The Summation of All Things in Christ

Studies in Ephesians with a Local Church Emphasis

Lesson 35 : Excursus: The Local Church in Ephesians 2:11-22 part 2

What is I am wrong about a strict local-visible interpretation of the church?  –  If there is an universal-invisible church, the emphasis of the NT is still upon the local churches  –  What about the difficult ‘church’ verses? (the church as an institution or the generic use of the word church)  –  Is Paul speaking of the universal-invisible church in 2:11-22?  –  The NT assembly is a ‘new entity’ that is more than reformed Judaism  –  If the NT assembly is a ‘new entity’ then how does that reconcile with a ‘universal-invisible church’ of all believers that has supposedly existed since Adam?  –  Paul’s wonder of God’s plan of bringing Jew and Gentile together argues for the NT assembly  –  In v. 21, ‘whole’ is better read ‘each several building’, a rendering which favors the local assembly interpretation  –  Some argue against Christ as being the ‘capstone’ because it does not fit in their pre-conceived notions of the universal-invisible church