We Point to Him

Everything that is to be said of the church is said by saying, “We point to him.”

— John Webster. The Culture of Theology, p. 92.

What can we say about the Church? A lot, I am sure. The Church is God’s people. It is where people find community. The Bible is read inside its gathering space. Songs are sung. Communion is taken. Prayers are prayed. Every Sunday throughout the world, billions of people go to Church.

Churches have raised up missionaries. They have housed charities. They have preached sermons and changed the world many times over.

The Church has not always behaved well, of course. They have been on the wrong side of executions and discrimination. They have shut their doors to those who need help. They have abused many inside. They have condemned more outside.

There is a lot we could say about the church, both good and bad.

But what does the Bible say about the Church? What is the vision of what the church should be, according to God’s word?

Jesus told Peter that his confession of Christ was the rock upon which the church would be built, and not even the gates of hell could prevail against it (Matt. 16:18).

Paul told the Ephesian elders upon his departure that the church was purchased by the blood of Jesus (Acts 20:28).

The church is built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets—the mouthpieces of God. Jesus is the cornerstone, holding it all together. The people are God’s temple, holy in the Lord (Eph. 2:-20-22).

It is the body of Christ where members are members of one another (Rom. 12:5).

It is the body of Christ who serves as the head (Col. 1:18).

The church is the bride of Christ (Eph. 5:23).

It is a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession (1 Pet. 2:9).

The church is a pillar and buttress of the truth (1 Tim. 3:15).

As John Webster says, “Everything that is to be said of the church is said by saying, ‘We point to him.’”

That is the sum total of the Church’s mission. Everything goes wrong when that isn’t our singular focus. If we are pointing to him, we can trust he will take care of everything else.