{
  "catalog_entry": {
    "title": "The Church",
    "description": "The body of Christ and its mission",
    "slug": "the-church",
    "verses": [
      "Matthew 16:18",
      "1 Corinthians 12:27",
      "Ephesians 5:25-27",
      "Acts 2:42-47",
      "Ephesians 4:11-16",
      "Hebrews 10:24-25",
      "1 Timothy 3:15"
    ]
  },
  "content": {
    "title": "The Church",
    "description": "The body of Christ and its nature, marks, and mission",
    "sections": [
      {
        "title": "Christ Builds His Church",
        "verses": [
          "Matthew 16:18",
          "Ephesians 2:20-22",
          "Acts 20:28"
        ],
        "content": "Jesus declared, 'I will build My church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.' The church is not a human society but a temple God is constructing by His Word and Spirit, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets with Christ Himself as the chief cornerstone. He purchased the flock with His own blood, appointing undershepherds to feed and guard it until He presents it complete.<br><br>Christ builds through ordinary means: the preached Word, the sacraments, prayer, and disciplined community. The keys of the kingdom (doctrine and discipline) belong to Him and are exercised under His Lordship for the life and purity of His house."
      },
      {
        "title": "The Body of Christ",
        "verses": [
          "1 Corinthians 12:12-13",
          "Ephesians 4:4",
          "Ephesians 4:16",
          "Hebrews 12:23"
        ],
        "content": "By one Spirit believers are baptized into one body, whether Jew or Gentile, bond or free, and are made to drink of one Spirit. The church is universal (the assembly of the firstborn written in heaven) and visible in local congregations where that heavenly reality becomes concrete.<br><br>Union with Christ makes us members of one another; the eye cannot say to the hand, I have no need of you. Every joint supplies what the Head appoints so that the whole body grows up into Christ.<br><br>The sacraments serve as visible Words that mark out and nourish this body, and membership binds us to mutual responsibility."
      },
      {
        "title": "The Bride of Christ",
        "verses": [
          "Ephesians 5:25-27",
          "Revelation 19:7-9",
          "Revelation 21:2"
        ],
        "content": "Christ loved the church and gave Himself for her to sanctify, cleanse, and beautify her, that He might present her to Himself glorious, without spot or wrinkle. He washes His bride with the water of the Word, sustains her through His Spirit, and vows never to forsake her.<br><br>The church answers His covenant love with bridal devotion, keeping herself from idols, persevering in holiness, and bearing witness to her Bridegroom. She awaits the marriage supper of the Lamb when the holy city, new Jerusalem, descends as a bride adorned for her husband.<br><br>Our present fidelity in worship and obedience anticipates that great consummation."
      },
      {
        "title": "The Early Church's Devotion",
        "verses": [
          "Acts 2:42-47"
        ],
        "content": "From the first day the church continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine, the fellowship, the breaking of bread, and the prayers. Their worship was Word-centered and sacramental, gathering around preaching and the Lord's Table as ordinary means of grace.<br><br>Their fellowship was tangible generosity, shared life, and daily encouragement. They lived in each other's homes, bore one another's burdens, and praised God with gladness and simplicity of heart.<br><br>This pattern of teaching, table, prayer, and mutual care remains the ordinary way Christ nourishes His people and displays His kingdom."
      },
      {
        "title": "Unity in the Body",
        "verses": [
          "Ephesians 4:3-6",
          "Ephesians 2:14-16",
          "John 17:21"
        ],
        "content": "We must endeavor to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace because unity is a blood-bought gift, not a human achievement. By His cross Christ made Jew and Gentile one new man, breaking down the dividing wall of hostility.<br><br>There is one body, one Spirit, one hope, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all; we guard that unity by holding fast to the same gospel, catechizing in truth, practicing patient forbearance, and refusing both sectarian pride and doctrinal compromise. True unity is rooted in truth and expressed in love."
      },
      {
        "title": "The Church's Mission",
        "verses": [
          "Matthew 28:19-20",
          "Acts 1:8",
          "2 Corinthians 5:20"
        ],
        "content": "The risen Christ sends His church to make disciples of all nations, baptizing them into the triune Name and teaching them to observe all He commanded. Empowered by the Spirit, the church bears witness to Christ from Jerusalem to the ends of the earth as an embassy of reconciliation, pleading with sinners, Be ye reconciled to God.<br><br>The mission is comprehensive: evangelize, catechize, plant and strengthen churches, and adorn the gospel with works of mercy. The promise of Christ's presence with His church anchors confidence that ordinary faithfulness in Word and sacrament will advance His kingdom."
      },
      {
        "title": "Not Forsaking Assembly",
        "verses": [
          "Hebrews 10:24-25",
          "Acts 2:46",
          "1 Corinthians 11:18"
        ],
        "content": "We must not forsake the assembling of ourselves together, for the gathered church is where we stir one another to love and good works and meet Christ in Word and sacrament. The early believers met daily with one accord; Paul assumed the church assembled as one to eat the Lord's Supper.<br><br>Regular Lord's Day worship is not optional but covenantal life under Christ's shepherding. In corporate worship we confess, sing, hear, eat, and are sent; neglect isolates us from oversight, weakens our hope, and withholds our gifts from the body."
      },
      {
        "title": "Pillar and Ground of Truth",
        "verses": [
          "1 Timothy 3:15",
          "Jude 1:3",
          "2 Timothy 1:13-14",
          "Matthew 5:14-16"
        ],
        "content": "As the household of the living God, the church is the pillar and buttress of the truth. She guards the good deposit, contends for the faith once delivered to the saints, and holds forth the Word of life as a city set on a hill.<br><br>The church does not invent truth; she receives, preserves, and proclaims it. Creeds and confessions summarize that stewardship, catechizing each generation.<br><br>A faithful church resists novel gospels, teaches sound doctrine publicly and from house to house, and shines with good works that adorn the message she heralds."
      },
      {
        "title": "Marks of a True Church",
        "verses": [
          "Acts 2:42",
          "Matthew 18:15-17",
          "1 Corinthians 11:26-28",
          "Galatians 1:8"
        ],
        "content": "The church is recognized where the pure gospel is preached, the ordinances are rightly administered, and discipline is lovingly exercised. These marks guard the flock from false gospels, nourish faith through baptism and the Supper, and restore the wandering.<br><br>Faithful preaching announces Christ crucified and risen; the sacraments visibly preach the same gospel; discipline applies the Word to keep the body holy and safe. When these marks fade, a congregation drifts from Christ's design regardless of activity or size."
      },
      {
        "title": "Shepherds and Servants",
        "verses": [
          "Acts 20:28",
          "1 Peter 5:2-3",
          "1 Timothy 3:1-13",
          "Titus 1:5-7"
        ],
        "content": "Christ cares for His church through ordained offices. Elders (overseers, pastors) must be qualified, feed the flock with sound doctrine, guard against wolves, and lead by humble example.<br><br>Deacons serve in practical mercy so that the ministry of Word and prayer is not neglected. Leadership is plural, accountable, and patterned after the Chief Shepherd who lays down His life for the sheep.<br><br>Ordination recognizes Christ's calling, and ongoing oversight protects both leaders and flock."
      },
      {
        "title": "Ordinances as Means of Grace",
        "verses": [
          "Matthew 28:19",
          "Romans 6:3-4",
          "1 Corinthians 11:23-26"
        ],
        "content": "Baptism signifies union with Christ in His death and resurrection, marking entrance into His visible church and sealing God's promise to cleanse. The Lord's Supper proclaims His death until He comes, confirming believers in grace and communion with Him and one another.<br><br>Received by faith, these ordinances do not confer grace mechanically; Christ Himself feeds and assures through them as we receive with repentance and faith. Regular participation keeps the gospel before our eyes and ties our assurance to His finished work."
      },
      {
        "title": "Communion of Saints",
        "verses": [
          "Acts 2:44-47",
          "Galatians 6:2",
          "Ephesians 4:15-16",
          "Hebrews 3:13"
        ],
        "content": "Believers share a holy fellowship in Christ. We bear one another's burdens, exhort one another daily, speak the truth in love, and build one another up as each part does its work.<br><br>Fellowship includes hospitality, prayer, sharing resources, confessing sins, and using diverse gifts so that the body is knit together in love. A communion of saints means no one suffers or rejoices alone; life together under shepherding care forms the context where faith matures."
      },
      {
        "title": "Discipline and Holiness",
        "verses": [
          "Matthew 18:15-17",
          "1 Corinthians 5:6-7",
          "2 Corinthians 2:6-8"
        ],
        "content": "A holy church must address open sin. Christ commands loving correction that may widen from private admonition to the church's judgment when needed.<br><br>A little leaven leavens the whole lump, so discipline protects purity and witness. When repentance appears, the church must forgive, comfort, and reaffirm love, seeking restoration not mere removal.<br><br>Discipline exercises the keys of the kingdom, aiming at reclaiming the sinner, deterring others, and honoring Christ's name before a watching world."
      }
    ],
    "slug": "the-church"
  },
  "category": "Doctrinal Studies"
}