The universal (catholic) church of Jesus Christ is composed of the elected believers—from all times, nations, tribes, peoples and languages—who by grace, through faith, have been redeemed and washed by the blood of Jesus Christ (holy), united (unity) to one another by the Holy Spirit, are sovereignly governed by the Word of God (apostolic), and who presently manifests themselves in gospel-centered physical gatherings. As the church expectantly awaits the return of Jesus Christ it proclaims the excellencies of God through the message of reconciliation, and loves and serves their communities through words and acts of charity.
1. The Builder
2. The Building Block
We talked about the builder and the building block but have not talked about the actual building. The next 9 weeks will be just that. We will slow down and look at the building that Christ has built and is building. As we define who and what the church is, we will study the faith of the church, the character of the church, the governance of the church, the mission of the church and more. But before we got there we had to stop and learn and remind ourselves that without the builder, without the building block that is Jesus, the church is nothing. Our purpose and identity are rooted and grounded in our builder who gave himself in love to ransom and save his bride, his church. It is only in him, the cornerstone that we find salvation and are united to him and one another.
The Church’s Identity in the Trinity
September 24, 2023 • Edgardo Rosa • Ephesians 1:3–6, Ephesians 5:25–27, Ephesians 2:19–22
