The Church
- Thread starter southernbbn
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I don't know, I'm not Christian. I just assumed the word with overlapping meanings came from centuries of lexical mutations in English.
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- Jul 23, 2007
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ViaCrucis
Confessional Lutheran
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The word "church" is related to German kirche and Dutch kerk. In Old English (Anglo-Saxon) it was circe. All of these derive from an old Germanic word kirika, a loanword from Greek, specifically the Greek word kyriake, the possessive form of the Greek kyrios (meaning "lord"); kyriake means "lord's". This was shorthand for kyriake oikos, or "[the] Lord's house". The term used to describe the meeting places of Christians. In addition to its entrance into the Germanic languages it also entered into the Slavic languages, such as the modern Russian cerkov.
So strictly speaking the word "church" descends from the word referring to the buildings or houses Christians gathered for worship; but in the Germanic languages it also was used to translate the Greek ekklesia (Latin ecclesia); as such in English the Church (ekklesia) meets in churches (kyriake oikia).
So it is appropriate to refer to Christian places of worship as "churches". In English we typically make "Church" a proper noun to refer to the ekklesia proper, whereas "church" typically refers to houses of worship. Of course language is much more nuanced and complicated than that, so context is important.
-CryptoLutheran
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Perfect awesome knowledge, now who was Christ referring to when He stated that He would come back for a church without spot or blemish.
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ViaCrucis
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I'm not sure which passage you're referring to. However, in Ephesians St. Paul writes,
"Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, in order to make her holy by cleansing her with the washing of water by the word, so as to present the church to himself in splendor, without a spot or wrinkle or anything of the kind—yes, so that she may be holy and without blemish." - Ephesians 5:25-27
Which doesn't refer to Christ coming back for a church without spot or blemish, but He has made the Church spotless and without blemish by "the washing of water by the word"--which traditionally is understood to mean Baptism.
-CryptoLutheran
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Masihi
love based faith is truer than fear based faith
Church comes from "ekklesia" and means an assembly of people, aka an assembly of believers guided by Gd of whom the gates of hell will not prevail against them.
Mature Christians understand it to be a body of believers and not an actual physical building. These believers are the actual temple of Gd on earth, theyre hearts are clean, they live by faith, they are without "blemish"
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f CHURCH in regard to GOD is being in the FAITH. a life style without spot or blemish.
Today is a problem because of this verse.
"Not all of Israel are of Israel." or
"The leaders of this people CAUSE them to err and they that follow them are DESTROYED."
We have very weak churches today because GOD warned it would happen.
could we get on side with GOD???
FAITH is a life style not just thinking it is so.
Keep the commandments of GOD & the FAITH of JESUS .
"Thy will be done on earth as it is in HEAVEN." No other way .
No HUMAN LOGIC allowed.
Today is a problem because of this verse.
"Not all of Israel are of Israel." or
"The leaders of this people CAUSE them to err and they that follow them are DESTROYED."
We have very weak churches today because GOD warned it would happen.
could we get on side with GOD???
FAITH is a life style not just thinking it is so.
Keep the commandments of GOD & the FAITH of JESUS .
"Thy will be done on earth as it is in HEAVEN." No other way .
No HUMAN LOGIC allowed.
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