Many have tried to kill her. Her enemies have been in the thousands. Governments have pursued her in an effort to stop her influence. Kings and Emperors have betrayed and used her for their own political gain. I have a confession. I love her. Who is she?

She is the Church.

Seems that no matter what bookstore I browse, online or in person, the section on “how to fix the church” is growing. The idea that the Church is the bride of Christ clothed in His righteousness has been exchanged for one of a deformed wench whose clothing is so outdated that she pushes people away instead of bringing them closer to Her beloved. Seems that the most popular sport in Christian publishing today is throwing mud at that once spotless wedding dress.

She is not perfect. Allow me to repeat, she is not perfect. Yet, she is the Bride of our Master. That should earn her some respect, but it garners her very little. Allow me to illustrate…

A popular Christian author says one way to recharge your spiritual batteries is to take a year off from attending church. The author of Hebrews says we are not to “forsake the assembling of ourselves together.” I guess this author of today views his opinion as having the same authority as that of sacred scripture. Consider it…why else would he recommend breaking a specific command if he didn’t overvalue his own opinion?

Other authors have polled the unchurched and then tell the church how to reach them. Supposedly, a major revelation was that the church had entered a time in history when those in society no longer believed in absolute truth. Essays and opinions filled blogs and books.

Iain Murray reminded me, assistant to the great Martyn Lloyd-Jones, that Romans says the law of God has been written on every person’s heart. Everyone believes in absolute truth. It is written on their hearts. Now I am faced with a dilemma. Do I believe Paul or do I believe an opinion poll? If I believe Paul, then the gospel and it being simply preached will still bring people to Christ. If I believe the opinion poll, well – I think you get the picture.

Others think the church can be replaced. She is outdated and certainly doesn’t need the biblically mandated officers. Anyone can serve communion. Anyone can baptize. She shouldn’t be concerned about purity or doctrine. When the attitude prevails that the local church is no longer primary in the plan of God, you can be assured that which takes its place is not what is prescribed in the Scriptures.

The gifts listed in Corinthians and Romans were given to equip the church. Local individual churches that represent the global church. Remember those gifts given? They are primarily given to teach the truth (doctrine) and aid in her purity. From believers that gather in little red brick churches, gymnasiums, and underground in secret – when you “do” church as outlined in the scriptures you will need those officers, and rejoice that God has gifted individuals to help the church achieve its purpose.

I’m bracing for the flood of emails that scream, “But the church is full of problems.”
Again, she isn’t perfect, but she is the beautiful bride of Christ.

Regarding that bride, Jesus said, “…I will build my church…” That promise is still true. It doesn’t mean that every local church plant we do will succeed. But it does mean the gospel will continue to spread. Churches will be planted. Men will be called to pastor and most importantly; people will trust Christ to save them.

Then there’s Ephesians 3:8-10.
“To me, though I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, and to bring to light for everyone what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God who created all things, so that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places.” (ESV, emphasis mine)

This is amazing. The church exists to display the wisdom of God and not just to anyone, but to all the heavenly host. It is through the church that the gospel is preached, here referred to as the “plan of the mystery hidden for ages”. As the church preaches that message and lives are changed, all of the heavenly host praise God for such a wisdom that brings to pass the plan God has for redemptive history.

God displays His wisdom through the church.

I repeat…

God displays His wisdom through the church.

She isn’t perfect. She is full of flaws. She can do a lot better.

Yet, she is the beautiful bride of Christ that displays the wisdom of God.

Brian Sanders is a (newly ordained) Ruling Elder at Grace Covenant (PCA) in Blacksburg, VA. He is GM for a Southern Gospel Radio Network. He and his wife, Kayla are leaders in the college-age ministry at their church. This article first appeared at his blog http://grippingjello.com/ and is used with his permission.

[Editor’s note: the original URL (link) referenced in this article is no longer valid, so the link has been removed.]