Four Marks of the Church

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The Four Marks of the Church are a group of four adjectives—one, holy, catholic and apostolic—characteristics describing the marks or "notes" of the Christian church. The source is the Nicene Creed of A.D. 325 which contains the statement: "We believe in one holy, catholic and apostolic church. " The Four Marks describe a belief in Christendom that the body of Christ — the church — is characterized by four “marks” or distinctives. These marks found their way into the Creed of Constantinople in 381, “‘[We believe] in one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church.’”

Protestant reformer John Calvin taught that the marks of the authentic church were where the Word was rightly preached, the sacraments rightly celebrated and discipline observed.^[1]

While no creed or affirmation of faith can say all there is to say about what Christians believe, the Four Marks represent a summary of some of the more important affirmations of the Christian faith. These words were used by Counter-Reformation theologians in an effort to distinguish the Roman Catholic Church as "the one, true Church of Christ" from all of the "false" claimants that had emerged from the Protestant Reformation.^[2]

Contents 1 History 2 Four marks 2.1 One 2.2 Holy 2.3 Catholic 2.4 Apostolic 3 See also 4 References 5 Further reading

[edit] History

The ideas behind the Four Marks had been in the church since early times and allusions to them can be found in the writings of the early Church Father and bishop, St. Ignatius of Antioch. They were not established in doctrine until the First Council of Constantinople in 381. There the council elaborated on the Nicene Creed, established by the First Council of Nicea 56 years before. They added a section to the end including the following, translated in Schaff's Creeds of Christendom, "[We believe] in one holy, catholic, and apostolic Church." The phrase has remained in versions of the Nicene Creed to this day. In some languages, for example, German, the Latin "catholica" was traditionally translated as "christian" before the Reformation^[3] and continues in use by some Protestant churches of these heritages today.^[4]

[edit] Four marks

According to the Book of the Acts of the Apostles, describing the earliest days of the church, “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers" (Acts 2:42).

[edit] One

We believe in one God.... We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ....”

– Nicene Creed

"There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all" (Ephesians 4:5-6). "One" describes the unity of the body of Christ. These words from the Creed speak of the followers of Jesus Christ as united in their belief in one God, one Lord, Jesus Christ. In the Upper Room Discourse—Jesus' final interaction with his disciples on the night of his arrest—Jesus prayed three times the same request—that we may "be one" (John 17:20-23). He says he prays for Christians to have unity because this unity will provide the most compelling evidence to the world that he is the Savior of the world. Apparently it was not organizational unity between churches for which he prayed though the church has often tried to achieve organizational unity over the past 20 centuries, nor even primarily spiritual unity shared by all Christians though he does refer to this in this prayer. One author believes he was mainly asking for relational "community" between individual Christians, an observable unity that displays God's unique love among Christians.^[5]

[edit] Holy

The sanctity of Christ's church is derived from the fact that it is Christ's church. "And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church." (Matthew 16:18). Since the church is generally believed by Christians to have been established by Christ, it is said to be holy. This does not mean that the members of the church are free from sin, nor that the institution of the church cannot sin. The word "holy" means set apart for a special purpose by and for God. Many Christians believe that Jesus founded his earthly church to continue his redemptive and sanctifying work in the world (Matthew 16:19).^[6]

Paul wrote, "Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish" (Eph 5:25-27). The holiness of the church refers not to the condition of its members. Instead, it refers to Christ as founder and to the mission he gave to the church.^[6]

[edit] Catholic

The word "catholic" means "universal". It claims the universality of Christ's church makes it open to all: all classes, both genders, all nationalities. It implies that the Body of Christ is not limited to a time, place, race or culture. "Then Jesus approached and said to them, 'All power in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you'". (Matthew 28:18-20)

[edit] Apostolic

This describes its origin and beliefs. The church’s teachings are apostolic in that they find their roots in the teachings of the Apostles. Protestants understand apostolic to mean that there is continuity in the church from the apostles throughout history. The claim of the Roman Catholic Church that it is the true church is based on the “Apostolic Succession” of the priesthood and of the Pope who is believed to follow in a direct line from Peter.^[7]

[edit] See also

• Nicene Creed
• First Council of Constantinople

[edit] References

[edit] Further reading

• Four Marks of the Church by Kenneth D. Whitehead
• The Four Marks of the Church by Fr. William Saunders