| The Apostles' Creed, Part 18: "I believe in...the holy catholic church" |
 |
 |
 |
| Written by David Lawrence |
| Monday, February 13 2012 00:00 |
|
This statement in the creed has given Protestant Christians some pause. While it is true that the Apostles’ Creed, the Nicene Creed, the Definition of Chalcedon, and the decisions of the first seven ecumenical councils are statements upon which all Christians (Orthodox, Roman Catholic, and Protestant) can unite, and hence are creeds that really unite rather than divide us, Protestants feel reluctant to claim that they believe in the holy catholic church lest it appear that they are confessing that they believe in the Roman Catholic Church. The Nicene Creed defines the belief further as “one holy, apostolic, catholic church,” which is really helpful. All Christians believe there is one church, one body of Christ (Eph. 4:4). Paul in his rhetorical question in 1 Cor. 1:13 teaches us that Christ is not divided. He teaches in 1 Cor. 12:13 that the Holy Spirit has baptized us all into one body. The fact that God is one and yet exists in three persons provides the basis for diversity among Christians. Thus the fact that there are different denominations, interpretations, and applications of Scripture, different peoples, and all kinds of diversity among Christians does not preclude the fact that at the root we are one, just as there is unity in diversity in the Trinity: one God in three persons. There is but one body, the church, over which Christ reigns as supreme authority and king. This is the exact meaning of the confession: we believe in one church that encompasses the entire world in all its diversity, and one church with much diversity of gifts and groups of people within it. Christ taught His disciples to go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation (Mark 16:15). Those who receive, accept, and believe the gospel, placing their trust in Christ, are saved. In Christ, in spite of all diversity, we are still one church, we are all sons of God, we are one in Christ, we belong to Christ, and we are Abraham’s seed and heirs according to the promise (Gal. 3:26-29). But catholic? Why catholic? The Greek word katholikos from which the word catholic is just a transliteration, means universal. It does not connote a denomination, but rather it teaches that the one body encompasses Christians all over the world, from every nation, tribe, linguistic or ethnic group, indeed from every race, social or economic rank, or any other distinction that separates people into categories or groups. Out of diversity there is one. Out of the diversity of the three persons of the Trinity is one God, and out of the diversity of mankind all over the world there is universal (catholic) unity in one church! |
Join our Devo Mailing List
We'd be honored to send you our devotionals via email. To be included on our list please visit our Contact page and write us a request.