Ecclesiology comes from the Greek words ekklēsia and logos. Ekklēsia simply means “assembly” and logos means “word” or sometimes “principle.” We can speak of biology, which is the study of life (bios + logos). Geography is the study of the earth (gēs + logos). Ecclesiology is the study of the church.
This is an important point that also underscores the importance of a proper ecclesiology. The doctrine of the church is often a forgotten subject in evangelicalism. It is often treated last, if treated in any depth at all, and many people think of ecclesiology as a series of arbitrary or pragmatic choices. But ecclesiology is not arbitrary. It must comply with our other doctrines, and other doctrines are in turn influenced by our ecclesiology. Just think of dispensationalism or Roman Catholicism. The ecclesiologies of both groups fit within an entire system and should not be extracted from it.
The doctrine of the church is found in Scripture and in the Reformed confessions. We ought to be mindful of God’s established structure for the governance and care of his people. And so in this post we will look at several introductory features of ecclesiology as found primarily in the Westminster Confession of Faith. Please take the time to look at the Scripture references accompanying the confession. You can find them in the PDF version of the OPC’s publication.
No Ordinary Group
19th century Presbyterian theologian Stuart Robinson rightly emphasizes that Christ did not come to establish a group like other groups. Jesus wasn’t interested in forming a band of followers or a school like Socrates. Nor did he simply comprise a group, which he would atone for and then leave to manage on their own. Rather, he came “to found a community, to organize a government, and administer therein as a perpetual king.”[1] The church is no ordinary group, but the assembly of those whom God has called to himself. It is Christ’s body. Robinson defines it as follows:
[…] that elect body of men which was contemplated in the covenant of redemption, as constituting the mediatorial kingdom of Christ, and for the sake of which body he undertood the work of salvation.[2]
Christ’s relationship to his church is ultimately mysterious, but we can learn a bit about it by looking at the institution of marriage. The members are connected to each other through a Spiritual, mystical union that is analogously imaged in the relationship between husband and wife. Paul makes this comparison in Ephesians 5. I commend it to you as a helpful place to start when studying ecclesiology.
As we come to explore the basics of Reformed ecclesiology, it’s important to nail down a few terms. There are several qualifications we make when speaking about the church and there are many helpful distinctions we make as well. Let’s look at a few of these.
Characteristics of the Church
We recognize that the Church has four attributes: it is one, holy, catholic, and apostolic. These attributes distinguish the Christian Church from other religious bodies and sects. It is one, meaning that ultimately we don’t find two bodies, but a single body. It is holy, that is pure, and set apart in God’s sight for God’s purposes. It is “little c” catholic, meaning “universal.” There are not people groups or regions excluded from the body should they believe in Christ. And finally, it is apostolic, meaning it is founded on the teaching of the apostles (cf. Eph 2:20).
In addition to the attributes, the Church has three chief marks: the preaching of the Word, the administration of the sacraments, and church discipline. The Belgic Confession chapter 29 enumerates the Reformed understanding of the marks of the church:
The true church can be recognized if it has the following marks: The church engages in the pure preaching of the gospel; it makes use of the pure administration of the sacraments as Christ instituted them; it practices church discipline for correcting faults. In short, it governs itself according to the pure Word of God, rejecting all things contrary to it and holding Jesus Christ as the only Head. By these marks one can be assured of recognizing the true church—and no one ought to be separated from it.[3]
Each of these are helpful when trying to “spot” the true Church? What is a true church? It is where the Word is properly preached, the sacraments administered, and church discipline conducted.
The Visible and Invisible Church
As Reformed believers, we speak of the invisible church simply as the elect. The Westminster Confession of Faith, 25.1 says the following:
WCF 25.1. The catholic or universal church, which is invisible, consists of the whole number of the elect, that have been, are, or shall be gathered into one, under Christ the Head thereof; and is the spouse, the body, the fullness of him that filleth all in all.
We call it the invisible church in part because the church is universal. We cannot observe it in its entirety at once. Second, it is not fully realized until Christ returns. Saints have gone home to be with the Lord and others have yet to be saved. We cannot observe them either.[4] Third, we are not the judges of men’s hearts. Men and women profess Christ and we admit them to membership in the visible church, but we cannot judge ultimately whether someone is deceiving themselves or making a false profession of faith.
What then is the role and importance of the visible church? The Westminster Confession of Faith describes the visible church in 25.2:
WCF 25.2. The visible church, which is also catholic or universal under the gospel (not confined to one nation, as before under the law), consists of all those throughout the world that profess the true religion; and of their children: and is the kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ, the house and family of God, out of which there is no ordinary possibility of salvation.
The visible church is important then. Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God (Rom 10:17). And where does the right preaching of the Word of God occur? In the Church. This is one reason why the Westminster Divines stressed that there is no ordinary possibility of salvation outside the Church. The Church is the location of the means of grace. But at the same time there are members of the visible church who are not members of the invisible church. Moving to 25.3:
WCF 25.3. Unto this catholic visible church Christ hath given the ministry, oracles, and ordinances of God, for the gathering and perfecting of the saints, in this life, to the end of the world: and doth, by his own presence and Spirit, according to his promise, make them effectual thereunto.
The visible church is where the Word is proclaimed and where the sacraments are administered. It’s been said that there are no lone ranger Christians. The point is that believers are called out of darkness into Christ’s marvelous light and incorporated into a body. They have been given the Holy Spirit who connects them together and gifts them so they can be of service within that body. Therefore, the visible church is not an arbitrary choice for Christians who want to have some social functions to be involved with. It is the assembly of the body of Christ and the location of Christ’s ministry with his people. Once again, the confession emphasizes the corporate nature of the Church:
WCF 26.1. All saints, that are united to Jesus Christ their Head, by his Spirit, and by faith, have fellowship with him in his graces, sufferings, death, resurrection, and glory: and, being united to one another in love, they have communion in each other’s gifts and graces, and are obliged to the performance of such duties, public and private, as do conduce to their mutual good, both in the inward and outward man.
WCF 26.2. Saints by profession are bound to maintain an holy fellowship and communion in the worship of God, and in performing such other spiritual services as tend to their mutual edification; as also in relieving each other in outward things, according to their several abilities and necessities. Which communion, as God offereth opportunity, is to be extended unto all those who, in every place, call upon the name of the Lord Jesus.
These are just a few basic categories to help in forming a Reformed ecclesiology. I pray that more and more believers will begin to root their ecclesiology in Scripture and the creeds and confessions that build upon the truths of God’s Word. The doctrine of the Church ought not be compiled from a series of pragmatic decisions. Rather, we should strive to understand the Church as Christ himself has instituted it.
[1] Stuart Robinson, The Church of God as an Essential Element of the Gospel, and the Idea, Structure, and Functions Thereof. A Discourse in Four Parts. (Willow Grove Pa.: Committee on Christian Education of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church, 2009), 35.
[2] Ibid.
[3] Belgic Confession, chapter 29.
[4] Herman Bavinck, Reformed Dogmatics, Vol. 4: Holy Spirit, Church, and New Creation (Baker Academic, 2008), 290.
I appeal to you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and create obstacles contrary to the doctrine that you have been taught; avoid them. For such persons do not serve our Lord Christ, but their own appetites, and by smooth talk and flattery they deceive the hearts of the naïve. (Romans 16:17-18)