Systematic Theology : Ecclesiology : The Doctrine of the Church скачать в хорошем качестве

Systematic Theology : Ecclesiology : The Doctrine of the Church

Ecclesiology The Doctrine of the Church I. Church A. Greek- The Greek word church is ekklesia, which means “assembly or the called together.” B. Hebrew- The Hebrew word qahal simply means an assembly and is usually translated in the LXX (the Greek Bible of the OT) by the Greek word ekklesia. It is most often referred to the assembly of the congregation of Israel. II. The New Testament Concept of Church A. Church can mean a local body or a group of churches in a geographic region. (Acts 9:31;1 Cor. 1:2) B. Church can also mean the universal church, such as all believers in heaven and on earth that constitute the body of Christ (Heb. 12:23). III. Distinctives of the Church A. It is made up of believers. (Acts 2:42) B. It has ordinances- baptism, the Lord’s Supper are the two ordinances of the Church. a. Who May be Baptized? 1. Infant baptism: 2. Believers only: 3. Rebaptism b. The Lord’s Supper 1. Jesus instituted the Lord’s Supper in connection with the eating of the Passover meal. The ordinance consisted of Christ taking the unleavened bread, giving thanks and giving it to his disciples, and then doing the same with the cup. (Matt. 26:26-29; Mark 14:22-26; Luke 22:17-20) It is a remembrance of Christ - It represents his death, burial, and resurrection. (1 Cor.11:24) It is an assurance of his second coming. (Matt. 26:29; 1 Cor. 11:26) It is a time of fellowship with Christ and His people. (1 Cor. 10:21, 11:27-32) C. It maintains some type of organization, leadership and discipline. a. Church Government: 1. Federal Government 2. Congregational Government b. Offices of the Church 1. Apostle- This word means one who is sent or one who as sent as a representative. For example, Jesus had many disciples but appointed only 12 apostles during his earthly ministry. The apostles were given supernatural abilities with which they authenticated their message and laid the foundations of the Church. (Luke 9:1-6; 2 Cor. 12:12) The 12 apostles are listed in four different passages of Scripture. (Matt. 10:2-4; Mark 3:16-19; Luke 6:14-16; Acts 1:13) • Requirements to hold the office of an Apostle They had to be called by Christ himself (Luke 6:12-13; 1 Cor. 15:8; Gal. 1:1) They had to be a witness to the resurrection of Christ. (Acts 1:21-23; 1 Cor. 9:1, 15:7-9) They had to demonstrate “signs and wonders” that validated their claim to be an apostle. (Matt. 28:18-20; Acts 2:43; 5:12; 2 Cor. 12:12; Heb. 2:4) Note- Since the foundation of the Church has already been laid and we have the completed cannon of Scripture, there is no further need for the office of Apostle. Moreover, no one on the earth today meets the qualifications to hold this office. 2. Elders- The first mention of the world elder in the N.T. Church is found in Acts 11:30. Since it is not defined as to the function or form of what an elder does, one may conclude that their was already a clear understanding of the position based upon the O.T. understanding that elders were men who exercised great maturity, wisdom and understood the Word of God. (Ex. 3:16-18, 19:7, 24:1,7; Deut. 19:12; 21:19; 22:16-18; 25:7; Josh. 24:31) • The N.T. uses 2 words for the office of elder. The word elder (presbyteros) and bishop or overseer (episkopos) are used synonymously in the N.T. The word elder emphasizes the maturity of the man while bishop or overseer emphasizes the function of the office. (Acts 20:17, 28; Titus 1:5,7; 1 Peter 5:1-2). The word pastor (poimen) is often associated with elder and overseer, however, this is primarily used to describe the work of the elder (1 Pet. 5:1-2) and is not interchangeable with the office of elder or overseer. Pastor is used only once in the N.T. to describe the spiritual giftedness of an elder not an office of the church. (Eph. 4:11) • Qualifications of Elders (1 Tim. 3; Titus 1) • Duties of Elders- Lead the Church- Ruling elders (1 Tim.5:17; Heb. 13:7; 1 Pet. 5:1-3) Teach the Church- Teaching elders (Acts 20:28; 1 Tim. 3:2; 1Pet. 5:1) Protect the Church from doctrinal and practical error (2 Tim. 2:24-3:17) Provide oversight to all of the Church (Acts 20:28) 3. Deacon- (diakonos) means servant. The first prototype of what we understand as deacon is recorded in Acts 6:1-6. • Duties- Scripture is silent on the exact duties of a deacon. One may conclude that there is a lot of flexibility in their range of service. • Qualifications- (1 Tim. 3:8-10; 12-13) the basic difference between a deacon and an elder is the requirement for the elder to be able to teach the Word. This is not a requirement for deacon. D. The Church exists to do God’s will: worship, giving, evangelism and discipleship. a. The worship of the church, then, consists of individual, corporate, public, and private service for the Lord, which is generated by a reverence for and submission to Him who is totally worthy.(Matt. 28:19)