Marks of the True Church: The Pure Doctrine of the Gospel Is Preached

Say you were to move to a different city and wanted to find a church to join, what would you look for? Some folks would look for a church that was large with lots of programs. Others might look for something smaller, anticipating greater intimacy in relationships. Music might be a factor, or the kind of worship the church offers on Sunday morning, with some leaning toward the “traditional” and others toward “contemporary.” Location might also weigh into the decision. For some, the particular theological commitments of the church would be most important. Is it Reformed?  Or decidedly not Reformed? Charismatic? Pentecostal? Do they baptize babies or only adults? Do they allow for female elders or only male?

So many options! Why is this so? It’s one of the by-products of the Reformation. Once the Roman church was no longer the only church, the forces at work spawned multitudinous expressions under the Christian banner. I don’t know if Martin Luther anticipated such a result, but his concern for the true gospel impelled him to nail his ninety-five theses to the door of current orthodoxy and the die was cast.

For the Reformers and their immediate offspring, concern for the “pure gospel” became one of three “marks of the true church” (see Belgic Confession, Art. 29). In part an explanation for their schismatic actions, it remains the primary concern for anyone who claims the label Christian when it comes to evaluating a church. If the gospel is not the foundation then inevitably the house built upon it will not be truly Christian.

This leads to a discussion of how we can know what the gospel is, which, in turn, leads us to consider the authority of the Bible. We can confidently know the gospel because in the Bible we have the authoritative story of Jesus and its authoritative interpretation, recorded for us by men specifically chosen and empowered by him for the task (John 17:6-8; Luke 24:44-49; Ephesians 4:11-14).This is why the reestablishing of the Scriptures as the “supreme judge by which all controversies of religion are to be determined, and all decrees of councils, opinions of ancient writers, doctrines of men and private spirits, are to be examined” (Savoy Declaration of Faith, Ch 1.10) was so necessary for the Reformers. God has spoken, and it is his voice that must be heard if a church is to remain an expression of the “true” church.

Moving soon? If so, consider if what is taught in the church you are evaluating lines up with the biblical witness. Before you go, however, take a few minutes to learn about the other two “marks of the true church.”

V-W Day

On Sundays we celebrate V-W Day — Victory Wilderness Day. Just as the Allied Forces celebrated first V-E Day, Victory Europe, then V-J Day, Victory Japan, so the church celebrates V-W Day whenever it meets to worship the living God. Jesus’ victory over the devil in the wilderness set the stage for his ultimate victory over sin and death, a condition that the devil fostered when he persuaded Eve to eat the forbidden fruit.

One chapter of that redemptive plan was God’s choosing of Israel, as a son, to be a “light to the nations.” He entered into covenant with them and gave them laws that, in the words of Moses, would be their “wisdom and . . . understanding in the sight of the peoples, who, when they hear all these statutes, will say, ‘Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people’” (Deuteronomy 4:6). God had purposed to use Israel to carry out his promise to Abraham that in him “all the families of the earth shall be blessed” (Genesis 12:4). But Israel failed its duties. How would this be rectified? God himself would provide his only-begotten Son who would accomplish what his rebellious chosen son had not. 

That Jesus fulfilled this role is evident in the struggle in the wilderness. His answers to the devil’s temptations designate him as the representative Israel, the true Israel. His being tempted over the course of 40 days is surely an allusion to the 40 years that Israel wandered in the wilderness. Yet, where they doubted, rebelled, complained, and died, Jesus would trust, obey, be content, and live. He is fully aware of the task he has been given and he remains obedient, at peace, and confident of his Father’s love. 

The devil was defeated and “departed from him until an opportune time” (Luke 4:13). Yet, even that opportune time, when “Satan entered into Judas called Iscariot” (Luke 22:3) and led him to betray Jesus into the hands of the Jewish leaders and the Roman magistrate, was something that happened “according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God” (Acts 2:13). 

Poor devil. He thinks he’s clever, that he still has a chance. But, in the words of Martin Luther, “Lo! his doom is sure. One little Word shall fell him!”