3037.— Old and New Testament Churches
By Editor
Will you please distinguish between the Old and New Testament churches? In talking with A he says they had no churches in the Old Testament. T. R. P. One of the unfortunate things in connection with our Common Version is translating “the assembly of the Lord” in the Old Testament “congregation,” and in the New Testament “church.” “Congregation” or “assembly” would have been better all the way through, and it would have given us clearer understanding of its meaning. But we do have one scripture in the New Testament which shows us that that congregation in the wilderness, the people whom the Lord led out of Egypt, are definitely called a church, “the church in the wilderness.” Acts 7:38. Of course they were not divided into congregations, because they all met as one congregation from time to time. But when the apostles turned to the Gentiles, they of course raised up many companies entirely separate; and wherever the company was raised up, it was the church in that place. It is God’s great church yet in its branches all the way through. Our Lord Jesus before His death, before the Day of Pentecost, before there was any preaching among the Gentiles, speaks of “the church,” the assembly, the congregation of the Lord, in Matt. 18:17. The only distinction is that the church of the Old Testament times largely consisted of Jews, with one great central place of worship. Ceremonies of that church looked forward to the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Since the crucifixion, the great church of God has been scattered in different companies all over the world. They offer no more sacrifices, because Christ offered one sacrifice forever. They commemorate His sacrifice, however, and look forward to His second coming, in the present ordinances of the church.