Contemporary society poses fundamental questions to the church and believers, confronted as they are with rapidly changing cultural, philosophical, and moral environments. They stand before the task of maintaining their identity and applying biblical truth to daily life. Phenomena such as materialism, relativism, secularization, religious indifference, and moral confusion demand from the church and its members not merely the preservation of traditional norms, but a more fundamental and practical faith response. In this context, Pastor Jang Jae-hyung focuses on applying the profound insights of Scripture to modern life, placing particular emphasis on the purity of the church community and the holy life of the believer.
Pastor Jang comprehensively interprets various New Testament passages—including the Pauline Epistles, John 15, Ephesians, 1 Thessalonians, Galatians, and Romans—understanding the church as a spiritual entity united with Christ. He insists that the church must be established as a holy and pure community. This does not end with establishing superficial morals or ethical standards; rather, it involves each believer living a life rooted in Christ, thereby enabling the entire church to reveal God’s glory to the world.
Particularly by reinterpreting issues such as immorality, moral confusion, marriage, and singleness in the church—as discussed by Paul in 1 Corinthians 5–7—Pastor Jang presents practical guidelines for how today’s church and believers can maintain genuine holiness and purity. He emphasizes that the church must not compromise with worldly values or tolerate sin, but rather must recover holiness through spiritual union with Christ.
Based on Pastor Jang’s theological and pastoral emphases, this article focuses on six subthemes. First, the theological and biblical foundation for achieving the church’s purity. Second, faith and life reinterpreted in an eschatological perspective, particularly regarding marriage and singleness. Third, communal devotion expressed through bearing one another’s burdens in love. Fourth, the union of believers with Christ and the fruit-bearing life, illustrated by the vine and branches metaphor in John 15. Fifth, how all these themes find meaning in our contemporary cultural and philosophical context. Sixth, concluding suggestions as the church and believers seek to move forward based on this integrated understanding.
The Purity of the Church
One of Pastor Jang’s core messages is the purity of the church. This purity is not merely about institutional cleanliness or managing ethical norms, but about the church preparing itself as a holy bride through profound spiritual union with Christ. Ephesians 5 likens the church to Christ’s bride, stating that Christ gave Himself up for the church to make it “holy and without blemish.” Thus, Pastor Jang stresses that the modern church must not be tainted by secular values or moral decadence, but must preserve its essential identity through continual self-examination and repentance.
In 1 Corinthians 5–6, Paul sternly addresses immorality and ethical decay within the church, urging the removal of sin and the maintenance of communal purity. Drawing on these passages, Pastor Jang interprets immorality not simply as a moral lapse, but as a serious problem that damages the church’s spiritual essence. If the church is united with Christ as one body, then immoral acts are like festering wounds on that body.
Citing 1 Thessalonians 4, where Paul declares that God’s will is the believers’ sanctification, Pastor Jang insists that sin should be viewed not in terms of moral standards alone, but within the context of one’s relationship with God. Sanctification is not merely moral improvement but an inner transformation through abiding in Christ and living by the Spirit’s power. Through this process, believers discard worldly temptations such as immorality, falsehood, and greed, allowing the church community to shine forth God’s holy light in the world.
Referring to Paul’s teaching in 1 Corinthians 6 that “your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit,” Pastor Jang underscores that individual ethical issues are directly connected to the church’s overall spiritual state. When believers offer their lives to God as living sacrifices (Rom 12:1), these pure lives, collectively, render the church more holy, enabling it to bear witness to God’s glory in the world.
Marriage and Singleness
In 1 Corinthians 7, Paul addresses marriage, singleness, and marital relationships. This is not merely a response to cultural issues of his time but a theological principle for interpreting the believer’s life within the tension between creation order and eschatological expectation. Pastor Jang reinterprets Paul’s teachings to show that both marriage and singleness are ways for believers to achieve devotion and holiness.
Marriage is not just a social contract or physical union; as depicted in Ephesians 5, it symbolizes the union between Christ and the church. Husbands and wives are to commit themselves to each other, fulfilling their responsibilities, and thereby practicing God’s created order. Within the small community of the family, holiness can be realized as they learn to love each other in a sacrificial way.
At the same time, Paul identifies singleness as a special gift. Singleness is neither superior nor inferior to marriage; it is simply another form of devotion. It enables a believer to focus wholeheartedly on God, unencumbered by worldly ties, and to commit themselves fully to the work of the gospel. Both marriage and singleness are forms of life sanctioned by God, allowing believers to prepare for God’s kingdom within an eschatological context.
When Paul says, “those who have wives should live as though they had none,” he calls believers not to cling too tightly to earthly relationships or possessions, but to live with an eschatological mindset. Pastor Jang extends this idea to the modern context, insisting that even marriage should be understood in terms of the ultimate goal of God’s kingdom. Marriage is not merely a means to personal happiness, but a holy arena in which to prepare for the expansion of God’s kingdom.
In sum, both marriage and singleness fall under God’s gracious order. Believers must interpret and live out their personal life situations according to God’s will. Thus they can live holy and pure lives amid the tension of the end times, and the church community will be strengthened.
Love and Devotion: Realizing a Community that “Bears One Another’s Burdens”
Drawing from Galatians 6, where Paul instructs believers to “bear one another’s burdens,” Pastor Jang interprets this command as not merely an act of neighborly kindness or service, but as communal devotion. This involves deeply engaging in each other’s lives, sharing pains and weaknesses collectively.
For the church to stand as a pure and holy community, it must not only remove sin and seek sanctification but also practice genuine love and service. As Jesus says in John 15, “abide in my love,” love is not merely an emotional inclination but a way of life realized through sacrifice and devotion. Believers demonstrate Christ’s love by supporting those in economic hardship, praying for those suffering from illness, and patiently restoring those who struggle in faith.
Bearing one another’s burdens is not just a method of resolving difficulties, but the very process by which the church grows as a loving community. When believers prioritize the needs of others over their own and practice patient dedication, they embody the sacrificial love of Jesus Christ. Through this, the church forms a stark contrast to the individualistic and fragmented patterns of modern society, standing as true salt and light to the world.
Pastor Jang emphasizes that this sharing of burdens should not remain confined within the church, but should extend outward into the world. As a community that participates in the world’s suffering and follows the path of the cross, the church is called to be an alternative community that practices God’s love in the midst of a hurting society.
The Metaphor of the Vine and Branches
In John 15, Jesus teaches that He is the vine and believers are the branches, and that true fruit-bearing occurs when believers abide in Him. Pastor Jang identifies this metaphor as a key paradigm for understanding the church’s purity and the believer’s holy life.
Union with Christ is not confined to doctrine or emotion; it is about bearing visible fruit through one’s life and actions. When believers remain attached to Christ the Vine, the fruit of the Spirit (Gal 5:22–23) naturally flows through them. This empowers not only the internal purity of the church but also the concrete implementation of God’s will in families, workplaces, and society at large.
Jesus’ command to “abide in my love” does not end in emotional expression but calls for active obedience and wholehearted devotion. Believers who remain in Christ will practice sacrificial love in marriage, dedicate their entire lives to God if single, and bear one another’s burdens in the church community. Such union and fruit-bearing provide the fundamental strength by which the church stands against secular influences and manifests God’s kingdom in the world.
John 15 also includes an eschatological dimension. Just as branches wither if cut off from the vine, believers cannot maintain holiness apart from union with Christ. Pastor Jang reminds us that in a world of secular confusion, believers can only sustain a holy and pure life through the consistent guidance of God’s Word, the Holy Spirit, and ongoing fellowship with Christ.
Contemporary Application and Conclusion
As we have seen, Pastor Jang draws from biblical texts such as 1 Corinthians 5–7, Ephesians 5, and John 15 to concretely illustrate how the modern church can embody purity and holiness amidst cultural and moral chaos. To summarize:
First, the church’s purity is not optional but essential, grounded in its fundamental identity as a community purchased by Christ’s blood. The church must stand firmly on truth, refusing to condone sin or compromise with secular values. Through personal sanctity and communal unity, the church maintains spiritual purity.
Second, marriage and singleness are God-given orders and gifts that must be understood from the perspective of God’s kingdom. Marriage reflects the union of Christ and the church, while singleness offers a precious opportunity for unwavering devotion to God.
Third, the church’s purity and holiness are completed through communal life in which believers practice love by bearing one another’s burdens. This involves more than good deeds—it entails mutual commitment and patience, allowing the church to become a genuine alternative community in the world.
Fourth, union with Christ, as illustrated in the vine and branches metaphor, is the source of life and fruitfulness for believers and the church. Abiding in Christ enables believers to produce spiritual fruit that influences every area of life, extending God’s will into society.
Fifth, in today’s cultural and philosophical context, the church must stand as an alternative community that offers the truth of Christ. Just as Paul provided the gospel as the answer amidst moral chaos in Corinth, today’s church must present the path of salvation and truth in a world saturated with diverse ideologies and values. This is demonstrated not by words alone, but by concrete evidence of a transformed life.
Sixth, Pastor Jang’s pastoral philosophy embodies a practical zeal to apply these theological principles to contemporary church life. He encourages believers to fulfill God’s will in every sphere of their lives, building up one another, serving the community, and glorifying God in the world. Whether married, single, at home, or in church, when believers become instruments of God’s kingdom, the church is prepared as a holy bride and gains the power to transform the world.
Ultimately, Pastor Jang’s teaching shows that the church and believers must go beyond religious duty or formal ethics, striving to realize holiness in every aspect of life. This involves repentance, sanctification, dedicated love, eschatological tension in marriage and singleness, and abundant fruit born in union with Christ. Through this, the modern church rediscovers its identity and functions truly as salt and light in the world.
Pastor Jang does not merely impart biblical knowledge; he guides believers in applying God’s Word to their everyday lives amidst moral confusion and spiritual apathy. This helps the church grow beyond mere doctrinal uniformity into a holy and pure community that influences the world. As believers practice God’s created order and principles of love in marriage, singleness, family, and church, expanding God’s kingdom and revealing His glory, the church stands before the Lord as a pure and radiant bride.
Such teaching transcends theory and presents specific tasks for contemporary believers to implement in their daily lives. Through mutual service in marriage, wholehearted devotion in singleness, burden-sharing within the church, and abiding in Christ the true Vine, believers become living witnesses of truth in the world.
Thus, the modern church and believers are called to reflect deeply on Pastor Jang’s theological and pastoral direction and actively apply it in their lives. The purity of the church and the holiness of believers are not optional but essential tasks, preparing the way for God’s glory and the coming of His kingdom. In this way, the church exercises genuine spiritual influence in the world, and believers stand firm as witnesses embodying God’s love and truth.