The Bible is the word of God and contains teachings for our world. I’ve compiled a list of 17 bible verses about the Church not being a building, which can be found here.
Church not being a building is something that many Christians believe, but it is a belief that the Bible directly contradicts. Nevertheless, almost all well-known Christian denominations have churches that are visible buildings.
Bible verse about Church not being a building.
The Church is not a building. It’s not a collection of bricks, mortar, and wood. Nor is it a person or organization with authority to change lives according to its plan. Instead, the Church is true because Jesus Christ lives in us, transforming everything about us (2 Corinthians 5:17). The natural man does not understand this. Still, after Christ, we can “see” people and things as God sees them (Colossians 1:15-16).
Matthew 16:18 – An establishment of faith.
And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
Matthew 16:18 ESV
The Church was to be established on Peter’s huge and eternally significant confession of faith regarding the person of Christ that God revealed to him, not on Peter, the individual.
The Church that Christ has been establishing is unlike any other collection of people because it is made up of Jews and Gentiles, men and women of all races and tongues, who have come together to construct a new temple, a place of abode for God, of which Christ is the Head.
1 Peter 2:5 – Our Body is a spiritual house.
You yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.
1 Peter 2:5 ESV
We are all representations of God, the King, and a sacred priesthood in addition to being living stones being formed into a spiritual house. Therefore, to make spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God via Jesus Christ, Peter writes that “you also, as living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood.”
Because of what Jesus accomplished on our behalf, we are living stones that are being shaped, polished, and assembled into a spiritual structure.
Haggai 2:9 – The Holy Spirit resides inside us.
The latter glory of this house shall be greater than the former, says the Lord of hosts. And in this place I will give peace, declares the Lord of hosts.’”
Haggai 2:9 ESV
The members of the Body of Christ now serve as the Lord’s spiritual Temple, carrying out His redeeming purposes. Paul reminds us that the Holy Spirit resides inside us and that our Body is His Temple.
Today’s Church is the Temple of God, built of living stone, and the Spirit of God resides within our frail bodies. This treasure is contained in clay, so God’s compelling presence might be seen rather than our own.
Acts 20:28 – Standing firm in the faith.
Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood.
Acts 20:28 ESV
Several wolves have truly dispersed the flock of God. However, Christ continues to build His Church, frequently in secret and without our knowledge. Paul’s warning that we guard our hearts, stands firm in the faith, and heed all of God’s counsel still holds today.
This is so that we can protect those whom God has chosen to entrust, unfortunately, false care. Unfortunately, false teachers have tickled many’s ears, and many doctrines of demons have similarly infiltrated the heart of Christendom.
1 Timothy 3:15 – We are living stones assembled into the Lord’s Temple.
If I delay, you may know how one ought to behave in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, a pillar and buttress of the truth.
1 Timothy 3:15 ESV
The believers who comprise the Body of Christ are the household of God. We are comparable to living stones being assembled into the Lord’s Temple. The Church is to be a holy dwelling place for God, where the Holy Spirit resides.
We are all living stones being built up into a spiritual house and holy priesthood as individual members of God’s household. We are a group of Christians to tell the lost about Christ. We are personally and collectively spiritual bodies of believers amid a disintegrating world of lost souls.
1 Corinthians 14:26 – Let all things be done for his glory.
What then, brothers? When you come together, each one has a hymn, a lesson, a revelation, a tongue, or an interpretation. Let all things be done for building up.
1 Corinthians 14:26 ESV
When Christians get together, this ought to be the focus of the gathering—that everything done adds to mental clarity, spiritual elevation, and emotional uplift. As a result, there will be a process of enlightenment that involves learning, understanding, and encouraging action based on an expectation that God will be with you.
Everything should be done to strengthen the entire Body of Christ. Allow it to have the advantage of maintaining the Body.
Haggai 1:8 – We must worship the Lord by following God’s commands.
Go up to the hills and bring wood and build the house, that I may take pleasure in it and that I may be glorified, says the Lord.
Haggai 1:8 ESV
The Lord was upset because the people who had worked hard to construct their homes had failed to restore the Temple of God in his first “message” to Haggai.
As God’s holy abode, we are to worship the Lord by following God’s commands and remaining steadfast in Christ.
We are being constructed into a spiritual mansion as living stones. Through Jesus Christ, our Lord, we are to present ourselves to God as a spiritual sacrifice that is holy and acceptable to Him. We are the Body of Christ and have evolved into a holy priesthood and mediators of reconciliation.
Haggai 1:4 – We are being transformed into a spiritual temple for God’s greater glory.
“Is it a time for you yourselves to dwell in your paneled houses, while this house lies in ruins?
Haggai 1:4 ESV
May we work to give Christ the prominence He deserves in our lives and to give those things a top priority in the eyes of the Lord.
May we be those who strengthen the Church because, as a whole, we are being transformed into a spiritual temple for God’s greater glory. And may we assess ourselves to determine whether there is anything that denigrates His right name.
Matthew 18:20 – Unite as the father wishes.
For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.”
Matthew 18:20 ESV
We are the corporate Body of Christ as Christians, and when two or more members of the Body of Christ join together in prayer, praise, thanksgiving, or worship, we can partially realize Christ’s high priestly wish that we should unite as He has with the Fa.
When only two or three members of the Body are linked to the Head of the developing Body, they become one with Christ.
Acts 5:42 – Live bravely in memory of the person who died devotedly for you.
And every day, in the temple and from house to house, they did not cease teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ
Acts 5:42 ESV
Threats of societal rejection frequently convince us to remain silent about who Jesus is and what He accomplished for us. To firmly defend Jesus Christ, we need the courage and tenacity of the apostles.
Here, Paul encourages every Christian to speak out in the name of Christ whenever given a chance, and in particular, to guard against the fearful nature of our flesh, which practically motivates us to try to avoid conflict and get so don’teasy. So don’t be afraid; be brave for Christ. Live bravely in memory of the person who died devotedly for you.
Bible verse about the Church being anywhere.
Many Bible verses can help guide us when we look at the Church being anywhere. These Bible verses show us how much love and freedom we have in where we serve our community. Jesus sees the world as his family, so people will find us wherever we go.
Hebrews 10:25
Not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.
Hebrews 10:25 ESV
This is a general call for all Christians to consistently attend their local church service to participate in mutual encouragement with other believers.
It is also a warning against apostasy because giving up godly fellowship, and a biblical worldview is a surefire way to gain secular support and adopt a worldly mindset. Strength, support, edification, spiritual nourishment, biblical teaching, and the joy of sharing fellowship with like-minded believers are just a few of the benefits of doing so.
1 Corinthians 1:17
For Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel, and not with words of eloquent wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power.
1 Corinthians 1:17 ESV
Like Paul, we are not called to proclaim the gospel of Christ by the strength of our natural selves because doing so would render Christ’s sacrifice meaningless and rob it of its divine authority.
May we strive to be holy witnesses who follow the power of the Holy Spirit and live virtuous lives in Christ Jesus to the glory of God. To prevent the cross of Christ from being rendered ineffective, may we be prepared to share the good news of the gospel of grace in Spirit and truth, but not through the cleverness of phrase.
Revelation 11:1-19
Then I was given a measuring rod like a staff, and I was told, “Rise and measure the temple of God and the altar and those who worship there, but do not measure the court outside the temple; leave that out, for it is given over to the nations, and they will trample the holy city for forty-two months. And I will grant authority to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for 1,260 days, clothed in sackcloth.” These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before the Lord of the earth. And if anyone would harm them, fire pours from their mouth and consumes their foes. If anyone would harm them, this is how he is doomed to be killed. …
Revelation 11:1-19 ESV
The Holy Spirit resides within and gives power to everyone who trusts in the Lord Jesus Christ, for He who is in us is more significant than He in the world.
During our time on earth, may we remain steadfast in the authority of God’s Word and faithfully proclaim the truth.
May we never lose sight of the Lord as the one source of our strength. The Lord declares that the only way we can triumph in this troubling time is through His Spirit, not power or might.
Hebrews 10:24-25
And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.
Hebrews 10:24-25 ESV
As Christians, we are also commanded to pray for and encourage one another to love and do good deeds toward our brothers and sisters in Christ. We must take care of one another, think about ways to inspire one another to love others the way Christ loved us, and carry out the good things God has planned for us to perform.
As some Christians tend to, let’s do everything we can to prevent this from happening. But instead, let’s seize every opportunity to gather with like-minded brothers and sisters in Christ for mutual support, edification, and encouragement.
1 Thessalonians 4:16-18
For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. Therefore encourage one another with these words.
1 Thessalonians 4:16-18 ESV
What a gift it is to know that we will serve as witnesses to God’s extraordinary grace throughout all the time. What a magnificent hope we have for the future—that we will spend all of eternity with the Lord in the company of all the ancient saints—who, by the mercy of God through faith, trusted Christ to forgive their sins and to redeem their Spirit, soul, and Body.
Ephesians 4:11-12
And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ,
Ephesians 4:11-12 ESV
Paul explains in the opening paragraphs of his letter that it is our duty as Christians to live in a spirit of unity, with all humility, gentleness, patience, and loving tolerance toward one another, and to walk in a way befitting of our calling.
Because we are one Body of believers, bonded by the power of the Spirit, we must recognize that our privileges in Christ are to be translated into practical living. According to the indwelling Spirit of Christ, we are to live for God, exalt His holy name, and carry out His will.
1 Corinthians 14:1-40
Pursue love, and earnestly desire the spiritual gifts, especially that you may prophesy. For one who speaks in a tongue speaks not to men but to God; for no one understands him, but he utters mysteries in the Spirit. On the other hand, the one who prophesies speaks to people for their upbuilding and encouragement and consolation. The one who speaks in a tongue builds up himself, but the one who prophesies builds up the church. Now I want you all to speak in tongues, but even more to prophesy. The one who prophesies is greater than the one who speaks in tongues, unless someone interprets, so that the church may be built up. …
1 Corinthians 14:1-40 ESV
This straightforward directive from Paul served as a directive for the Corinthians’ behavior in areas of their worship of God.
This included things like the traditions they would uphold and how they would behave to honor God appropriately and set a good example for non-Christians to win over, finally, believers. Finally, Paul exhorts to follow after love and desire spiritual.
May the Lord bless and guide you in your walk and fellowship with Him so that it might increase and be enriched. May you begin to use every tool God has given to worship, know, friendship, and understand. May you draw closer to Him and be deepened in your walk. In Jesus’ name. ”
