The basic social and religious structure of ancient life was built around the household, which was much more expansive than today’s family unit. In New Testament times, both Jewish and Gentile households included not only immediate family members but also a broad range of relatives, extended family groups, and kinship affiliations. Paul called the early Christian church community the “household of faith”
THE CHURCH AS A HOUSEHOLD
As we will see, the Bible does teach that Christians should join themselves to God’s household, to organized, local churches. For this reason, it is crucial that those who name the name of Jesus understand what the church is and what our relationship to the church should be. In this article, we will outline the nature of the church under five theses and explain why you should care about being a part of a local church.