Getting Past our Identity Crisis: Images of the Church in Scripture
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Much of the church today lives in an identity crisis. We have forgotten who we are, or, more precisely, we have forgotten who God has told us we are. How do we understand ourselves as the people of God? How do we relate to those who do not share our faith? Scripture uses several images to describe the church in its relationship to God and the world, and the relationship of its members to one another. These images are like parables in that they use the familiar to describe the unfamiliar. Exploring these images helps us to clarify who we are and our relationship to the unbelieving world around us.
Familial Images
Household of God
A household includes fathers, mothers, husbands, wives, daughters, sons, sisters, and brothers. Paul used this terminology when telling the people from the nations they were no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of God’s household (Ephesians 2:19). They were once dead through their sins and passions but were reconciled to God through faith in Christ (Ephesians 2:1, 8). The terminology of the household permeates the language and structure of the church. Treat older men and women as fathers and mothers, and the younger women and men as sisters and brothers (1 Timothy 5:1-2). In the early church the focus was on the home where members continued in the apostles’ teaching, fellowship, and the breaking of bread (communion) from house to house (Acts 2:42, 46; Colossians 4:15). The picture this leaves for us is that we are not alone. God the Father, as head of the family (Ephesians 3:15; 4:6), surrounds us in the household of faith with family members. We are to hold to the unity of our common faith (Ephesians 4:13; Titus 1:1-4; Jude 3) and to walk worthy of the calling we have received (Ephesians 4:1) in the new creation of our baptism (Ephesians 4:20-24; Romans 6).
Bride of Christ
The intimacy of God’s relationship with the church is found in the figure of the bride. It is derived from the union of the husband and wife to form one flesh (Genesis 2:23-24; Ephesians 5:25-33). The imagery of the bride is drawn from the Old Testament (Hosea 1-3; Ezekiel 16, 23) where Israel is the wife of Yahweh. The picture this gives us is one of deep intimacy, love, and faithfulness. We are made one body and spirit in Christ and therefore are to glorify Him in body and spirit (1 Corinthians 6:12-20). The bridegroom loves the church. He through whom the universe was created squeezed himself into human flesh (John 1:1-3; 14) to become one of us (Romans 8:29; Hebrews 2:14-15) that he might die to deliver us. God could give no greater gift than to create us in his image (Genesis 1:26-27) and then become one of us that we might share in his divine nature (2 Peter 1:4). Therefore, we are to love one another, not just as we love ourselves or our neighbor, but as Jesus loved us (John 13:34; 15:12, 17).
Children of God
The idea of the church as the children of God goes back to the Old Testament notion of kinship (Genesis 29:14; 2:23). Children are the image and likeness of their parents because they share the same genetic codes (Genesis 5:3). The relation of God to us is different from that of all creation in that God spoke all creation into existence but formed us from the dust and breathed into us the breath of life (Genesis 2:7). Just as human children have the characteristics of their parents the children of God should have the characteristics of God. We marred that image by our sin. God the Son became human that he might create all things new (2 Corinthians 5:17; Galatians 6:15) and free us from sin. Just as it is difficult for a small child to imagine what it is like to be an adult, even so we do not fully understand what God has done and is doing for us (1 John 3:1-3). We have, however, received the Spirit of adoption by whom we call God Father (Romans 8:15), and we eagerly wait for the consummation of that adoption in the resurrection of our bodies (Romans 8:23). This is one of the most familiar images used by the church. We are begotten from above (John 3:3; 1 Peter 1:3) and born of water and the Spirit into the church (John 3:5; Titus 3:5). We form one new humanity. Therefore, we are no longer to walk as the rest of the nations with darkened minds and fleshly lusts. We are to put off the old man and put on the new man created to walk in righteousness and holiness (Ephesians 4:17-24).
Political Images
Kingdom of God
When John the Baptist came preaching repentance because the kingdom of God was near, the people had some idea of what he meant because they lived in a kingdom. They lived in a place ruled by a king, but they longed for something better because human governments fail the people for whom they have responsibility. Human governments are under the dominion of darkness. The kingdom of God will govern all governments with righteous judgment (Psalm 82; Micah 4:1-4; Daniel 7:13-14; Isaiah 65:17-19; 66:22). The focus of the kingdom of God is the king. It is the king who brings peace, stability, security, prosperity, and justice. The promises of this coming king fueled much of the prophetic hope.
The promise of a king began with David, the king of Israel. God promised David that his son would be God's son and God would establish his kingdom forever (2 Samuel 7:12-14). Many prophets made statements concerning this child. For a child is born, a Son is given to us and the government will be upon his shoulders, of the increase of his government and his peace there will be no end (Isaiah 9:6-7). He will make the fields so fruitful that the one who plows will overtake the one reaping and he will rebuild the cities laid waste by war (Amos 9:11-14). He will establish a place of peace where the lamb will lie down with the wolf and a little child will lead them (Isaiah 11:1-9). This king will bring about a time when the trees of the field yield their fruit and the earth its increase and the people dwell securely (Ezekiel 34:23-31). He will write his laws on the hearts of his people (Jeremiah 31:34).
It is a coming kingdom and is a kingdom already come. We are now in the kingdom, but we do not yet possess our resurrection bodies--the complete revelation of God in us (2 Corinthians 4:7). We are now seated with Christ in the heavenlies (Ephesians 2:4-7; Colossians 3:1-4), but the world sees us as only human, as it saw Jesus (John 6:42). The kingdom of God is a present reality because the king has come. Yet we look for his return and the complete judgement of all nations and peoples, of all powers and all principalities by our king (Psalm 2; Daniel 7:13-14; Ephesians 1:21; Colossians 1:13-20). It is God's pleasure to give us entrance into this kingdom (Luke 12:32), but judgement begins with us (1 Peter 4:17-18). We are commanded to keep the commandments of the king (John 15:10) and to walk in his ways.
Holy Nation
Nation is related to kingdom, except where kingdom focuses on the king, nation focuses on the people. In this case the church is called a holy nation because it is the people ruled by a holy God. It is the nation separated from all the nations as belonging to God (Exodus 19:5-6; 1 Peter 2:9-10) and therefore is holy. The people are holy because God is holy (Leviticus 19:2). The character of the king sets the character for the nation. Again, this calls us to take on the character of him in whose image we were created (Romans 6) and walk in his light (Ephesians 5:8-21).
Social Images
People of God
We may speak of the people of Africa, the people of Asia, or of Europe. We may also narrow the focus and speak of the people of Brazil or the people of China. When we speak of the “people of” we are speaking of a people belonging to a geographical location, an ethnic group, or some other characteristic that unites them. We the church belong to God. Our identity as a distinct people is that we belong to God without regard to race or sex or geographical location or time (Galatians 3:28). As the one people of God we should show forth the love of God to the other people of the world.
City of God
Each person is a building (2 Corinthians 5:2; John 14:2-3). Each building stands in relation to the other buildings as a great city. It tells us that we are not isolated individuals. We are one community of believers joined by God. Our dwelling place, where we live, is with each other and with God. For as the Father is in the Son and the Son in the Father, so are the Father and Son and Spirit in us (John 14:17, 20;17:21-23). When we meet, we foreshadow the City of God coming down out of the heavens prepared as a bride adorned for her husband (Revelation 21:2). This is the city that Abraham and all who died in faith sought, a city whose builder and maker is God (Hebrews 11:10-16). We are the city on the hill, light to the world so our good works should shine that the world may glorify our Father (Matthew 5:14-16).
Temple-Related Images
Temple of God
People built temples as places for God to dwell in. Israel had its temple in Jerusalem. The people went to their temple to pray and offer sacrifices because God was there. But God wanted to do something better. He wanted to build a temple that he might always be with us. He thus sent his Son who took on human flesh and created a new humanity that God might dwell in them. Peter wrote that Jesus was the chief cornerstone and we come to him as living stones being built into a spiritual house and holy priesthood to offer up spiritual sacrifices to the Father (1 Peter 2:4-5, 9). Our bodies are now the temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 3:16-17). When we meet as a church, we are not alone; a great cloud of witnesses surrounds us with innumerable angels, and the spirits of people made perfect in the living God (Hebrews 12:22-24). We are now the place where God dwells with humanity. He dwells in us (Ephesians 3:19-22). Therefore, we should live as representatives of God and not our self interests.
Royal Priesthood
The Church is a royal priesthood. It is royal because we are related to the king (Revelation 1:6; 5:10). We are his children (John 1:12). It is a priesthood because we pray. Jesus said his Father's house would be a house of prayer (Isaiah 56:7; Mark 11:17). We pray for the world, for leaders and all who are in authority that we might lead a quiet and peaceable life and that all people might be saved (1 Timothy 2:1-8). We join in the High Priestly intercession of Christ (Hebrews 7:25; Romans 8:34; 1 John 2:1) and of the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:26-27; John 14:16).
Mystical Images
Body of Christ
The body of Christ is the new humanity with Christ as its head (Romans 5:12-21; 1 Corinthians 15). It is called a body because it should not act on its own. It should only do what the head tells it to do. The image of the body of Christ reinforces the idea of the church’s union with God and with one another. We are joined to God as body to head. The church is Christ extended throughout the whole world (Augustine; Psalm 43:1).
The church is one body in Christ whatever sex, whatever nationality, whatever social and economic status, whatever denomination. In one Spirit we were all baptized into one body (1 Corinthians 12:13). We are a Community with many members each having a place and function contributing to the body (1 Corinthians 12:12-30). Each member is important. As Paul wrote, the foot cannot say, “I am not a hand therefore I don’t belong to the body”. It is not any less a part of the body. And the eye cannot say to the hand, “I don’t need you.” Each part of the body contributes to the whole, so that the body is completely joined and knit together by what every part supplies (Ephesians 4:1-24).
Vine and Branches
That Christ is the vine and the church the branches again carries the idea of union and unity. We can do nothing apart from Christ (John 15:5). We do not even have life. In him, however, joined to Christ as a vine to a branch, we not only have life, but we can also bear fruit as we are called to do (Ephesians 2:10). We do this especially, if we do as Jesus did and only do the things we see the Father doing (John 5:19; 12:49:50).
Net
The Net is properly a parable more than an image, but it does speak of the mystical aspect of the church. The net (the gospel) is cast into the sea (the nations). It pulls in a mixed catch of fish and reveals the mixed condition in the visible church on earth (Matthew 13:47-50). Just as Israel came out of Egypt a mixed multitude (Exodus 12:38; Numbers 11:4-6), so the gospel attracts both the repentant and the unrepentant. As noted by Cyril of Jerusalem (d. 386) when he spoke to people coming to be baptized, the water would receive them, but the Spirit would not accept them unless they came with a right purpose (Procatechsis, 4). The minister uses water, which is seen, but the Holy Spirit gives what is unseen (Cyril, Lecture 17.36).
When the world looks at the church does it see something different from itself? When we who call ourselves the body of Christ look at ourselves, do we see anything different from the world around us? The Bible gives us remarkable resources, by which to understand ourselves, and by which we may distinguish ourselves from those who do not share our hope. We who follow Christ are a peculiar people, or at least we should be, and we can be if we will live into the vision God has revealed to us in Scripture.
William Copeland is a semi-retired accountant and layperson in the Free Methodist Church.