.
Robertson, Word Pictures in the New Testament; W.E. Vine, Expository Dictionary of New
Testament Words; T. Armitage, History of the Baptists; R. Mason, The Church that Jesus
Built.
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