In the New Testament, the Church refers to people: an assembly of believers in a particular place (the Church of God in Corinth) and, more broadly, the Body of Christ, of which He is the Head. Paul and Peter describe it both as the house and temple of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets with Christ as the cornerstone, and as a chosen race, a royal priesthood, and a holy nation called to proclaim the excellencies of God.
What does the Bible say about this
- Paul addresses his letter to the “Church of God” in Corinth—to those sanctified in Christ and called to be saints—together with all who call on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ (1 Cor 1:2).
- Acts 2:41–47 recounts how the first believers were baptized, devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, fellowship, the breaking of bread, and prayers, while the Lord added daily to the Church those who were being saved. This is a description of the life of the first church community.
- Paul compares believers to one body with many parts, saying that they were all baptized by one Spirit into one body; he writes that they are the Body of Christ, and individually its members (1 Cor 12:12–27).
- Christ was appointed Head of the Church, which is His Body (Eph 1:22–23).
- Believers are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of God’s household; they are built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Jesus Christ Himself as the cornerstone, and are being built together into a holy temple, a dwelling place of God in the Spirit (Eph 2:19–22).
- Peter calls believers living stones being built into a spiritual house, and a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, called to proclaim the excellencies of God; once they were not a people, but now they are the people of God (1 Pet 2:4–10).
This brief answer was prepared by the editorial team; the Scripture texts are from the Father’s Blessing Bible.
Key Scripture Passages
6 Scripture passages · Father’s Blessing Bible
1 Corinthians 1:2
to the church of God in Corinth, those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, together with all who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ in every place—their Lord and ours:
1 Corinthians 12:12–27
12 For just as the body is one and has many parts, and all the many parts of the body form one body, so also is Christ. 13 For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were filled with one Spirit. 14 For the body does not consist of one part, but of many. 15 If the foot says, “I do not belong to the body because I am not a hand!” would it therefore not belong to the body? 16 And if the ear says, “I do not belong to the body because I am not an eye!” would it therefore not belong to the body? 17 If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were hearing, where would the sense of smell be? 18 But now God has arranged each part in the body just as He desired. 19 If they were all one part, where would the body be? 20 Now there are many parts, but one body. 21 [And] the eye cannot say to the hand, “I do not need you”; nor can the head say to the feet, “I do not need you.” 22 On the contrary, the parts of the body that seem to be the weakest are needed more than the others, 23 and the parts that seem less honorable in the body we treat with special honor, while our unpresentable parts receive special modesty, 24 whereas our presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has composed the body, giving greater honor to the part that lacked it, 25 so that there would be no division in the body, but that all the parts would care for one another. 26 If one part suffers, all the parts suffer; if one part is honored, all the parts rejoice. 27 You are the Body of Christ, and individually you are His parts,
Ephesians 1:22–23
22 And He placed everything under His feet and appointed Him over everything as head of the Church, 23 which is His Body, the fullness of Him who fills everything in every way.
Ephesians 2:19–22
19 Therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of God’s household, 20 having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Jesus Christ Himself as the cornerstone; stone, 21 in whom the whole building, being fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, 22 in whom you also are being built together into a dwelling place of God by the Spirit.
1 Peter 2:4–10
4 Coming to Him, the living Stone, rejected by people but chosen by God and precious, 5 you yourselves, as living stones, are being built into a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 6 For Scripture says: “See, I lay in Zion a chosen and precious cornerstone; and the one who trusts in Him will never be put to shame.” 7 Therefore, to you who believe, He is precious; but to those who do not believe, “the stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone,” 8 and “a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense.” They stumble because they disobey the word—to this they were also appointed. 9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; 10 once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.
Acts 2:41–47
41 So those who gladly received his word were baptized, and about three thousand souls were added that day. 42 They devoted themselves continually to the apostles’ teaching, fellowship, the breaking of bread, and prayer. 43 Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and signs were being performed through the apostles in Jerusalem. 44 All the believers were together and held everything in common. 45 They sold their possessions and property and distributed the proceeds to everyone according to their need. 46 Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts, breaking bread from house to house; they ate their food with gladness and sincerity of heart, 47 praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.
