Characteristics of the Church

The church is the assembly of the "saints," or holy ones, a people called out of the world by God. The early church was an urban movement. It held a world view which differed from that of the prevailing culture, yet it came to include people of all social classes in its radical fellowship.

Terms for the Church

The most common word for the church in the New Testament is ekklsia, or "assembly. " It is a derivative of the verb kale,"call," in the sense of those who are "called out. " The word...

 

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