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Editor’s note: This is the eighth installment of a series on the Apostles’ Creed. Rev. Campbell Markham is a Presbyterian minister in Perth, Australia.
“[I believe in] the holy catholic church; the communion of saints.” (The Apostles’ Creed, Article 9)
The above photo is of Saint David’s Cathedral in Hobart, the city where my family lived for twelve years. I used to rile up John, a very good old Hobartian friend of mine, by pointing to this and saying, “What a beautiful church!”
He would reply, crossly,every time: “That’s not a church! That’s a building! The church is the people!”
In the Bible,ekklēsia, “church,” never refers to a building.
I liked provoking John in this way. I liked how vehement he was about this. We cannot be reminded too often that churches are not buildings but instead groups of people.
In the New Testament the word for church is the Greekekklēsia, from which we get the word “ecclesiastical,” something that relates to the life of the church.
In the Bible,ekklēsia, “church,” never refers to a building. It only ever refers to a group of people who assemble to worship Jesus together, and who love and care for one another as Jesus loves and cares for us.
In fact, a church can meet anywhere. Hundreds of churches in Australia meet in schools or community halls. Thousands of churches in China meet secretly in people’s homes. In the 1700s French Protestants met at night in the bush, because it was illegal to attend Protestant church services.
My friend John is exactly right: churches are groups of people who gather together for worship.
Two questions: Who are these people who make up the church? And, what do they do when they gather?
A church is a family, united by the Spirit of Jesus.
A church is made up of believers, of those who have repented of their sin and who trust in Jesus Christ as their only God and Savior. They have been baptized in Jesus’ name and so have received the outward sign that Jesus has washed away their sins. Jesus is their Shepherd, and they are the flock that he cares for (John 10). Jesus is their King, and they are his loving subjects and servants (Rev. 17:14). They are a building of living stones, and Jesus is the cornerstone of that building (Eph. 2:19-22). They are joined together like a body, and Jesus is the head of the body (1 Cor. 12).
A church is not a club, a business, or a social group. A church is a family, united by the Spirit of Jesus. Christians are brothers and sisters, and God is our Father.
What does a church do when it gathers together? We have this beautiful description from Acts 2:42-47:
They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers (v. 42)
And all who believed were together andhad all things in common. Andthey were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. (vv. 44-45)
And day by day,attending the templetogether andbreaking bread in their homes, they received their foodwith glad and generous hearts, praising God andhaving favor with all the people.(vv. 46-47a)
So, the church gathers to learn from God’s Word, to encourage one another, to care sacrificially for each other’s needs, and to be spiritually nourished by the bread and wine of the Lord's Supper, and to pray.
Every true local church—a church devoted to Jesus and his Word—is a part of the one church that he is building.
Though belonging to a church does not make a person a Christian, every Christian is called to belong to a church. That’s because, having saved us, Jesus gathers us together with other believers into a flock, a living body. He cares for us by the loving hands and gifts of our church and by the teaching of his Word. We gather with him, and with other believers to praise him,
“For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.” (Matt. 18:20)
In the Creed Christians say, “I believe in the holy catholic church, the communion of saints.” Catholic means universal. Saint means “someone set aside and cleansed by Jesus for salvation.” Every true local church—a church devoted to Jesus and his Word—is a part of the one church that he is building. Every Christian is a “saint,” set apart by him.
Though churches are far from perfect places, every Christian must commit themselves to some local manifestation of Jesus’ great and universal church, which he purchased with his own blood (Acts 20:28).
Related Articles:
I Believe in the Holy Spirit — The Apostles' Creed, Article of Faith 8
He Will Come to Judge the Living and the Dead — The Apostles' Creed, Article of Faith 7
The Third Day He Rose Again from the Dead — The Apostles' Creed, Articles of Faith 5 and 6
Jesus Suffered Under Pontius Pilate; Was Crucified, Dead, and Buried; He Descended Into Hell — The Apostles' Creed, Article of Faith 4
Jesus Was Conceived by the Holy Spirit, Born of the Virgin Mary — The Apostles' Creed, Article of Faith 3
I Believe in Jesus Christ, His Only Begotten Son, Our Lord — The Apostles' Creed, Article of Faith 2
I Believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of Heaven and Earth — The Apostles' Creed, Article of Faith 1
