The Ecclesia The Church

The Ecclesia The Church

13 He is “heavenly bread” and “spiritual food” furnishing life by food and knowledge, “the light of men,” that is, of the Church. Therefore those who ate the heavenly bread died, but he who eats the true bread of the Spirit shall not die. The Son is the living bread which was given by the Father to those who wish to eat. “And my flesh is the bread which I will give,” he says, that is, to him whose flesh is nourished by the Eucharist; or better still, the flesh is his body, “which is the Church,” “heavenly bread,” a blessed Assembly. And perhaps just as the elect are essentially derived from the same substance, and as they will also attain the same end. . (Extracts from the Works of Theodotus)


As through the body the Lord spake and healed, so also formerly by the prophets, and now by the apostles and teachers. For the Church is the minister of the Lord's power. Thence He then assumed humanity, [9] that by it He might minister to the Father's will. And at all times, the God who loves humanity [1] invests Himself with man for the salvation of men, -- in former tithes with the prophets, and now with the Church. For it is fitting that like should minister to like, in order to a like salvation. (Extracts from the Works of Theodotus)

The Term 'Church' or congregation means “called out.” Hence, it pertains to a group of persons called out or called together. It means an assembly of the called.

An assembly of Christians gathered for worship in a religious meeting those who anywhere, in a city, village, constitute such a company and are united into one body

Usually when the NT mentions “the church” in a general sense, reference is being made to the body of Christ

The Church is likened to a body with Christ as the head: "And he is the head of the body, the Church" (Col 1:18); "Now ye [the Church] are the body of Christ, and members in particular" (1Co 12:27). Just as a body has many different parts, each with its own function, so the Church is made up of many brethren and sisters, each with their own role: "If the whole body were an eye, where were the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where were the smelling? But now hath God set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased Him" (vv 17,18). As parts of this body, brethren and sisters should avoid schisms (divisions), and "care one for another" (v 25). In Eph 5 the Church is likened to a bride with Christ as the bridegroom. The husband is the head of the wife, just as Christ is the head of the Church (v 23). Wives should be subject to their husbands just as the Church is subject to Christ (v 24). Christ loves the Church as a husband should love his wife; such is his love that he gave himself for the Church (v 25). The bride is to be cleansed by "the washing of water by the word" (v 26), and so the Word of God should play a central part in the life of an Church.


When the redemption was proclaimed, the perfect man received knowledge immediately, so as to return in haste to his unitary state, to the place from which he came, to return there joyfully, to the place from which he came, to the place from which he flowed forth. His members, however, needed a place of instruction, which is in the places which are adorned, so that they might receive from them resemblance to the images and archetypes, like a mirror, until all the members of the body of the Church are in a single place and receive the restoration at one time, when they have been manifested as the whole body, namely the restoration into the Pleroma.


The true Christian church is not an external sects, or religious denomination. First of all it is an collection of spiritual ideas in individual consciousness. To establish the church, or congregation, of God in man, a new state of consciousness must be formed. Man must gain an understanding of God as Spirit, and also must understand his own relation to Spirit. This is revealed by the Holy Ghost, which is an embodiment of Divine Mind projected into human consciousness.

The church of God begins its activity in man as a mental perception which must go through certain processes before it is established fully in the consciousness.

Its work is subjective first; that is, it is a silent interior planting of spiritual ideas, which do not make themselves manifest at once.and in time transform the individual.


In an external sense the church of Christ consists of all persons in whom the consciousness of Truth has become firmly established; those who reject the orthodox doctrines of Christianity like the trinity. hell-fire, heaven going, and fallen angels. They comprise that great brotherhood which Jesus Christ established in Spirit. The true church is not made of statements of faith with rules and regulations, nor is it contained in walls of wood and stone; the heart of man is its temple and the Spirit of Christ is the one guide into all Truth.