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.”

The Church

I spoke of the Church, with a capital C, this past Sunday. It was one of our joint services and it seemed a good time to speak of the entity with which, by God’s grace, we are identified. We considered the Church under four headings. The Church is one; the Church is universal; the Church is apostolic; and the Church is holy. 

All who confess Christ, no matter their age, gender, language, or culture, are one in Christ. This promises the real possibility of peace between peoples no matter how deeply the warring parties have been offended. All who come, from whatever tongue, tribe, or nation, partake of the life that flows from our one common source, Jesus Christ, the head of the Church.

This leads us to the next heading: the Church is universal. The fact that God intends to draw people from every nation opens up the worldwide missionary enterprise. The Church represents the most diverse collection of people of any other religion or belief system. This is because the gospel transcends cultures and tongues and gathers in peoples from across the spectrum of human expression. Contrary to the common perception that the Church is a Eurocentric entity, the most vibrant center of Church life currently is found in Africa and Asia.

The Church is also apostolic. The Church is defined by the faith proclaimed by the apostles and preserved for us in the Scriptures (Cf., Ephesians 2:20). When the Church abandons the Scriptures it abandons its message and, therefore, its reason for existence. We were sent by Jesus to bear witness to him and if we don’t believe what has been said about him we have nothing to proclaim.

Lastly, the Church is holy. It is a unique entity that has been brought into existence by a holy God to be holy unto him. The gospel is not one path among many to God nor is it merely another form of therapy. The gospel calls people to faith and repentance in Christ alone. We must resist every attempt of unbelieving critics to fold Christianity into the deck of world religions. The Church has been set apart by the grace of God to bring glory to his name and to carry out his mission on the earth.

The culture around us works hard at marginalizing the Church, painting it to be bigoted, oppressive, and a threat to an open, pluralistic society. As a result, we are often hesitant to openly identify with the Church. Truth be told, the people around us need the Church for it is the repository of the gospel, the “power of God for salvation to everyone who believes” (Romans 1:16). They need us to be faithful to and unashamed of the Church and its mission.