Lesson 27 June 22, 2003
DOCTRINE OF THE CHURCH - EKKLESIA
Note: Best reference about the Doctrine of the Church is "The Nature of the Church" by Earl D. Radmacher
I. DEFINITION OF CHURCH
A. The word
B. The universal church is made up of those who through faith in Christ are entered into union with Christ by the BHS during the period from the day of Pentecost to the Rapture.
C. The local church is a corporate entity of believers in a given geographical area who gather together to worship God and to function within the plan of God in time.
II.
Ekklesia - a word studyA. Classical Greek usage
1. Etymological meaning: [formation or derivation of the word - lexical]
a. It is made up from the preposition
2. Conotational meaning: (meaning suggested by its use)
a. It came into use as the designation for the regular assembly of a self governed state's citizens so that they could discuss and decide public business.
b. It did not mean a body of people who had been picked out from the world. It had no exclusive sense but means a body of people who had been summoned out.
This summons was not exclusive but to every man to come and assume his responsibilities.
c. The
d. Therefore in ordinary usage it always meant only an assembly, a meeting and not the body of people who assembled or met together.
3. Significance it brings to New Testament writing [things to draw from it]
a. The assembly was local.
b. The assembly was autonomous.
c.
B. Usage in the Septuagint [gives us clues as to how the word was understood and used]
1. The Hebrew word used to translate
2. Qahal is also translated by 7 other words.
3. Who is addressed as qahal or designated by it?
a. Used of a summons to all able bodied men capable of bearing arms. Numb. 22:4; 1 Kings 12:21.
b. Used in Deuteronomy of the congregation which YHWH had summoned and therefore was bound by His rules. Dt 9:10; 10:4; 18:16
c. Used for the assembly of the leaders of Israel to receive decisions from the king 1 Chr 13:2,4; 29:10
d. Used of the crowd gathered for sacrifice and worship - 2 Chr 20:5,14; 30:2,4 also of a crowd gathered in the temple - Ps 22:22; 89:5; 149:1.
e. Used of an assembly of evil doers - Ps 26:5; Gen 49:6
4. Summary of qahal
a. Qahal means a summons to an assembly and the act of assembling and is quite accurately translated as mustering.
b. The breadth of meaning extends from the call up for military service, meeting for political consultation or judical hearing, to assembly for worship.
c. It is used to refer to particular meetings at particular places never independent of a specific location.
d. Therefore the concept of qahal is of a non - technical noun that only gained particularity by its use in context.
e. There is no justification then to make the use of qahal technical and make it refer to the redeemed of Israel and to read the "Church" back into the O.T.
f. Qahal is non - technical since the content of the assembly was determined by its modifiers in the context.
C. Usage in the New Testament of
EKKLESIA:1. Occurrances
a. 114 times (Moulton and Geden)
b. It is found only 3 times in the Gospels - all in Matthew. (Matt. 16:18; future; 18:17)
c. It does not occur in 2 Tim, Titus, 1&2 Peter, 1&2 John or Jude.
2. Usages according to literary classification.
a. Non-technical
1) Acts 7:38 - an
2) Heb 2:12 - quote of Ps 22:22 where
ekklesia is used to translate qahal - of the congregation of Israel assembled in the temple.3) Acts 19:23-41 - here
ekklesia is referred to both an irregular disorganized mob in confusion, vs 30 and a regular lawful assembly to arbitrate civic matters in verse 39.4) There are four occurrences of
ekklesia with the adjective form of the city modifying it as to place, then it is further modified by the locative of sphere defining the particular kind of assembly. 1 Thess 1:1; 2:14; 2 Thess 1:1,4It appears at this point the usage of
ekklesia had not yet gained its distinctive technical usage.b. Technical usage: (requires both the physical and spiritual unity)
There is a transference of idea so that the word
ekklesia takes on a new use/meaning having become identified with a whole new concept of an assembly.Goes from just a general assembly for any purpose to an assembly of believers who belong to God.
1) The technical usage predominates in the New Testament.
2) Eleven times the phrase 'of God' is added to
3) There are two characteristics of the technical usage - it requires both physical and spiritual unity.
4) Examples of the local usage - Act 11:22; 13:1; 1 Cor 4:17; Rev 2:1,7
5) Problem passage as local usage - Matt 18:17.
a) False views:
(1) Refers to the Jewish synagogue - Why would they refer them to an organization hostile to them.
(2) Church was already in existence at that time - there is not any evidence for any churches at this point in history. [internal or external from Scripture]
b) True view:
(1) Christ spoke of the church,