“Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God…on this Rock I will build my church (ecclesia) and the gates of hades (the grave) shall not prevail against it” (Matthew 16:16-18)
The word translated church is “ecclesia”. Ecclesia is a Greek word meaning “called out” for a purpose. The Church (ecclesia) is NOT a building where we go to worship or a tax exempt entity formed and joined by men. It is the “new creation”. It is mankind called out of a sinful life of the flesh and into a holy spiritual life. It exists today in the form of a promise revealed by God to Paul and believed only by a few in this age. It will not be manifested until the resurrection of the dead and the conclusion of the present evil age. There are two more ages revealed in Scripture it seems to me. And at the conclusion of these ages, ALL will have been “made alive” by being “born again” of the Spirit into the manifested New Creation of the “called out”…the Ecclesia (Church).
“But now Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who are asleep. For since by a man came death, by a man also came the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive…The last enemy that will be abolished is death…that God may be all in all.” (1 Corinthians 15:21-28)
Paul did not go places to “start” a church, or “grow” a church, or to “attend” the church. He went everywhere to tell ABOUT the church founded upon God’s promise in Christ Jesus. He used the term “called-out” to express the reality that anywhere he went there were those to be part of the Ecclesia. All mankind will be a part of it and all will eventually be born again into a new creation in Christ. Christ is the Rock, the Cornerstone and the Firstfruits of that collective body of mankind. All people are to die and be buried just like Christ, and then raised to walk in newness of eternal life. Water Baptism in the lake, river or bathtub, if it has any value at all today, is just to picture that good news.
“For we know that if the earthly tent which is our house is torn down, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens… if anyone is in Christ (died and resurrected), he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come….God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation.” (2 Corinthians 5)
Human beings have been promised to be collectively “called out” of the sinful life in the flesh which ends in death, and into a “new creation” – an eternal spiritual life to begin upon their resurrection by Christ Jesus, the “life-giving Spirit”.
“But someone will say, How are the dead raised?...It is sown a perishable body, it is raised an imperishable body; it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body. So also it is written, the first man Adam became a living soul. The last Adam became a LIFE-GIVING SPIRIT…Just as we have borne the image of the earthy, we will also bear the image of the heavenly…flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. Behold, I tell you a mystery…when this perishable will have put on the imperishable, and this mortal will have put on immortality, then will come about the saying that is written, “Death is swallowed up IN VICTORY” (1 Corinthians 15:35-54).
Mankind will be created in the very “image of God” only when they are all Out-Called and made a part of the Ecclesia (Church).
The word translated church is “ecclesia”. Ecclesia is a Greek word meaning “called out” for a purpose. The Church (ecclesia) is NOT a building where we go to worship or a tax exempt entity formed and joined by men. It is the “new creation”. It is mankind called out of a sinful life of the flesh and into a holy spiritual life. It exists today in the form of a promise revealed by God to Paul and believed only by a few in this age. It will not be manifested until the resurrection of the dead and the conclusion of the present evil age. There are two more ages revealed in Scripture it seems to me. And at the conclusion of these ages, ALL will have been “made alive” by being “born again” of the Spirit into the manifested New Creation of the “called out”…the Ecclesia (Church).
“But now Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who are asleep. For since by a man came death, by a man also came the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive…The last enemy that will be abolished is death…that God may be all in all.” (1 Corinthians 15:21-28)
Paul did not go places to “start” a church, or “grow” a church, or to “attend” the church. He went everywhere to tell ABOUT the church founded upon God’s promise in Christ Jesus. He used the term “called-out” to express the reality that anywhere he went there were those to be part of the Ecclesia. All mankind will be a part of it and all will eventually be born again into a new creation in Christ. Christ is the Rock, the Cornerstone and the Firstfruits of that collective body of mankind. All people are to die and be buried just like Christ, and then raised to walk in newness of eternal life. Water Baptism in the lake, river or bathtub, if it has any value at all today, is just to picture that good news.
“For we know that if the earthly tent which is our house is torn down, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens… if anyone is in Christ (died and resurrected), he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come….God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation.” (2 Corinthians 5)
Human beings have been promised to be collectively “called out” of the sinful life in the flesh which ends in death, and into a “new creation” – an eternal spiritual life to begin upon their resurrection by Christ Jesus, the “life-giving Spirit”.
“But someone will say, How are the dead raised?...It is sown a perishable body, it is raised an imperishable body; it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body. So also it is written, the first man Adam became a living soul. The last Adam became a LIFE-GIVING SPIRIT…Just as we have borne the image of the earthy, we will also bear the image of the heavenly…flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. Behold, I tell you a mystery…when this perishable will have put on the imperishable, and this mortal will have put on immortality, then will come about the saying that is written, “Death is swallowed up IN VICTORY” (1 Corinthians 15:35-54).
Mankind will be created in the very “image of God” only when they are all Out-Called and made a part of the Ecclesia (Church).