What is Church?

Straying from the blueprint

Let’s have a look at the word itself. The English word "church" has a dual meaning; it can refer to either the building or the people. I know of no other belief system like it, there is always separate words for it’s followers, and their house of worship. There is good reason for this though, for when we see the word in the Bible, it can originate from one of two different Greek words. One refers to a physical structure, the other to a gathering of people. The curious part is that the gospels almost always uses the word for building, but the other books of The New Testament always use the word for people. Why this shift in perception? Well let’s look at one of the few time Jesus used the word for people rather than building. 

And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. -Matthew 16:18 niv

Clearly,  Jesus shifts his focus to the future tense here. Keep in mind that the New Covenant did not officially become instilled until after his crucifixion. When God’s spirit left the temple (building) of the old covenant (Mark 15:37-39) and began to inhabit the temple of the New Covenant, which is his people. (1 Corinthians 3:16-17) In my previous post we talked about institution verses people, but as you can see they should be utterly intertwined under this covenant. If the institution of church turns on people, it is basically turning on itself. No wonder Jesus said he came to save the world, and not condemn it. (John 3:17) An idea that the church should take a long hard look at.