The Metaphor of the Church From the Bible

¶ … Church is a spiritual organization that is ideally viewed through a Biblical lens. Among the most important metaphors for the Church is that of the "Body of Christ," an image signifying the way God permeates all aspects of the Church organization including all members and clergy as well as all tools, sacraments, and structures. As with any other "body," the Church can be viewed as a living organism. Each of its component parts often works independently but always in tandem with the whole, for the fulfillment of common goals such as the deliverance of human beings unto God.

As McVay (2006) points out, the New Testament offers an abundance of "minor images" or lenses of the Church that aid in understanding the organization's mission and role on earth (p. 286). These minor images include that of the "fish net," with Christ as the fisherman. In fact, in Matthew 4:19, substantiated in Mark 1:17, Jesus affirms that each member of the Church assumes the role of a fisherman in the spiritually potent act of proselytizing and spreading the gospel: "Come, follow me," Jesus said, "and I will send you out to fish for people." The Bible also shows how the Church can be used to serve the purpose of filtering out those who are true believers from those who profess a false faith: "Once again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was let down into the lake and caught all kinds of fish. When it was full, the fishermen pulled it up on the shore. Then they sat down and collected the good fish in baskets, but threw the bad away," (Matthew 13:47-49). Although the Church does have a physical component, such as the actual house of worship where believers gather in His name, the Church also has a metaphoric and more meaningful function as it serves God's will.

Some of the pragmatic images of the Church as organization include the need for moral and social control. The Church has throughout its history functioned as a lens through which God's commandments can be viewed. As Morgan (2006) points out, churches have punished sinners to remind them of their duties to God (p. 216). In this way, a Church remains a patriarchal social institution like the traditional family. The Bible upholds the metaphor of Church as spiritual family: "If anyone does not know how to manage his own family, how can he take care of God's church," (1 Timothy 3:5). As a family, the Christian community has expanded exponentially worldwide to prove God's love for humanity. The Church is a growing and a giving organization. Members of the Church have a responsibility to themselves, their fellow believes, their clergy, and God, just as members of any secular organizations have responsibilities. People who stray from organizational values in a secular institution may find that their role and position have been terminated. Likewise, it may be necessary to scold those who stray from God's path. The difference with the Church is that God's law supersedes any human laws and unlike the rules and regulations that guide secular structures, God's rules care immutable.