Hands-free narration of this study — good for the car.
Synopsis
The church is not a club of the qualified but a community of the rescued. It exists because salvation is corporate as well as personal, and its unity, worship, and discipline all rest on the gospel that created it.
Key points
- The church is Christ's body, with Him as the only head.
- Membership rests on grace received, not on merit achieved.
- Discipline aims at restoration, never at punishment.
Key texts
- Ephesians 4:11-16
- 1 Corinthians 12:12-27
- Matthew 18:15-20
- Acts 2:41-47
- Comprehension
1. Why is Christianity corporate and not merely private?
- Scripture
2. Read 1 Corinthians 12:21. What attitude does the body forbid?
- Scripture
3. Read Ephesians 4:12-13. What is leadership for?
- Doctrinal Clarity
4. How does the gospel shape church discipline?
- Contrast
5. Contrast a church as a museum of saints with a hospital for sinners.
- Doctrinal Clarity
6. Read Acts 2:42-47. What marked the earliest church?
- Application
7. What do newcomers actually experience in your congregation?
- Application
8. What is one specific way you will build up the body this month?