One True Church

by Steve Bastin

Maybe I am right.  Maybe I am wrong.  But I can be neither right nor wrong unless there is some absolute standard by which I am measured.  Otherwise I can only be different, neither right nor wrong.

Is that confusing?  Many are saying that there are no absolutes (except the one, “there are no absolutes).  Right and wrong are only what you “feel in your heart.”

In the column to your right you will see a scripture quotation.  That scripture contains several absolutes.  People are ignorant.  In their ignorance, sin has been committed.  God declares that everyone needs to repent.  There will be a righteous judgment.  Jesus will be the judge.  Jesus has been raised to prove that God’s judgment will take place.

Your feelings will not be considered in the day of judgment.  The question is not “do you feel right, but are you right?”  God’s absolute standard will be applied to all.

If I say that there is “one true church,” that is upsetting to many people.  It is popular to believe that “church” does not matter.  Many believe that it does not make any difference to God whether you belong to any church.  Or, if you do, it does not matter which one.

Of course, that is a popular view.  If it does not matter then I am all right.  If it does matter then I need to be concerned that I am in the right church.

It has not been long ago that the Roman Catholic Church proclaimed that it was the one true church and there was no salvation outside that church.  I agree with the “one church” part, but never agreed that the Roman Catholic Church was the one true church.

Now there are many within the Roman Catholic Church who agree with the popular view that church membership does not matter.  Society has imposed its view.  Those who once understood the Scriptures to clearly indicate that God has a preference in churches have now decided that God has no preference. They have now decided that one church is as good as another.

It does not take a theologian to read the Bible and reach the conclusion that there is but one true church there.  Consider the following passages.  “I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it.”  (That is from Jesus.)  “There is one body.”  (The church is often described in the Bible as a body.  See for example Paul’s first letter to the church at Corinth, chapter 12.)  “For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free, and we were all made to drink of one Spirit.”  “And the Lord was adding to their number day by day those who were being saved.”  (Since the Lord adds to the church, and the Lord built but one church, then there can never be but one.)

At this point, some are tempted to say, “But aren’t all the different churches just different branches of the one true church?”  That sounds good and many good people start down that road.

Yet there are some who would say, “All are part of the one true church except the Mormons.”  Others would reply, “All are part except the Jehovah’s Witnesses.”  Others would reply excepting some other church, such as the Unification Church.  (That is an interesting concept.  We can all be united if we just accept the “Reverend” Moon.)  Everyone seems to have their own idea about who is, or is not, a part of the “one true church.”

If there is one group that is not a part of the one true church, then there may be two.  And, if there are two there may be three.  In fact, if I start excluding anyone, then I may have to exclude everyone, including the church of which I am a part.

No one seems to want to consider the possibility that they may be wrong.  It is far easier and more comforting to just believe that everyone is all right.  If everyone is right, then I am right and the matter may be closed.  If only one church is wrong, then that might be the church of which I am a member and now I have problem.

If no one is wrong then there is no problem for me.  Hallelujah!  Praise God!  I’m on my way to heaven (even when I act like I really do not want to go).

The roots of this problem (concerning which church is right) lie in the nature of people.  People (some at least) love to argue.  Arguments tend to get out of hand.  Someone becomes angry and what began as an interesting discussion ends up in a nasty fight.  (I know this because it used to happen between me and my brother.)

There were arguments in the early church.  Meetings were held to “settle” the disputes.  (See the Jerusalem meeting described in Acts 15.)  The problem was that nothing got really settled because there are always people who would rather argue than see things settled.  Several of Paul’s letters deal with matters that were “settled” in Jerusalem.

Jesus established a system for settling disputes.  He chose 12 men as apostles and later added Paul to that number.  The church was built on the foundation of their teachings.  (See, for example, Acts 1 and Ephesians 2)

This explains why the writings of the apostles (and those whom they used to convey their teachings) were accepted by the church of the first and second century as Scripture.  The writings of the apostles were considered of supreme importance in the life of the early church.

There were divisions in those early years.  At the root of every division was the idea that the 27 books of the New Testament were not the foundation for what was taught.  An early division was created by a man named “Marcion.”  He rejected much of the New Testament and led off people as his followers.

As time passed, the nature of the church changed.  It was no longer an assembly of equals, but men had usurped authority and considered themselves as “successors” to the apostles, although they did not call themselves apostles, but bishops.

The New Testament was no longer the final authority in the church, but rather the decisions of these bishops.  When people disagreed, gatherings of these bishops were called and their decisions were accepted as binding.  On the basis of their decisions, some were accepted and others were cast out of their “church.”

The church drifted further and further from the teachings of the apostles as decision upon decision was made without a basis in the New Testament teachings.

Eventually there was a revolt resulting in the Protestant movement.  Luther took the position that only Scripture could be considered authoritative for God’s people.  Yet in practice he retained much of what he had learned as a Catholic priest and only applied his “Scripture only” to certain practices that he found objectionable.

As time passed churches multiplied as men used the same powers of reasoning to develop ever new teachings and from a position of power in their group, handed down their teachings to others.  Only occasionally could be heard a voice crying out for a return to the New Testament.

It was often concluded that the New Testament was not reliable as a basis for the church.    The Bible was accused of being “confusing.”  There must be someone to tell us what the Bible really means.  The common people could not be trusted to understand the Bible.  Their understanding must be supported by the “doctors” of theology.

So, today, we have those who reject the New Testament teaching that there is but one church.  They claim that there is no such thing as “one true church.”  There is, and the New Testament will help us find our way through the “forest” of competing ideas to the simple plan of God.  We will have more to say on identifying the one church, of which God approves, next month.