3rd February 2026
The church is the city of God
Part of a series – The church: God’s living metaphors
But you have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem. You have come to thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly, to the church of the firstborn, whose names are written in heaven…
Hebrews 12:22-23 (NIVUK)
Our header scripture tells us something quite astonishing: not that you will come to the city of the living God, but you have come. The Church, right now, is God’s city on earth. It is his dwelling place; it is where his people dwell and it is his future breaking into the present.
In the Old Testament, we are told, “…the Lord has chosen Zion, he has desired it for his dwelling, saying, ‘This is my resting place for ever and ever; here I will sit enthroned, for I have desired it…’ ” (Psalm 132:13-14). This was the place where God’s presence was known, his name was honoured, the law was taught, and God’s people gathered. Then Psalm 48 is a celebration of Zion as the ‘city of our God’, ‘Beautiful in its loftiness, the joy of the whole earth’, with ‘God is in her citadels; he has shown himself to be her fortress’ (vv.1-3). Zion’s strength and glory were God himself.
When we come to the New Testament, something radical happens: Zion ceases to be a place and becomes a people. Through Christ’s death, resurrection, and ascension, God no longer dwells in one temple made by human hands, instead, he builds a living city: ‘Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people…In [Jesus] the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.’ (Ephesians 2:19, 21-22). We are citizens together where God dwells. The church is not just saved individuals; it is a city under construction. Every believer is a ‘living stone’ (1Peter 2:4-5), and together, across nations and generations, we are being formed into the city of God.
The final vision is given in Revelation 21, “I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ‘Look! God’s dwelling-place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God.’ ” (vv.2-3). The Holy City, the new Jerusalem, is the church coming down from heaven, prepared as a bride for her husband, Jesus. Our future is one where God dwells with his people, tears are wiped away, death is no more, and all things are made new (vv.3-5).
It is this future that should shape the church’s present. While the church is not the finished city, when it loves, forgives, and worships, it is the first glimpse of what John saw in vision.
Our responsibility is to live like it, by building one another up, reflecting the presence of God, and bearing witness to the coming fullness of the kingdom. The church is not here simply to wait for heaven, but to live in a way that previews the city of God that will come down from heaven.
Prayer
Loving Father, you have called us to be your city, not built by human hands, but formed by your Spirit. Make us faithful citizens of Zion, dwell in our midst, shape us as living stones. Let our life together point the world to the city that is to come. In Jesus’s name, Amen.
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Study by: Barry Robinson About the author: |
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Local congregation:
Grace Communion West Hampstead
Sidings Community Centre
150 Brassey Road
West Hampstead
London
NW6 2BA
Meeting time:
Sunday 12.30 pm
Local congregational contact:
Gordon Brown
gordon.brown@gracecom.church
Word of Life contact:
wordoflife@gracecom.church