I must make a confession, I love ecclesiology, or the doctrine of the Church. I have been thinking lately about what constitutes a true church and how we can know a true church. Firstly I think it should be obvious that we can know the difference between true and false churches. So many think it arrogant and conceited that we would dare to make such judgments, but Scripture is clear that a true church is one that believes, preaches, and practices the truth (1 Timothy 2:15).
John Calvin (1509-1564) believed that the true church is distinguishable and knowable by two marks; namely the accurate preaching of the Word and the proper administration of the sacraments. The Belgic Confession (1561) would add the third mark of church discipline. For my purposes in this post, I will largely concern myself with the first mark - the pure preaching of the Word. Specifically, I will briefly show how throughout church history, this mark has often helped to distinguish the true church as it has engaged conflicting worldviews, both within and without.
The way I hope to do this is to show how the church has had conflict with other belief systems in different eras and different places. In other words, where the world or faction within the church espouses a false belief, the church has had to respond with the truth. The names, places, and specific issues change, but I think I can trace the pattern throughout most of the history of the church.
In the ministry of our Lord and the earliest decades of the church, Jesus and His followers were distinguished from the Jewish religious establishment by the message of the Kingdom of God and confession that Jesus of Nazareth was and is "the Christ, the Son of the Living God" (Matthew 16:16). There was conflict with the Pharisees, Sadducees, the Sanhedrin, the Judaizers, and local synagogues over the Lordship of Jesus, justification by faith, and gentile circumcision. The true church responded by affirming Jesus' messiahship and that the people of God are distinguished by being justified by faith.
By the next few centuries, the church had to deal with persecution by the Roman Empire and its cult of emperor worship. When the world shouted "Caesar is Lord!", the true church proclaimed that Jesus alone is Lord. Many martyrs went to their deaths with this confession. Additionally, Gnosticism created false distinctions between flesh and spirit which led to false asceticism or hedonism. The church stood firm in preaching the true nature of Jesus as the God-man and our freedom from sin and from legalism.
After Constantine's conversion and the legalization of Christianity, internal conflict raged over the nature of Christ. Arians taught that Jesus was created and less than divine, Sabellians conflated the persons of the Godhead, Docetism falsely split the human Jesus from the divine Christ. The true church was firm in it's belief that Jesus was distinct from the Father and the Holy Spirit, but fully divine and was one person with two natures - divine and human.
Over the next few centuries, the church had to face Islam from without, and corruption from within. Many religious movements opposed the corruptions of the papacy and often paid the ultimate price. The Protestant Reformers stood firm in declaring justification by faith alone (sola fide) and the final authority of the Scriptures (sola scriptura) against the false Roman Catholic system.
The Enlightenment and Liberal Theology would be the next great enemies of the church's confession. Many fell away as the authority of the Bible was eroded. Sweeping social changes, revolutions, and industry also created competitors to biblical authority. Many Christians remained faithful in these days and churches were planted and disciples made.
Christians over the last two centuries have also had to face the cults - Mormons, Jehovah's Witnesses, Christian Science, etc... who have revived old heresies. Communism, Socialism, Islam, and local religions have been the forces battling Christians in many parts of the world as missionary movements have taken the Gospel to new people groups.
Finally, Christians in western nations today face secularism, pluralism, postmodernism, and the demands of radical feminism and the LGBT agenda. Although compromisers abound, faithful Christians continue to maintain the marks of the true church, particularly the pure preaching of the Word in the face of opposition that takes various forms.
Our Lord Jesus, after Peter's confession, made the wonderful promise that the gates of hell would never overcome His church (Matthew 16:18). He also promises to be with us even to the end of the age (Matthew 28:20). He has been faithful so far and I know He will preserve His people until He takes them into His Father's Kingdom.
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