Lesson 36 - The Church: Her Purpose and Commission

The Church: Her Purpose and Commission

     “The present divine purpose of this age is not the conversion of the world, but rather the calling out from the world those who will believe in Christ to form the body of Christ which is the church.”[1] The church is to promote the gospel message into the entire world (Mark 16:15; Acts 1:8; 1 Cor. 15:3-4). This is not a call to change the world and make it a better place; but rather, to call out a people who will be part of the church, the body of Christ (Eph. 1:22-23). Christians promote the gospel through direct verbal communication (Rom. 10:11-15; 1 Cor. 15:3-4), praying for the lost (1 Tim. 2:1-4), and financial gifts that support ministers (1 Cor. 9:13-14; Gal. 6:6).

The Internal Purposes of the Church

     As Christians, we are to “do good to all people, and especially to those who are of the household of the faith” (Gal. 6:10). Doing good—as God defines it—presupposes a knowledge of Scripture, for knowing God’s Word necessarily precedes doing His will. As Christians, we study the Bible that we might know God, learn His plan for our lives, and advance to spiritual maturity (2 Tim. 2:15; 3:16-17; 1 Pet. 2:2). As we learn Scripture, we realize we are called to commit ourselves to Christ (Rom. 12:1), be filled with the Spirit (Eph. 5:18), walk by the Spirit (Gal. 5:16), grow in grace (2 Pet. 3:18), be gracious to others (Col. 4:6), seek the interests of others over self (Phil. 2:3-4), love one another (1 Cor. 13:4-8a; 1 Thess. 3:11-12; 4:9; 1 Jo. 4:7-11), be humble, gentle and patient (Eph. 4:1-2), be kind and forgiving (Eph. 4:32), pray for one another (Jam. 5:16), be encouraging (1 Thess. 5:11), build others up (Rom. 15:1-2; Eph. 4:29), serve one another (Gal. 5:13; 1 Pet. 4:10), do good works (Eph. 2:10; Tit. 2:11-14), and pursue righteousness and holiness (Tit. 2:11-12; 1 Pet. 1:14-16).

     The Bible reveals there are immature Christians who behave no differently than unbelievers who do not know God or the love and grace that characterizes Him. As worldly-minded Christians they exhibit jealousy and strife (1 Cor. 3:1-3), sexual immorality (1 Cor. 5:1-2), selfishness (1 Cor. 11:21), relationship conflicts (Phil. 4:2), legalism (Gal. 5:1-12), sinful partiality (Jam. 2:1-4), worldly ambition (Jam. 3:14), and idolatry (Rev. 2:14, 20). But God wants more from us. He wants us to mature and manifest the qualities that make the Christian beautiful. Spiritual growth is intentional and requires discipline of the mind and will. It is a life of faith in which we constantly learn and live God’s will. Of course there are failures and setbacks; however, relapse does not have to mean collapse, as the Christian can confess his/her sin, receive forgiveness (1 John 1:9), and continue the advance toward spiritual maturity.

[1] Lewis S. Chafer; John F. Walvoord; Major Bible Themes (Grand Rapids, Mich. Zondervan Publishing, 2010), 242-243.