God’s eternal plan of salvation is summed up in Christ and the church. “All spiritual blessings” are “in Christ,” who is “the head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all” (Eph. 1:3, 22-23). This is “according to the eternal purpose” which God “purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Eph. 3:11). All men must be members of the universal church to be saved. Jews and Gentiles are reconciled “unto God in one body by the cross” (Eph. 2:16). The universal church has no earthly headquarters or other institutional organization on earth with officials, a treasury, and assigned missions. It simply refers to our spiritual fellowship with Christ as our Savior and head, nothing more, nothing less.

Christians must be active, faithful members of the local church. The first thing we read about the first Christians is this: “And they continued in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in breaking of bread, and in prayers” (Acts 2:42). When the newly converted Saul came to Jerusalem, immediately “he assayed to join himself to the disciples” (Acts 9:26). The local church has its own organization to do its own work: elders to oversee, deacons to serve, and all members to participate (Phil. 1:1).

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