Who is the true Church according to the Word of God?
Probably the most pressing question in sincere Christian circles today is, what, or who, is the true church? God is moving upon the hearts of His children and urging them to seek to serve Him in His Spirit and Truth, and thus the desire is within them to search out the true remnant of the people of God in this day and age. However, the enemy has his hand in practically every facet of God’s truth to pervert it, and a correct understanding of simply what Scripture implies by the term ‘church’ is sorely lost. The purpose of this study is exalt our Creator’s definition of His church and people, as well as to understand fully His intent for His people.
Now, just to clear up any commonly preconceived or private interpretations, the Word of God is very clear on the fact that there is only one true remnant and that not just anyone or anything professing a relation to Christ is the church. It’s not simply a matter of good intentions or what someone deems their heart to be—there is only one Way and one Truth, and the Bible is very clear on this.
Now, just to clear up any commonly preconceived or private interpretations, the Word of God is very clear on the fact that there is only one true remnant and that not just anyone or anything professing a relation to Christ is the church. It’s not simply a matter of good intentions or what someone deems their heart to be—there is only one Way and one Truth, and the Bible is very clear on this.
And in that day seven women shall take hold of one Man, saying, We will eat our own bread, and wear our own apparel: only let us be called by thy name, to take away our reproach… he that is left in Zion, and he that remaineth in Jerusalem, shall be called holy, even every one that is written among the living in Jerusalem.
Isaiah 4:1, 3
God is uncomplicated when He speaks of the condition and nature of the world and the church. Here, Isaiah contrasts the two and verbally illustrates the situation of the ages. Women in Scripture, especially in prophetic passages such as this one, are often symbolic of churches, both false and true. With God, there is but one true bride for His Son (the Man in this passage) and she is, as we shall continue to prove with Scripture, the only true church of God. Isaiah said that only those who remained in Zion and Jerusalem—in other words, those who were remnants of the true people God had established there—were to be called holy. Those who only profess association with the name of His Son merely as a way of escape from the inevitable destruction of the wicked, yet who still want all their old ways of this world, are so starkly contrasted to the daughters of Zion that they are referred to as their filth (v. 4).
So, back to the question and topic of this study, who is the true church according to the Word of God? In answer to this question, we shall first look to the Son of the One True God, as He is our example in all things pertaining to life and godliness. Let's break down some key aspects of the identity of Christ. Of anything that Christ is to be known for or understood to be, the Bible sets it apart as ultimately paramount that He is the literal Son of the Living God—so much so that it is declared to be eternal life to them that believe.
So, back to the question and topic of this study, who is the true church according to the Word of God? In answer to this question, we shall first look to the Son of the One True God, as He is our example in all things pertaining to life and godliness. Let's break down some key aspects of the identity of Christ. Of anything that Christ is to be known for or understood to be, the Bible sets it apart as ultimately paramount that He is the literal Son of the Living God—so much so that it is declared to be eternal life to them that believe.
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. …And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life…
John 3:16; 6:40
…His dear Son…is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature…
Colossians 1:13, 15
Christ has many names in Scripture, each of which denote some beautiful feature of His character and work. As He is the firstborn of the Father, this becomes very interesting when we look at what Moses recorded in Exodus and one of the names He is given.
Thus saith the LORD, Israel is my son, even my firstborn…
Exodus 4:22
When Israel was a child, then I loved him,
and called my son out of Egypt.
Hosea 11:1
When he arose, he took the young child [Jesus] and his mother by night, and departed into Egypt: and was there until the death of Herod: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Out of Egypt have I called my son.
Matthew 2:15
It's so awesome to interpret Scripture with Scripture, because not only is God's true, intended, and deeper meaning revealed, but the faith of the student of His Word is strengthened with every vital understanding. Between the recorded testimonies of Moses, Hosea, and Matthew, a most lovely correlation depicting Christ's identity as the firstborn of our Father is drawn. It's important that we realize this firstborn quality of His identity when seeking and searching for His true church in Scripture.
Later in the inspired account given by Matthew, Jesus Himself is found teaching His disciples about His church.
Later in the inspired account given by Matthew, Jesus Himself is found teaching His disciples about His church.
When Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am? And they said, Some say that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets. He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven. And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it…
Matthew 16:13–18
Christ sought to instruct the disciples on a most vital and necessary truth for them to understand as those to whom He was committing the foundational work of establishing His church. He wanted to open their minds to who He was and His unique relationship to the Father. When Peter declared this truth—that Christ is the literal Son of the Living God, not having some metaphorical relationship—Christ was delighted and told His disciples that His church would be built upon this very truth. Some who read this text assume that Christ is referring to Peter as the rock; but this would be a poor interpretation, as we know that Christ is the Rock of our salvation and the only way to the Father; no erring and sinful mortal could ever suffice to be the foundation of Christ's pure and set-apart church. Christ alone is the Truth (John 14:6), and when we seek any lesser structure on which to build upon, we are but building upon grounds of sandy and shifty error.
Paul also, in his letter to the Hebrews, discusses the nature of the Christ's true church and calls by a special name…
Paul also, in his letter to the Hebrews, discusses the nature of the Christ's true church and calls by a special name…
But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels, to the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect…
Hebrews 12:22–23
Not surprisingly, Christ's church is called by His name as the Firstborn. Something else to take especial note of is that the church of Christ the Firstborn is a congregation (assembly) in the city of the Living God, Jerusalem. In a moment we will study why Jerusalem is so important in this text, but for now let's look more closely into what makes God's congregation.
Many understand that Christ came to reconcile us to the Father (Ephesians 2:14–18), but not only are we no longer a reproach when surrendered and hid in Christ, but we are also part of the family of God. The most beautiful theme ever to be held in contemplation is that, by Christ and through both the Father's and His love, we are no more strangers but sons and daughters of God and brothers and sisters of Christ. We receive this adoption into the family of Heaven by Christ's merit and are distinguished as sons and daughters by His Spirit residing in us.
Many understand that Christ came to reconcile us to the Father (Ephesians 2:14–18), but not only are we no longer a reproach when surrendered and hid in Christ, but we are also part of the family of God. The most beautiful theme ever to be held in contemplation is that, by Christ and through both the Father's and His love, we are no more strangers but sons and daughters of God and brothers and sisters of Christ. We receive this adoption into the family of Heaven by Christ's merit and are distinguished as sons and daughters by His Spirit residing in us.
But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, to redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons. And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father. Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ. …But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all.
Galatians 4:4–7, 26
…One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.
Ephesians 4:6
Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children; and walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour. …For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light…
Ephesians 5:1–2, 8
That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again. The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.
John 3:6–8
The city of our God, the Heavenly Jerusalem—representing His holy and everlasting covenant between Him and His people (Galatians 4:24)—is the mother of all who are God's by Christ, because He came to us being made under her, whereby we also, if we are to receive redemption and the adoption of sons and daughters through the Spirit, must be made. Since the true church must be made under this covenant by being born of the Spirit, it's crucial that we understand clearly just what is meant by this everlasting covenant and mother of us all. Let's allow God in His Word to explain and define this for us.
Blessed be the Lord God of Israel; Ye are the children of the prophets, and of the covenant which God made with our fathers, saying unto Abraham, And in thy seed shall all the kindreds of the earth be blessed. Unto you first God, having raised up his Son Jesus, sent him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from his iniquities. But with thee will I establish my covenant; and thou shalt come into the ark… God's everlasting covenant between Him and His people, or Him and His true church, is that of His own righteousness received by faith and evidenced through loving, willing obedience to His dear commandments. When one is truly born of the Spirit of Christ, they are a new creation with new ability to appreciate the commands of their Father as established for their own protection, wellbeing, and blessing. His covenant—symbolized by Jerusalem, the mother of every true child of God—is one of promised mercies and righteous judgements, which the children of God were and are ever to claim and receive in faith.
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And I, behold, I establish my covenant with you…I will establish my covenant with you…And God said, This is the token of the covenant which I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for perpetual generations: I do set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a token of a covenant between me and the earth. …And I will remember my covenant…and the bow shall be in the cloud; and I will look upon it, that I may remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is upon the earth. And I will make my covenant between me and thee, and will multiply thee exceedingly. And I will make thy seed to multiply as the stars of heaven, and will give unto thy seed all these countries; and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because that Abraham obeyed my voice, and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws. Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine: and ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation. These are the words which thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel. For thou art an holy people unto the Lord thy God: the Lord thy God hath chosen thee to be a special people unto himself, above all people that are upon the face of the earth. …Know therefore that the Lord thy God, he is God, the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations. |
He established His covenant with Noah, instructing him to act in obedience and evidence his faith in God's deliverance of him and those who would also believe. God set forth this covenant with Noah as an everlasting covenant—one that He makes with each of us still to this day, unto perpetual [eternal] generations. With Abraham, the blessing was promised to him as he would receive it in faith and act out his faith in obedience to the voice of God; he was to be separate and to turn from himself toward God wholeheartedly. (Acts 3:25–26) Again, the children of Israel, or people of Israel—and who is the true Israel but Christ Himself—were promised the blessing of a holy and dearly-loved nation to the Lord on condition they love Him just as fully through faith and obedience. This is why the Bible emphasizes that those who truly love God are those who keep His commandments. They understand His nature as their true Father and His loving intent behind His laws—they desire for Him to write His laws upon their hearts, they walk within the Spirit of Love within His laws.
Now that we understand God's everlasting covenant, we must remember that the true church is the children of God and His covenant with them, as they are begotten and understand the nature of His Spirit. So, which specific denomination or designated building is the church where His children are to attend? In other words, who or what is God's ‘temple’ where we must assemble in and associate with? YOU are the church! You and every one of your brothers and sisters in the faith of Jesus—the faith in the One True God! God has declared in His holy Word that He dwells specifically in us, that we are His temples.
Now that we understand God's everlasting covenant, we must remember that the true church is the children of God and His covenant with them, as they are begotten and understand the nature of His Spirit. So, which specific denomination or designated building is the church where His children are to attend? In other words, who or what is God's ‘temple’ where we must assemble in and associate with? YOU are the church! You and every one of your brothers and sisters in the faith of Jesus—the faith in the One True God! God has declared in His holy Word that He dwells specifically in us, that we are His temples.
But ye are come unto mount Sion…to the general assembly [congregation] and church of the firstborn… Sing praises to the Lord, which dwelleth in Zion… Remember thy congregation, which thou hast purchased of old; the rod of thine inheritance, which thou hast redeemed; this mount Zion, wherein thou hast dwelt. |
Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are. What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you… Ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. …And I will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty. |
These are just a few of the many texts in Scripture which describe the church of God as being the individuals within whom He dwells. Interestingly, with this being said, look at how the Bible speaks of the church in the following New Testament verses.
Likewise greet the church that is in their house…
Romans 16:5
…With the church that is in their house.
1 Corinthians 16:19
Salute the brethren…and the church which is in his house.
Colossians 4:15
…To the church in thy house…
Philemon 1:2
His church is wherever we are, because He dwells within the hearts of each of His children! His people have no creed save His Word alone—no stubborn belief system founded upon erring mortals' interpretation. His people are those only who have received of His adoption by being begotten through His Spirit, which is the Spirit of His Son—this is what it means to be called by His name. No regular attendance at a specific location with a specific group of people can make anyone part of the church of the Living God—He alone does this, He alone welcomes you, and He alone adopts you. An organization, though it may be founded with good intentions and perhaps even Biblical standards, can never be God's church because He does not dwell within organizations or structures made by human hands but within His people. (Acts 7:47–49) Being baptized into an organization means nothing to God; being baptized in the name of His Son is what qualifies one to be called His son or daughter and His church.
For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit. For the body is not one member [not one organization], but many [many individuals].
1 Corinthians 12:13
So we, being many, are one body in Christ.
Romans 12:5
Let's recap what we've learned so far from God's Word on His Church.
- Just as there is one true God, He has only one true church—the only true bride of His Son. (Deuteronomy 6:4; Isaiah 4:1, 3; Isaiah 54:5–7; 1 Corinthians 8:6; Ephesians 4:6; James 2:19)
- God's church is called by the name of His Son as the Church of the Firstborn; Christ is the Firstborn and by Him we are adopted into the family of God. This adoption means that we are begotten through the Spirit of God's Son and recreated to become literal sons and daughters of God and brothers and sisters of Christ—this is the promise of God which we literally receive by the faith of Jesus and through obedience to Him. (John 3:16; Colossians 1:13, 15; Matthew 16:13–18; Hebrews 12:22–23; Galatians 4:4–7; Ephesians 5:1–2, 8; John 3:6–8)
- As sons and daughters of God, we are also sons and daughters of His covenant with us—a covenant of precious promises and blessings which He grants us by faith through a Christlike love evidenced through obedience to His dear commandments. This comes by a correct understanding of His law and desire to keep it, that in His strength He may keep us unto Himself as a pure and holy people. This is how His church becomes a channel of blessing to the world and lightens the earth with the glory of their Father. (Galatians 4:26; Luke 1:68–75; Acts 3:25–26; Genesis 9:8–16; Exodus 19:5–6; Deuteronomy 7:6–26)
- The congregation, or the body of believers of God's church, are His sons and daughters. His church = His children—not an organization where His children come or enter into to be gathered. We are the church ourselves, as we abide in His Spirit and His Truth and as He dwells within each of us. Even as simple as wherever two or more are gathered in His name, there is His church. (Psalm 9:11; Psalm 74:2; Matthew 18:20; 1 Corinthians 3:16–17; 2 Corinthians 6:16–18)
Foundational Pillar of True Knowledge
Now that we have learned who and what the true church of God really is, let us look a little more deeply into the foundational pillar or Rock which Christ has laid for His church. What was the first truth Christ sought to impress upon the minds of disciples in bringing them to understand His church? It was that His identity as the Only-Begotten of the Father is the essence of His church, as they are to be identified with Him. (Matthew 16:13–18) We also know that without understanding His Spirit, we cannot become our Father's children or His church, since we are begotten by His Spirit in order to receive the adoption into His Church as His sons and daughters.
And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.
John 14:16–18
Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.
2 Corinthians 3:17
This Comforter is none other than Christ Himself, His omnipresence—even His mind—which dwells in all who receive Him. Hence why our carnal minds may be renewed and transformed to reflect His purity when His own mind is dwelling within us; by beholding Him we become changed. Thus we truly become our Father’s children when we partake of the Spirit of His Son which cries, “Abba, Father” within us, and we truly and literally become adopted into the family of Christ.
For emphasis of this point, there are two classes in Scripture: the church and the world. Those who, by God’s grace, desire and seek after that which is good and of Him, and those who are carnal-minded and who seek not God, for they desire worldliness.
For emphasis of this point, there are two classes in Scripture: the church and the world. Those who, by God’s grace, desire and seek after that which is good and of Him, and those who are carnal-minded and who seek not God, for they desire worldliness.
I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine.
John 17:9
And I will punish the world for their evil,
and the wicked for their iniquity…
Isaiah 13:11
Wherefore do the wicked live,
become old, yea, are mighty in power?
…Therefore they say unto God, Depart from us;
for we desire not the knowledge of thy ways.
Job 21:7, 14
For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness…and even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient.
Romans 1:18, 28
Christ Himself contrasts the ones whom His Father has given Him to the ones in the world, or those who are not given Him. Through the mouth of the prophet Isaiah, He also positions the world as synonymous with the wicked. What striking characteristic do the wicked possess which directly sets them apart from God's people? The wicked are those who desire not a knowledge of God’s ways. Thus, that which the church alone possesses is a knowledge of the true identity of God and His Son, since ultimately God's Way and Truth is His Son (John 14:6), and we must truly understand who Christ is, His relationship to His Father, and His Father in order to gain a true knowledge of God.
