“But when the grain had sprouted and produced a crop, then the tares also appeared” (Matt. 13:26).
Augustine first made the distinction between the visible and the invisible church. By the visible church, he meant the church as an institution that has a list of members on its roles. By the invisible church, he did not mean something that was outside the visible church, some kind of higher-life group that was not part of an ecclesiastical institution. He meant all those people living in the world who have been renewed by the power of the Spirit. Such people may or may not be a part of an ecclesiastical institution. It is rare, however, that a true believer is not part of a visible church. Normally, those who have been converted verbally confess their faith in Christ, put themselves under the authority of the elders, and do not forsake the gathering of God’s people. And so, the invisible church is substantially contained within the visible church.
There are people within the visible church who are not believers. They are in the church, but they are not in Christ. We are not saved by membership in a local church, but only by grace, through faith in Christ. Jesus taught that it is possible for people to make false professions (Matt. 7:21). Such people have their names on the roles of churches. Some might teach Sunday School—some of them might even be pastors in the church. But because they do not have faith, they are not members of the invisible church. Jesus said there are people who honor Him with their lips, but whose hearts are far from Him. We also learn from Scripture that not all Israel is true Israel, and that many will come to Christ on the final day saying, “Didn’t we do this and that in Your name,” but will hear, “Away from Me, for I never knew you.”
The visible church is a mixed community of tares and wheat. In other words, there are weeds in the flower garden, and this is the way it will be until Christ comes again. Because of this sad fact, Christians need to be aware of and keep guard against false teachers and false professors. We can do our best through church discipline to expose the false teachers, but no matter what we do, the church will never be completely free from them until Jesus comes to purify His church finally and completely. Only then will the visible and invisible church be one and the same.
When we consider the reality that not everyone who says he believes in Christ really does, we occasionally need to reflect on our own professions. This is biblical, for Paul exhorted the Corinthians to examine themselves to see whether they were in the faith (2 Cor. 13:5). Spend time in prayer, reaffirming your belief in the Gospel.