What Is the Church in the Bible?
When people say “church,” they often think of a building, a denomination, or a voluntary religious organization. But the church in the Bible is first and foremost something God himself brings into being. It flows from God’s eternal purpose to have a people for his own possession (Deuteronomy 7:6), gathered around Jesus Christ as Lord (1 Corinthians 12:3) and indwelt by the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 3:16). The church is not merely a human structure to support religious activity; it is the community that exists because of who the triune God is and what he has done.
1. Old Testament Roots of the Church in the Bible
The church in the Bible is deeply rooted in the Old Testament people of God. God begins by choosing Abram, promising to bless him and make him a blessing to “all the families of the earth” (Genesis 12:1–3). This covenant is extended to his descendants, Israel, not because of their greatness, but purely because “the Lord loved you” (Deuteronomy 7:7–8). Their calling is to love and obey him and live as his treasured people (Deuteronomy 7:6; 10:12–13).
Israel is called “a kingdom of priests and a holy nation” (Exodus 19:5–6). Worship is meant to stand at the heart of their life with God (Exodus 7:16). Though Aaron and the Levites are set apart for priestly service, the entire nation shares a priestly vocation: to live holy lives (Leviticus 19:1–2; 20:7–8) and to mediate God’s glory to the nations (Isaiah 61:6).
The basic word for church in the Bible—ekklesia—translates the Hebrew qahal, the “assembly” of God’s people. Israel gathers to hear God’s Word, confess sin, and renew the covenant (Deuteronomy 4:10; Joshua 8:33–35; Nehemiah 8:1–8). These OT assemblies form the background for understanding the church as a real, gathered community.
Yet Israel’s persistent unfaithfulness leads to judgment and exile. The prophets begin to speak of a faithful “remnant” who will return to the Lord and in whom Israel’s future will lie (Isaiah 10:20–22; Micah 2:12; Zephaniah 3:12–13). Paul later takes up this theme to explain that not all who are physically descended from Israel truly belong to Israel (Romans 9:6). The church in the Bible is the continuation and fulfillment of this people—those who share Abraham’s faith (Galatians 3:7; Galatians 6:16).
2. Jesus and the Reconstituted People of God
In the Gospels, Jesus announces the kingdom of God, but the church in the Bible is never far from view. The kingdom is God’s reign, and that reign is embodied in a community of people who submit to him and bear witness to his rule. Jesus calls twelve disciples to be with him (Mark 3:13–19), signaling the reconstitution of Israel around himself. The Twelve will sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel (Matthew 19:28).
Jesus uses communal imagery for his followers: they are a family (Mark 10:29–30), a flock (Luke 12:32), a city set on a hill (Matthew 5:14), and even a kind of synagogue gathered in his name (Matthew 18:19–20). All of this prepares for the explicit teaching on the church in the Bible in Matthew. Jesus declares, “I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it” (Matthew 16:18). Here “church” (ekklesia) refers to an ongoing community entrusted with confessing Christ and exercising teaching and binding/loosing authority (Matthew 16:19).
In Matthew 18, Jesus describes the church as the final court of appeal in reconciliation and discipline (Matthew 18:15–17). The church in the Bible is therefore a visible community where sin is confronted, forgiveness is pursued, and boundaries are clarified when repentance is refused.
John’s Gospel emphasizes both personal faith and communal life. Believers are portrayed as sheep in one flock (John 10:16), branches in one vine (John 15:1–5), and friends who share in Jesus’ love and mission (John 15:12–16). They are a Spirit-indwelt community that will face hostility from the world (John 14:16–17; 15:18–21). Even where the word “church” is not used, John sketches the relational life of the church in the Bible: mutual love, humble service, obedience to Christ’s commands, and shared dependence on the Spirit.
3. Paul’s Teaching on the Church in the Bible
For Paul, the church in the Bible is central to God’s eternal plan. Christ “loved the church and gave himself up for her” (Ephesians 5:25). Through the church, God’s wisdom is displayed “to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 3:10). Paul’s missionary work is largely church-planting and church-strengthening.
Paul uses ekklesia in several ways:
Local congregations meeting in homes (Romans 16:5; 1 Corinthians 1:2; Colossians 4:15).
Groups of churches in a region (Galatians 1:2; 1 Thessalonians 2:14).
The whole people of God on earth, when he speaks generically about “the church of God” (1 Corinthians 10:32; Galatians 1:13).
In Colossians and Ephesians, Paul connects the church in the Bible more explicitly to the heavenly realm. The church is the body of Christ, with Christ as the head (Ephesians 1:22–23; Colossians 1:18). Believers are raised and seated with Christ in the heavenly places (Ephesians 2:6), and this heavenly identity should shape the church’s life now (Colossians 3:1–4).
Paul employs rich images for the church in the Bible:
Temple of the living God (1 Corinthians 3:16–17; Ephesians 2:21–22).
Body with many members, each vital (Romans 12:4–5; 1 Corinthians 12:12–27).
New humanity in Christ, not divided by Jew/Greek, slave/free, male/female (Galatians 3:28; Ephesians 2:14–16).
Household of God (1 Timothy 3:15).
Bride betrothed to Christ (2 Corinthians 11:2; Ephesians 5:25–27).
These images emphasize holiness, unity, mutual dependence, growth, and a deep bond with Christ himself.
4. Life, Worship, and Leadership in the Church in the Bible
The church in the Bible is portrayed as a worshiping, serving, and ordered community. In Acts, believers devote themselves to the apostles’ teaching, fellowship, the breaking of bread, and prayers (Acts 2:42). They share possessions, care for the poor, and bear witness to Christ (Acts 2:44–47; 4:32–35).
Paul’s letters show corporate worship characterized by:
Word and teaching (1 Corinthians 14:26; Colossians 3:16).
Prayer and singing (Ephesians 5:19–20).
The Lord’s Supper (1 Corinthians 11:17–34).
He is more concerned with the quality of relationships than with rigid structures: love, unity, holiness, and practical generosity are central (Ephesians 4:1–6; Philippians 2:1–4; 2 Corinthians 8–9).
The church in the Bible has recognizable leadership, but with some flexibility of form. Apostles, prophets, evangelists, and teachers equip the saints for ministry (Ephesians 4:11–12). Elders/overseers and deacons provide local oversight and service (Philippians 1:1; 1 Timothy 3:1–13; Titus 1:5–9). Charismatic gifts and structured offices are not opposed; both belong together in the life of the church (1 Corinthians 12:4–11, 27–28).
Later New Testament writings reinforce this picture. Hebrews presents the church as a worshiping community assembling under the once-for-all priestly work of Christ (Hebrews 10:19–25; 12:22–24). James stresses an egalitarian, compassionate fellowship that cares for the poor and prays for the sick (James 2:1–7; 5:13–16). Peter describes believers as a chosen race, a royal priesthood, and a holy nation (1 Peter 2:9–10). Revelation addresses seven local churches but also portrays the one global and eschatological church in the Bible, gathered from every tribe and nation as the bride of the Lamb (Revelation 5:9–10; 19:6–9; 21:1–3).
5. The Church in the Bible and God’s Triune Purpose
At every stage, the church in the Bible is tied to the triune God:
The Father chooses and calls a people for himself (Deuteronomy 7:6–8; Ephesians 1:3–6).
The Son redeems the church by his blood and reigns as its head (Ephesians 5:25–27; Colossians 1:18).
The Spirit dwells in the church as God’s temple, distributing gifts and empowering witness (1 Corinthians 3:16; 12:4–7; Acts 1:8).
The church is therefore not a human project but God’s new-creation community, anticipated in Israel and fulfilled in Christ. Its unity and diversity flow from the life of the triune God. Its destiny is to share in the renewed creation, worshiping God and the Lamb forever (Revelation 21:1–5; 22:1–5).
Bible verses about the church
Deuteronomy 7:6, “For you are a people holy to the Lord your God. The Lord your God has chosen you to be a people for his treasured possession.”
Matthew 16:18, “And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.”
Matthew 18:20, “For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.”
Acts 2:42, “And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.”
Romans 12:4–5, “For as in one body we have many members… so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another.”
1 Corinthians 3:16, “Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you?”
Ephesians 2:19–22, “You are… members of the household of God… Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure… grows into a holy temple in the Lord.”
Ephesians 3:10, “So that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places.”
1 Peter 2:9, “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession.”
Revelation 21:2–3, “And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband… ‘Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man.’”
