The Church
The Church
The Church is the house of God, the house of prayer, and the house of angels, as we say in the hymn. Jacob, the father of the patriarchs, spoke about the first church consecrated in the world, saying:
“How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven!” (Genesis 28:17).
He named the place Bethel, meaning “the house of God,” for the word El means God. David also calls the church “the house of the Lord,” saying:
“I was glad when they said to me, ‘Let us go into the house of the Lord’” (Psalm 121:1).
If the Church is the house of God, then surely reverence and awe befit it, as in the phrase “How awesome is this place.” Likewise, holiness and spirituality befit it, as the psalmist says:
“Holiness befits Your house, O Lord, forever” (Psalm 92:5).
The first and foremost work appropriate to the Church is prayer, for in it we speak with God, the owner of the house. Thus the Lord Jesus said, “My house shall be called a house of prayer” (Mark 11:17).
Since the Church is the house of God, it is therefore likened to heaven, for heaven is God’s dwelling place. Hence, churches have domes, because the dome symbolizes heaven. The Arabs even call the sky “the blue dome.” And because heaven is the dwelling of angels, we say about the Church that it is the house of angels, as we chant in the Doxology of the Morning “Hail to you, O Church, the house of angels, ϯ ἐκκλησία τῶν ἀγγέλων.”
As heaven is adorned with lights, stars, and celestial bodies, likewise the Church is adorned with lights. The Church itself is also called a lampstand, as it was said about the seven churches in the Book of Revelation that they are “the seven golden lampstands” (Revelation 2:1).
We also adorn the Church with lights, especially candles, which carry spiritual meaning through their symbols.
In heaven, there are angels and stars; and the shepherds of the churches are also likened to stars and are called the angels of the churches. Saint John the Seer says, “He who holds the seven stars in His right hand, who walks in the midst of the seven golden lampstands” (Revelation 2:1). “The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands which you saw are the seven churches” (Revelation 1:20).
The faithful themselves, as the Church, are likened to stars: “They shall shine… like the stars forever and ever” (Daniel 12:3). And Saint Paul says in the chapter on the resurrection, “For one star differs from another star in glory” (1 Corinthians 15:41).
Just as the Church is likened to heaven, it is also likened to the Tabernacle of Meeting and sometimes even built in its likeness. Since the bishop represents the Church, in some churches bishops’ head coverings resemble domes, and in others they resemble the Tabernacle.
The Tabernacle of Meeting—the church of the Old Covenant—symbolizes the Church’s sojourn on earth, as the psalmist says, “I am a stranger on the earth; do not hide Your commandments from me” (Psalm 118:19).
The Church has also been likened to Noah’s Ark, as it is the safe place where the believer finds refuge and is saved from the flood of this passing world. The world has been compared to a sea with its roaring waves.
The word Ecclesia in Greek means “assembly,” referring to the assembly of believers who are justified by the blood of Christ, entering together into communion of one body, one holy sacrament, and one faith under legitimate shepherds.
One Body:
The Church, as a congregation and one body, is referred to many times in the epistles of Saint Paul:
“For as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function, so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another” (Romans 12:4–5).
And, “If one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; or if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it. Now you are the body of Christ, and members individually” (1 Corinthians 12:26–27).
The Church, then, is the Body of Christ, and He is the Head. Saint Paul says of the Lord Jesus, “And He is the head of the body, the Church” (Colossians 1:18; see also Colossians 2:19; Ephesians 4:15; Ephesians 1:22; Ephesians 5:23).
He also says, “And gave Him to be head over all things to the Church, which is His body… For we are members of His body, of His flesh and of His bones… For the husband is head of the wife, as also Christ is head of the Church” (Ephesians 1:22–23; 5:30, 23).
The Church is the community of those baptized with one baptism, who have become children of God and live holy lives, for the Body of Christ is holy. Therefore, whoever lives in impurity and does not keep his body holy, the Church would separate and exclude him from the congregation of believers. This is called Excommunication, as Saint Paul says, “Put away from yourselves the evil person” (1 Corinthians 5:13).
The Believer as a Church:
Just as the congregation of believers is called the Church, so also each individual is a miniature church, a temple of God in whom the Spirit of God dwells (1 Corinthians 3:16).
The believer resembles the Church in the following ways:
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The Church is consecrated with the Holy Myron and becomes holy to the Lord; likewise, the believer is anointed with the same holy chrism.
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From the Church arise hymns and prayers; likewise, from the believer arise hymns and prayers.
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In the Church, the sacrifice is offered, and incense is raised; likewise, the believer says with David the prophet, “Let my prayer be set before You as incense, the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice” (Psalm 141:2).
From these small churches—the believers—the Church as a whole is formed.
The Church in Time:
The Church is divided into the struggling Church on earth and the victorious Church in heaven, which has fought the good fight and finally received the crown of righteousness (2 Timothy 4:7–8).
We can also speak of the Church of the Old Covenant and the Church of the New Covenant. Some further divide it by law and grace into:
A. The Church of Natural Law: from Adam to Moses.
B. The Church of the Written Law: from Moses to Christ.
C. The Church of Grace: from Christ until now, to the end of the ages.
One Church:
We say in the Creed, “We believe in one Church.” It is one—not in administration or leadership—but in faith and doctrine. Saint Paul says, “Endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace: one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism” (Ephesians 4:3–5).
The Church, being the one Body of Christ, is the unity for which Christ prayed: “There will be one flock and one shepherd” (John 10:16). He prayed to the Father saying, “Keep them in Your name… that they may be one as We are… that they all may be one in Us… that they may be one even as We are one” (John 17:11, 21, 22).
How wondrous is this unity, likened to the unity between the Father and the Son! It is not merely cooperation but unity in faith. For the Church used to exclude anyone deviating in belief and reject communion with him, keeping all believers in one faith.
Holy:
The Church is also holy, purified by the precious blood of Christ. Saint Paul says, “That He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, that He might present her to Himself a glorious Church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish” (Ephesians 5:26–27).
Therefore, the Church used to remove sinners from among her to remain always a congregation of saints. In the early Church, believers were called saints, as we read in Saint Paul’s epistles. Only the saints partook of the holy mysteries, and thus in the Divine Liturgy we hear, “The holies are for the holy.” The catechumens depart before the veil is lifted, and the Liturgy of the Faithful begins.
The Church is holy both in life and in teaching. She consists of two groups of saints: those living on earth and those who have departed—they are the image of God on earth.
Catholic (Universal):
That is, she includes all believers throughout the whole world. This is what the Lord Jesus meant when He sent His disciples saying, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” (Matthew 28:19). “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature” (Mark 16:15). He also said, “You shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth” (Acts 1:8).
Apostolic:
That is, founded on the faith and teaching of the apostles. As the Scripture says, “Having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone” (Ephesians 2:20).
Apostolic churches are those established by the apostles, which in turn founded branches elsewhere, preserving apostolic origin and succession in priesthood through the laying on of hands (Apostolic Succession).
The word Apostolic also implies adherence to apostolic teaching and tradition, following it faithfully without introducing doctrines contrary to what the apostles taught, as the Lord said to them, “Teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you” (Matthew 28:20).
In the coming issues, God willing, we shall speak about the structure of the Church.
An article by His Holiness Pope Shenouda III – Al-Keraza Magazine, Year 27 – Issues 11 and 12 (March 26, 1999)
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