ON ECCLESIOLOGY: HOW THE BEATITUDES SHOULD INFORM HOW WE UNDERSTAND THE ROLE OF THE CHURCH

1 Introduction Stanley Grenz asserts that the use of the term ekklesia in the New Testament indicates that the early believers conceived of the church as a covenanting people. 1 He continues on to say that the New Testament writers used three important metaphors to describe the church: the nation of God, the Body of Christ, and the Temple of the Spirit. 2 This paper will argue that the principles found in the Beatitudes (Matt. 5:3-10) identify and mark the church as the nation of God, the Body of Christ, and the Temple of the Spirit. In the same way that Israel was chosen by God as His people, those who follow the Beatitudes as espoused by Jesus belongs to God as well. In the same way that the church exists solely to do the will of Christ and in this way be his presence in the world, so does the Beatitudes inform the church of what the will of Christ is for his disciples and the world itself. In the way that we are identified as the temple of the Spirit, the Beatitudes reveal how to be filled by the Spirit and walk in his power. The nation of God: whos in and whos out The Book of Genesis recounts the story of Abraham, a man called out from Ur, to follow the One True God. God makes a promise that he will make of (him) a great nation. and (He) will bless (him), and make (his) name great, so that (he) will be a blessing. (Gen. 12:2) Through Abrahams seed, Isaac, the nation of Israel is established. God makes a covenant with Israel and regards Israel as his chosen nation. He becomes their God de jure and de facto. When the children of Israels cries and groans under the burden of their Egyptian oppressors rise up to heaven, God hears their cry and sends Moses to deliver them from the oppressive hand of Egypt. Moses eventually leads them out of Egypt and into the Promised Land. When he was forbidden
1 2

Grenz, Theology for the Community of God, 466. Grenz, Theology for the Community of God, 466.

2 to enter the Promised Land, Moses commissions Joshua to lead the nation of Israel to take hold of the land flowing with milk and honey that the LORD GOD promised to give them. The Old Testament is filled with stories of the rebellion of Israel against her God and her being rebuked and redeemed by the God whom she has offended and displeased. What is clear from the story of Israel as portrayed in the Holy Scriptures is the unique status of Israel as Gods chosen people. Israel belongs to God and God belongs to Israel. It is a relationship that cannot be broken, a seal stronger than death (Song of Solomon 8:6). Such is the exceptional intimate relationship between Israel as a nation, and as a people, with her God. This unparalleled status is the status that is now accorded unto the church by God. The New Testament speaks of the church as a nation and a holy priesthood belonging to God. [...] Just as Israel had been chosen to be the people of God Gods nation so now the New Testament church enjoys this relationship.3 Whereas in the past, being birthed among the people of Israel was the primary condition in ones inclusion into Gods nation, now people from the entire world are called together to belong to God. The church is an international fellowship compromising persons from every tribe and language and people and nation. 4 Jesus death on the cross and resurrection from the grave enables anyone, whether Jew or Gentile, to be equal in Gods sight. According to R.T. France, the Beatitudes thus call on those who would be Gods people to stand out as different from those around them. 5 Jesus, in his teaching, reminds those who would heed his advice that belonging to God requires their lives to reflect the ways of God. In the first Beatitude, Jesus calls those who are poor in spirit as both blessed and the inheritors of

3 4

Grenz, Theology for the Community of God, 466. Grenz, Theology for the Community of God, 466. 5 France, The Gospel of Matthew, 159.

3 the kingdom of heaven. As Ambrose says, this beatitude is not only the first in order, but also the one that in some way generates all other virtues.6 It is important to understand how poverty in spirit is not speaking of weakness of character (mean-spiritedness) but rather of a persons relationship with God. It is a positive spiritual orientation, the converse of the arrogant self-confidence which not only rides roughshod over the interests of other people but more importantly causes a person to treat God as irrelevant. 7 This relationship with God that the first beatitude exhorts is not limited to the people of Israel. It is not limited to those who belong to the cult of YHWH. This relationship is available for any who would leave all for the sake of the One who uttered these macaristic sayings. The citizens of the nation of God are no longer characterized by physical birth from a woman of the tribe of Israel, but by their spiritual birth that comes from the Holy One of Israel. Because it is an act that cannot be attained, only bestowed, the inclusion into Gods nation is predicated solely on the grace of God. It is clear from the Beatitudes that God would indeed bestow such sonship to the followers of the Son of Man. The Body of Christ: what is the will of Christ? The fifth chapter of the Book of Matthew begins with Jesus going up into the mountain and after he sat down (Matt. 5:1). Many scholars think that Matthew here recalls Moses revelation on Mount Sinai. 8 This is in keeping with some commentators (who) have argued that Matthew grouped Jesus sayings into five sections to parallel the five books of Moses. 9 If Matthew is trying to evoke an echo of the giving of the Ten Commandments to Moses in the Sermon on the Mount, it is possibly a result of the importance and pre-eminence of his belief in

Betz and Collins, The Sermon on the Mount : A Commentary on the Sermon on the Mount, Including the Sermon on the Plain (Matthew 5:3-7:27 and Luke 6:20-49), 111. 7 France, The Gospel of Matthew, 165. 8 Keener, A Commentary on the Gospel of Matthew, 164. 9 Keener and InterVarsity Press., The Ivp Bible Background Commentary : New Testament, 45.

4 how the beatitudes establish not only the teachings, but demonstrates the very ethos and character of Jesus. The message that the Beatitudes speak of is compelling for Christians not because they are precepts which are somehow or other metaphysically true but because Christ practiced them.10 If it is true, as Grenz argues, that the church exists solely to do the will of Christ, what is the will of Christ?11 The Beatitudes provide us with a clear response to this question. In these utterances by Jesus, he proclaims the virtues and qualities that are required from both his hearers and followers. In the first beatitude, Jesus proclaims a message of humility. Poverty of spirit refers not merely to the materially poor and oppressed, but to those who have taken that condition to their very heart, by not allowing themselves to be deceived by the attraction of wealth.12 It speaks of an attitude that seeks not the riches of this world. Instead, it seeks for the riches that can only be found in Christ. This must mean that the will of Christ is for his disciples to model a life which prioritizes the ethics of the kingdom of God instead of the kingdom of man. The will of Christ is for justice to reign on earth, as it reigns in heaven. The term justice often has a forensic thrust accenting a judicial decision either favourably for the just or innocent or negatively for the unjust and wicked.13 However, it is important to emphasize and understand how the term does not focus upon vindictive retribution but upon God's saving action to restore shalom by making things right.14 This is especially seen in the prophetic literature and the Psalms, where justice is most often viewed as an act whereby God delivers, restores, and brings

10 11

Guroian, "Bible and Ethics : An Ecclesial and Liturgical Interpretation," 140. Grenz, Theology for the Community of God, 467. 12 Keener, A Commentary on the Gospel of Matthew, 169. 13 Chouinard, "The Kingdom of God and the Pursuit of Justice in Matthew," 230. 14 Chouinard, "The Kingdom of God and the Pursuit of Justice in Matthew," 230.

5 relief to the oppressed and weak.15 n Matthews usage, (righteousness, justice) is overwhelmingly concerned with right conduct, with living the way God requires. 16 It is this understanding of justice that must permeate our understanding of the word and what it means to our world today. While the judicial and forensic understanding of justice should not be dismissed, it cannot be the main paradigm to influence our exegesis and hermeneutics. Gods justice on earth cannot be simply viewed as punishment against wicked acts by wicked people. Gods justice on earth must also be viewed as the process of redeeming the evil acts of evil people. The that God desires is personified and find its complete fulfillment in the person of Jesus Christ. Thus, the will of Christ is for his adherents to imitate his likeness. His sermon on the Mount must be understood as a discourse on discipleship. 17 Far from being a philosophical discourse on ethics, (the Beatitudes) is a messianic manifesto setting out the unique demands and revolutionary insights of one who claims an absolute authority over other people and whose word, like the word of God, will determine their destiny. 18 Through the Beatitudes, Jesus gives form and shape to the vague and nebulous concept of the term doing the will of Christ. It solidifies the abstraction of this term and firmly roots it in terra firma. The will of Christ is for his followers to be poor in spirit, to mourn, to be meek, to hunger and thirst for righteousness, to be merciful, to be pure in heart, and to be peacemakers (Matt. 5:3-10). It is clear from the Beatitudes that those who heed its words are they who belong to the Body of Christ.

15 16

Chouinard, "The Kingdom of God and the Pursuit of Justice in Matthew," 230. France, The Gospel of Matthew, 167. 17 France, The Gospel of Matthew, 153. 18 France, The Gospel of Matthew, 156.

6 The temple of the Spirit: what does it mean? The Old Testament describes the temple in Israel as Gods earthly dwelling place. 19 Grenz notes that now ... the focal point of Gods presence is no longer a special building but a fellowship of his people.20 He affirms the presence of the Spirit among us carries grave ethical implications. Because we are the temple of the Spirit, we must live holy lives. 21 This particular understanding of the term temple of the Spirit carries much weight and gravitas. It is within this context that the words of the Beatitudes speak life to and provides further clarification concerning this issue. The Church is in the first place, a community of believers, bound to one another as we together commit ourselves to God in faith in acknowledging and accepting the saving love God has shown us in Jesus Christ.22 This community of believers is founded by the Holy Spirit. The Church finds its initial foundation and subsequent conclusions on theological and practical issues in and through the person of the Holy Spirit. Now that the temple of the Holy Spirit is no longer lodged in a cage of stones and gold but in a living heart and body of flesh, issues of purification and defilement are no longer limited to ritual issues but are now relegated to the moral and spiritual domain. To live a holy life is to uphold the holiness and sanctity of the Holy Spirit who resides within us. To be the vessels and vassals of the Holy Spirit is to bear the burden and responsibility of the Levite priest who consecrated himself for the purpose of being a servant in the temple of the Most High. It is an unbelievable honour and privilege to be awarded such a task and yet it is not a task to be taken lightly nor irreverently. Being the temple of the Spirit requires us to humbly reflect the God whom we serve.
19 20

Grenz, Theology for the Community of God, 467. Grenz, Theology for the Community of God, 467. 21 Grenz, Theology for the Community of God, 467. 22 Wright, "The Church : Community of the Holy Spirit," 29.

7 If the Holy Spirit resides within us, and we bear the burden of this noble task properly, it is incumbent upon us to struggle with one important question: what does it mean to live a holy life? Holiness can often be seen and understood as a moral, rather than practical, issue. To remove this term from the abstract to the concrete, we must look to the Beatitudes to provide us with an answer. The virtues espoused by Jesus through the Beatitudes give us a template to fashion and concretize what a holy life can and should look like in the real world. The holy life should display the poverty in spirit that Matthew speaks of through the mouth of Jesus. Such an attitude is attested to by the faithful dependence on God that it often produced.23 In an individuals personal life, this could show itself through an attitude of humility and regard others as better than ourselves (Phil. 2:3). The Beatitudes also extol the virtue of being meek. Betz observes that the term meek is a variation on the notion of the poor in (the) spirit. This connection also explains that meekness is not simply a given condition but an ethical attitude to be acquired. 24 Jewish literature also highly valued meekness as a virtue since it was often used as a synonym for humility. 25 In fact, Jesus is shown not only as teaching meekness but also as practicing it. 26 This is a further testament and affirmation that the Beatitudes should inform our understanding of what it means to lead a holy life. Jesus, the Son of God himself, is presented as a man who exhibited these traits and characteristics. The book of Hebrews remind us that he was human, just like us, and yet he lived a life without sin (Heb. 4:14). The manner in which he lived and the attributes he displayed

23 24

Keener and InterVarsity Press., The Ivp Bible Background Commentary : New Testament, 56. Betz and Collins, The Sermon on the Mount : A Commentary on the Sermon on the Mount, Including the Sermon on the Plain (Matthew 5:3-7:27 and Luke 6:20-49), 126. 25 Betz and Collins, The Sermon on the Mount : A Commentary on the Sermon on the Mount, Including the Sermon on the Plain (Matthew 5:3-7:27 and Luke 6:20-49), 126. 26 Betz and Collins, The Sermon on the Mount : A Commentary on the Sermon on the Mount, Including the Sermon on the Plain (Matthew 5:3-7:27 and Luke 6:20-49), 127.

8 are perfectly captured and contained in the Beatitudes. These words not only serve to encourage and to exhort; it also gives us the blueprint we need to live a holy life. Conclusion It is only the people of Israel who could make the initial claim that they were those who belong to God. Those who did not belong to the tribe of Israel were not considered to be partakers in Gods kingdom. However, through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, the Church can now say with utmost confidence that they, too, belong to the kingdom of God. Gentiles are now grafted in to the vine of Israel. Abraham is now their father and YHWH is now their God. Not only does the Church gain the status that was once distinctly held by Israel, it also finds itself being identified as the Body of Christ. As the Body of Christ, the Church serves as the hand and feet of Jesus here on earth. Its mandate is to obey and heed the will of Christ on earth. Finally, the Church is identified as the temple of the Holy Spirit. The temple is no longer understood as a physical structure in a particular city. The temple is now housed in mortal flesh and blood. The Divine Spirit enthrones himself among the divine image-bearers. The Beatitudes inform us how the Church can make the claim that it is now a part of Gods nation. It is the true followers of Christ who embody the message of Jesus spoken on a mountain. These followers of the Anointed Messiah are welcomed in the kingdom of heaven that Jesus ushers in. To understand what the will of Christ is in this world, the Beatitudes offer us a glimpse as to what Jesus has called his disciples to manifest and display in the way we lead our lives. Since the Church describes itself as the temple of the Holy Spirit, it is called to live a life of holiness. It is in the Beatitudes where we find the instruction manual in living a holy life that is needed and required by those indwelled with the Holy Spirit. The message of the Beatitudes

9 must find itself intrinsically linked with ecclesiology. Thus, ecclesiology can only find its truest and fullest expression when it advocates and incarnates the message of Jesus through the Beatitudes.

10 BIBLIOGRAPHY Betz, Hans Dieter, and Adela Yarbro Collins. The Sermon on the Mount : A Commentary on the Sermon on the Mount, Including the Sermon on the Plain (Matthew 5:3-7:27 and Luke 6:20-49). Hermeneia--a Critical and Historical Commentary on the Bible. Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 1995. Chouinard, Larry. "The Kingdom of God and the Pursuit of Justice in Matthew." Restoration Quarterly 45.4 (2003) 229-42. France, R. T. The Gospel of Matthew. The New International Commentary on the New Testament. Grand Rapids, Mich.: William B. Eerdmans Pub., 2007. Grenz, Stanley J. Theology for the Community of God. Grand Rapids, Mich.: W.B. Eerdmans, 2000. Guroian, Vigen. "Bible and Ethics : An Ecclesial and Liturgical Interpretation." Journal of Religious Ethics 18.1 (1990) 129-57. Keener, Craig S. A Commentary on the Gospel of Matthew. Grand Rapids, Mich.: W.B. Eerdmans Pub., 1999. Keener, Craig S., and InterVarsity Press. The Ivp Bible Background Commentary : New Testament. Downers Grove, Ill.: InterVarsity Press, 1993. Wright, John H. "The Church : Community of the Holy Spirit." Theological Studies 48.1 (1987) 25-44.