“Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior” (Ephesians 5:23).
“I love Jesus. It’s just the church I have issues with.”
“I love Jesus, but not the church.”
Ever hear something like that?
I get it. The church is flawed and the church and her people have messed up plenty of times. No particular congregation represents the totality of the Church of Jesus Christ. However, having said that, each particular congregation is an expression of the greater church. No particular congregation can represent the whole universal church, but each local congregation is an expression – albeit not a perfect expression – of God’s church.
Ok. James. What are you getting at? I’m glad you asked.
Even though no congregation is perfect, if you want to belong to Christ, you belong to a local church.
There is no other way to belong to Jesus without belonging to His body, the church. There is no other understanding of the church in the New Testament.
A person who says something like “I love Jesus but not the church” is claiming a relationship with the Head while rejecting the body He died to save. This is a relationship that the Bible knows nothing about.
Christ is the head of the church, His body, of which He is the Savior. If you love Jesus, you love and serve a local congregation because the church is His body.
You in?
Praxis: Faith in Action 