Theology of Church in Matthew (PDF)

The word church only occurs twice in the context of the gospel. Both times in Matthew. **1. Matthew 16:18** This occurs after Peter confesses Jesus as the Messiah. Jesus uses this moment to declare Peter\'s foundational role in the establishment of the Christian community, the \"church.\" **2. Ma...

The word church only occurs twice in the context of the gospel. Both times in Matthew. **1. Matthew 16:18** This occurs after Peter confesses Jesus as the Messiah. Jesus uses this moment to declare Peter\'s foundational role in the establishment of the Christian community, the \"church.\" **2. Matthew 18:17** This appears in the context of resolving conflicts among believers. Jesus advises bringing disputes to the \"church\" as a final step in seeking resolution, emphasizing the role of the community in maintaining accountability and unity. These references suggest an emerging concept of the church as a spiritual assembly or body of believers, which later became central to Christian theology. Why is the word church is so absent from the gospels. Questions to ask 1. Did Jesus intend to create a church or was he just preaching the kingdom of God? 2. Do we have any evidence to support the idea that this is what Jesus wanted? 3. Is the church in opposition to Jesus? To answer these questions we must go to the gospels. However, the gospels are historical records are unreliable. They are testimonies of the faith communities. They were written long after Jesus' life. Mark 1:15 gives us a summary of what Jesus intended. The kingdom of God is central to Jesus' teaching. *Eschatology explores topics related to the end of the world, the final judgment, the afterlife, and the fulfilment of God\'s purpose for creation.* - Realized eschatology: Something that is to happen at the end of time but is currently being made real. - C.H. Dodd (Charles Harold Dodd) was a prominent 20th-century British New Testament scholar. Dodd is best known for advocating a realized eschatology, which emphasized that the Kingdom of God is not just a future event but a present reality brought by the life and ministry of Jesus Christ. He speaks of the kingdom of God as already present. - Albert Schweitzer also supported realised eschatology. - Jesus said that the kingdom would be realized at the end of time. - Consistent eschatology (Kingdom of God will be realized at the end): A theological approach that emphasizes the continuity of God\'s promises from the first coming of Christ through His death and resurrection, to their future fulfilment at His second coming. - The kingdom of God refers to the rule or reign of God, encompassing both a present reality and a future hope. - The kingdom of God is a sovereign act of God. It is what God is going in the lives of people. The Kingdom of God is not earthly, national, not religious political theocracy. - The kingdom of God is a religious kingdom. It is not about vengeance, it is about peace and joy. It is a kingdom that is to be understood as something positive rather than negative. It was open to all. It was open to rich, poor and open to everyone. However, it did have a bias to the poor. - For a person to participate in this it requires the person to be ready. - It is out of this kingdom preaching that the church actually emerged. The evidence presented really give us no satisfactory solution to the problems concerning the church. - In the pre-easter period before the resurrection, Jesus did not establish any church. Jesus was a Jew and was never a Christian. Jesus did not go around trying to put a church together. - He rejected withdrawal from the world. It was a protest against religious separation. His mission was to all. - Catholic theologian Hans Kung Jesus' choice of these 12 men was to show the inclusiveness of his mission. 12 men represented the 12 tribes. Even with the 12 there was no formal institution surrounding Jesus. The gospels make no mention of Jesus' intention to make a new church. - Whatever he would have formed back then would have been seen as a synagogue. - Matthew 16:18 the only time Jesus spoke of a church. - Church only came into being after the day of Pentecost. The church therefore is conditioned by the death and the resurrection of Jesus the Christ. The church is a post resurrection phenomenon. The Kingdom of God which brings about the reign of God. The kingdom of God and the church are two totally different things. - The church was a post resurrection entity. - The message of Jesus created division. - Even though Jesus did not intend to form a group, a separation took place. **The Parousia** The term **Parousia** comes from the Greek word *παρουσία*, meaning \"presence\" or \"coming.\" It is most commonly used in Christian theology to refer to the **Second Coming** of Jesus Christ. This event is believed to be the future return of Christ to Earth, where he will judge the living and the dead, establish God\'s Kingdom, and bring about the fulfilment of God\'s plan for salvation. WG Kummel. **Other points** - The church came into existence when persons began to believe that Jesus was raised from the dead. - Baptism was seen as the means of membership into the church. The practice of community good is there. - The place of meeting was not important. Meetings took place in houses. The word ecclesia appears initially in Acts 5:11. - In that reference you get the reference that is the entire body that is being referred to here. - As the body grow they had to delegate some of their functions to other persons. As the church began to grow bigger the state began to see it as a threat. As the church spread it became difficult to manage. Persecution of the church also began to happen. - Each centre was capable if different actions and each centre was capable of its own local affairs. - Each entity was able to function separately. With the going out of Paul and Barnabas, supervision. The church is now a being, that which is coming. It is still in process. - the church us a post resurrection entity. The two passages when you look at them, you realise that they do not refer to the same entity. Two passages are refereeing to separate things. - Matthew 16:18. This passage uses this passage to show that there is a line of succession from peter all the way down to the current Pope. - The word ecclesia comes from two words Ek Kalew: To call out - Jesus' initiation of the last supper can be seen as the initiation of the establishment of the church. - If Jesus understood himself as the messiah, then he must have established himself as the church. The kingdom of God is not the Church and the Church is not the Kingdom of God.