I Believe in the Holy Catholic Church (Matthew 16:18)

Preached on 30/3/2014

The inclusion of this affirmation in the Apostles Creed informs us that those who compiled it regarded the church very highly. Yet today the church is often the victim of critics on one hand (who highlight her faults) and consumers on the other (who are in it for what they can get out of it). They expected Christians to have a grasp of the significance of the church and to be conscious of it whenever they gathered together. As we can see, the description of the people of God contains the definite article, two adjectives and a noun. At all times, grammar is important and we should notice when a statement is precise in a grammatical manner. The definite article reminds us that there is only one church, at least one in the sense that ‘church’ is used here.

Church

Today it is common to use the word ‘church’ to describe a religious building. The word is never used in that way in the Bible. We are delighted to have a very good building, but it is not an accurate use of the word ‘church’ to link it with our building. Instead the term ‘church’ in the Bible always refers to people who have a connection with Jesus. Sometimes they are in a bad way, as was the case in Corinth, yet they were still connected to Jesus.

The word translated ‘church’ in the Creed is ekklesia, from which English words such as ecclesiastical are derived. In its original meaning it referred to a gathering of people who were summoned together for a common purpose. It would be used to describe a gathering of citizens who were summoned together to hear an announcement from the city authorities. There is usually a sense of obeying a higher power.

We can see that is the case with regard to the Christian church. It is composed of those who obey the command to gather together in order to hear what the Father and the Son have to say. This is one way we should regard the greetings expressed by Paul and Peter as they begin their letters with references to what the Father and Son have to say to the gatherings of Christians.

Of course, the term ‘church’ is used in different ways. We often speak about the visible church and the invisible church, with the visible church referring to the professing church that can be seen with all its institutions and practices and the invisible church referring to true believers from all the ages.

Another common distinction is that of local church and national church, with these distinctions usually limited to what happens within denominations in a particular country. So in a town, we can have a local congregation of a Presbyterian denomination or a local congregation of a Baptist denomination. Both these distinctions highlight what the church should not be. After all, a local church in small community should not be divided into different groups, and it is hard to imagine the apostles approving of separate national churches who cannot get on with one another. Having said that, we cannot avoid identifying with one group depending on what we conclude the Bible requires. The situation is one that we have to live with and work round in what ways we can without disobeying the instructions given in the Bible.

Another way in which the church has been described is to speak of the church militant and the church triumphant. The church militant refers to those on earth who are engaged in the fight of faith and the church triumphant refers to those who have gone to heaven and who are enjoying their reward.

The statement in the Creed does not fit in with some of those descriptions I have just mentioned. It does not refer to local churches individually and it does not refer to national or international denominations. Nor does it refer only to the church militant or to the church triumphant, instead it refers to them combined. I suppose the statement in the Creed refers to the invisible church, those who belong to Jesus whether on earth or in heaven. So what does the Creed mean?

One church

The Creed stresses here that in reality there is only one church. It brings to mind the intention of Jesus when he informed Peter about it in Matthew 16:18. Jesus would build his church, which is a reminder that the church is a work in process. Nevertheless, it is a united church in the sense that every person who has believed in Jesus belongs to it. After all, it is impossible to believe in Jesus and then not to belong to his church. Often we forget this aspect and focus on individuals being added to local congregations. We should keep both realities in mind.

Holy church

The use of the adjective ‘holy’ may surprise us because we are aware that the church is composed of sinful people. This is true of all those who are invited to belong to it through the gospel that informs them of what God has done for them as sinners. They respond to the invitation to repent of their sins and trust in Jesus.

The adjective ‘holy’ in this connection also reminds us of how those believers make known their adherence to Jesus. They do so through the ritual of baptism, which is an outward acknowledgment of the need of cleansing from sin and a public statement that those baptized in the name of the Trinity have changed their allegiance from their previous sinful behaviour and now belong to Jesus.

Another aspect of holiness that is found in the church is the amazing fact that the Holy Spirit indwells all its members. This indwelling is particular in the sense that he indwells each in a personal way, is purifying in that he gradually sanctifies each of the members, and is permanent because he will never leave any of them.

One of the churches in the New Testament that was facing lots of problems was the church in Corinth. It was affected very badly by a whole range of inappropriate behaviour for Christians. Yet Paul can address them as the church of God in Corinth, who are sanctified in Christ Jesus, and who are called saints (1 Cor. 1:2). In that description we can see that each person of the Trinity is involved in the holiness of the church there. It belongs to God the Father, they are united to Jesus, and they are set as saints because the Spirit indwells them.

Catholic church

We are liable to misunderstand the term ‘catholic’ and assume that it has something to do with Roman Catholicism and is therefore a word with dubious connotations. Yet the word merely means ‘universal’, so when it is used in the name Roman Catholic Church it means those throughout the world who adhere to the authority of the Pope in Rome. Here, in the Creed, the use of the word has nothing to do with the Roman Catholic Church, which had not come into existence when the Creed was composed. Instead it is stating that the church of Jesus is found throughout the world.

Racial harmony

The Creed here is affirming that in the church of Jesus racial barriers have been overcome. Such barriers have existed throughout human history despite many attempts to remove them. Today we often regard the United Nations as an organisation that does not live up to its name because all too often member states are anything but united. Yet when we criticise the failures of that body we need to keep in mind where the church, which has far more power through the presence of the Holy Spirit than the UN, has failed for a far longer time.

The Creed was put together during the days when the Pax Romana was enforced with all the power of the civil authorities.  Yet it was not a peace that flowed from within and nor did it bring together voluntarily the tribes and races who normally were hostile to one another. It did not bring about love for one another. In dramatic contrast, the church of Jesus achieved what all the political powers were unable to do.

Moreover, the reality of racial harmony in the holy catholic church is a reminder and foretaste of the peace that will be enjoyed in the new heavens and new earth. This beautiful future experience is depicted in the marvellous vision found in Revelation 7:9-10: ‘After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!”’

Global perspective

The description ‘catholic’ also reminds us that we have to maintain and develop a global perspective on the church of Jesus Christ. This perspective can be applied in different ways. One way in which we should use it is for our encouragement as we personally live in dark days. It is the case that the church in the West is in steep decline, but that does not mean that the church of Jesus is going out of existence. In fact, the opposite is the case because the church in South America, Africa and Asia is growing numerically at a faster rate than ever before. We in the West should read about what God is doing in those other places and not confine our reading to revivals in the past, no matter how wonderful they were. A church that only focuses on the past is in danger of losing sight of God.

This description of the church is a reminder that our prayers should embrace the worldwide church. Today, because of the increase in communications, we can get involved in intelligent prayer very easily. Information can be sent instantly via email that in previous generations would have taken months to arrive. Yet it looks as if interest in missions has declined in parallel to our decline in numbers, and there may be a very close connection between the two. Each of us should pray for at least one missionary situation every day, and of course we can pray for a lot more. We cannot say that we believe in the holy Catholic Church if our prayers don't focus on places throughout the world.

Present church

There are many aspects of the church that we could think about, but here are three details worth considering. First, the true church is gospel-centred. By this I mean that the message of salvation is central to its existence. The church worships the triune God of salvation, the church experiences the many blessings of salvation, and the church communicates the message of salvation to others. In one way, that brief description sums up what the church is about and it is like that because it has the gospel.

Second, the church is grace-full. God has given to each of its members his grace in several ways. The church possesses what we call the means of grace – such as preaching, the ordinances of baptism and the Lord’s Supper, and mutual fellowship. They have grace to live their own Christian lives and they have grace in order to interact with one another. It is because of divine grace that they love one another, pray for one another and use their God-given gifts to serve one another. Moreover the church is the only body in which all its members are forgiving one another. The church, wherever it exists, is saturated with the grace of God which continually appears in fulsome display moment by moment.

Third, the holy catholic church is growing. One of the amazing features of the church of Jesus is that it never decreases in number. Obviously, a local congregation or a national denomination can decrease through members passing away or by leaving the area. But this cannot be said of the church of Jesus as a whole. When a member dies, he merely leaves earth and becomes a member of the church triumphant.

Future church

We are all familiar with stories of poor girls who become beautiful princesses and are elevated because of their relationship with the prince who did so much for them. The church is like a bankrupt girl who marries the most powerful king and then spends her existence discovering what he can do for her. In this life, the church discovers what her king can do for her in what we call the state of grace. In the next life she will discover what he can do for her in the state of glory.

We can think about her future through three ideas. The first is that of invitation to a wedding in which she is the bride. A wedding is a public declaration of love. In this life, weddings only last a few hours, but the heavenly wedding lasts for ever. The future of the church is one in which each member will be constantly aware of the fullness of the love of God for him or her.

The second idea is that of indwelling. God intends to come and live in his church. Sometimes we ask people where they would like to live. If we were to ask the same question of God, he would reply and say that he intends to live in the new Jerusalem, the church. When a person comes to live in a place his or presence immediately affects it. In a far higher sense, when God comes to live in his church his presence constantly affects it with his peace and his joy. What an eternal experience!

Our third idea is that of inheritance. The inheritance of the church is the new heavens and new earth. We can understand how a royal baby has to idea of what his inheritance is and cannot understand it until he comes of age. Similarly we have no idea of what ours will be as the church until we stand together in the presence of God and observe him bring into existence the new heavens and new earth. All that we can say now is that it will be worth the wait.

So that is the church. From one view, a mess; from another view, a mystery; but from God’s view, a masterpiece. Our attitude should be that of Timothy Dwight, the grandson of Jonathan Edwards, and a very competent theologian and preacher. He wrote in a hymn the following sentiments:

I love Thy kingdom, Lord,

The house of Thine abode,

The church our blessed Redeemer saved

With His own precious blood.

I love Thy church, O God.

Her walls before Thee stand,

Dear as the apple of Thine eye,

And written on Thy hand.

For her my tears shall fall,

For her my prayers ascend,

To her my cares and toils be given

Till toils and cares shall end.

Beyond my highest joy

I prize her heavenly ways,

Her sweet communion, solemn vows,

Her hymns of love and praise.

Is that how we think of the church?