Pauline Ecclesiology

Introduction

Church bears immense significance in terms of spread of beliefs of Christianity and falls under such an imperative category that it is proves to be impossible to lean about the Son of God. St. Paul has done deep study on exploring the relationship between church and the religion. He came across one reality of believers that believed to have a community of believers with particular specialty and spiritual identity. The identity of Christ is indeed a mystery that cannot be understood. In the same way, the association of church with the Son of God is also a mystery and falls under ac complete comprehension. St. Paul has attempted to express his own understanding regarding the identity of Church in a variety of images and metaphors. Here the two images hold equal importance, they are, body of Christ and bride of Christ. In his exploration, he has embraced the authority of Jesus Christ in the lives of His followers and the manner in which the lives of the people who believe in Jesus Christ could positively change by believing and having faith in Jesus Christ (Clarke, pp. 86). The core focus of this paper is to discuss the concept of Church in relation to the Pauline Ecclesiology which has been presented through the following discussion.

Basic Properties of the Church According to Pauline Ecclesiology

From the Scriptures, the Church was born from the experience of this knowledge the most important properties of the Church. They explain that there is a church in its essence, and not in its manifestations, point us to the depths of the hidden life of the Church. The formula of basic properties of the Church is placed in the Creed. And placed, as we can see, immediately after the confession of the Holy Spirit: “I believe ... in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, giver of life, Who proceeds from the Father, Who with the Father and the Son together is worshiped and glorified, Who spoke by the prophets in One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church.”

That confession of the Church placed directly behind the confession of the Holy Spirit, of course, points out the relationship of the Church with the Spirit. That understanding of the Church was born from understanding the working of God in history, is very significant. Believe in the Church for the early Christians meant to believe in the Holy Spirit, do the work of Christ among men. Believe in the Church is to recognize that through the Church and in the Church of God's work is done. There is no doubt that the four basic properties of the Church, what the Church is, what is its essence: Unity, Sanctity, Catholicity and its apostolate that is conceived as an indissoluble unity with the action of the Holy Spirit (Gadenz, pp. 32).

Due to the fact that we have a soul with the divine dimension, it can enter into communion with the Holy Spirit. Holy Spirit through the human soul is included in all our being ...