The Foundations of the Church

The question often arises of when exactly the church of Jesus Christ started. To some the answer is simple, but we still need to lay a bible based foundation of when the church started.

Some believe the church started in Eden, and all righteous people who lived by faith in the coming Christ, upto today, were part of the church. Some believe it started with Moses, and the New Testament only grafted the gentiles into a church that was already there. Then we have others who believe the church started after the resurrection of Jesus Christ, most popularly, at pentecost when the baptism of the spirit came.

These different views stem from different understanding of what the church is, what the New Testament is and what salvation is. This can lead to a lot of error, and so it has become necessary for me to write this teaching, on the foundations of the church.

What is the Church?

Obviously, it’s important for me to clarify exactly what it is that I am referring to as The Church, and then afterwards look at its foundation.
The word church comes from the Greek word ekklesia. Here are the definitions from  the Thayer and Strong Greek lexicons.

Thayer

ekklēsia

a gathering of citizens called out from their homes into some public place, an assembly

Strong #1577

From a compound of 1537 and a derivative of 2564; 

a calling out,

 i.e. (concretely) a popular meeting, especially a religious congregation (Jewish synagogue, or Christian community of members on earth or saints in heaven or both):–assembly, church.

It is a gathering of people that have been called out. Especially a religious gathering.

Now, let’s look at instances where the word Ekklesia has been used in the Bible. There are many uses of the word, so this will help us as we determine which church exactly we are talking about.

1.) Gathering of Christian believers in different cities.

Revelation 1:11 (ESV) 

“Write what you see in a book and send it to the seven churches, to Ephesus and to Smyrna and to Pergamum and to Thyatira and to Sardis and to Philadelphia and to Laodicea.”

The word translated as church there, is Ekklesia. Some versions render it as Assembly. So, these seven churches, were seven assemblies, or seven gatherings of Christian believers in seven different cities. Many of these churches were gatherings of Christian believers to worship in someone’s house.

Romans 16:5 (ESV) 5 Greet also the church in their house. Greet my beloved Epaenetus, who was the first convert to Christ in Asia.

Philemon 1:2 (WEB) 2 to the beloved Apphia, to Archippus our fellow soldier, and to the assembly in your house:

2.) Gathering of Pagan Unbelievers in Ephesus

Acts 19:32 (ESV) 32 Now some cried out one thing, some another, for the assembly was in confusion, and most of them did not know why they had come together.

Acts 19:41 (ESV) 

41 And when he had said these things, he dismissed the assembly.

The word translated assembly there is Ekklesia, which is also translated church. In this instance, these were worshipers of the goddess Diana who had gathered to try and attack Paul.

3.) Gathering of Israelites at Mt Sinai in the Wilderness

Acts 7:38 (WEB) 38 This is he who was in the assembly in the wilderness with the angel that spoke to him on Mount Sinai, and with our fathers, who received living revelations to give to us,

The word translated church, is ekklesia, which means church. This scripture is talking about Moses, and it’s referring to the Israelites that gathered around mt Sinai as Moses spoke to the angel of the Lord, as an Ekklesia, an assembly or gathering of people that had been called.

Explaining The Church of Jesus Christ

So, is Eden part of the Church of Jesus Christ? Was the assembly in the wilderness part of the church of Jesus Christ?

From the scriptures above we can see that not every time the word ekklesia is used, is it referring to the Church of Jesus Christ. If people are gathered together for worship or for public duty, they can be referred to as an ekklesia/ assembly/ church, but that does not mean it is the church of Jesus Christ.

So, there are many types of churches, we even have the Satanic church nowadays. However, let us look at the church of Jesus Christ. What is the Church of Jesus Christ.

Hebrews gives us a comprehensive description of what the church of Jesus Christ is.

Firstly, the writer of Hebrews starts by telling Christians that they have not come to the same church that was on mt Sinai in the wilderness as Moses spoke to the Angel.

Hebrews 12:18-19 (NKJV) 

18 For you have not come to the mountain that may be touched and that burned with fire, and to blackness and darkness and tempest, 19 and the sound of a trumpet and the voice of words, so that those who heard it begged that the word should not be spoken to them anymore.

He then explains the church of Jesus Christ;

Hebrews 12:22-24 (NKJV) 

22 But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, to an innumerable company of angels, 23 to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are registered in heaven, to God the Judge of all, to the spirits of just men made perfect, 24 to Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling that speaks better things than that of Abel.

1.) It is an assembly of people who are registered in heaven.

The assembly and Church of Jesus Christ is a gathering of people who are Firstborn, meaning they are born again, and their names are registered in heaven.

2.) It is an assembly of spirits.

The Church of Jesus Christ is a gathering of spirit beings, that includes spirits of men who have been justified and perfected by the sacrifice of Christ. It also includes angels.

3.) It is assembly around Jesus Christ as he mediates the New Covenant.

The Church of Jesus Christ is a gathering around Jesus as he teaches and puts into effect the new covenant. So the Church of Jesus Christ gathers to learn from Christ, the terms of the new covenant, and to experience the transformation of the new covenant in their lives.

Here are a few more definitions of the Church of Jesus Christ.

4.) The Church of Jesus Christ is his body

Colossians 1:18 (KJV) 

18 And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence.

The reason why the church of Jesus Christ is referred to as Christ’s body, is because it carries within it, the spirit of Christ in the flesh. Every human Body, that has the spirit of Christ, is part of the Body of Christ.

1 Corinthians 12:13-14 (NKJV) 

13 For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free—and have all been made to drink into one Spirit. 14 For in fact the body is not one member but many.

5.) The Church of Jesus Christ is the Temple of God

2 Corinthians 6:16 (NKJV) 

6 And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you are the temple of the living God. As God has said: “I will dwell in them And walk among them. I will be their God, And they shall be My people.

6.) The Church of Jesus Christ is his Bride

Ephesians 5:23 (NKJV) 

23 For the husband is head of the wife, as also Christ is head of the church; and He is the Savior of the body.

2 Corinthians 11:2 (NKJV) 

2 For I am jealous for you with godly jealousy. For I have betrothed you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ.

Ephesians 5:30-32 (NKJV) 

30 For we are members of His body, of His flesh and of His bones. 31 “For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.” 32 This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church.

7.) It is an assembly in the heavenly Jerusalem.

Hebrews 12:22 which we have looked at, starts by telling believers that they have come to Mt Zion, the Heavenly Jerusalem. The heavenly Jerusalem is actually a picture of the church.

Earthly Jerusalem was the place where God’s presence dwelt in the Old Testament and where people would go and gather to hear and minister to God. The church of Jesus is the New Jerusalem in that regard.

Revelation shows us that the Bride of Christ is the New Jerusalem from heaven.

Revelation 19:7 (NKJV) Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready.”

Revelation 21:2-3 (NKJV) Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God

Heavenly Jerusalem is also a picture of the New Covenant.

Paul makes a contrast between the covenant on Sinai, which was established in earthly Jerusalem and the covenant of Christ which is established in heavenly Jerusalem.

Galatians 4:24-26 (NKJV) 

24 which things are symbolic. For these are the two covenants: the one from Mount Sinai which gives birth to bondage, which is Hagar— 

25 for this Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia, and corresponds to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children— 26 but the Jerusalem above is free, which is the mother of us all

How the Church of Jesus Christ is Built

I am going to give five reasons that show that the church of Jesus Christ began to be built after the resurrection of Christ. Before Christ came, the foundation of the church of Jesus Christ had not yet been laid.

1.) The Church of Jesus Christ is Built Upon a Rock

Matthew 16:17-18 (NKJV) 17 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.

Whilst the gathering of Israel could be called churches, Jesus says he was going to build his Church upon a rock. Firstly we understand from this that Jesus had not yet built his church. Otherwise he would have said, I will continue to build it.

Also, what is this rock that Jesus says he would build his church on. This rock would be the foundation of the church. Was this rock there in Eden, and was it there in Israel? The rock that Jesus refers to here is associated with Peter in that moment. Peter had just received the revelation that Jesus is the Christ, the son of God.

This revelation, of who Jesus is, is the foundation that Jesus would build his church on. Before John the Baptist, people knew that Christ was coming, but they had no revelation of who the Christ is- His identity. This revelation, that Jesus is the Christ the son of God, only came with John the Baptist. So before John the Baptist, there was no foundation on which the church of Jesus Christ could be built on.

2.) Jesus Christ is the Foundation

1 Corinthians 3:10-11 (NKJV) 

10 According to the grace of God which was given to me, as a wise master builder I have laid the foundation, and another builds on it. But let each one take heed how he builds on it. 11 For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.

Jesus Christ is the foundation. 

The title of Christ can be used generally, but the name Jesus Christ is very specific. The term Jesus Christ refers to Jesus as a human being after he was born of a virgin. Before that, he was called The Word. Only after the word became flesh, was he now called, Jesus.

Luke 1:31 (NKJV) 

31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name Jesus.

This son who is born, the word made flesh, Jesus the Christ is the foundation.

When we say he is the foundation, we refer to the teaching that was given to us by him.

Matthew 7:24 (NKJV) 

“Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock

3.) The Twelve Apostles laid The First Foundation

Revelation 21:9-14 (NKJV) 

9 Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls filled with the seven last plagues came to me and talked with me, saying, “Come, I will show you the bride, the Lamb’s wife.” 10 And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me the great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God, 

14 Now the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.

The church could not have existed before the twelve apostles because it is the twelve who laid the foundation of the Bride of Christ. This is why there are twelve foundations with the names of the twelve apostles. Because it is through the eye witness testimony of the twelve apostles, that the teaching, the death and the ressurection of Jesus Christ is given to the world.

Paul also explains:

Ephesians 2:20-22 (NKJV) 

20 having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone, 

21 in whom the whole building, being fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, 22 in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.

4.) The Apostles are First in the Church

1 Corinthians 12:27-28 (NKJV) 

27 Now you are the body of Christ, and members individually. 28 And God has appointed these in the church: first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, administrations, varieties of tongues.

5.) The Church of Christ Received It’s Head After the Resurrection

When scripture says Christ is the head of the church, it is referring to the resurrected Christ. 

Ephesians 1:20-23 (ESV) 

20 that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, 21 far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. 22 And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, 23 which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.

All things are placed under Christ after the resurrection and it is then that he is given as head of the church.

6.) We enter the Body and Church of Christ through Baptism of the Spirit

1 Corinthians 12:12-13 (NKJV) 12 For as the body is one and has many members, but all the members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ. 13 For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free—and have all been made to drink into one Spirit.

Baptism of the Spirit started at Pentecost. Before the resurrection of Christ people could not receive the Baptism of the Spirit. 

Here is the scripture:

John 7:37-39 (NKJV) 

37 On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. 38 He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.” 39 But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.

Before the resurrection and ascension of Christ no one could receive the baptism and indwelling of the spirit. So there was no Body of Christ before the resurrection and no church.

John 1:33-34 (NKJV) 

33 I did not know Him, but He who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘Upon whom you see the Spirit descending, and remaining on Him, this is He who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’ 34 And I have seen and testified that this is the Son of God.”

Jesus then specifies that the spirit could not be given until he ascends to the father.

John 16:7 (NKJV) 

7 Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you.

Acts 1:4-5 (NKJV) 

4 And being assembled together with them, He commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the Promise of the Father, “which,” He said, “you have heard from Me; 5 for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.

The church is conceived with the birth of Christ, and the foundation is given to the world, and it is born on the day of Pentecost when the spirit is given. Just as Adam was formed from dust, but only became alive when God breathed the spirit of life in him. So is it with the body of Christ.

Acts 2:46-47 (NKJV) 

47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved.

7.) In Conclusion – Judaism is not the Church of Christ

We have already covered many scriptures, but Paul makes it clear that when he was part of the Jewish religion, blameless according to the law, he was not yet part of the church of Jesus Christ.

Galatians 1:13-14 (NKJV) 

13 For you have heard of my former conduct in Judaism, how I persecuted the church of God beyond measure and tried to destroy it. 14 And I advanced in Judaism beyond many of my contemporaries in my own nation, being more exceedingly zealous for the traditions of my fathers.

Even on the day of Pentecost, the people that Peter preached to, who were later added to the church, were devout Jews.

Acts 2:5 (NIV) 

5 Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven.

37 When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?”

38 Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Without the baptism of the spirit, without the death and resurrection of Christ, without the teaching of the gospel by the apostles, there is no church of Jesus Christ.