How Do baptists See/Define the Church of God?

No, it is just a made up doctrine. The word "church" (ekklesia) or assembly, always refers to something local.

All of these Scriptures are either addressed to the disciples directly or to individuals and need not to apply to any church.

 

You just validated my point before saying it was not valid. This is the result of such an inconsistent position....contradictory statements. You just revealed the truth & then denied that truth.

 

So the local assembly, assembles together in the name of Christ and that is the church that Jesus the Christ built. On that corner the 1st Baptist Church over there is the Methodist, down the street is the Greek Orthodox, around the bend The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, just around the bend from the 1st Presbyterian USA, across the street from St. Peters Catholic, three miles down the road is Seventh day Adventist, which just happens to be across the street from the Seventh Day Baptist.

And the Holy Spirit has nothing to do with any of this nor the individuals that make up all these local assemblies in the name of Jesus the Christ.

tohuw and bohuw

 

Individuals that make up local churches do so in obedience to God.
When a person is saved is automatically indwelt with the Holy Spirit; we both agree on that. From that time onward he undergoes a process of sanctification in his life. When I got saved I was not baptized right away. In fact I was not baptized for two years after I got saved. Does that mean I was not saved, or not indwelt by the Spirit?
No. It means either I was disobedient, or I was ignorant of some Bible teaching for that period of time--one or the other.
For the same period of time I was obviously not a member of a local church. Does that mean that I was not indwelt by the Holy Spirit? No! Both baptism and membership in a local church are matters of obedience. So is prayer, the study of God's Word, witnessing, and many other things that Christ has commanded us to do. They are not a part of our salvation.

If terminology is difficult for you try the family of God. When we were born again we were born into God's family and we all became brothers and sisters in Christ, children of God, part of God's family.

 

1. The indwelling of the Spirit has nothing to do with the local church.
2. The Bible doesn't teach a universal church.
3. I don't understand the point you are trying to make; I don't follow your logic. There doesn't seem to be any.

 

Surely you are not saying all these groups you mentioned are New Testament churches. Some of them bear little or no resemblance to the church Jesus established during his time on earth.

 

So we are not put into the church by God but we through our obedience to baptism join the church. Christ is building his local churches through the obedience of baptism into a local church. Being there isn't any NT precedent would it be possible for there to have been a convocation of the churches of God in Asia.

 

Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls. (Acts 2:41)
--"added unto them", that is the 120 mentioned in chapter one, now more specifically the First Baptist Church at Jerusalem.

Praising God, and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved. (Acts 2:47)
--"the church" that is, The First Baptist Church at Jerusalem." It is a local church here, not any so-called mystical universal church. The Lord was adding to the church at Jerusalem, daily.

It becomes a matter of obedience for one to get baptized after they are saved and then to join a local church, just as they did here in the First Baptist Church at Jerusalem.

Paul went on three missionary journeys and established over 100 churches in those journeys. This is God's method of discipling his people in this day and age. It is a matter of obedience. God is not going to baptize you; and God is not going to put you into a church. These are steps of obedience you have to do yourself.

And when they had preached the gospel to that city, and had taught many, they returned again to Lystra, and to Iconium, and Antioch,
22Confirming the souls of the disciples, and exhorting them to continue in the faith, and that we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God.
23 And when they had ordained them elders in every church, and had prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord, on whom they believed. (Acts 14:21-23)

There was no convocation of churches. Paul went on three different missionary journeys, establishing churches. He went to a place, spent a period of time there--from a few months (a year and a half at Corinth), and left when the church had a pastor. Note: They ordained pastors at every church they started. It is the will of God that all who got saved to be baptized and to be a member of a local church.

 

To say that the indwelling of the Holy Spirit has nothing to do with the Covenanted church is foolishness. There can be no church in covenant relation with God without the indwelling. Did Christ only die for local churches that are assembled or for the entirety of believers; past, present, & future? God describes the church as both a local & universal organism.

ALL believers are baptized into one body. How can Scripture be any clearer than that? Are there apostles & prophets in every church? No, but there are in the body/church/bride of Christ. The same passage which states that there is only on body also claims that we have only one Spirit, one hope, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, & one God. Using your hermeneutic, must we conclude that there is one of each for every local church? According to Scripture, is Christ the savior of the body or bodies?
I am amazed at how you can deny such clear Biblical teachings in order to hold to your personal beliefs. Understand that I am not denying any aspect of the local church as you are denying the body/Church of Christ. You could just as easily be arguing against the deity of Christ based upon His humanity. I am acknowledging two Biblical truths concerning the church, while you are denying one of them. I am also amazed at how you hang your entire church theology on the dictionary definition of ekklesia while ignoring the wording & tense of the words used to describe the church as a single body that we are baptized into by Christ through the Holy Spirit.


For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit. (1Co 12:13)
And God hath set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, governments, diversities of tongues.
(1Co 12:28)

There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; One Lord, one faith, one baptism, One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all. (Eph 4:4-6)
For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body. (Eph 5:23)

And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence. For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell; And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven.
(Col 1:18-20) (Speaking in universal language...ALL in earth & heaven)

Who now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his body's sake, which is the church: Whereof I am made a minister, according to the dispensation of God which is given to me for you, to fulfil the word of God; (Col 1:24-25)


But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ. Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men. (Now that he ascended, what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth? He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things.) (Eph 4:7-10)
(The gifts were given to the church after He ascended into heaven & offered Himself to God as our sole sacrifice for sins. The church was not empowered with the gifts until Pentecost. No sacrifice+ no Covenant+ no indwelling+ no gifting+ No risen High Priest= NO Covenanted church)

And for this cause he is the mediator of the new testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance. For where a testament is, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator. For a testament is of force after men are dead: otherwise it is of no strength at all while the testator liveth. (Heb 9:15-17)
(No death= NO Covenant)

 

I have been studying the Bible for over 40 years and have never heard of a "Covenanted Church." Is that a Presbyterian or Lutheran term? Just guessing. I am a Baptist. I study the Bible. And that term is nowhere to be found in the Bible. So if something is foolish it is the point that you made, not me.
Secondly, I don't believe in covenant theology so you don't need to go down that road. My relationship with Christ is just that: a personal relationship with Christ, not dependent on any church. What you stated sounds more like the RCC that I came out of, not Baptist polity or doctrine.
Thirdly, Christ died for all the sins of all the world, that whosoever should believe on him should be saved. Of those that believe on him he commands them to be baptized. He also commands them to be part of a local church. There is no command in the Bible to become a member of a U-church. And God never describes any such thing.

Not all believers are baptized. I went for two years without being baptized.

Any clearer than what? Did you quote Scripture? I didn't see any.

There are different words for different purposes. They are not all synonyms. Find out the differences between the words before you put slashes between them.

Christ is my Savior. Is he yours? Is he the Savior of the others on this board. But according to your logic there is only one Christ; one Savior. If he is my Savior, and he indwells me, then I am sorry, but your are out of luck for he indwells me and not you. Correct? Your view of Christ is very limited.
Christ is the savior of every person who believes on him.
Christ is the head of every Bible believing church.

The Bible teaches that Christ is fully God and fully man at the same time. The Bible does not teach the existence of a U-church as much as you wish it to.

You are asserting an opinion that you think is Biblical but you cannot prove that it is.

An assembly is a congregation. If it can't assembly it is not a church/assembly. It defies the definition of the word. You can't go around and change the definition of words just to suit your own sentimental ideas.

This verse, written to the Corinthians, is written in a context that can only be written to a local church. I suggest you read the entire chapter before pulling one verse out of context. The local church is compared to a body where all the members are compared to the members of a functioning local church.
The verse can easily be translated this way:
For in one spirit we are all baptized into one body.
--The rest of the verse mentions Jews, Gentiles, slaves, free men, etc. No matter who we are in the local church we are one in Christ. The spirit mentioned here is a spirit of unity. The Greek pronoun is en, commonly translated "in". "In one spirit," a spirit of unity, do we come together in Christ no matter what our backgrounds are.