The Four Marks of the Church

(Submitted by The Catholic Evidence Guild of Guam)

How great and comforting it is to know that the Catholic Church is the one true Church founded by Jesus Christ! What more security, what peace of mind, what greater knowledge can there be? To know that you are home, always home. How great is that!

Well, it is certainly great if you are a practicing Catholic. Unfortunately, many Catholics have been led to believe that there is no difference among the various Christian communities. Even more astounding is the number of us who believe that there is no difference among the various world religions. We may not be aware of the importance of being in the one Church founded by Jesus Christ. But how do we know the singular importance of the Roman Catholic Church? Just as important, how do we answer objections in such a way that leads the questioner "home" as well?

Well, the answer is not really that mysterious as we recite the evidence of the true Church every Sunday in the Nicene Creed. In fact, many of our separated brethren recite the same Creed! The Creed puts forward the true Church as: one, holy, catholic, and apostolic. So, what does it mean to be "one, holy, catholic, and apostolic"?

The Church Is One: Jesus established only one Church, not a collection of differing churches (Lutheran, Baptist, Anglican, and so on). The Bible says the Church is the bride of Christ (Eph. 5:23-32). Jesus can have but one spouse, and his spouse is the Catholic Church. His Church also teaches just one set of doctrines, which must be the same as those taught by the apostles (Jude 3). This is the unity of belief to which Scripture calls us (Phil. 1:27, 2:2).

Although some Catholics dissent from correct doctrines, the Church's official teachers-the pope and the bishops united with him-have never changed any doctrine. For centuries, as doctrines are examined more fully, the Church understands them more deeply (John 16:12-13), but it never understands them to mean the opposite of what they once meant.

The Church Is Holy: By his grace Jesus makes the Church holy, just as he is holy. This doesn't mean that each member is always holy. Jesus said there would be both good and bad members in the Church (John 6:70), and not all the members would go to heaven (Matt. 7:21-23). But the Church itself is holy because it is the source of holiness and is the guardian of the special means of grace Jesus established, the sacraments (cf. Eph. 5:26).

The Church Is Catholic: Jesus' Church is called catholic ("universal" in Greek) because it is his gift to all people. He told his apostles to go throughout the world and make disciples of "all nations" (Matt. 28:19-20). For 2,000 years the Catholic Church has carried out this mission, preaching the good news that Christ died for all men and ` that he wants all of us to be members of his universal family (Gal. 3:28). -Nowadays the Catholic Church is found in every country of the world and is still sending out missionaries to "make disciples of all nations" (Matt. 28:19).

The Church Jesus established was known by its most common title, "the Catholic Church, (katholikos ekklesia )" at least as early as the year 107, when Ignatius of Antioch used that title to describe the one Church Jesus founded. Keep in mind that the Apostle John died not too terribly long before then and the title apparently was already in common usage at that time.

The Church Is Apostolic: The Church Jesus founded is apostolic because he appointed the apostles to be the first leaders of the Church, and their successors were to be its future leaders. The apostles were the first bishops, and, since the first century, there has been an unbroken line of Catholic bishops faithfully handing on what the apostles taught the first Christians in Scripture and oral Tradition (2 Tim. 2:2). These beliefs include the bodily Resurrection of Jesus, the Real Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist, the sacrificial nature of the Mass, the forgiveness of sins through a priest, baptismal regeneration, the existence of purgatory, Mary's special role, and much more -even the doctrine of apostolic succession itself.

Early Christian writings, to include Scripture, demonstrate the first Christians were thoroughly Catholic in belief and practice and looked to the successors of the apostles as their leaders. The fullness of what these first Christians believed and taught is still believed and taught only by the Catholic Church, a claim that no other Church can make. In future columns we will further explain each of the Four Marks in greater detail and address specific objections.

(Copies of "Pillar of Fire, Pillar of Truth" can be ordered from Catholic Answers, PO Box 199000, San Diego, CA 92159 or on their web site at www.catholic.com)