1. Ecclesiology Ecclesiology refers to the doctrinal study of the Church We will look at some structure the Bible lays out for the church, why we need the church, what the church is, when the church began, and more

2. When does the Church begin (Birthday)? There are multiple ideas of when the church may have started One idea is in the Garden of Eden with Adam and Eve because it was the first time man had a relationship with God

3. Others put emphasis on faith and say the beginning of the Church was when God called Abraham There is an idea and position that says the Church is throughout the Old Testament Hebrews 11:8: “By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he would receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going.

4. By faith he dwelt in the land of promise as in a foreign country, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise; for he waited for the city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God. By faith Sarah herself also received strength to conceive seed, and she bore a child when she was past the age, because she judged Him faithful who had promised. Therefore from one man, and him as good as dead, were born as many as the stars of the sky in multitude—innumerable as the sand which is by the seashore.”

5. It is an interesting idea, but “faith” was expressed by people before Abraham Hebrews 11:4-7: “By faith Abel offered to God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, through which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts; and through it he being dead still speaks. By faith Enoch was taken away so that he did not see death, “and was not found, because God had taken him”;

6. for before he was taken he had this testimony, that he pleased God. But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a reward of those who diligently seek Him. By faith Noah, being divinely warned of things not yet seen, moved with godly fear, prepared an ark for the saving of his household, by which he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness which is according to faith.”

7. Others put the date after the resurrection when Jesus had defeated death and salvation was available to all While there would be nothing wrong with any of those views being right, most people put the birthday of the church on Pentecost

8. Some reasons for this include: 1. Our Lord said: “I will build My church” (Matt. 16:18). He did not say that He would continue to add to something already in existence, but that He would do something not yet begun.

9. (2) The church could have no functioning Head until after the resurrection of Christ; therefore, it could not exist until sometime after He rose from the dead (Eph. 1:20-23 connects His resurrection, ascension, and session to His headship over the church). (3) The church could not have been an operating entity with functioning spiritual gifts until after Christ’s ascension and the giving of the Holy Spirit

10. Pentecost is the Trinitarian fulfillment of God himself We knew who God the Father was from the OT, we knew who God the Son (Jesus Christ) was wrong his life here on earth, and because of Pentecost we now know God the Spirit

11. When we say “Church” What are we talking about? The term ekklesia in the NT can refer to the “church of God” meeting in a home (Rom 16:5), in a particular city (1 Cor 1:2; 1 Thess 1:1), in a region (Acts 9:31) or a larger area such as Asia itself (1 Cor 16:19). We can see that there are many local churches, but they are all part of the universal Church

12. Metaphorical Expressions in Reference to the Church First, in 1 Corinthians 12:12-27 she is corporately referred to as the body of Christ, and in Ephesians 1:22-23 she is the body and Christ is the head. Second, she is also referred to as God’s family; we are all sons and daughters of the Lord (2 Cor 6:18).

13. Third, her intimate and dependent relationship to her Lord is likened to a vine and its branches (John 15:1-11). Fourth, in her relationship to the world she is referred to as the pillar and ground of the truth (1 Tim 3:15). Fifth, she is corporately referred to as a building (1 Cor 3:9), a living temple that actually grows (Eph 2:20-21) and a holy temple in which God dwells (1 Cor 3:16).

14. Sixth, in her service before God and in her relationship to him as His People she is referred to as a “holy nation,” a “royal priesthood” (1 Pet 2:9) and each member is likened to a living stone, built around the chosen and precious cornerstone of Christ Seventh, she is referred to by the Lord as the salt and light of the world (Matt 5:13-15; Acts 13:47; Col 4:5-6). https://bible.org/seriespage/8-ecclesiology-church

15. Given all these pictures of the church who is the church? All believers Who’s supposed to go to church? “Do not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.” - Hebrews 10:25 The church (universally and locally) have a mission given to them by God

16. The purpose and mission of the universal and local church is to continue the work of Christ in proclaiming the gospel and being a light to the world (John 14:13-14; Acts 1:8; Acts 13:47). The gospel should remain the center focus of every church. If preaching the gospel and making life long disciples and followers of Jesus Christ is not the mission of the church, there is a problem

17. While there is some differences on exactly how it should work, the Bible is clear that the local church should have structure and order to it It is Biblical to have Pastors, Elders, etc. Titus 1:5: “This is why I left you in Crete, so that you might put what remained into order, and appoint elders in every town as I directed you”

18. 1 Timothy 3:8-13: “Deacons likewise must be dignified, not double-tongued, not addicted to much wine, not greedy for dishonest gain. 9 They must hold the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience. 10 And let them also be tested first; then let them serve as deacons if they prove themselves blameless. Their wives likewise must be dignified, not slanderers, but sober- minded, faithful in all things. Not just anyone can be an elder or a deacon in the church, there are qualifications

19. 12 Let deacons each be the husband of one wife, managing their children and their own households well. 13 For those who serve well as deacons gain a good standing for themselves and also great confidence in the faith that is in Christ Jesus.” (See Titus 1 for Elders regulations) We will not go into detail discussing and debating the different forms of Church government (Episcopalian, Presbyterian, Congregational) just understand that the Bible support order in the local Church

20. Who is the head of the church? The head of the church for Christians would be Jesus Christ Himself (for the universal church) and individual pastors and deacons (for local churches and denominations) We do not believe in a single individual (Human being) as being the head of the universal church on planet earth That stands in contrast to the Catholics

21. Catholics believe that there is a head to the universal church here on earth, the Pope They believe the Pope and Church counsels can define doctrines and tradition (which is just as important for the Roman Catholic Church) universally for the church They believe Jesus established the Papacy (office of Pope) and that the Apostle Peter was the first head of the universal church

22. Matthew 16:13-18: “ When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, saying, "Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?” So they said, “Some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter answered and said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Where do they get the idea of the Pope? Same place we get our teaching

23. Jesus answered and said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. 18 And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.” What is the “rock” that the church is founded on? Is it Peter (the first Pope) as the Roman Catholic Church would say?

24. The most basic objection is based on the original language and the words used When Jesus said “I tell you that you are Peter” he used to Greek term petros, which means a stone of small rock When Jesus said “On this rock I will build my church” The word “rock” is expressed in the Greek as petra Peter and the “rock” that Jesus refers to are different words, how could it be Peter?

25. The typical answer you will get from a catholic apologist is that Jesus and the disciples spoke Aramaic, not Greek & that the gospels were originally written in Aramaic not Greek. Problems: First off, there is no historical evidence (At all) that the gospels were written in Aramaic

26. But what if they spoke Aramaic? Even if that were true (can’t know) the Holy Spirit inspired the Greek text, and made that distinction! What does the rock refer to then? Historically, there are three popular interpretations There are reasons why God would want them written in Greek (detailed Language, plus its by far the most popular language)

27. What does the rock refer to then? Historically, there are three interpretations Peter being the rock Jesus being the rock Peter’s confession of faith being the rock Textually there is no reason to believe that Peter is the rock, especially considering the difference in words. It is possible that his confession is the rock, but most likely is that Jesus is being referred to.

28. How did the early church interpret this passage? One survey of early church writings on this passage found the following views: Peter being the rock (17 supporters) Jesus being the rock (16 supporters) Peter’s confession of faith being the rock (44!) Later on in church history the idea of Jesus being the rock became the dominant idea

29. 1 Corinthians 10:4 “And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ.” Over 35 times in the Old Testament the term “rock” refers either to God or to the coming Messiah There are good Biblical reasons to support Jesus, (and/or) the confession being correct

30. As Christians, we believe that the Bible is the only infallible rule of faith Because the church is made up of humans, and humans make mistakes, we believe the church is able to make mistakes in it’s interpretation and application of scripture At the same time, we do believe that the church is an authority in the lives of Christians, and that all Christians should be under the authority of a local church body

31. Why are there so many denominations if the Protestants are correct? This is often raised as evidence in favor of the Roman Catholic Church, they all agree and are uniform while us Protestants are not! Doesn’t that show they are correct? First off they are not all unified, there are many differences in the Catholic Church, and there are many denominational equivalents also inside the Catholic belief

32. That being said, how do we explain these different denominations? Why so many? There are many factors that play a role in the denominational differences Some are non-essential doctrines (Eschatology, Free Will, Eternal Security, Spiritual Gifts, Church Government, etc.) But remember, almost every Protestant denomination would agree these are not Salvation issues

33. With few exceptions, a good Baptist, Methodist, Presbyterian, Pentecostal etc. All still believe the other is saved We would all accept each other (in general) as being part of the Universal Church (that doesn’t mean every member of those denominations is a true believer) Those are not the only reasons though for different denominations, they don’t all have to do with doctrine

34. Some churches start in different cultures, and there are traditions/cultural preferences that make them different than other churches (worship styles, etc.) Determining who is part of the universal church really comes down to what a denomination/individual/local church believe I can get together and do mission trips with Baptists, Methodists, etc. But I can’t do that with Mormons

35. What’s the standard for being part of the universal church for a denomination or individual? Here are some examples: The Monotheistic Trinitarian God Mormons, Jehovah Witnesses, Oneness Pentecostals all reject this doctrine Biblical Salvation (By Grace and Faith alone) This is the main reason for the split with the Roman Catholic Church

36. Memory Verse “Do not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.” - Hebrews 10:25