Now imagine being in Auschwitz when the Allied forces arrive. They proclaim their victory over the Nazi regime and set you all free. Together, you walk out under the sign 'Arbeit macht frei' (work sets you free). The truth sinks in: the war is over, and Auschwitz is now closing down. You are free, and looking at your fellow sufferers reminds you that this is not a dream. You are all leaving together.
Often we emphasise the personal and individual nature of our salvation as Christians. We testify to our conversion- the moment where "my chains fell off, my heart was free" because we understood that Christ died for us. But when our experience of redemption remains individual, we are like that one man who escaped from Auschwitz. We are glad to be free, but we are vulnerable to fear and doubt. When sin rears its ugly head in our lives, we think 'am I really forgiven? am I really a Christian?'
The New Testament constantly emphasises the corporate nature of redemption. Just as the Israelites were brought miraculously through the Red Sea together, in one great act of redemption, so we as Christians are part of a corporate redemption, based on Jesus' death and resurrection. Whilst these events occurred historically in the relative obscurity of Palestine, they contained an eternal significance for all those past, present and future who trust in God's promises.
The book of Ephesians is addressed to 'the saints in Ephesus'- they are a diverse group of people, bound together by their corporate experience of salvation and being sanctified. As a collective body, Christians are 'blessed... in the heavenly realms', chosen in Him 'before the creation of the world', predestined to be adopted as God's sons through Jesus Christ.
'In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins.' (1:7)We have been marked with the seal of the Holy Spirit, and we can all approach God with 'freedom and confidence' because of our status before Him in Christ.
This common experience of redemption has no hierarchy or differentiation. In chapter 2, Paul is keen to highlight that every human is dead in transgressions before they are made alive in Christ. In being saved through faith, we are all equal in God's sight- equally blessed with the privilege of sonship. There is no longer any difference between Jew and Gentile; all who trust in Christ become 'members of God's household' (2:19).
This is what the Church is: Christ's body, the fulness of Him who fills everything in every way (1:23). We are not saved to enjoy a desert island paradise of solitude, but to be part of a great multitude beyond number (Rev 7:9). God promised Abraham that his descendants would be more than stars in the sky or grains of sand, and this is fulfilled in the Church, the huge body of believers who are all redeemed by Jesus Christ.
There is, then, one church, made up of all believers from all backgrounds, times, nations and languages. And we are all united in Christ, and in the peace we have with God through Him (2:16-18)
The Church is built on 'the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus Himself as the chief cornerstone' (2:20. There is no diversity of faiths in the church- there is one gospel and one Saviour who unites us all (4:4-6). This is why the corporate nature of our redemption is so important. When we feel doubt, when we struggle with sin, we need to look around at our brothers and sisters in Christ and find assurance in our shared redemption. None of us are perfect this side of eternity, but we can encourage each other to approach God boldly, if we approach Him through the blood of His Son.
Together we share in the promise of Christ Jesus (3:6). We all have the same inheritance, for it is Christ's inheritance. God had this 'eternal purpose' (3:11) and now reveals HIs 'manifold wisdom' through the church (3:10).
Therefore, we can't view it as optional to belong to the Church. If we're saved, we are part of it, and it is part of our identity to be part of a local expression of this heavenly reality. How can we take lightly what God has taken so seriously? You only have to look at Paul's teaching in chapter 5, where he speaks of the intimacy of husbands and wives as being a mirror of that between Christ and the church. We are the Bride for whom He died, shedding His precious blood to make us holy and blameless in God's sight (5:25-27).
Living a corporate life of faith is vitally important, not only for our personal assurance of salvation, but for the service of others and the fullness of your local church's ministry.
Christ 'gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fulness of Christ.' (4:11-13)
Our church leaders are there to equip us to do 'works of service'- we can't just sit back and say "it's the pastor's job to visit the sick/disciple a new believer/welcome a visitor", nor can we say "it's the evangelist's job to do door to door/speak to non Christians in the village/run outreach events." It's the job of the pastor and the evangelist to equip US, the congregation, to do these things. Nowhere in the New Testament is ministry a one-man show. Even Jesus, the ultimate pastor/teacher/evangelist, spent most of His time training and equipping the Twelve disciples, so that they could then go forth and train and equip others, and thus the church would continually be built up. If you're dependent on one man, what happens when he leaves? does the entire church fall apart? It shouldn't, because every member has a vital role to play.
This is the way the New Testament teaches us we can avoid false teaching (4:14) and 'grow up' in Christ (4:15). A Christian who tries to live their faith as a solitary individual is never going to reach maturity. Only as we support and encourage and disciple each other will we really mature in faith and grow to know Christ better.
