There are many erroneous ideas about the church concerning its nature and purpose. Let us notice a few of these misconceptions.

Some call the meetinghouse the church. We hear about "weddings in the church" or "that is a beautiful church" - all referring to the building. The New Testament church is a house, but it is a spiritual house, composed of living stones. "Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ" (1 Pet. 2:5). "But Christ as a son over his own house; whose house are we" (Heb. 3:6). Redeemed people make up the church; not brick and mortar.

Another misconception is that an individual Christian is the church. Though Christians compose the church, the church is not the Christian. Hear Paul when he writes, "For the body is not one member, but many" (1 Cor. 12:14). Now, then, the church is the body of Christ (Col. 1:18; 1 Cor. 12:12). Hence, the church is not one member but many. As your arm is not your body but an individual part of the whole body, so a Christian is not the body of Christ but just a member of the body.

This line of reasoning that the Christian is the church is used to justify the argument that the church may do anything a Christian does because the Christian is the church. To follow this argument to its logical conclusion would allow the church to operate a business, preside over government, be the head of our families, and a host of other individual activities. The difference between individual and church action is set forth very succinctly in Matthew 18:15-17 and 1 Timothy 5:16.

There are those who see the church as a center for social activities and recreation. Jesus did not establish his church for these purposes. Certainly, it is good for brethren to get together for social functions and recreation, but these are not responsibilities of the church but rather the home. "For the kingdom is not meat and drink" (Rom. 14:17). We also read, "have you not houses to eat and drink in" (1 Cor. 11:22)? In this latter passage a clear distinction is made between home and church functions. They need to be kept separate.

The church has no scriptural right to build gymnasiums, sponsor softball and basketball teams, offer weight loss programs, banquet halls, and a lot of other things that are not within the scope of what the church is to be and do. We could also add: the church is not a school for secular education, or a welfare society for the community. Let the church be the church that it may carry out its God-given duties and responsibilities set forth in the New Testament.

A great number of people think of the church as a body of religious sects. They say there is one body but comprised of all churches. But the church existed for centuries before the modern sects began. It was the body of Christ then, made up of Christians, not churches; it is the same body of Christ today. The Bible says, "There is one body" (Eph. 4:4) and it is the fullness of Christ (Eph. 1:22-23).

- Biblical Insights, April, 2001