So often we hear, “The church should do this” or “The church should do that.” But what does that actually mean? What is “the church”? Is it an organization, a building, a group of leaders, or something else entirely? How we answer that question reveals a great deal about our theology.
The word church is used in several different ways. To avoid the fallacy of equivocation, it helps to define those uses clearly before drawing conclusions about what the church should or should not do.
First, there is a cultural use of the word. The church may refer to a physical location where believers gather, or to the people associated with that location — “the church on Main Street,” for example.
Second, some groups use the term to describe their own organization as the church itself, claiming that all true believers must belong to or submit to that institution. In practice, this definition excludes anyone who does not accept the group’s particular doctrines or authority claims. While this is a real way the term is used, it collapses the universal church into a single controlling body and confuses institutional authority with spiritual reality.
Third, the church can be understood as the totality of all true believers in Christ, regardless of physical location or denominational affiliation. This seems to be the most honest biblical use of the term. It excludes any structure or leadership that places itself between the believer and Christ, while still recognizing the need for functional leadership and order within local congregations.
Once this distinction is clear, the question “What should the church do?” no longer points to some distant organization making decisions on our behalf. It becomes personal. Every believer has a responsibility before God, a stake in the world around them, and a calling to speak truth faithfully.
When it comes to public or “worldly” matters, the church is neither called to rule over the government nor to submit blindly to it. Faithful Christians, living obediently and speaking truthfully, often serve as a moral conscience within their communities and culture. At times this will bring opposition and even persecution — something Scripture prepares us for — but it also reflects the proper posture of a people whose ultimate loyalty belongs to Christ alone.
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