The General Assembly and Church of the Firstborn

2024-01-13

For a long time, I was not a believer in a “universal church.” Reading the New Testament, the emphasis is clearly on the local church. The word church means “congregation.” This is defined internally:

I will declare thy name unto my brethren: in the midst of the congregation will I praise thee. (Psalm 22:22)

I will declare thy name unto my brethren, in the midst of the church will I sing praise unto thee. (Hebrews 2:12)

The word for “church” in the New Testament passage renders the word for “congregation” in the Old. The Greek word for “church” (ἐκκλησία) is translated “assembly” in three places. These all refer to the mob in Ephesus instigated by Demetrius over the loss of idol sales because of the rise of Christianity in the area.

First, we read, “Some therefore cried one thing, and some another: for the assembly was confused; and the more part knew not wherefore they were come together” (Acts 19:32). If it were not obvious, an assembly is a group of people together, for it is stated, “they were come together.”

Again, we read, “But if ye enquire any thing concerning other matters, it shall be determined in a lawful assembly” (Acts 19:39). The town clerk said this to the mob. These issues needed to be discussed in a “lawful assembly” as opposed to the angry impromptu riot they had initiated. The emphasis would be a physical gathering to discuss their issues diplomatically.

After the town clerk spoke to the group, we read, “And when he had thus spoken, he dismissed the assembly” (Acts 19:41). They were all physically there, but then they were sent away, ceasing to be an assembly.

Another usage of the word “church” in the non-New Testament way is of the children of Israel receiving the Law: “This is he, that was in the church in the wilderness with the angel which spake to him in the mount Sina, and with our fathers: who received the lively oracles to give unto us” (Acts 7:38). Clearly not the same as the normal usage, this is a very large group of people, over a million, but they were all there together. You can’t have a church (read: “congregation”) unless you have people gathered in one place.

By another example, in Revelation, people commonly point to the use of the words “church” and “churches” in Revelation 1-3 and say the absence of these words thereafter indicates that the “church” has been removed from the earth. (The one exception is at the end in Revelation 22:16, which is speaking of local churches.) However, the reason for this is because John is writing to physical congregations of people in those early chapters. When talking about believers in general, the more appropriate word “saints” is used in these other chapters, because they are not necessarily gathered together in the same location. “Church” is used for believers that normally gather in a specified location; “saints” is used for believers in general.

However, there is a usage of the word “church” where it speaks of the universal church. “To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven” (Hebrews 12:23). This is a “general assembly” and “church.” The word for “church” is the usual word for church. The word for “general assembly” is only used here, but it is a compound word that suggests a universal marketplace or open street. It is a union of all believers.

Where does this happen? It is “written in heaven.” The universal church is not “down here” or anywhere on earth. It surely is not in Rome. It is in heaven. As Christians, I am in Christ, you are in Christ, we are all in Him. As we individually were placed in Christ, we are in Him together, congregated in Him. We are congregated with Him in heaven spiritually.

Another passage is Ephesians 5:22-33. We see that “Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body.” The Lord Jesus Christ does not have multiple bodies, He has one body, one church, and He gave Himself for it.

Again, “Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it.” The Lord loved and died for the church. The Church is a single unit here. He “might present it to himself a glorious church.” He is not presenting to Himself multiple churches. Apostles may do this to the Lord: “For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ” (2 Corinthians 11:2). The apostle can only be in one location at a time. But the Lord is the One working behind the scenes, presenting the aggregation of every believer to Himself.

Lastly, Christ and the church fulfill Biblical marriage. As Eve was created from Adam while He slept and was united to him when He awoke, the Church was created from Christ while He slept and was united to Him when He awoke. Since Christ and the church fulfill marriage, Christ marries one Church; otherwise you have polygamy. Polygamy was a deviation from marriage invented by the likes of Lamech in Genesis 4:19, but Christ would not partake in that. We may have local churches now, but in heaven there is only one, and in the eschaton, where there will be only one Church.

Consider again the following. “There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling” (Ephesians 4:4). And again, “And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence” (Colossians 1:18). And again, “If ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which ye have heard, and which was preached to every creature which is under heaven; whereof I Paul am made a minister; Who now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his body’s sake, which is the church” (Colossians 1:23-24).

There is a danger here, to which we alluded before. This universal church is not an organization on earth, but rather a position in heaven. It is a theological principle and reality in heaven, but it is realized as local churches scattered across the world in this present age. We do not say we are a part of the same church as someone that congregates physically in another church. Denominations are not a single church; at best they are a group of churches. We did not go to church if we watched it on TV just because we are a part of the universal church.

What we want to emphasize is that our position, individually and collectively, is in Christ. However, for now we live on earth and congregate in space and time locally with other believers.