SUBJECT - CHURCH HISTORY // UNIT - 3 // LESSON – 1 // ORIGIN AND DEVELOPMENT OF THE CHURCH //

 

UNIT – 3

LESSON – 1

ORIGIN AND DEVELOPMENT OF THE CHURCH

 

Opinions on the actual date or period that the church actually started vary. Thus, dating the genesis of the church has been a controversial issue. Below are some of the different theological views on when and where the church really began.

a.       Firstly, some people like Earl Radmachar, R B Kuipar have argued that if Adam and Eve at the Garden of Eden believed the promise of God that the serpent would indeed bruise the heel of the Seed of the Woman, and that the Seed of the Woman would bruise the serpent’s heads, then, it may be right to deduce that Adam and Eve constituted the first church. The basis of this argument is that, the proponent perceived the church as the rise and fall of the kingdom of heaven upon earth for the glory of God and for the salvation of the world. Hence, the preparatory part of that kingdom began with the creation of Adam and consequently, the promise of serpent bruiser which relieved the loss of paradigm. In otherwords, the genesis of the hope of redemption from the curse of sin, which came down through the patriarchs, Moses and the prophets to the immediate forerunner of the Saviour: John the Baptist who pointed his followers to “the Lamb of God which takes away the sins of the world” (Jn.1:29).

b.      Secondly, there is also the argument that the church actually began with Abraham. This is the view of covenant theologians. The argument is that, Israel particularly, the called-out people, who went into covenant relationship with God at Mount Sinai, functioned as God’s people in the Old Testament as the church functions as God’s people in the New Testament. The church, therefore constitutes the Israel of God in the New Testament. In otherwords, Israel was the church of God in the wilderness. This argument has been supported by Act 7:37, where Stephen, one of the early deacons of the early church referred to Israel as the church of God in the wilderness.

c.       The third argument is that the church began with John the Baptist. Holders of this belief have argued that John the Baptist is the first recorded baptizer in the scripture. And since Christ later commanded his church to practice the ageless and universal ordinance of water baptism (Mt.28:19) it then means that the church began with John the Baptist. The implication in this view is that the church may be indirectly portrayed as being built on the foundations of John the Baptist. This obviously, is not in accordance with the unanimous teachings of the Scripture.

d.       The fourth view is that, the church actually began with Christ. Again, several different times and periods are suggested. Some believe the church started with the incarnation of the Eternal word of God which dwelt among men to reveal the glory of God. Others argue that the church began with Peter as the head of the church. This is on the premise that, Christ promised to build his church in the future after the appointment of the twelve apostles. Those who claim that Peter is the rock upon which the church is built (particularly the Roman Catholic Church), believe that the church only started when Christ promised to build the church in Mt.16:18. Others yet believed that the church began only with the Lord’s Supper on Easter day, the night of the resurrection of Christ Jn.20. The fifth argument suggests the belief that the church started, or began with Apostle Paul.

 

In the Old Testament, God had a nation of God’s people: Israel, in covenant relationship with Himself. In as much as one could be correct to refer to Israel as a type of the New Testament church or shadow or symbolic representation, but the nation of Israel in the real sense does not constitute the church. The New Testament church has a more intimate and blessed relationship with Christ than Israel had. However, in the counsel of God, the church was ever in God’s mind and purpose from the creation of the world. Hence, in the Old Testament, there were types and shadows of the church. The nation of Israel that was called out of Egypt i.e. the Assembly in the wilderness, was once referred to in the New Testament as church (Acts 7:38). The New Testament church was a mystery to the Old Testament prophets.

 

The Day of Pentecost – The birth of the church:-

 

That the day of Pentecost marked the beginning of the church seems evident and much more probable, since the Lord Jesus Christ spoke of the church as being built in the future in Mt.16:18. This obviously suggests that the church did not exist in the Old Testament time. However, the “type” of church might have been intended by God in the formation of God’s people in the Old Testament. From Apostle Paul’s thesis in 1Cor.15:1-3, the resurrection and ascension of Christ is essential to the functioning of the church. It is built on the death and resurrection (Eph.1:19-20). Similarly, the giving of spiritual gifts is essential and required for its operation. The giving of gifts in turn was dependent on Christ’s ascension (Eph.4:7-12). To suggest that the body of Christ (the church), must have been fully formed before Christ ascension, then it implies that it (the church), was an ungifted body. The church being built on the resurrection and ascension of Christ makes it distinctive to this age.

 

The primary and pre-eminent evidence that the church, most probably began on the day of Pentecost has to do with the need and work of Pentecostal experience (baptism in the Holy Spirit) for the church. The Christian church was born in a world that was already old. Several empires including Egypt, Sumer, Babylon, Assyrian, Persia, and Greece have already risen and fallen in many centuries behind. However, at the birth of Christianity, the Roman Empire governed the then civilized world. Thus, the church of the New Testament first appeared in history in Palestine. The actual date for the genesis or the birth of the church has been controversial issue among scholars. Some try to peg the commencement of the church of the experience of Pentecost. While others feel or opined that to say the church actually started on the day of Pentecost would mean not taking cognizance of the life and ministry of Jesus as part and parcel of the church.

The first use of the term “church” is found in Mt.16:18. It is significant to note here that Jesus spoke of building the church in the future. The next reference to church is in Mt.18:17. This also is evidently in the future. In actual sense, the faithful believers of the Lord’s time existed as individual followers of Christ but became a nucleus of the church at its formation on the day of Pentecost. The church, therefore, can be described as true believers in Christ, baptized into the body of Christ by the Holy Spirit.

The genesis of the New Testament church could be traced to the most controversial figure in history: Jesus of Nazareth. He is from the royal house of David, the King of Judah. He was born of the Virgin Mary during the reign of Emperor Augustus in Roman Empire and Herod the great King of Jews about 7 and 4 BC. His ministry commenced about 25AD. He had twelve apostles as his chosen associates in his ministry. The biblical narrations in Matthew, Mark, Luke and John tell of the details of his ministry, passion and ascension. These biblical records attest to his claim of Messiahship and redeemer of the whole world.