THE ekklesia…

Originally posted on May 11, 2009 – by Andre Piet

In my previous weblog I pointed out that an ekklesia is not an organization but an assembly. An assembly, however, of what? In Acts 19:32 it concerns an assembly of the citizens of Ephesus. In Acts 7:38 it concerns the assembly of the people of Israel in the wilderness. Yet when Paul in his letters speaks of the ekklesia, he is speaking of “the body of Christ” (*1). To that belong all “who are baptized, in one spirit, into one body” (*2). Everyone who believes the Good Message receives the spirit of promise (*3) and is thereby added to “the body of Christ.” That is a spiritual matter—there is not a drop of water involved, nor does it have anything to do with being entered into one administration or another.

In church jargon one often hears people speak of “the universal church” and “the local church.” If it concerns even smaller circles, people often speak of “house churches.” But the Bible nowhere makes these distinctions! Every ekklesia represents the entire body of Christ! Even if one comes together with only a few believers in a house, that nevertheless is called “the ekklesia” (*4). Not a part of the ekklesia, but “THE ekklesia.” Those who are gathered represent the totality (> pars pro toto). Compare it to our House of Representatives. It is only rarely that all the members are present, yet the House of Representatives still makes a decision. The assembly represents all the members.

With the insight that every ekklesia represents the whole, the church problem of the mutual relationship of ‘local churches’ is solved in one stroke. What am I saying? The whole problem does not even exist! The problem exists only by the grace of unhealthy word usage. For the Bible does not know anything like a ‘local church.’ Paul did not write a letter to the ekklesia OF Corinth. No, he addressed the letter to “the ekklesia… IN Corinth” (*5). It is the one ekklesia (“the body of Christ”) that comes together at different times and places. Yet here too: “THE ekklesia.” By this designation, every gathering of believers (with Christ as Head) is granted a title of honor: it represents the entire body of Christ!

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FOOTNOTES
(*1) Eph. 5:23; Col. 1:18, 24, etc.
(*2) 1 Cor. 12:13
(*3) Eph. 1:13
(*4) Rom. 16:5; 1 Cor. 16:19; Col. 4:15; Philem. 2
(*5) 1 Cor. 1:2; 2 Cor. 1:2

Delen: