弗一23 召会是祂的身体，是那在万有中充满万有者的丰满。

　　提前三15 …这家就是活神的召会，真理的柱石和根基。

　　Eph. 1:23 …the church, which is His Body, the fullness of the One who fills all in all.

　　1Tim. 3:15 …the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and base of the truth.

　　召会是神在祂永远的经纶中，所要得着的目标。我们每一个得救的人，都有分于这目标，使神得着祂自己所喜悦的心爱。所以这也是我们所必须认识的。

　　The church is the goal God wants to obtain in His eternal economy. Each one of us who is saved participates in this goal, that God may obtain His heart's desire according to His good pleasure. Therefore, we must also know the church.

　　召会是基督借着祂的死而复活并升天所要建造的。召会这辞，在希腊文是艾克利西亚，意即蒙召出来的会众。因此，按字义说，召会就是蒙神从世界中呼召出来的会众，不是礼拜堂，或任何为着敬拜神而有的建筑物。

　　The church is what Christ will build through His death, resurrection, and ascension. The term “church” is ecclesia in Greek which means the called out assembly. Thus, according to its literal meaning, the church is the congregation called out from the world by God. It is not a church building or any edifice for the worship of God.

　　召会乃是一切信入基督的人，在祂的生命和灵里，为祂构成一个以祂为头的身体，是一个有生命的生机体，不是一个无生命的组织，如社会中的社团组合。人的身体乃是人的丰满，作人的彰显。照样，召会也是基督的丰满，作基督的彰显。基督是无限无量、延展至广、在万有中充满万有者，祂需要一个伟大的身体，作祂这位在万有中充满万有者的丰满，在万有中彰显祂。

　　The church is the Body with Christ as the Head; it is constituted for Christ in His life and Spirit with all those who have believed into Him. It is a living organism and not a lifeless organization, such as the clubs and associations in society. The body of a man is the fullness of a man to be his expression. Likewise, the church is the fullness of Christ to be His expression. Since Christ is the One who is unlimited, extensive, and filling all in all, He needs a great Body to be the fullness of Himself who fills all in all to express Him in all things.

　　〔以弗所五章二十五节指明，〕召会也是基督的配偶。召会作基督的身体，从祂得到生命，是生命的事，为着彰显祂；召会作基督的配偶，接受祂的爱，是爱的事，为着满足祂的心意。

　　(Eph. 5:25 reveals that) the church is also Christ's counterpart. As the Body of Christ, the church receives life from Him for His expression; this is a matter of life. As the counterpart of Christ, the church receives His love for the satisfaction of His heart's desire; this is a matter of love.

　　召会对基督，是祂的身体和配偶；对神，是神的家。这家一面是指神的居所，另一面也指神的家庭，就是神的家人。神的家人和神的居所，二者乃是一，神的家人就是作神居所的家（弗二19，22）。人的家乃是人生活、安居并安息的地方。召会是神的家，对神也是这样。今天祂这位活神，在地上乃是生活、安居、并安息在召会中。

　　To Christ, the church is His Body and His counterpart, while to God, the church is His house. On the one hand, this house refers to God's dwelling place, and on the other hand, it refers to God's family, God's household. These two, God's household and God's dwelling place, are just one. God's household is the very house for God's dwelling (Eph. 2:19, 22). A person's house is his place of living, residing, and rest. The church, being God's house, is also such a place to God. Today, the living God is living, residing, and resting in the church on the earth.

　　召会还是一个团体的新人…。这个新人，是基督在十字架上，废掉了一切使人与人不和的规条，在祂自己里面创造的（14～15）。…在这新人里，没有任何种族、宗教、文化、或阶级等旧造的人，只有基督作这新人一切的成分，也在这一切成分之内。

　　The church is also a corporate new man…Christ, having abolished on the cross all the ordinances which caused discord among men, created this new man in Himself (Eph. 2:14-15). In this new man, there are no persons of the old creation belonging to any race, religion, culture, or class. Only Christ is all the constituents of this new man and is in all its constituents.

　　召会是独一的，用不着特别的名称。召会就是召会，不该有什么样的召会，而照其样命名，如长老会、信义会、浸信会等。如此命名，乃是多余而不合圣经所启示的。

　　The church is unique and has no need of special names. The church is the church; there should not be kinds of churches that are denominated according to their kind, such as the Presbyterian church, the Lutheran church, and the Baptist church. To denominate the church in this way is needless and not according to the biblical revelation.

　　召会在宇宙间虽是独一的，显在各地方上却是众多的。这众多的地方召会，在性质上并无任何分别，她们的分别是在于她们所在地的不同。因此，可用一个地方召会所在地的名称，称呼该地的召会；如在耶路撒冷的召会（徒八1），在安提阿的召会（十三1），在亚西亚省七个地方的召会（启一4，11）。（生命课程卷一，七四至七八页。）

　　Although the church is unique in the universe, it is numerous in its local manifestation. The many local churches do not differ in nature; their difference is only in the different places where they are. Therefore, we may use the name of the locality in which a local church is to designate that church, such as the church in Jerusalem (Acts 8:1), the church in Antioch (Acts 13:1), and the seven local churches in the province of Asia (Rev. 1:4, 11). (Life Lesson, Vol 1, Knowing the Church)