31 Why Did God Create the Church?

 "Therefore if any man [be] in Christ, [he is] a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. And all things [are] of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation; To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation." - 2 Corinthians 5:17-19 KJV

One of God's objectives in history is restoring God’s rule on the earth through a man. That man is promised to come through Israel.

One of the conditions of the Israel's conditional covenant for possession of the land was receiving God’s choice of a King. When Israel rejected Messiah, they were dispossessed of their land until they are ready to receive Him. In the meantime, God is not left without a witness on the earth.

This brings us to why God created the church.

God’s purposes for the church. 

"Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham. ... So then they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham." - Galatians 3:7, 9 KJV 
First it is important to recognize that the church inherits the promises given to Abraham alongside but not in place of Israel. We must clarify the relationship of faith to obedience.

We have explored the Jewish covenants and how some are conditional and some are unconditional. It is not hard to see why there can be a lot of confusion about this difference and how it spills over into the churches teachings.

Even though the Abrahamic covenant is unconditional, there were some conditional promises given to Abraham. For instance, think of what Abram would have lost if he had not obeyed God’s command to leave Ur and go to a land that He would show Abram? 

There were two commands given to Abram in Gen, 12:1. "Get out" and "go". At this time they were living in Haran. Abram's father Terah died and now Abram was to leave his inheritance behind. This was a big deal. Secondly, he was to go somewhere .... a place that God promised to show him but had not shown him yet. Can you imagine the stir that this caused?

What were the promises given to Abram?: 

• God will make Abram a great nation; 
• God will bless him; 
• God will make his name great.

These promises were about Abram being blessed.

There was a second command given to Abram. He was to be a blessing. “Thou shalt be” declares God’s intent and ultimate result for Abram. In order for Abram and his descendants to qualify as a channel of blessing to the whole world it requires a right relationship to God.

Obedience to this command would result in three more promises: 

• Those who bless Abram will be blessed
• Those who curse Abram will be cursed
• In Abram all of the families of the earth will be blessed.

These promises were about Abram being a blessing.

So the intent of God here is to bless Abram in order to be a blessing. (There is a pattern here for the church)

Does this mean that Abrahamic Covenant was conditional?(Some christians teach this)…or…

Do the promises of 12:1 differ from the Oath that God made with Abram in ch. 15? (religious faith/saving faith)

Grace is not a commodity that can be traded for. Grace by its own definition is a gift. The faith that saves is first demonstrated by a ready heart to receive God’s grace and then follow in obedience. 

1. With saving faith, meeting conditions does not determine whether some promises will be fulfilled but when they will be fulfilled and who will participate in it. (e.g. all Israel will be saved but when that happens and who will participate depends upon obedience to the command to repent and believe on the Lord Christ)

The believer is unconditionally saved to become like Christ through the power of the Spirit.

Fulfilling the believer’s (church’s) calling is a conditional blessing depending upon obedience to the Spirit 

1. Matthew 16:18: The first mention of the church is after the nation of Israel rejects their King. The Lord reveals a new entity as an offensive weapon. He calls it ‘my church’. The Lord revealed this simple truth to me as a boy of 11 or 12…

Notice that the church is an offensive weapon and hell is described in a defensive position. The church being used of God to assault Satan’s realm by means of reconciling both Jew and Gentile back to God and also back to each other. Like faithful Abraham, our victory over satan as individuals is dependent upon a right relationship to God.

1. The church is unconditionally promised to be a kind of first fruits promising a greater blessing to come: 
1. In righteousness of faith based works (James 1:18) These are works that are not motivated by advantage to self (e.g. Zig Ziglar) but motivated by bringing glory to God. These works may or may not be to our advantage. In fact, these works are often the result of severe trials and temptations.
2. In the Holy Spirit’s work of restraint turning the believer from personal sin. We groan within ourselves due to our flesh (Rom 8:23). There is also restraint of God’s wrath on an unbelieving world (2 Thess 2:6,7) We are the work of the Holy Spirit exercising a ministry of light and salt. In the Millennial Kingdom, that restraint will be fully realized by the imprisonment of Satan.
3. We are first fruits in resurrection (1 Cor 15:23) What is the greater blessing to come? Is it not the complete fulfillment of God’s promise to Abram? Rev 7:9

Some Christians say that Israel has no right to the land on a Biblical basis. The claim is that Jesus extended the land promise to the world transferring it from Abraham to the church. It is amazing to me that modern day theologians presume to correct the Apostolic assertions: Paul affirmed that to Israel belong the promises (Romans 9:4). John wrote that 12000 souls from each of Israel’s 12 tribes are marked to stand with the Lamb on Mt Zion (Rev 14:1) Not to mention that the Lord Himself taught us to pray for the kingdom to come. (Luke 11:2)

1. Their argument is loosely based on one of the beatitudes that promises that the meek will inherit the earth. (Matt. 5:5) God claims ownership of His creation: ’the earth is mine’ (Exodus 19:5) It is His to give to whomever He chooses. To their minds this statement of Jesus somehow nullifies God’s assertion that He has promised ‘on His very life’ that the land of Canaan will be given to Abram (Gen. 15:17,18)
2. The simple reality is that the church is not called to replace Israel, but to reconcile all men back to God…to the Jew first but also the Gentile.
• What does the word ‘reconcile’ mean to you? Defining ‘reconcile’ as a restoration to favor. A settling of differences.
3. Our role is to show grace and bring light through a clear witness of God’s purposes in restoring the Kingdom back to the earth.

The church is not only to serve as a witness for God while Israel is under a curse but also in the Millennium when Israel will be a blessing for the whole earth.

Our intimate knowledge of the power and wisdom of God will be needed to teach those born in the Millennium both the character and the Divinity of the King of Israel. 

This motivates me to know more about God. Sometimes it seems like there is no point in learning more about God because no one is listening to us talk about how wonderful He is. The satanic blindness and deception is so thick…

It may be that even if you and never win another soul to Christ in this life, we can be excited at the possibilities of 1000 years of sharing Christ to a world of sinners without Satanic opposition.

1. Eph 2:13-18: By this means we are to be used of God to reconcile both Jew and Gentile back to God in this age as well as the ages to come. This is how the wall that separates Jew and Gentile is broken down.
2. Book; What Should We Think About Israel?;Randall Price

https://books.apple.com/us/book/what-should-we-think-about-israel/id147474495

1. Jewish contributors having some practical experience with attempting to reconcile with their family members after becoming Christians. There is less and less tolerance for this kind of ministry as the nation of Israel becomes more odious to the world community.
1. Purposes of the Local Church
1. Glorify God: (Eph 3:21) Revealing the Glory of God
2. Edify the Saints (Eph 4:11-16): Restoring the Power of God
3. Fulfill the Great Commission (Matt 28:18-20): Reconciling heirs for the Kingdom of God

Supplemental:

The promises of Land, Seed and Blessing were all unconditional.

It is important to note that though both Isaac and Ishmael were promised blessing, only Isaac was promised to be a blessing. The chosen line through whom Christ would come to bless the world is Isaac. ‘In Isaac shall thy seed by called’

"But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumbling block, and unto the Greeks foolishness; But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God. Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men." - 1 Corinthians 1:23-25 KJV

"But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ. For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition [between us]; Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, [even] the law of commandments [contained] in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, [so] making peace; And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby: And came and preached peace to you which were afar off, and to them that were nigh. For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father." - Ephesians 2:13-18

“assumptions that underlie this chapter. 

1. First, the Bible is the only divinely inspired, inerrant, and authoritative Word of God, and the source of ultimate truth. 
2. Second, the truth of a doctrine is determined by its adherence to Scripture and not how late or early it appeared in history. 
3. Third, any theological position is welcome at the scholarly table as long as it is arrived at from proper exegesis of Scripture and not based on a certain political bias. 
4. Fourth, the positive theological contributions of the West on the East and vice versa are not to be ignored, but rather examined to help improve communicate between the two. 
5. Fifth, it is not what is expedient for ministry, for missions, or for contextualization that gives warrant to a particular interpretation. 
6. Sixth, one’s eschatological position may or may not have a bearing on his or her political aspirations. For example, an amillennialist could be pro-Zionist and a dispensationalist could be anti-Zionist. 
7. Seventh, in scholarly dialogue, one assumes that deductions are made based on one’s evaluation of the data of Scripture, with freedom of expression as well as openness to critique and being critiqued in Christian love and civility. In all[…]”

Excerpt From

What Should We Think About Israel?

Randall Price

https://books.apple.com/us/book/what-should-we-think-about-israel/id1474744950

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