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Is the Church local, universal or both?
- Thread starter Soulman
- Start date
I maintain it is a local Assembly, and only a local Assembly. I do not believe the Scriptures speak of the "Church" as a Universal entity. Then again...most will disagree. All the saved are certainly "saints" and part of the "kindgom" of God and what-not...but, I wouldn't call them the Church.
What local assembly was Jesus talking about when He said He would build His church?
Alive in Christ
New Member
Its both.
The local church is scriptural and real.
The universal church is scriptural and real.
The local church is scriptural and real.
The universal church is scriptural and real.
convicted1
Guest
:thumbs::thumbs::thumbs::thumbs:
I agree with this. I would only add that in addition to Christ's government, the Church is universal in number.
Possibly the specific individuals he called-out, trained, sent to evangelize and baptize, celebrated the last supper-with, initially appeared to after his ressurrection, Prayed for specifically in lieu of all others in John 17:9-18 and upon whom the Holy Spirit fell on the day of Pentecost when God added unto them thousands of souls whom they subsequently Baptised.
That the local Church is Scriptural and real is not debateable. Personally, I have never found ANY passage of Scripture which teaches that there is such a thing as a "Universal-Assembly" which is essentially an oxymoron.
It is commonly asserted amongst Modern Baptists post ecumenicism....but, this was decidedly not always so. I suppose I could be wrong: But desperate to convince myself that the Scriptures teach such a thing, I try in vain to find such a thing in Scripture. I wish I could....but it's just not there.
believe that the Bible supports there being ONE Body/bride of christ, which includes all the redeemed living and dead in him, that would be the Universal church/body/Bride, while her eon earth there are also local churches, which include both saved and lost!
That makes no sense. So "possibly" Jesus only took care to build that one single church. All others are on their own in your view?
It is both.
Within ecclesiology discussions there are two distinctions between the Church invisible and the church visible. The invisible Church refers to the entire body of Christ, the corpus of Christianity, throughout the world in all of history. The church visible refers to individual, local churches that populate the entire world.
So it's both. In the NT we see both the invisible and visible church which relates to the local and universal church.
Within ecclesiology discussions there are two distinctions between the Church invisible and the church visible. The invisible Church refers to the entire body of Christ, the corpus of Christianity, throughout the world in all of history. The church visible refers to individual, local churches that populate the entire world.
So it's both. In the NT we see both the invisible and visible church which relates to the local and universal church.
Could He have meant the local church He actually started. Christ and the apostles certainly qualified as an assembly. Christ was the good shepherd. (pastor).
In the Greek "Ekklesia" meaning assembly is used. Wouldn't all believers outside of this definition be called something other than the invisible church? I do not see it referenced in the bible. Perhaps Kingdom of God?
The Church isn't universal. Simply because not everyone will be saved. The Church is the bride of Christ.
The Great commission is a commandment to spread the gospel and it is for every believer.
MB
Then you have to believe that every other church is on their own and Christ is not part of their existence.
Not on their own. The local churches have the bible, a pastor and Christ as it's head. They are all under the lordship of Christ, independent of each other. Denominations are man made. All believers outside the local church, though Christians are not part of any universal church the bible speaks of. Kingdom perhaps? The Great commission if given to the local church belongs to any local church.
If Christ was only talking about building His church that only included those immediately around Him then every other church does not have Christ as its head. You cannot have it both ways.
there are persons in heaven right now who are still aprt of the church of Christ, part of his body/bride, so there must be somehing more than a local assembly of believers meant!
Also, there is ONLY ONE church of christ, one that he shepards over, so if local assemblies, which group?
baptists/ methodists? Nazarene?
Verse please? I submit that while I was a Universal church guy that after studying I found nothing to support it.