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Ecclesiology

 

  1. The Meaning and Uses of the Word "Church"

    1. "Church" may refer to a heathen assembly.
      (Acts 19:32, 39, 41)

    2. "Church" may refer to an assembly of Jewish people.
      (Acts 7:38)

    3. "Church" may refer to the Body of Christ. (Col. 1:18)

    4. "Church" may refer to the local assembly of believers.
      (1 Cor. 1:2)

  2. The Universal Church
    • The terms Universal Church , Body of Christ (when used to refer to the Church), Bride of Christ , and Catholic Church are synonymous. They refer to the entire spiritual body of true believers from the Day of Pentecost to the Rapture.

    1. Since the Body of Christ is formed by the baptizing of the Holy Spirit, the Universal Church must have come into existence on the day of Pentecost. (1 Cor. 12:13; Acts 1:5; 11:15)

    2. Christ is the foundation of the Church. (Matt. 16:18; 1 Pet. 2:4-8)

    3. Thess. 2; Rev. 3:10-11; 1 The Church (the Bride of Christ) will be complete at the Rapture. (2 Thess. 1:10)


  3. The Local Church
    • The purpose of the local church is to worship and glorify God by evangelizing and teaching (Matt. 28:19-20) , by caring for its own (1 Tim. 5) , and by doing good in the world. (Gal. 6:10)

  4. The Two Ordinances of the Local Church
    • An ordinance is an outward practice prescribed by the Lord to be performed by the church.

    1. Baptism (by immersion) is a means of identifying with the death, burial and resurrection of Christ. (Rom. 6)

      1. Baptism is for believers only. (Acts 8:37)

      2. Because baptism is for believers, infants must not be baptized. (Acts 8:37)

    2. The Lord's Supper is to commemorate the death of Christ, and is to be observed until He comes for His Church. (1 Cor. 11:23-26)

      1. The bread symbolizes the body of Christ. (1 Cor. 11:24)

      2. The cup symbolizes Christ's blood that was shed for us. (1 Cor. 11:25)

  5. Local Church Organization

    1. The biblical model for local church government is one where the congregation rules itself under the authority of the Lord Jesus Christ.

      1. The early church elected its own officers and delegates.
        (Acts 6:1-6; 15:2-3)

      2. Each church had the power to carry out its own church discipline.
        (Matt. 18:17, 18; 1 Cor. 5:13)

      3. The church, with its officers, sent out missionaries (Acts 13:3, 4), rendered decisions (Acts 15:22), received delegates (Acts 15:4; 18:27), and sent out solicitors. (2 Cor. 8:19)

    2. The local church has two offices:

      1. The pastor/shepherd (Gr. poimen) is also referred to as elder (Gr. presbuteros) and bishop (Gr. episkopos). That all three of these terms refer to the same office is proven in 1 Pet. 5:1-4, where all three words are used to refer to pastors. The terms are also interchanged in Titus 1:5-7 and in Acts 20:17-28.

      2. Deacons. The Greek word diakonos means simply a minister, or a servant. Basically, the deacons are assistants to the pastor. Acts 6 indicates that even though their primary function was to care for the temporal needs of the church, they also carry on a spiritual ministry. For that reason, it is required that they be "men of honest report, full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom." (Acts 6:3; 1 Tim. 3)

  6. The Historical Distinctives of Baptists
    1. The Bible is the sole authority for the believer and the church.
    2. The local church is autonomous under the authority of the Lord Jesus Christ.
    3. Believers have the privilege and responsibility of directly approaching the throne of God through prayer. Our only mediator is Jesus Christ. This doctrine is known as the priesthood of the believer. (Heb. 10:10-22)
    4. There are two ordinances established in Scripture: Baptism and the Lord's Supper.
    5. Every believer has the right to approach God and interpret God for himself. Believers may vary in their personal convictions as they view God through His Word, but they will stand accountable before God for their own choices. This is known as the doctrine of individual soul liberty. (Rom. 14:12)
    6. The membership of the local church should only include individuals who are saved and have been baptized. In Peter's message at Pentecost (Acts 2), he made it clear that the first and most important act for all men is to trust Christ as their Savior. Secondly, he instructed believers to be baptized to demonstrate to others their inward change. Only after these things had taken place, does the Bible state that "the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved," or "those who were being saved" (Greek tous sozomenous--present passive participle) (v. 47). The terms "believers" and "saints" are frequently used to describe local church members. (2 Cor. 1:2) Both terms indicate saved individuals.
    7. There are two biblical offices in the church: Pastor and deacon.
    8. Baptists have historically believed in the separation of the Church and the State. This should be understood to mean that the church is not to dictate government policy, and that the government is not to dictate church policy. This in no way diminishes the right and responsibilities of church members, as individual citizens, to express their views to the government. (Matt. 22:15-22)

 

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