In my previous article, I made the assertion that those who reside outside the borders of the Church will similarly be found beyond the reach of salvation when their time on earth has come to an end. It is a bold statement, and many might even react quickly in disagreement with these words. But the truth contained within them—the idea that the Church is the Ark of Noah in terms of salvation—comes down to the not-so-simple matter of what is actually meant when we say “the Church.”
In his 1978 book, Models of the Church, theologian Avery Dulles describes the difficulty that one finds in trying to define the Church in clear terms. He writes: “…at the heart of the Church one finds mystery.” This mystery, on the one hand, “pertains to the mystery of Christ,” and, on the other, “implies that the Church is not fully intelligible to the mind of man.” (pp. 9-10) The spiritual abundance that is the Church does not lend itself to logical exactitude; so, to paint a robust picture of its nature, one must rely on a variety of interlocking images and models.
I have already referred to one such image, Noah’s Ark—and this is something that we will return to for the concluding section of this post. A few additional models of the Church are the Church as the people of God, as the gathering of believers, and as institution. Let’s explore each of these three in turn.
The People of God
Firstly, the Church is the messianic pilgrim people of God. We learn about this in 1 Peter 2:9 “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.” Like Israel in the era of the Old Covenant, Christ’s Church is a chosen group of people who have the crucial mission of witnessing to the outside world; the Church, in this sense, exists to give testimony to the truth about God, and make known the glory of Jesus’ death and resurrection to all people.
The Church, however, must not be understood as the fulfillment of Israel, this is reserved for Christ. Instead, one should regard it as Israel’s continuation. “Whatever is true of Israel,” writes Lutheran George Lindbeck, “is true of the Church except where the differences are specific.” (The Church in a Postliberal Age, p. 149) Because of this continuity, one can, at times, and in certain places, even describe the Church as unfaithful.
In Psalm 78:56 we read that Israel “tested and rebelled against the Most High God and did not keep his testimonies.” Still, despite the nation’s unfaithfulness, God never revoked its chosen status. They were punished, and severely so, on account of their wickedness, yet they remained the people that God had elected, “for his treasured possession, out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth.” (Deut. 7:6)
This truth was proven, among other instances, when the likeness of the glory of the Lord appeared to Ezekiel in exile, and even more so when mankind’s sole Redeemer was born of a Jewish woman in Bethlehem. Likewise, the Church’s calling is irrevocable; those who outwardly profess the Lordship of Jesus and uphold a Christian identity are reckoned as the people of God even if their hearts remain untransformed.
Some who sit in the pews commune with those who have been born again, even though they themselves have not been; in this way, we can say that the unfaithful are of the church, albeit in a deficient manner. Nevertheless, the Lord does not desire only for us to be counted among His chosen group, but also as one of the regenerated and persevering—a faithful member of the people of God who endures to the end.
The Gathering of Believers
The Church is also the gathering of believers. It is described as such not because it is utterly without hypocrites, but rather on account of what comprises its core: regenerate members who have received the gift of the Holy Spirit. Viewing the Church in this way offers a complement to the people of God motif as it offers further insights into the mystery of the Church. For instance, because “the gathering of believers” identifies the essential nature of the Church as being faithful Christians, it emphasizes an aspect of the Church that is fundamentally invisible.
In other words, we cannot determine with complete accuracy who has been born again based purely on verbal professions and outward expressions of religiosity; only God knows who is saved and who isn’t. This invisible Church, the unknown community who truly believes and has, in turn, been transformed by God’s sanctifying grace, represents the specific spiritual collective that the Lord Jesus actually died for.
In Ephesians 5:25 we read that “Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her.” Broadly speaking, Jesus laid down His life for the people of God— the group that consists of all those who proclaim with their mouths that He is Lord. Yet, with regard to salvation, Christ’s blood is efficacious only for those who also believe in their heart that God raised Him from the dead.
Indeed, the Son of God did not assume a human nature, live a perfect life, and then suffer a torturous death for those who would ultimately lead only a faithless, nominally Christian life. Far be it! Christ shed His blood for, and the Church in its entirety exists for the sake of, those who have been, or will be, invisibly united to Christ by grace through faith in the Lord Jesus. However, this is not to say that advantages are not received by the spiritually adulterous; the Lord’s grace extends to the unfaithful people of God through the many benefits that are received when one is welcomed into a Christ-centered community that has been defined by the apparent presence of the Holy Spirit.
But regardless of the presence of unbelievers in the Church, they do not characterize it. The invisible Church bears the visible. Like a few drops of dye in a glass of water which color the entire vessel, so the Church, as a whole, is appropriately represented by its believing members. This is what is suggested when one calls the Church, “the gathering of believers.”
Church as Institution
Like in the people of God model, the Church can be described as, not just invisible, but also visible to the world because it is an institution. Contrary to what many might think, the Lord was benevolent in establishing governing and organizational structures in the Church; without them, the Church could not carry out the task that it was charged with. To offer one example, consider the role of teacher.
In the New Testament, we read about several offices that were instituted by Christ for the edification of His Church. The apostle Paul says that: “He gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ.” (Eph. 4:11)
Teachers in the Church who are properly qualified ensure that the essential truths of the Bible are taught; they make known the fullness of the Gospel and, when those who are taught become confronted with this good news, it transforms them. The people of God accomplishes its mission of witnessing to the world when its members exude Christ-likeness, and this is accomplished, in part, by the teaching office of the Church.
If the Body of Christ were to be lacking teachers, and also deacons, and elders, the marks that separate the Church from other religious bodies and the world at large would not be present. These marks include: the preaching of the Word and the right administration of the sacraments. Yet, the Church as an institution is not solely comprised of those with governing and teaching responsibilities; it also includes those who are taught and those who are governed.
By viewing the Church as an institution, we are offered another perspective as to the Church’s being that is not apparent when only considering it as the “people of God,” or as the “gathering of believers.” Yet, all three of these models are intertwined and inseparable. The invisible core of the Church that is comprised of all those who have authentic faith gives rise to the visible expression of that faith in the people of God.
Although the faithless at times attach themselves and are incorporated into this chosen group, the whole is characterized by its part—the gathering of believers (Herman Bavinck, Reformed Dogmatics, Vol. 4). Furthermore, the entirety of the Body of Christ, the wheat and the chaff, must be taught—with the hope that the latter come to truly believe—and governed. This gives rise to the structures that meet this need. All of this is the Church, and all of it exists to give glory to God in the highest.
The Ark as an Image of the Church
The Church doesn’t lend itself to a simple description; truly, the models and images that we have already explored, at times, seem to sit uneasily with one another. Even so, I believe they succeed in painting a picture of the Church that feels faithful to its reality. Noah’s Ark as an image of the Church really does teach us something about the Church’s relation to the saved. Those who are in the Church will be rescued from the fires of Hell, and we can say this on the basis of what we know about Christ’s Church.
It is not just the visible institution that consists of pastors, catechists, bishops, and all those who receive guidance from the leaders and structures that bless them, but it is also the gathering of believers; the Church is, at its heart, all those who are in Christ and have been born again. It is, despite its unbelieving appendages, the communion of the saved. Consequently, if all who are saved are a part of the Church, it is impossible to say that people can be saved outside this mystical Ark—it is a contradiction in terms.
Exploring the story of Noah’s Ark can teach us much about the Church. That the Body of Christ is the life raft that will ferry the faithful across the Lake of Fire is only one lesson among several. In fact, two truths concerning the Church that I put forth earlier in this article can both be found within the Ark narrative.
For one, the idea that the Church is the people of God can be seen in the animals that were brought aboard Noah’s ship (and I don’t mean that the Church is a bunch of animals. Although that might be a very fitting description at times.). Of the animals that were selected to be housed in the Ark, some were clean and others unclean. Likewise, the people of God is an elect group that is comprised of a mixed multitude; there are individuals in the Church who are regenerate and others who are not. Nevertheless, they are all a part of this one chosen people.
A second model of the Church, the gathering of believers, is found exemplified in the Ark’s builder, Noah. Because the Lord saw that this man was righteous in his generation, Noah was spared from the destruction that God had unleashed upon the world. “By faith Noah, being warned by God concerning events as yet unseen, in reverent fear constructed an ark for the saving of his household. By this he condemned the world and became an heir of the righteousness that comes by faith.” (Heb. 11:17)
The righteousness that was attributed to Noah arose from his faith and the obedience that came alongside it. The blameless Ark builder was saved, not because he earned a place on the Ark, but because he trusted his Creator. In the very same manner, members of the invisible Church, those who characterize, by their faithfulness, the Church as the “gathering of believers,” are saved in accordance with their genuine faith and trust in Christ. They are reckoned as righteous by faith alone; Christ’s righteousness is imputed to them and they are given grace to stand in the judgment of God.
In obedience, Noah fulfilled all that was commanded of him. He built the Ark according to the Lord’s exact specifications; he even placed the boat’s door in the precise location that God had intended. The door of the Ark, of all things, seems like the least important part of the Flood story. Yet, even this has something to teach us about the Church. Most important for our purposes was, as I have already alluded to, is the door’s position.
The Door into the Church
The entryway to the Ark of Noah was in its side. What was signified by this, according to Augustine was “the wound which was made when the side of the Crucified was pierced with the spear.” From this wound flowed blood and water. Without the water of baptism and the blood of the Eucharist, we cannot hope to gain entry into the Church as institution. A person’s baptism initiates them into the community of Christians and they receive the fullness of membership when they partake of the body and blood of our Lord in His supper. However, despite the centrality of these ordinances to the Church, they cannot reconcile people to God.
To come into the invisible Church of the redeemed, we must also enter by the wound in Jesus’ side. This laceration and countless others were all inflicted upon the God-man on account of our transgressions. Christ suffered the punishment that was reserved for us, and laid upon Him was the iniquity of us all.
If we believe in Christ and have confidence in His death and resurrection, our sins will be blotted out by the precious blood that flowed from His battered body. He is the door. If anyone enters by Him, they will ride the Ark of Christ’s Church to eternal safety; they will be saved from the waves of the Lake of Fire. Do you have this hope? If not, I pray that you will seek Jesus this day. Call out to the King of Kings. Ask for forgiveness. Our Lord is a merciful one and He can save even you from your sins.
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