WRF Member Thiago Silva Asks, "What Is the Church and What Is Its Purpose?"WRF Member Thiago Silva Asks, "What Is the Church and What Is Its Purpose?" January 20, 2014 Thiago SilvaWhat Is the Church and What Is Its Purpose? 1 Peter 2.9

Often we think of church as a place of stones. We usually think the church as a building with windows and doors. And the problem is that when we only have this vision of the church, the church ends up becoming just a place where people go. What is the church for you? What is the mission of the church? What comes to your mind when you talk about the church? The Bible reveals to us something different about the church. 

The biblical concept of the church is much more than simply a place where people go to worship God. Peter uses the figure of “living stones”. According to the Bible, the church has less to do with walls and buildings, and more to do with people. People gathered with a purpose. This means that any place where there is a group of Christians gathered, there is the church. 

God does not dwell in temples or buildings (Acts 7:48 and 17:24). He inhabits the hearts of the Christians through his Holy Spirit. Paul says that we are the temple of the Holy Spirit, your dwelling. And with this in mind, knowing that the church has to do with people, we will look at some images that Peter uses in his first letter to understand better what is the church, and in the end we will see what is the purpose of the church. 

1 Peter 2.9 says: “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.”

 Peter talks about the church using 4 expressions: Chosen race, royal priesthood, holy nation and people for his own possession. Lets look at each one of them to see how Peter defines the church:

 1 - Chosen race. First, the church is a chosen race. The church has to do with people, but not any people. Who are these people? The people elected by God, chosen for His sovereignty and adopted by himself into his family. Peter is talking about God's sovereign choice to elect and to save. It is what Paul teaches in 1 Thessalonians 5.9-10 : “For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us so that whether we are awake or asleep we might live with him.” 

The biblical teaching is that there is a people who was chosen by God, saved by the blood of Christ for eternal life. The church is about a people who is chosen by God. 

2 - Royal priesthood. Second, Peter says that the church is a royal priesthood. That means that we are a body and a kingdom of priests. Every Christian is a priest in order to have equal and immediate access to God, to be able to serve God personally and intercede and pray for one another. Peter uses the language of Exodus 19.6: "and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. These are the words that you shall speak to the people of Israel.” 

The role of the priest in the Old Testament was to intercede for the people, to offer sacrifices for their own sins and for the sins of the people. They were the mediators between God and the rest of the people. Now, we are all called priests, and we no longer need any human mediation to be in relationship with God. We can all enter into His presence through the High Priest who is Christ our Lord. 

The church is about a people who is in a personally relationship with God, offer living sacrifices to Him and pray for each other. The church is about a kingdom of priests of the living God. 

3 - Holy nation. Third, Peter says that the church is a holy nation. We are chosen by God and blessed by Him. But we also are in the process of sanctification. The Word of God calls us saints. Paul says: “Be holy as I am holy.” That means that the church is different from the world, does not conform to the world, and is being sanctified by the word and the work of God every day. The church has to do with a holy people, a holy nation. You and I are called to be saints, and the Bible calls us saints. 

Though we are sinners, we are moving towards the target of sanctification. We know hollyness and perfection will be totally reached only when Jesus returns. But here in this life we are sinners sanctified by God, who walk in the presence of the One who is Holy, Holy, Holy. God is holy, and he calls us to be holy as He is. The church is about a holy people, called to be holy and day by day is sanctified by the word of God and the fellowship of the church. 

4 - People for his own possession. Lastly, Peter says that the church is a people that belongs to God. The church belongs exclusively to God. We don’t belong to other people. We don’t  belong to ourselves. We don’t belong to any other human institution. We belong to God. We are God's property.In the Old Testament we read in Isaiah 43.21: “the people whom I formed for myself that they might declare my praise”.

God formed the church, he chosen us and has called us not to remain comfortable within our temples. All this happened for a purpose. What purpose is this? Why do we exist as a church?

Here is the purpose of the church:

We were elected and called by God for a mission. God brought us to himself so we could go and proclaim the praises of Him who called us out of darkness into his marvelous light. The end of verse 9 of 1 Peter 2 says: “, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.” God rescues us from the darkness, brings us into his marvelous light, makes us his people, and now we have the mission of proclaiming this God. We are called to testify about Christ and his work. 

It is true that we were called to glorify God. But we glorify God when we do what He tells us to do, when we obey His Word. And he tells us to go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He tells us to go and make disciples of all nations. He sends us to go and to proclaim His Word. The purpose of the church is to proclaim God for those who do not know Him. The Holy Spirit who dwells in us, empowers us to be witnesses of Christ (Acts 1:8). 

The church exists to make God known in this world. Have we done that? 

The church has a mission, and it can not be fulfilled if we are just sitting inside of our churches, within the 4 walls of a building. We won’t fulfill our mission if we stay only inside the temple. We need to go out. It’s outside the temple that we are sent to proclaim the praises of Him who called us out of darkness into his marvelous light. It is in the darkness you must proclaim Christ's light. 

Conclusion 

The church gathers to worship and praise God, to offer living sacrifices to God, to pray for one another, to be strengthened and sanctified by the Word of God. 

But there is more. We are sent into the world, in our daily life, our work, our school and college, in order to witness, to live the Christian life, to proclaim the virtues of God , to show everyone the light of Christ and to make Him known.

That is the purpose of the Church. The church exists for this. By doing so, God is glorified.

Rev. Thiago Machado SilvaPresbyterian Church of Sao Jose do Rio Preto, SP, Brazil

January, 17th, 2014.