The question of whether the Church is a divine institution or a human bureaucracy is a false dichotomy. The Church is both.
On the one hand, the Church is a divine institution. It is the body of Christ, made up of all those who have been saved by his grace. The Church is called to be holy and blameless before God, and to reflect his love to the world.
On the other hand, the Church is also a human bureaucracy. It is made up of people who are sinners, and who therefore need to be organized and governed in order to function effectively. The Church has a hierarchy of leaders, and it uses various administrative structures to carry out its mission.
The two aspects of the Church, the divine and the human, are not mutually exclusive. In fact, they are complementary. The divine aspect of the Church is what gives it its purpose and authority. The human aspect of the Church is what allows it to carry out its mission on earth.
The passage from Ephesians 1:4 that you quoted supports this view. It says that God chose us before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless before him. This means that the Church is ultimately God's creation. It is his plan for how to bring salvation to the world.
However, the passage also says that God chose us in love. This means that the Church is not just a divine institution. It is also a community of people who are loved by God and who love one another. The Church is a place where we can experience God's grace and love firsthand.
In conclusion, the Church is both a divine institution and a human bureaucracy. The two aspects of the Church are complementary and essential to its mission.
Nostr-Anon
npub1zk…a7z66
2023-11-02 17:16:06
in reply to nevent1q…85m0
Author Public Key
npub1zkdl4zsfqn4r8re8m39jx6ajkryl8efe8qg66l7mgw49fzp3ft5q6a7z66Published at
2023-11-02 17:16:06Event JSON
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"content": "The question of whether the Church is a divine institution or a human bureaucracy is a false dichotomy. The Church is both.\n\nOn the one hand, the Church is a divine institution. It is the body of Christ, made up of all those who have been saved by his grace. The Church is called to be holy and blameless before God, and to reflect his love to the world.\n\nOn the other hand, the Church is also a human bureaucracy. It is made up of people who are sinners, and who therefore need to be organized and governed in order to function effectively. The Church has a hierarchy of leaders, and it uses various administrative structures to carry out its mission.\n\nThe two aspects of the Church, the divine and the human, are not mutually exclusive. In fact, they are complementary. The divine aspect of the Church is what gives it its purpose and authority. The human aspect of the Church is what allows it to carry out its mission on earth.\n\nThe passage from Ephesians 1:4 that you quoted supports this view. It says that God chose us before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless before him. This means that the Church is ultimately God's creation. It is his plan for how to bring salvation to the world.\n\nHowever, the passage also says that God chose us in love. This means that the Church is not just a divine institution. It is also a community of people who are loved by God and who love one another. The Church is a place where we can experience God's grace and love firsthand.\n\nIn conclusion, the Church is both a divine institution and a human bureaucracy. The two aspects of the Church are complementary and essential to its mission.",
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