The_Doctrine_Of_The_Christian_Church

The Doctrine Of The Christian Church There are a number of places in the New Testament where the term "church" (ekklesia) is clearly not used in the sense of a local congregation. In this case, the universal church (also sometimes called the invisible church and the catholic church - with catholic used in its original sense of "universal" rather than its more common modern use of the specific church headed in Rome) is a spiritual organism with Christ as its Head and all believers as its members. Some disagreement exists among Christians as to exactly who makes up this universal church. In any case, the Church belongs to Christ. He is described as its head. He gave the church gifts, and he is preparing the Church to become his bride without blot or blemish. At the outset it is clear that Gods purpose for His church is articulated in its mission. Mission, however, belongs to the very being of the Church. As persons who acknowledge Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour, Christians are called to proclaim the Gospel in word and deed. We are to address those who have not heard as well as to those who are no longer in living contact with church, one, christ, universal, mission, body, god, called, call, visible, testament, purpose, new, members, invisible, healthy, head, gospel, composed, catholic, case, belongs, theory, suffering, sense, seen, programs, non-elect, modern, mixture, membership, lord, itself, however, holy