Some people speak ill of the church, noting perhaps that they love Jesus but do not like the church. The Apostles’ Creed, however, mentions the church as a key belief of the Christian church, even going farther and noting that the communion of saints is also a key doctrine of the Christian faith. The inclusion of these two lines have many significant implications for followers of Jesus that we should explore.
I Need the Church
Being part of the church is not an add-on or an upgrade for the Christian life, but is a key part of following Jesus. While it is true to say that Jesus died for me, we must also remember Jesus did not just die for us as individuals, but for the church (see Acts 20:28; John 10:11, 15). God has always called not just individuals, but communities, as we see Him calling the people of Israel in the Old Testament — calling them His people and then ultimately having a people for Himself in the book of Revelation. The Heidelberg Catechism declares this in Q & A 54 of the Apostles’ Creed:
“I believe that the Son of God through his Spirit and Word, out of the entire human race, from the beginning of the world to its end, gathers, protects, and preserves for himself a community chosen for eternal life and united in true faith. And of this community I am and always will be a living member.”
The church is the bride of Christ, so to love Jesus means we love the church, and to follow Jesus means we do so in the context of community, seeing ourselves as part of something bigger and our faith as more than just “me and Jesus.” This is not simply attending church services or being listed as a member. We need to be the life of the church, as the idea of the communion of saints that the Creed mentions: “First, that believers one and all, as members of this community, share in Christ and in all his treasures and gifts. Second, that each member should consider it a duty to use these gifts readily and joyfully for the service and enrichment of the other members” (Heidelberg Catechism Q & A 56).
The Church Is to Be Different
It is not enough to believe in the church — we need to believe in the “holy” church. To be holy means to be set apart, to be different — which means that the church should be a community that is called out and different from the world. Being holy does not mean that the church is perfect, as we see in both the Old and New Testaments (as well as in church history) that God’s people are called to be holy and make mistakes along the way. It does, however, call us to a higher standard that we should be striving to reflect. God calls us to be holy, not just as individuals but as a community. While we need to speak the language of the people around us and figure out how to connect with the world, we must also recognize that the church must always look different from the world and culture in which we live.
The Church is Unified
One of the more confusing phrases of the Apostles’ Creed is the “catholic church,” as many associate the word “catholic” with the Roman Catholic church (sometimes churches will use the words, “Christian church” instead of “catholic church”). The word catholic itself, however, simply means universal — with the idea behind this phrase being that all Christian churches are united, so there is only truly one church that all other churches manifest and participate in. This unity includes churches in different places and in different times, reminding us that the church is not just part of a certain period of time or only found in certain countries; but rather is for all people in all times and places.
Because there are so many different denominations (as well as independent churches) today, we may question whether or not the church is united, or catholic. However, all of these denominations that confess this creed are on the same team, fighting not each other but the forces of evil in the world. Unity does not mean uniformity, with the Bible affirming that there are differences between Christians (1 Corinthians 12:4-11) and thus, there could seem to be differences between gatherings of Christians (what we call church), but yet there is only one faith (see Ephesians 4:1-6). In fact, in numerous letters Paul talks about how followers of Jesus might come to different conclusions on certain matters but this should not lead to discord, nor should one look down upon another. We can think of different churches as ways of reflecting the diversity that can be present even within the unity of the church; we must be careful not to view diversity as division nor to see the need for uniformity. There is one church with multiple expressions.
This idea that the church is “catholic” also is a reminder that the church is composed of people from a wide variety of backgrounds. The church is not an exclusive social club, but one that is open to all who believe.
The Church is On Mission
The Apostles’ Creed doesn’t just name key beliefs of the Christian church but puts it into the context of a story. It begins with God the Father who makes it all and upholds all things, then moves to the Son who comes to save people through his life and ministry, and then the Holy Spirit who brings the reality of what Christ has accomplished into our lives. It ends by talking about the hope of the resurrection of the body and the eternal state — in between discussing the church and the forgiveness of sins. It is the church that brings this message of forgiveness of sins and the hope of resurrection and eternal life. We are called to be on mission with the message of God in our word and deed as a community, inviting others into the community that God has called out and uses to spread His message and reflect His person.
No Solo or Spectator Christians
Believing in the holy catholic church and the communion of saints means that there is no place for solo Christians or spectator Christians — we are called to be in community with each other and to actively use the gifts God has given us for the good of others and this world. May we reflect the key ideas and teaching found in these brief statements found in this creed that unites Christians throughout time and across the world and local communities.
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