Anatomy of the church

I was listening to a message by John MacArthur on the same series entitled 'Anatomy of the church'. I thought that that was a good way of looking at what the church really is all about. The church is often referred to as the body of Christ, so it is fitting to call this series 'Anatomy of the church'. This is going to be a long series, as there are some many ares to cover. Some of the information will be taken from John MacArthur's messages, some would be from various books and references, some would be me digging through the Word. I hope that as we study this series together that it will be a blessing to you and me.

Today, I'll begin with the skeletal system. Just as the skeletal system in the human body gives us our shape and support the body, the skeletal system of the church refers to the fundamentals of the faith. These are the foundation of the church. It is what makes Christianity Christianity. As long as any of these fundamentals are wrong, the Christian faith is not valid.

'Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular.' (1 Corinthians 12:27)

For the skeletal system, there are various fundamentals of the faith that I will address, but today, I'll begin with the trinity.

1. The unity of God.
'Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD:' (Deuteronomy 6:4)

'Unto thee it was shewed, that thou mightest know that the LORD he is God; there is none else beside him.' (Deuteronomy 4:35)

'Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.' (James 2:19)

2. The threeness of God
a) God the Father
'Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him hath God the Father sealed.' (John 6:27)

'Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied.' (1 Peter 1:2)

b) Jesus Christ
Jesus is revealed in the following verses as God due to the qualities that He possesses.
Omniscience - 'And Jesus knowing their thoughts said, Wherefore think ye evil in your hearts?' (Matthew 9:4)

Omnipotent - 'And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.' (Matthew 28:18)

Omnipresent - 'Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.' (Matthew 28:20)

c) Holy Spirit
'But Peter said, Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost, and to keep back part of the price of the land? Whiles it remained, was it not thine own? and after it was sold, was it not in thine own power? why hast thou conceived this thing in thine heart? thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God.' (Acts 5:3-4)

3. The triunity of God
'Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:' (Matthew 28:19)

'And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him: And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.' (Matthew 3:16-17)

'In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.' (Genesis 1:1-3)

I'll end with two simple illustrations. Water may serve as a 'three-in-one' illustration since it retains its chemical activity whether in solid, gas, or liquid state. There is also a triple point of water, a condition under which ice, steam, and liquid water can coexist in equilibrium. All are water, yet distinct from each other.

The sun, its light, and its power may help illustrate the Trinity. No one has actually seen the sun, just as no one has seen the Father. Yet we learn a great deal about the sun by studying the sunlight, just as we learn about the Father through Jesus Christ the Son who is the radiance of His glory (Hebrews 1:3). We see the power of the sun as it is involved in the growth of seeds and trees and plants, and when asked what makes things grow, we say the sun does. The Holy Spirit is like the power of the sun, and He is God.

Whatever usefulness or limitations illustrations have, we say again that we are faced with a mystery.