This world and the hereafter

Some see the task of the church exclusively in this world. This church is then oriented towards this world. Others see the task of the church entirely in saving us from an eternal hell and cultivate the prospect of “a life in heaven”. This understanding is focussed on the hereafter. There are, of course, many shades between the two extremes. It is certainly important how we live today, and it also helps to have an outlook.

If we ask about the task of the church, then the interpretation can be seen as a slider. This slider can be moved freely between the two poles “Now” and “Hereafter”. Some will probably only focus on the hereafter, while others will emphasize living in the here-and-now. That would then be the personal interpretation, the personal understanding or the personal wish.

A construction project

Let’s imagine that the community is a construction project, such as a house. Two thousand years have passed since the first settlement, since the first community. Building methods have changed, wealth has increased and simple houses of that time no longer meet the requirements of today. Apart from that, houses in biblical times were built in a different climate to today’s houses in Western Europe, for example. There are many differences. How do we want to build now?

These differences are neither good nor bad and should not be judged. It’s not that we want to build a house in our latitudes at any price, which was once perfectly suitable for the Middle East. We have to build our own house. If we do this, we are showing common sense.

You can, of course, choose to build a house in the style of a bygone era. This results in a neo-Gothic or neo-classical style, for example. In a Christian environment, people often want to go back to the Bible, back to the beginning. Others prefer a traditional form that was perhaps valid 100 years ago. But is that possible?

Or one longs for a theocratic future, for judgment and the dissolution of the current world order, imagines oneself in the end times and wants to realize the Heavenly Jerusalem. This seems to me to be almost identical to the desire of some radical Islamist groups to establish a caliphate. The content seems to be different, but is it perhaps about similar human mechanisms? For example, the desire to simplify the complexity of our world? Why do many people feel drawn to such ideas?

Back to the idea of a construction project. For a house to be built, it needs the theoretician and the practitioner. It needs an architect, but also talented craftsmen and a builder to ensure that everything is of good quality. Thinking about the church of tomorrow or trying to imagine a vibrant community in 5, 10 or 20 years’ time are visionary steps. This requires visionary thinkers and many small practical steps in implementation.

The first step is to think about what general tasks a church should perform or what tasks it is called to perform. What evidence is there from the Bible itself?

The called out one

In the first article, reference was made to the word for “church” used in the Bible. In terms of etymology, the Greek word ekklesia means “called out ones”. The idea behind this, as mentioned in the last article, is that God calls people to this community. It is not a personal achievement, but a gift that some receive while others do not. It has nothing to do with the doctrine one adheres to or with the community of which I am a part. Not everyone is called, but the church is by definition a “called out one”, a subset of all people.

The seduction now lies in the fact that this idea, which is derived directly from the Bible, is regarded as “exclusivity”. This is by no means the purpose of the term. Those who belong to today’s church are no better than other people, but they have been called. There is a difference, and there are also privileges (compare for example Eph 1:3). Just as Paul describes that God is a savior of all people, but especially of believers (1Tim 4:9-11).

An idea from the first article in this series saw the congregation as a called-out group with its own task. The municipality is not the first group to be called out. Israel, too, was once called out from among the nations and received a commission to do so.

In addition, the following observation can be made: whenever “called out”, i.e. “chosen”, was mentioned in Scripture, it was not as a final goal, but as a calling to a task. Whoever is called should become an instrument and a channel of blessing. If the congregation is now also a “called out one”, one can ask about the actual task of the congregation. Is the church also a tool and a channel of blessing? Then it is not about the question of how I myself stand in this world, but about the task of the church as a whole. It is about the question of what we are called to do as a church.

There are various examples of a vocation for a task:

1. Abram
2. Israel
3. Community today.

An article on the topic of “election” has already been published on this website. It shows that Abram was called out to set out on his journey. He received several promises. One promise concerned the Promised Land. He was to set out and go to the land that God would show him (Gen 12:1). However, another promise concerned all of humanity. Abram was told that all the families of the earth would be blessed through him (Gen 12:3). What Abram himself did was part of a bigger story.

Tasks of the municipality

Paul writes:

“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and this is not of yourselves: it is the gift of God, not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”
Eph 2:8-10

The church is God’s work. Paul also immediately mentions that this calling was for a purpose: “created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them”. This is a clear, this-worldly focus. In the here and now, God himself prepares good works for us to do. That is very liberating. My endeavour is to pay attention, my prayer is for insight and a listening heart (1 Kings 3:9), so that I can only recognize what has already been prepared. I think that makes it stress-free.

Although I can accept this as personal encouragement, Paul describes it in a circular letter (Ephesians) to various churches. It is therefore not a characteristic of personal faith alone, but should also be part of the community. So here we can ask for our understanding of the church: How can we do good and find good works that God has prepared for us?

Is this-worldly orientation the only task?

No. According to Paul, the church has a much greater task. He also describes this in Ephesians:

“He subordinates everything [Gott] to Him, [Christus] under Him, at His feet; and He gives Him as head over everything to the called-out church, which is His body, the completion of Him who completes the universe in everything.”
Eph 1:22-23

The church here is the completion of Christ, who completes everything in everything. That is a distant goal. This means that the church, the body of Christ, is involved in the fulfillment of God’s purposes. Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians that God’s goal is to one day become all in all. Christ will achieve this, writes Paul. The church, however, is seen as the completion of Christ. The church is “the completion of him who completes the universe in everything”. The body of Christ, the church, therefore not only has a task in the here and now, but also a future task.

What is the future task and how is this future linked to our present experience?

The experience of grace

The apostle Paul describes his understanding of this world and how it touches God’s world. Grace characterizes God’s work in the church (Eph 2:8; Eph 3:2). Grace is especially formative for our time. Let’s keep that in mind. Paul also describes in Ephesians that we have a future task:

“God … He makes us [Juden und Nationen-Gläubige in der Gemeinde] alive together in Christ (in grace you are saved), and He raises us up together and sets us down together in the midst of the heavenly ones in Christ Jesus to in the coming eons the all transcending Riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus To put on display.”
Eph 2:4-7

God’s riches of grace, which He shows us in Christ Jesus, will be on display in the ages to come. This is a future task for the church: displaying grace. Where. In the midst of the supernatural.

It seems strange that it would be necessary to show mercy in heaven. For many, the sky is the place of perfection par excellence. However, this is not the case in the Bible. Consider, for example, the book of Job, which describes how Satan appears in the midst of the sons of God in heaven (Job 1:6; Job 2:1). In Peter we read that even angels are curious about the gospel (1Pet 1:12). The supposedly perfect heavenly beings do not know grace. That is why there is still a task to be completed there before God can actually be all in all (1 Corinthians 15:28).

If we summarize this, then there are these two tasks for the municipality:

1. Here and now
   In this eon: Doing good works that God has already prepared
2. Future
   In the eons to come: Displaying God’s grace in the midst of the Supermundane Beings.

If we fulfill our tasks today, we will learn to recognize grace. We experience grace. This experience will also be useful in the future. According to Paul, God will use the church as an example of the effects of grace. We will show mercy.

If we formulate this differently, then Paul takes a pragmatic approach:

There is much good to be done today, and may God open our eyes to the tasks He has already prepared for us to carry out. This is how we can stand positively in this world. Experience in this world, however good or difficult, also teaches us to recognize grace. It is the experience of grace that enriches our lives now, but also prepares us for a still distant future. Then we will put this experienced grace on display and participate in the final goal of God as an extension of Christ. That makes sense and is meaningful.

Deepening

• Describe in your own words what was new to you in this article.
• How would you reset the slider after reading this post?
• What do you want to think next?
• What do you want to do next?
• Discuss Ephesians 4:15-16 in light of present and future tasks of the church.