ONE
HOLY CATHOLIC AND APOSTOLIC CHURCH
Christianity
has faced nearly two millenniums of a faith which has been tested, persecuted,
tried, and yet blessed; a commonality in Jesus Christ exists among global
believers of diverse backgrounds, traditions, and cultures; and further,
believers throughout the centuries are a part of the same adopted family. This
collective group of people from disparate cultures, backgrounds, and even eras
is called the church. All three major creeds of the Christian faith (the
Apostles’ Creed, the Nicene Creed, and the Athanasian Creed) refer to the body
of Christ as and affirms Christian belief in one holy catholic and apostolic church.
This affirmation dismays many readers and hearers who do not possess an
appropriate understanding of the church universal. The term, catholic (not the
denomination), equates to universal or all-encompassing, i.e. the church is a
single body of many believers and even denominations. It is, therefore,
appropriate to affirm one’s Christian belief in such a doctrine and rejoice in
the body which Christ has redeemed. Within the text of the three major creeds,
four essentials exist which are primary to a right belief of the church.
The
Church Is One
Imbedded
in the doctrine of one holy catholic and apostolic church, first, upholds the
biblical doctrine of one faith, one God, and one redeemed people (1 Cor
12:12-27). A mystery of the gospel is the fact that God joins a plurality of
vast people as one body. A common tendency is seemingly and perhaps
subconsciously to consider the church as one’s local church alone; yet, local
churches are but a part of the body. The church is one and should be regarded
as such. By way of application, this means that Christians must not compete
with one another. Local churches are of the same body and must strive to serve
that body, not their own needs. To serve only the needs of one local church is
to effectively act in a way that is contrary to the health of the church. The
church is one and should live as such irrespective of differences. It is
certainly good and acceptable to worship with a local body of believers with
which one identifies and may serve well. Nonetheless, no one should neglect the
truth that the church is one.
The
Church Is Holy
Second,
the church is holy. To be holy is to be set apart. God calls the church to
holiness because he is holy (Lev 19:2, 20:7, 20:26, 21:8, Exod 19:6, 1 Pet
1:16, 1 Thess 4:7). The primary end of salvation is not heaven but conformity
to the image of Christ (Rom 8:29). Therefore, in Christ Jesus, the church is
holy, i.e. set apart and like Jesus. All three major creeds affirm this
Christian truth of who God’s people are in Christ. The vast implications of the
church’s holiness begin with a different perspective. While Christians are not
yet in their glorified state, they are positionally righteous in Christ and one
day will be made actually righteous. Nevertheless, the Father beholds the
complete and total righteousness of the Son when he sees the church. To confess
that the church is holy is to confess that the church’s new nature requires a
new way of living: namely like Christ. Christians are no longer evil and no
longer live as the world lives, for the church is holy.
The
Church Is Catholic
The
church, thirdly (and perhaps most importantly here), is catholic. The three
primary Christian creeds do not speak of the Catholic denomination but rather
the universal nature of the church. Brothers and sisters from around the globe,
from the most diverse backgrounds, from centuries of history, and from varying
degrees of past sin are found as one body called the bride of Christ. The
church then is universal, despite the many local churches and denominations
which exist. Consider the church as a body. When a human body has medical
needs, one consults a physician and often a specialized physician, i.e. a
cardiologist, a pediatrist, an ophthalmologist, etc. because each part of the
body has different needs. In a similar manner, local churches and denominations
might be considered different parts of the same body while Jesus, the Great
Physician, meets his people where they are. In the variations of Christian
subculture, however, believers must not forget the universal nature of the
body, for the church is a catholic body.
The
Church Is Apostolic
Finally,
the church is apostolic. Like the term, catholic, apostolic is often
misunderstood because it is usually related to Pentecostal traditions.
Apostolic, however, refers to the derivation of the Apostles. Said another way,
the church’s roots are firmly secured in the Apostles and Pentecost. The church
began at Pentecost. While not all denominations employ practices of speaking in
tongues or gifts of the Spirit, all stem from the beginnings of the church in
Acts 2. The same Spirit who worked miraculously in the early church is the same
Spirit who works miraculously today and changes believers by his power. No
matter the belief in gifts of the Spirit, all true believers are a part of one
church, which is apostolic.
The
Vital Application
In
these thoughts, there exists one vital application: the unity of the church
should be exhibited. Tertullian taught that the unity of the church is a
perpetual fact and not something to be reached (for it has already been
achieved) but exhibited. While the three major ecclesiastical creeds differ
slightly in text, a primary source of commonality is the ecumenical and yet
unified nature of the church. To understand the church as one holy catholic and
apostolic is to live life in such a way that views all believers, regardless of
differences, secondary beliefs, or secondary opinions, as people who are
brothers and sisters in Christ. Brothers and sisters by blood often disagree;
yet, they are a part of the same family. The church’s universal nature in
Christ demands a brotherly love which supersedes secondary issues and realizes
all believers as the church: one holy catholic and apostolic.
