Greek Word Studies
Advanced Level
Lesson 1
Lesson Title:
The Ekklesia
of God
Text:
Matthew
Introduction: Literal meaning of ‘ekklesia’.
Ekklesia comes from two Greek words – ‘ek’ meaning out and ‘kaleo’ to call.
Ekklesia literally means ‘called out’.
But the meaning of ekklesia goes beyond the literal meaning of the word as those who are 'called out'.
The ekklesia were not only called out.
The ekklesia was an assembly of citizens who came together to make important decisions.
The ekklesia refers to a company of citizens who are called out for the purpose of coming together, an assembly.
The example of marriage.
A marriage is the joining together of two
individuals not just leaving the mother and father.
The New Testament ekklesia
are those who are joined to Christ in one body.
Just as a bride and her husband become one so the
ekklesia is one body in Christ.
Introductory
illustration: The Ekklesia
in Athenian democracy (see notes on Athenian Democracy)
Ekklesia: Governing body - supreme 'assembly':
All male
citizens over 18 years of age could be part of the ekklesia.
Met in amphitheatre in Pnyx which could hold 6000,
Met minimum 40 times a year (4 times a month).
Each citizen had the right to speak.
They came together to decide all matters
concerning the state.
Majority vote decided issues of war and peace, treaties, finance, legislation, public works, all government activity.
Supreme in all legislative.
Plato hated Athenian democracy because it meant
legislation was made by amateurs.
Main Points
1. Equality and Freedom
Ephesians 5:31-32 ‘For
this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto
his wife, and they two shall be one flesh. This is a great mystery: but I speak
concerning Christ and the church.’
The two words that were associated with Athenian
democracy were Equality and Freedom
There can never be real Equality or Freedom outside of the ekklesia of God.
Equality
Athenian democracy did not have equality for all.
Athenian democracy did not recognise the equality
of slaves, barbarians or women.
No slaves, barbarians or women could be on the ekklesia.
Only in Christ all barriers are broken down, Galatians 3:28, Colossians 3:11.
Freedom
Athenian democracy could not provide freedom for
all.
Although all citizens were free to vote they had
to obey the will of the majority.
Freedom can only happen when everyone has the
same will and this will is obeyed.
It is impossible outside of Christ
But in Christ
The body of Christ has one will because the life
and mind of Christ is in His body.
The world cannot produce equality and freedom.
Example communism.
George Orwell (1903-1950) expressed the failure of communism
to produce equality by the words in Animal Farm 'All animals are equal but some
animals are more equal than others'.
Jean Jacque Rousseau (1712-1778) believed that 'man is born
free but everywhere in chains'.
As a Christian we know that man is not born free
but is in bondage to sin.
But the words of Jean Jacque Rousseau can easily
be applied to the ekklesia of God.
The ekklesia is born
free in Christ but the body of Christ is everywhere in chains.
Galatians 5:1 'Stand fast in the liberty wherewith Christ has set us free.'
Equality and Freedom comes through the unity of the Holy Spirit
The ekklesia is one body united in Christ.
A people united in Christ
The ekklesia grows in the unity of the body of Christ.
A body is not united through organisation.
A body is united by life
Organisation will bring bondage when it seeks to
control the body of Christ.
When Paul wrote 'follow me as I
follow Christ' (1 Cor.11:1) he was not starting an organisation.
He was showing the Corinthians how to live the
Christian life by example.
The ekklesia is not an institution
William Tyndale’s (c.1493 -1536) dispute with Thomas More (1478-1535).
Tyndale translated Ekklesia
as congregation
More
stated that Ekklesia should be translated
Church
Tyndale’s argument was that Church conveyed the meaning of an
institution but this is not what the word means.
It means
people who are called together.
The word
congregation used by Tyndale conveyed the meaning of
a company of people coming together.
But it
does not express the other meaning of Ekklesia of
being called out.
The New
Testament Ekklesia are those who called by God
to come out of the world to come together into the family of God.
The King
James Version translators went against Tyndale in
this instance and chose to translate Ekklesia
as Church.
A 'party spirit' will bring the ekklesia into bondage.
A party spirit seeks to divide the body of Christ
into factions.
A party spirit is a work of the flesh.
1) Seeking
to win followers
2) Cause
divisions
3) Using
scripture to promote ‘one’s own opinion’.
Galatians 5:20.
'strife', eritheiai (party spirit, rivalry)
Faction
- is the fruit
of jealousy. Derived from erithos 'a hireling' it is not strife but it means seeking
to win followers.
'seditions', dichostasiai (standing apart)
dicha 'asunder' and stasis 'a
standing' - di indicates division.
Cf.
Romans
'heresies', aireseis (choosing opinions)
A
choosing - A self willed opinion, which is substituted for submission to the
power of truth, and leads to division and the formation of sects.
A division and the formation of a party or sect in
contrast to the uniting power of 'the truth'.
2. Freedom can only be experienced through truth
and unity of mind.
John 8:31-32 Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed
on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; And ye shall know the truth, and the truth
shall make you free.
Freedom requires people to be united in truth – how we live.
The ekklesia knows freedom through
abiding (continuously living) in the words of Christ.
We will know the truth when we live in
the truth. Jesus said ‘If ye
continue in my word, …you will know the truth and the
truth shall set you free’
Freedom comes out of discipleship.
Being the disciple of Christ means
being one with Christ by letting His words abide in us.
John 15:7 If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you,
ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.
Freedom requires people to be united in mind – how we think.
The ekklesia knows freedom through
having one mind - the mind of Christ.
Freedom is lost when the ekklesia does not walk in the mind of Christ.
Philippians 2:5 'Let this mind be in you'.
Humility and Love.
Freedom within a community requires everyone having the same will
and the same mind. Anything less than this is a compromised freedom, for instance where the wishes of a majority take percedence over a minority.
Having the same mind can only be experienced through the life of Christ
in us.
If we follow the plans of self appointed leaders
it will bring us into bondage.
The Holy Spirit will lead the church into the freedom of new life in Christ where we are one with Christ, and one with each other.
3. The ekklesia is 'Christ's great possession'
The love of Christ for His ekklesia.
Ephesians 5:25 Husbands, love
your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her,
John 3:16 There was no greater love than this.
Ephesians 3:19 His love is beyond knowledge.
We love Him because He first loved us. John
Romans 5:8 ‘But God commends his love toward us,
in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.’
The love of Christ for His Church was
due to the grace of God and nothing else.
He loved us when we were ‘yet sinners’.
The love of the ekklesia for Christ
Paul wrote ‘the love of Christ
compels us’ 2
Corinthians 5:14.
Paul meant it was the love of Christ
that motivated and held everything together in His ministry.
Jesus taught Peter the same thing when He said to Peter ‘If you love me, feed my sheep’ John 21.
Love for Christ will be seen in our
love for one another Ephesians 1:15
'Faith in Christ, love one for another'
The love of
Christ in the ekklesia will reveal the beauty of Jesus.
Hebrews 12:2 ‘Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.’
We are to look to Jesus – ‘the author and the completer of our faith.’
He endured the cross because of the joy of redeeming His people.
The Greek word for looking is aphoran which literally means ‘looking away from’.
It means to look away from the world in order to look to Christ.
In Hebrews 11 we see a people of faith who looked away from the world and looked unto Jesus.
Hebrews 11:10 Abraham 'looked for a city',
Hebrews 11:13 Descendants of Abraham 'looked for a country'
Hebrews 11:24-26 Moses refused to be called the son of Pharoah’s daughter - 'he looked to the reward'.
The Ekklesia are those who have been called out of this world to inherit another kingdom.
Summary:
The ekklesia of God has been called out of the
world to be gathered together in the body of Christ.
Only in the ekklesia
can true freedom and equality be known.
1.
Equality and Freedom come through the unity of the body of Christ
2.
Equality and Freedom can only be known in Christ it is both unity in
truth and unity in mind.
3. The ekklesia is Christ’s own possession. The love of Christ is revealed through His
great love for the ekklesia. The love of the ekklesia
for Christ is seen in love one for another.