22.06.2018 Views

Fundamental Beliefs of Seventh-day Adventists

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

YUMPU automatically turns print PDFs into web optimized ePapers that Google loves.

oot supports you" (Rom. 11:16-18).<br />

The New Testament church differs significantly<br />

from its Old Testament counterpart. The apostolic<br />

church became an independent organization,<br />

separate from the nation <strong>of</strong> Israel. National<br />

boundaries were discarded, giving the church a<br />

universal character. Instead <strong>of</strong> a national church, it<br />

became a missionary church, existing to<br />

accomplish God's original plan, which was restated<br />

in the divine mandate <strong>of</strong> its founder, Jesus Christ:<br />

"'Make disciples <strong>of</strong> all nations'" (Matt. 28:19).<br />

Metaphoric Descriptions <strong>of</strong> the Church<br />

The metaphoric descriptions <strong>of</strong> the New<br />

Testament church illuminate the nature <strong>of</strong> the<br />

church.<br />

1. The church as a body<br />

The metaphor <strong>of</strong> the body stresses the unity <strong>of</strong><br />

the church and the functional relationship <strong>of</strong> each<br />

member to the whole. The cross reconciles all<br />

371

Hooray! Your file is uploaded and ready to be published.

Saved successfully!

Ooh no, something went wrong!