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            Jesus responded to the governor, “My kingdom is not of this world” (John 18:36), and by responding to Governor Pilate in that manner he was indicating the nature of the church that he was going to establish or “build” as he had told Peter (Matthew 16:18). Because what Jesus said indicates the nature of his church, it becomes the Scriptural nature of the Lord’s church. The context of saying that something is “Scriptural” is to suggest that the authority of such a thing is from the Word of God and not from human beings. That is important because of what Paul wrote to Timothy, “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God…” (2 Timothy 3:16), meaning that the Scriptural nature of a given subject is authorized by God, and not by man. But what about the phrase “the Lord’s church”?

            Jesus said to Peter, “I will build my church…” (Matthew 16:18) and that indicates that possession and authority regarding the church belongs to Jesus. For that reason, Paul wrote that Jesus was given “to be head over all things to the church” (Ephesians 1:22) by God, the Father. That is also the reason that when Paul was sending greetings to the brethren in Rome from various congregations of the Lord’s church that he wrote, “Greet (Salute) one another with a holy kiss. The churches of Christ greet (salute) you” (Romans 16:16). The greeting to the church in Rome was from various congregations or churches of Christ. The term “churches” does not mean that Jesus established or had many churches, but the term was used in a congregational sense. For example, Paul often wrote to the congregations of the church of Christ in different locations addressing them as “the church…” (1 Corinthians 1:2, 1 Thessalonians 1:1), meaning that they were a congregation of the Lord’s church in that specific place. They were not a different church, but merely a different congregation of the Lord’s church.

            When referring to the church that Jesus established it is important to speak in biblical terms, words, meanings, and context, and to do otherwise is either to not understand the Lord’s church, and or teach or leave a false impression concerning the church of Christ. For example, it is becoming more and more common among some members of the church of Christ to use the Scriptural that phrase as is found in Romans 16:16 in a denominational or ecumenically religious manner as if the true church that Jesus established is one of many. Some examples of doing that are saying, “I am, or we are church of Christ”, “They are church of Christ”, “Harding is a church of Christ college”, my church”, “….is church of Christ doctrine”, “our church”, and phrases that are similar. Closely associated with using those phrases is to only the word “church” in a conversation that only refers to a denomination. Members of the Lord’s church should be able to understand that when a faithful member speaks of “the church” that they are only referring to what Jesus established, and not to a denomination. If one is speaking of a denomination and needs to use the word “church” then the name of the denomination given to it by human beings should also be used so as not to make an unscriptural implication or teaching not found in the New Testament.  

            Jesus is Lord (Acts 2:36) and the church that he established is the Lord’s church. Paul emphasized that fact when he met with the elders of the church of Christ at Ephesus. He said to them, “Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to feed the church of the Lord (God), which he has purchased with his own blood” (Acts 20:28). Jesus is God (John 1:1-4,14) and he is Lord (Acts 2:36) and he through the shedding of his blood paid the price for his church to come into existence, unto which the saved are added (Acts 2:38,41,47). The phrase “churches of Christ” (Romans 16:16) accurately describes the Scriptural nature of the church established by Jesus. Let us speak using scriptural terms.