Ecclesiology

History of the church

• Councils and Creeds
• Church Fathers and Reformers

Councils and Creeds

• Acts 15
• Apostles' Creed - 180
• Council of Nicaea in 325
• Nicene Creed
• Athanasian Creed - 542

Why? What do creeds/councils do?

• Combat heresy
• Unify the church
• Teaching tool
• Liturgical formation
• Establish precedent

Reformers

Church Reformers

• Martin Luther - 1517 - German
• Ulrich Zwingli - 1522 - Switzerland
• John Calvin - 1536 - France
• John Knox 1547 - Scotland

What help the spread?

• Bible Translations (Tyndale - Wycliffe - Luther)
• Printing Press
• Teaching Cohorts/Residencies
• Corruption in the Catholic Church

Three Stands of church

• Roman Catholic and Easter Tradition
• Mainline Protestant and Anglican Tradition
• Free Church

Ecclesiology

Bible

• 2 Timothy 3:16–17
• Hebrews 4:12
• 2 Peter 1:19–21

Church

• Hypocrisy
• Divisions
• Fundamentalism
• Corruption

Our World...today

"Modern secular culture is on a march to evangelize Christians" - Tim Keller

Biblical Theology

Tracing "Church" or "Assembly" in the OT

• Genesis 28: 3 “...that you might be a company of people.”
• Genesis 35:11 "And God said to him, “I am God Almighty: be fruitful and multiply. A nation and a company of nations shall come from you, and kings shall come from your own body.

Tracing "Church" or "Assembly" in the OT

• 1 Chronicles 29:1 And David the king said to all the assembly, “Solomon my son, whom alone God has chosen, is young and inexperienced, and the work is great, for the palace will not be for man but for the LORD God.

Tracing "Church" or "Assembly" in the OT

• 1 Chronicles 29:1 And David the king said to all the assembly, “Solomon my son, whom alone God has chosen, is young and inexperienced, and the work is great, for the palace will not be for man but for the LORD God.

Tracing "Church" or "Assembly" in the OT

• 1 Chronicles 29:20 "Then David said to all the assembly, “Bless the LORD your God.” And all the assembly blessed the LORD, the God of their fathers, and bowed their heads and paid homage to the LORD and to the king."

Tracing "Church" or "Assembly" in the OT

• 1 Chronicles 29:20 "Then David said to all the assembly, “Bless the LORD your God.” And all the assembly blessed the LORD, the God of their fathers, and bowed their heads and paid homage to the LORD and to the king."

Tracing "Church" or "Assembly" in the OT

• 2 Chronicles 31:18 "They were enrolled with all their little children, their wives, their sons, and their daughters, the whole assembly, for they were faithful in keeping themselves holy."

Tracing "Church" or "Assembly" in the OT

• Joel 2:15–16 "Blow the trumpet in Zion; consecrate a fast; call a solemn assembly; 16 gather the people. Consecrate the congregation; assemble the elders; gather the children, even nursing infants. Let the bridegroom leave his room, and the bride her chamber."

Tracing "Church" or "Assembly" in the OT

• Joel 2:15–16 "Blow the trumpet in Zion; consecrate a fast; call a solemn assembly; 16 gather the people. Consecrate the congregation; assemble the elders; gather the children, even nursing infants. Let the bridegroom leave his room, and the bride her chamber."

Questions