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The unique ground of Jerusalem, the place where the temple as God’s dwelling place was built on Mount Zion, typifies the unique ground of God’s choice, the ground of oneness—Deut. 12:5; 2 Chron. 6:5-6; Ezra 1:2-3:
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In the ancient time all the Israelites came together three times a year at Jerusalem; it was by this unique place of worship to God, Jerusalem, that the oneness of His people was kept for generations—Deut. 12:5; 16:16.
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In the New Testament the proper ground of oneness ordained by God is the unique ground of one church for one locality—Rev. 1:11:
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The church is constituted of the universal God, but it exists on earth in many localities; in nature the church is universal in God, but in practice the church is local in a definite place, such as “the church of God which is in Corinth”—1 Cor. 1:2:
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The church of God means that the church is not only possessed by God but has God as its nature and essence, which are divine, general, universal, and eternal—v. 2a.
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The church…which is in Corinth refers to a church in a city, remaining in a definite locality and taking it as its standing, ground, and jurisdiction for its administration in business affairs, which is physical, particular, local, and temporal in time—v. 2b.
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Without the universal aspect, the church is void of content; without the local aspect, it is impossible for the church to have any expression and practice; the record concerning the establishment of the church in its locality is consistent throughout the New Testament—Acts 8:1; 13:1; 14:23; Rom. 16:1; 1 Cor. 1:2; 2 Cor. 8:1; Gal. 1:2; Rev. 1:4, 11.
Morning Nourishment
1 Cor. 1:2 To the church of God which is in Corinth, to those who have been sanctified in Christ Jesus,…with all those who call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ in every place…2 Chron. 6:5-6 …I have not chosen a city out of all the tribes of Israel to build a house for My name that it might be there;…but I have chosen Jerusalem that My name might be there…
The church is constituted of the universal God, but it exists on earth in many localities, one of which was Corinth. In nature the church is universal in God, but in practice the church is local in a definite place. Hence, the church has two aspects: the universal and the local. Without the universal aspect, the church is void of content; without the local aspect, it is impossible for the church to have any expression and practice. Hence, the New Testament stresses the local aspect of the church also (Acts 8:1; 13:1; Rev. 1:11; etc.). (1 Cor. 1:2, footnote 2)
Our enjoyment of Christ has two aspects. One aspect is individual, which can be enjoyed in any place. The other aspect is corporate. If we desire to worship God with all the saints,…we cannot do it according to our desire, but according to God’s ordination. The place appointed by God was eventually Jerusalem (2 Chron. 6:5-6; John 4:20). Jerusalem became the unique worship center chosen by God, which helped to maintain and preserve the oneness among the children of Israel for generations. (CWWL, 1966, vol. 3, “The Revelation of Christ and the Reality of the Church,” pp. 219-220)
Today’s Reading
The church of God [in 1 Corinthians 1:2a]…indicates that the church is not only being possessed by God, but it has God as its nature and essence, which are divine, general, universal, and eternal….God is the nature and essence of the church. Therefore, the church is divine.“The church…in Corinth” (v. 2b) was a church in a city, remaining in a definite locality and taking it as its standing, ground, and jurisdiction for its administration in business affairs. As such, it was physical, particular, local, and temporal in time. The church of God to whom Paul wrote was not in the heavens but in Corinth….The church remained in that locality for a local testimony of Christ. A local testimony of Christ is a part of the universal testimony of Christ. The universal testimony is composed of and constituted with the local testimonies.
The standing, ground, and jurisdiction of the church is physical rather than divine, particular rather than general, local rather than universal, and temporal in time rather than eternal. These are the local aspects of the church.
The church is “sanctified in Christ” (v. 2c), having been sanctified, made holy, in Christ, who is the embodiment of the processed Triune God in His fullness, as its element and sphere.
The church is composed of the “called saints” (v. 2d)—the assembly of the saints, the sanctified ones, who have been called out of the satanic world. We have been called by God to be sanctified in Christ. We are no longer in the world; we are in the church, which is called by God and sanctified in a wonderful person, Christ, who is our element within and our sphere without.
Verse 2 contains five qualifications for a genuine church.…The church which is genuine is the church of God, it is the church in a locality, it is sanctified in Christ, and it is composed of the called saints. Verse 2e continues with the fifth qualification: “With all those who call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ in every place.” This…indicates that the church which is genuine is related with all the saints who call upon the name of the Lord Jesus Christ in every place around the globe…including the believers today, those who came before us, and those who will come after us—who call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ in every place. (A Genuine Church (booklet), pp. 7-11)
Further Reading: CWWL, 1990, vol. 2, “A Genuine Church,” pp. 373-382; The Ground of the Church (booklet)