The Church Of The Bible
Jack Critchfield

When Jesus asked, "But who do you say that I am," Peter and the other apostles confessed, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." Jesus replied to this confession and said, "…on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven" (Matt. 16:15-19). These words of the Lord stand today as a monument to the folly of man. According to His promise, He built His church. Yet in spite of His promise, "Every plant which My heavenly Father has not planted will be uprooted" (Matt. 15:13), men have "built" (or added) many other churches to the one which Jesus built. It seems there are many who are perfectly willing to enter into competition with the Lord by establishing other churches.

Today, in the United States, more than 400 distinct religious organizations are in existence, each one different from all the rest in a few ways or, in some cases, many ways. They make all kinds of different claims as to purpose, authority, source, etc. In the face of so many claims, how can one know which is the right church; or even if any of them are? The only way to be sure is to go back to the Bible, the inspired word of God, and find the church revealed there.

We need to find where, when and how was the church to be built. The scriptures supply an answer. "Now it shall come to pass in the latter days That the mountain of the Lord's house Shall be established on the top of the mountains, And shall be exalted above the hills; And all nations shall flow to it. Many people shall come and say, "Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, To the house of the God of Jacob; He will teach us His ways, And we shall walk in His paths." For out of Zion shall go forth the law, And the word of the LORD from Jerusalem" (Isa. 2:2-3). Notice some pertinent information in this passage.

1. The "house of God" was to begin in Jerusalem.
2. It was to begin "in the latter days."
3. It would be composed of "all nations."
4. It was to be established by "teaching" and not by war.

The "house of God" is later identified by Paul as he gave direction to Timothy, "I write so that you may know how you ought to conduct yourself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God" (1 Tim. 3:15). Zechariah confirms that the house of God, the church, would begin in Jerusalem: 'Therefore thus says the LORD: "I am returning to Jerusalem with mercy; My house shall be built in it,'" (Zec 1:16). It must have been quite a surprise to the Jew, for centuries the chosen people of God, that the "house of God" would consist of "all nations." But a change was coming. Other nations would be a part of the church that was to be built. A church built in some other place cannot be the church of the Bible.

Notice, in Matt. 16 the Lord promised, "I will build My church … And I will give you the keys of the kingdom." The church is repeatedly identified later as the kingdom: "the general assembly and church of the firstborn … kingdom which cannot be shaken" (Heb. 12:23, 28). Those who were "translated into the kingdom" (Col. 1:13) were members of "the body, the church" (Col. 1:18). The Jews were looking for an earthly kingdom, one that would cast off the political and military yoke of the Roman Empire. But Jesus plainly said, "My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, My servants would fight" (John 18:36 NKJV). Physical birth made people citizens of the kingdom of Israel, but Jesus told Nicodemus, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God … Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God" (Jn. 3:3-5). This kingdom, this house, this church was to be completely different from Israel.

When was this church, or kingdom, to begin? Jesus had told the apostles, "Assuredly, I say to you that there are some standing here who will not taste death till they see the kingdom of God present with power" (Mk 9:1). Later, after His resurrection, He told them, "Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you; but tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high" (Lk 24:49). So we see that the kingdom was to come during the lifetime of the apostles, it was to come with power, they were to wait in Jerusalem until Jesus sent the power upon them.

Just before His ascension, Jesus "commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the Promise of the Father … you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you" (Acts 1:1-8). As we continue to read, we notice, "When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place ... And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance" (Acts 2:1, 4). When the accusation was made, "These men are drunk" (Acts 2:13), Peter answered: "For these are not drunk, as you suppose … But this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel: 'And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God, That I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh…'" Acts 2:15-17). Thus all the pieces of the prophecies come together.

The church was to begin "in Jerusalem" (Isa. 2:8; Zech. 1:16) "in the latter days" (Isa. 2:2-8), during the lifetime of the apostles (Mark 9:1) "with power." The power was to come when the Holy Spirit was given (Acts 1:8). It all fits. The apostles were waiting in Jerusalem as Jesus instructed. The Holy Spirit came as He had promised. And they preached that "the latter days" had now begun. We should expect the church (kingdom) to begin - and it does! When the gospel was preached, people asked, "What shall we do?" God replied, "Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins … They then that received his word were baptized: and there were added unto them in that day about three thousand souls... And the Lord added to the church daily such as were being saved" (Acts 2:38, 41, 47). Jesus had promised, "I will build My church." That promise had now been fulfilled. That church had now been built, and when the Lord saved people, He added them to His church.

Continuing through the book Acts, we find the church growing as people were "obedient to the faith" (Acts 6:7). This was the church of the Bible. Any church that began at some place other than Jerusalem cannot be the church of the Bible. Any church that did not begin during the lifetime of the apostles cannot be the church of the Bible. Any church that is not composed of ALL the saved cannot be the church of the Bible.

In the writing of the apostles (Romans through Jude), the church that Jesus built is pictured for us. The apostle Paul wrote of Jesus, "He is the head of the body, the church... God gave him to be head over all things to church, which is his body... There is one body ... He is the Savior of the body" (Col. 1:18; Eph. 1:22-28; 4:4; 5:28). The church that Jesus built is the "body of Christ." Surely no man-made church can make that claim! That church is also the bride of Christ; For I have betrothed you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ ... For the husband is head of the wife, as also Christ is head of the church; and He is the Savior of the body ... Husbands love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her … For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh." This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church" (2 Cor. 11:2; Eph. 5:23-32). Probably the most meaningful description of the church of the Bible is that of "the family of God." Paul wrote to those in the church in Ephesus, "We are fellow-citizens with the saints, and of the household of God" (Eph. 2:19-20). The same apostle said, "For you are all sons of God, through faith, in Christ. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ did put on Christ" (Gal. 3:26-27). When those on Pentecost were baptized, the Lord saved them and added them to His church (Acts 2:47). In other words, because they were "born of water and the Spirit" they were now in the kingdom (Jn 3:5) which is the church. That well defines the family of God: those who, through faith, are baptized into Christ (Gal. 8:26-27). Thus, all of God's children are in His family, which is the church of the Bible. If one has been "born again" he is in God's family, which is the church.

The conclusion that must be reached then is: any church which began at some other time or place or in another way, or is composed of different people than what we have just read from God's word is not the church of the Bible. Jesus taught clearly about the source of the church, the kingdom, "The seed is the word of God" (Lk 8:11). The apostle Peter wrote later, "having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of God which lives and abides forever … Now this is the word which by the gospel was preached to you" (1 Pet. 1:23, 25). If you will receive the same seed, the word of God, and obey it the same way those people did 1900 years ago, the Lord will add you to that same church.