Identity of the Church

"The foundation of the Lord standeth sure, having this seal: the Lord knoweth them that are his." The church has an identity — the sum of what makes something distinct and recognisable as itself — and this series sets out to study the marks by which the church is identified.

The word "church" comes from the Greek ekklesia, the called out. The New Testament was written in Greek, which is why the word is not found in the Old Testament, written in Hebrew. It is used in more than one way in the New Testament, but every person who becomes a member of the church has heard the same call: the call of the gospel, and the gospel contains the message of Christ's resurrection.

The first identity is that the church is the body of Christ. Christ is the head of the body (Colossians 1:18; Ephesians 1:22–23); the relationship between Christ and the church is that of the head and the body, so the head represents leadership and the essence of the church is embedded in Christ. The body comprises believers, each with a vital role, and the picture holds together unity with Christ, cooperation and mutual support — "for as the body is one, and hath many members... so also is Christ."