Good Morning!
In today’s confession help we turn next to the 25th chapter of Westminster to see what it has to teach us about the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ. One of the words that it uses which may bring pause to the ears of some Christians is the term, “catholic”. We are accustomed to only hearing that in relation to the Roman Catholic Church. However, the important part of that name is Roman not Catholic. Roman is a designator that the people spoken of have the Bishop of Rome as the head of their Church, what is termed the “Pope”, a bastardization of the Latin phrase Pontifex maximus. Likewise Catholic is a Latin word which means “universal”. In other words for those of the RCC the whole, and complete, Church spoken of in the Bible is contained in the Roman Catholic Church. The 3rd Century dictum by St. Cyprian, “Extra Ecclesiam nulla salus” is applicable here. What this means is that there is no possibility of salvation outside the Church, which before Vatican II in the 1960’s made the change official, meant that unless you were a baptized member of the Roman Catholic Church you were condemned. Nowadays the official stance of the RCC is that there is a possibility of salvation outside the Church, including the so-called doctrine of the “anonymous Christian”. It is all a bit messy to be honest.
I hate to bring that much Latin and history to you this early in the morning (get that coffee going. 😊), but the reason why I spent time on that is so that when you read the Westminster Confession of Faith (or say the Apostles' Creed) you understand that when they use the word “catholic” they are neither saying that the Roman see is the center of the Christian world or that you cannot be saved unless you are a Presbyterian. Definitions and words matter. For our purposes the “c” word is an inclusive term referencing the elect of God. Those for whom Christ died, and those for whom the Holy Spirit has regenerated and given new life through the application of the righteousness purchased by our Savior at the cross, and granted to us by faith alone. So when, for example, the WCF says in chapter 25, section 3:
Unto this catholic visible Church Christ hath given the ministry, oracles, and ordinances of God, for the gathering and perfecting of the saints, in this life, to the end of the world: and doth by His own presence and Spirit, according to His promise, make them effectual thereunto.
It is not saying that “this catholic” is Rome, but that to the one Church, the gathered body of believers on Earth, Christ has made the Church to provide all of these services for His Bride for their blessing and benefit. We cannot hear the words of hope and life outside the Church. Now, it is also worthwhile to take a moment and think about the common phrase, “The Church is not a building, but its people.” And yes, that is accurate and true, and what most people mean by that is also true. As wonderful and as nice as the building we have at Bethany is we do not believe that on the Day of Judgment that the bricks and mortar will arise to the clouds with us.
However, the organizational structures of a Session, Diaconate, and Congregation, as well as a Presbytery, Synod, and in some cases a General Assembly, were designed by Christ for the growth and discipleship of His people. They are not accidental to Jesus’ labors, but a central and necessary part of them. And this is really what we mean when the Confession says, “the Church”. In our Form of Government, for example, the Session is given the responsibility for overseeing worship and fellowship, setting up programs like Sabbath School, Wednesday Night Bible Study, prayer meetings, etc… primarily based upon the witness we have in the section above. It is the Church that has been given the ministry, oracles (the Bible), and ordinances (the Sacraments) and it alone has the authority to make sure they are being made available for all. You can no more give yourself the Lord's Supper than you can baptize yourself. By the design of Christ only the Church can dispense of them, and only in the Church do they "work".
So, when we hear people talk about “the Church” we are meaning the members, the real-life human beings whose souls the Redeemer of God loves, cherishes, and desires to be His, but we are also talking about the organization. You cannot have the one without the other. It is also the case that there is no sense in which one can be an individual Christian. This is a contradiction in terms. We are members of a much larger, catholic, Church. It may in some eras of history be purer and more faithful than at other times, but the promise we have is that it will never be extinguished. Wherever the Gospel is preached, by lawfully called and ordained ministers, and the Sacraments are distributed and watched over by faithful men given the heavy responsibility of shepherding Christ’s sheep, and there is spiritual care taken with each man and woman’s walk with the Lord then the Church is present.
In closing, this is one of the richest chapters in the Confession of Faith. How we “do church” (what a weird phrase) matters. We are not free to pragmatically do whatever we want in regards to the life of faith and worship, but must seek our Master’s will in the Scriptures to see how He would order His Church, in its Catholic expression in these days before the Second Coming, to be ordered and organized for His glory and our benefit. This is no second-order matter, but of primary importance for the people of God. We cannot have God as our Father, if we are not willing to have the Church as our Mother.
For today’s reading here is a short defense of the organized Church and the illogical idea of a “private Christian”:
https://www.ccwtoday.org/2003/04/why-should-i-join-a-church/
Be in the Strength of Christ Today.
By His Grace,
Rev. Benjamin Glaser
Pastor, Bethany ARP Church