Many people read I Corinthians 12, see the word “church” or the word “body” (as in verse 13 – “For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body” and 27 – “Now ye are the body of Christ”), and presume that the definition of the word church is, “all those saved since Pentecost” (i.e. Universal).
The idea of a Catholic (the word “catholic” means “universal”) church has been taught since the days of Augustine (the father of corrupt ecclesiology – 354 to 430 AD), but the Bible does not teach this doctrine.
Consider I Corinthians, and honestly ask, “What did the Holy Spirit mean, and what did Paul understand, when He/he used the word, “church?” Is it local (i.e. an assembly of specific people at a specific place), or is it universal (i.e. all those who are saved)?
Here is each of the occurrences of the word “church” in I Corinthians. In each case, ask – is it a local church or universal?
- I Cor 1:2 Unto the church of God which is at Corinth – must be Local (it is in a specific local place)
- I Cor 4:17 . . . as I teach every where in every church – Local (there are many churches)
- I Cor 6:4 If then ye have judgments of things pertaining to this life, set them to judge who are least esteemed in the church. – Local (there is no way this could be universal and work)
- I Cor 7:17 But as God hath distributed to every man, as the Lord hath called every one, so let him walk. And so ordain I in all churches. – Local (there are many of them)
- I Cor 10:32 Give none offence, neither to the Jews, nor to the Gentiles, nor to the church of God: – Could be universal, but seems to be local
- I Cor 11:16 . . . neither the churches of God. – Local (since there are many, they are not universal)
- I Cor 11:18 For first of all, when ye come together in the church – Local (the universal church never assembles)
- I Cor 11:22 What? have ye not houses to eat and to drink in? or despise ye the church of God – Could go either way, but surely seems Local in context.
- I Cor 12:13 For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit. (This “body” is obviously the church, but is it local or universal?)
- I Cor 12:28 And God hath set some in the church . . . Local, but Universal is technically possible; visible is certain.
- I Cor 14:4 He that speaketh in an unknown tongue edifieth himself; but he that prophesieth edifieth the church. – Local
- I Cor 14:5 . . . except he interpret, that the church may receive edifying. – Local
- I Cor 14:12 Even so ye, forasmuch as ye are zealous of spiritual gifts, seek that ye may excel to the edifying of the church. – Local
- I Cor 14:19 Yet in the church I had rather speak five words with my understanding, that by my voice I might teach others also, than ten thousand words in an unknown tongue. – Local
- I Cor 14:23 If therefore the whole church be come together into one place – Local
- I Cor 14:28 But if there be no interpreter, let him keep silence in the church – Local
- I Cor 14:33 For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches – Local
- I Cor 14:34 Let your women keep silence in the churches: – Local
- I Cor 14:35 . . . for it is a shame for women to speak in the church. – Local
- I Cor 15:9 For I am the least of the apostles, that am not meet to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. – Could be Universal or Local (i.e. Generic use of the word) – it is certainly visible.
- I Cor 16:1 . . . I have given order to the churches of Galatia, even so do ye. – Local
- I Cor 16:19a The churches of Asia salute you – Local
- 1 Co 16:19b. . . . with the church that is in their house. – Local
The question must be asked and answered honestly, “does I Corinthians 12:13 refer to Spirit baptism into a universal church, or water baptism into a local church?” Consider the following facts and come to a decision based on the word of God.
• Of the 22 times that the word “church” occurs in I Corinthians, all but four of them are absolutely LOCAL with no other option – they don’t work for a Universal definition. They are at one location, or refer to one group of people, or both.
• The first four uses are obviously LOCAL, setting a context that the use of the word “church” is local elsewhere in I Corinthians. Why would the definition change from local to universal without explanation?
• The question is, if some are universal (all believers) and some are local (one local assembly), why is there no explanation when the definition switches from one to the other?
• Also, it is clear that all 22 references to church in I Corinthians work well with a Local definition.
• The use of “church” in 12:28 and 15:9 could refer to multiple churches in a generic sense (i.e. when we say “go to the store” we don’t mean that there is only one store on the face of the earth).
• The man who wants to believe in a Universal church must admit two definitions of “church”, as there are at least 18 times when I Corinthians uses “church” exclusively as a local body.
• When we get to chapter 12, it seems that such important doctrine is present that it would be wrong of Paul not to clearly re-define “church” if a redefinition from Local to Universal is intended, since the word has been used in an exclusively Local sense seven or eight times already
By local church, we mean that it is a certain group of believers, not all of them, and they assemble in a certain place. The term “universal” refers to all believers and they have never assembled.
It seems that an honest interpretation of I Corinthians must result in the conclusion that the word “church” is used to describe a local assembly of specific believers in a specific place. It cannot honestly be said that the word church usually, or always means “universal church” in I Corinthians. It can easily be said that the word “church” in I Corinthians always means local church.
George Shafer