Student
Hello, sir!
Teacher
Welcome! God bless you.
Student
I’ve meaning to ask you a question.
Teacher
Sure, go right ahead.
Student
Our church is called the “Church of God.” But I’ve heard some people say,
“If a church believes in God, isn’t it already a Church of God?”
“If a church believes in God, isn’t it already a Church of God?”
Teacher
Well, yes, if a church truly believes in God, then yes, it is the Church of God.
Now let me ask you a question in return. Who established the very first church?
Now let me ask you a question in return. Who established the very first church?
Student
Um . . . God?
Teacher
That’s right. Let’s take a look at the Bible.
Let’s start with something simple: the name. Names are important. When a baby is born, the first thing we do is give them a name. The same goes for people, big companies, or even small shops. Everything starts with a name. In the same way, the church God started also has a name.
God came to this earth Himself to save us, and He started His church. Just like a shepherd takes care of and leads his sheep, God personally looks after and guides His church. So when you look at all the different churches around us today, doesn’t it make sense that there’s one church God Himself started and continues to care for?
“Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood.”
Ac 20:28
Let’s start with something simple: the name. Names are important. When a baby is born, the first thing we do is give them a name. The same goes for people, big companies, or even small shops. Everything starts with a name. In the same way, the church God started also has a name.
Student
And that name is the “Church of God,” right?
Teacher
That’s right. Let’s confirm it through the Bible.
The Apostle Paul, who wrote this verse, actually used to strongly oppose believers before he came to believe in Jesus. But later, when he talked about the church he once persecuted—the early church Jesus established—he clearly called it the “church of God.” That tells us something important. The church Jesus Himself established, the early Church, was known by this very name: the Church of God.
In the Bible, the church in Corinth was called the “church of God.” This was the name used for the church the apostles belonged to. The words “in Corinth” simply tells us where that church was located. So if the church was in New York, it would be called the Church of God in New York. If it was in London, it would be the Church of God in London. The location may change, but the name doesn’t. Wherever it was, the church God established was always called the “Church of God.”
“Paul, called to be an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and our brother Sosthenes, To the church of God in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus and called to be his holy people, together with all those everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ—their Lord and ours:”
1 Co 1:1—2
“For you have heard of my previous way of life in Judaism, how intensely I persecuted the church of God and tried to destroy it.”
Gal 1:13
The Apostle Paul, who wrote this verse, actually used to strongly oppose believers before he came to believe in Jesus. But later, when he talked about the church he once persecuted—the early church Jesus established—he clearly called it the “church of God.” That tells us something important. The church Jesus Himself established, the early Church, was known by this very name: the Church of God.
Student
When I look around today, there are so many churches, and they all have different names. But in the Bible, the name is clearly written as the “church of God.” That’s kind of surprising.
Teacher
It is. But having the name alone doesn’t prove everything. Just putting up a sign that says “Church of God” doesn’t automatically mean a church was truly established by God. The Bible also explains the clear characteristics of the church God Himself established. Do you remember Acts 20:28 from earlier?
Student
Yes! It says the church was bought with God’s own blood!
Teacher
What does the blood of God actually mean?
The Passover sacrifice points to the lamb that was offered during the Passover. In the Old Testament, the Israelites kept the Passover by shedding the blood of a lamb. But God Jehovah described that blood as His own sacrifice. Why? Because He Himself would later come to this earth as the true Passover Lamb.
You probably already know this, but Jesus is Jehovah in the flesh. To save us, He became the Passover Lamb and offered Himself on the cross (1 Co 5:7). When we look at the scene where Jesus kept the Passover with His disciples, this becomes even clearer.
Jesus established the Passover of the new covenant using bread and wine (Lk 22:15–20). He explained that the bread represents His flesh and the wine represents His blood. So whether in the Old Testament or the New Testament, the meaning is clear. God’s blood points to the Passover.
“Do not offer the blood of a sacrifice to me (KJV: ‘blood of my sacrifice’) along with anything containing yeast, and do not let any of the sacrifice from the Passover Festival remain until morning.”
Ex 34:25
The Passover sacrifice points to the lamb that was offered during the Passover. In the Old Testament, the Israelites kept the Passover by shedding the blood of a lamb. But God Jehovah described that blood as His own sacrifice. Why? Because He Himself would later come to this earth as the true Passover Lamb.
You probably already know this, but Jesus is Jehovah in the flesh. To save us, He became the Passover Lamb and offered Himself on the cross (1 Co 5:7). When we look at the scene where Jesus kept the Passover with His disciples, this becomes even clearer.
“While they were eating, Jesus took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying, ‘Take and eat; this is my body.’ Then he took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, saying, ‘Drink from it, all of you. This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.’”
Mt 26:26—28
Jesus established the Passover of the new covenant using bread and wine (Lk 22:15–20). He explained that the bread represents His flesh and the wine represents His blood. So whether in the Old Testament or the New Testament, the meaning is clear. God’s blood points to the Passover.
Student
Then that means the true Church of God, the one God Himself established, keeps the Passover, right?
Teacher
That’s right. The church that bears the name “Church of God” and keeps the Passover of the new covenant is the true Church of God, established by God for our salvation.
Student
So . . . did God actually build a church building Himself?
Teacher
Haha, not exactly. When people hear the word church, they often think of a physical building. But in the Bible, a church means a gathering of believers who trust in God and follow His truth (1 Co 1:2). Wherever God’s truth, especially the Passover of the new covenant, is kept, that is the Church of God. That’s why, as believers, we should value and faithfully keep the truths of the new covenant that God established for us.
Student
Then why don’t most churches keep the Passover? The Bible clearly says it should be observed.
Teacher
The early Church held firmly to the truth. But as the apostles passed away and time went on, those truths gradually began to fade. As the gospel spread to many Gentile nations, large numbers of people accepted Christianity, but some struggled to completely leave their former pagan customs behind. Over time, God’s truth was mixed with those traditions and slowly changed.
Eventually, in A.D. 325, the Passover was officially abolished at the Council of Nicaea. As a result, the new covenant truth that Jesus had established disappeared. In other words, the church founded through God’s own blood was no longer visible.
Today, many churches claim to be the original or orthodox church, but often they follow teachings that are not fully based on the Bible. A church truly established by God must preserve the new covenant truths that the early Church faithfully kept.
Eventually, in A.D. 325, the Passover was officially abolished at the Council of Nicaea. As a result, the new covenant truth that Jesus had established disappeared. In other words, the church founded through God’s own blood was no longer visible.
Today, many churches claim to be the original or orthodox church, but often they follow teachings that are not fully based on the Bible. A church truly established by God must preserve the new covenant truths that the early Church faithfully kept.
Student
So you’re saying we should identify the Church of God by whether it keeps God’s truth or not.
Teacher
Exactly. And here’s something really important we should never forget: Only God can reveal the truth of the Bible, and only God can establish the Church of God. That’s why God came to this earth again in human form. He came to restore the Passover of the new covenant and the truths of the early Church that were lost during the Dark Ages. Through this, He restored the Church of God that had disappeared from the world.
“So Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.”
Heb 9:28
Student
Wow! So just like the Bible teaches, the church God established really is the Church of God. I’m so thankful to be part of it. Thank You, God, for leading me to the church You established!