A STUDY OF THE CHURCH (2)

The Definition of the Word “church”

Victor M. Eskew

 

          As we noted in our introduction, the word “church” is used 77 times in 79 verses in the King James Version.  Every time the English word is found, it is the Greek word “ekklesia.”  What is the definition of this word? 

          Dictionary.com provides twelve definitions of the word “church”:  1) a building for public worship, 2) public Christian worship of God; a Christian religious service, 3) the whole body of Christian believers, 4) any organized group of Christian believers professing the same creed and acknowledging the same ecclesiastical authority; a Christian denomination, 5) that part of the whole Christians body, or of a particular denomination, belonging to the same city, country, nation, etc., 6) a body of Christians worshipping in a particular building or constituting one congregation, 7) ecclesiastical organization, power, and affairs as distinguished from the state, 8) the clergy and religious officials of a Christian denomination, 9) the Christian faith, 10) the organized body of professing Christians before the Reformation, 11), the Roman Catholic Church, and 12) the clerical profession or calling.  Although this is the way the word “church” is used today, only two definitions harmonize with the Bible.  Two other definitions are completely omitted. 

          Let’s begin by examining the definition of the word “church” provided in three Greek-English lexicons (dictionaries).  Strong provides this definition of “ekklesia”:  “a calling out, that is, (concretely) a popular meeting, especially a religious congregation (Jewish synagogue, or Christian community of members on earth or saints in heaven or both)” (e-sword).  Thayer’s Greek-English Lexicon defines the word in this manner:  1)  “a gathering of citizens called out from their homes into some public place, an assembly,” 2) “in a Christian sense, an assembly of Christians gathered for worship in a religious meeting, those who anywhere, in a city, village, constitute such a company and united into one body, the whole body of Christians scattered throughout the earth” (e-sword).  Vine’s Expository Dictionary sets forth these meanings of the word:  “from ek, ‘out of,’ and klesis, ‘a calling’ (kaleo, ‘to call’), was used among the Greeks of a body of citizens ‘gathered’ to discuss the affairs of state…It has two applications to companies of Christians, (a) to the whole company of the redeemed throughout the present era…(b) in singular number…to a company of professed believers…and in the plural, with reference to churches in a district” (e-sword).

          Let’s organize these examples and consider them from a New Testament perspective.  The broadest definition involves “an assembly.”  It could be an assembly of any sort.  In Acts 19:29, the word is used to describe a judicial assembly.  “But if ye inquire any thing concerning other matters, it shall be determined in a lawful assembly.”  The word “assembly” is the Greek work “ekklesia.”  Another kind of assembly was the Lord’s Day assembly of the church.  Paul used the word this way in 1 Corinthians 11:18.  “For first of all, when ye come together in the church, I hear that there be divisions among you; and I partly believe it.”  Another definition of the word “church” involves all baptized believers throughout the entirety of the world.  Jesus used the word in this way when in Matthew 16:18.  “And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.”  The last definition involves a local congregation of baptized believers.  In 1 Thessalonians 1:1, Paul addressed “the church of the Thessalonians which is in God the Father, and in the Lord Jesus Christ.” 

          In the last part of this article, we want to look at the definition of the word church by examining the Greek word itself.  Remember Vine said that it is formed by the prefix, “ek,” which means “out of” and from the verb “kaleo” which means “to call.”  Thus, a literal definition of the word is “the called out ones.”  This is a very interesting definition.  Prior to Acts 2 when the church was established (See Acts 2:47), the world was corrupt, carnal, and immoral.  Much of the world had rejected the true God for false gods.  Paul described the world in Romans 3:9-12.  “…for we have before proved both Jews and Gentiles, that they are all under sin; as it is written, Ther is none righteous, no, not one:  there is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God.  They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.”

          God, however, did not want all of the world to be lost (1 Tim. 2:4).  From eternity, God had a plan to redeem man.  That plan involved the church (Eph. 3:10-11).  The Father sent His Son Jesus into the world to redeem man by paying the price for sin with His own blood (1 Pet.18-20).  Those who were purchased by the blood of Christ would form a group of individuals known as the church (Acts 20:28).  Following Jesus’ death, God began to call men by means of the gospel to accept the salvation that is in Christ (2 Thess. 2:14).  Those who heed the call and obey the word of the Son of God (Heb. 5:8-9) become members of that group known as “the called out ones,” that is, the church.  Jesus told His apostles to take the gospel in to the world (Mark 16;15).  “He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved,” Jesus proclaimed (Mark 1616).  On the day of Pentest the gospel call went forth for the first time.  Upon hearing the message, many asked Peter and the other apostles:  “What shall we do?” (Acts 2:37).  “Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost” (Acts2:38).  “Then they that gladly received his word were baptized…” (Acts 2:42).  These individuals answered the call of the gospel.  They became members of the church.  Acts 2:47 proves this beyond doubt.  “…And the Lord added to the church such as should be saved.”

          The call of the gospel continues to plead with the lost of the world.  Those who hear and heed the message of salvation, like the Jews on Pentecost did, answer the call.  They, too, are part of the called out ones.  They are members of the church for which Jesus gave His precious life (See Eph. 5:25).