GLEANINGS — September 28, A.D. 2014                                                                                                              "I believe in...

...the holy Catholic Church." Whenever you confess your faith using the Apostles' Creed, you utter that phrase. The apostles themselves did not write the creed, but it bears that name because it accurately summarizes the essentials of apostolic teaching. Christians from most branches of the Church of Jesus Christ have used this short symbol, as the creed is also called, in worship and study for almost two millenia.

And "there's the rub" as Shakespeare's character Hamlet said. How can Lutheran and Reformed (Protestant) believers, some modern Evangelicals and Pentecostals, and others who distance themselves – often vigorously – from the Roman Catholic Church say those words in good conscience? How can they include belief in the holy Catholic Church as they confess the most fundamental matters of the "faith once for all delivered to the saints?" (Jude 3) 

Understanding the original meaning of the word catholic is of great help here. It derives from two Greek words, and means "according to the whole." When we speak of the Church of Christ in all its congregations and all its communal (denominational) associatons; when we want to refer to all God's people of all times and places, we are speaking according to the whole. We are speaking of the entire Church. That is what was originally meant by the phrase "holy catholic church."

Today, universal is offerered as a parenthetical, explanatory meaning of the word catholic. Although technically accurate this is regrettable, in the opinion of this writer, for two reasons. First (but secondary in importance) the word is rather clinical. Should Christ's bride be described with the same word we used to define "the coupling between rotating shafts set at an angle to one another, allowing for rotation in three planes" found in cars and trucks? Again, perhaps this is but a quibble, and the substitute word universal will probably endure...

Second and very important is the possibility of confusion with the heresy of UNIVERSALISM. This is the false teaching that ultimately all human beings will be saved. The Bible clearly teaches that, along with Judas the son of perdition, some human beings will be cast into the lake of fire and brimstone. This is the second death where the lost justly suffer eternal torment, with absolutely no hope of deliverance. No Bible believing Christian can be a universalist.

Part of the unchangeable and solemn dogma of the body we know as the Roman Catholic Church is the claim that outside of it, there is no salvation. For example, an "ex cathedra" pronouncement of Pope Boniface VIII, on November 18, A.D. 1302 includes these words: "Furthermore, we declare, say, define, and proclaim to every human creature that they by absolute necessity for salvation are entirely subject to the Roman Pontiff."

This foolish assertion demonstrates that the Romanists have arrogantly usurped the word catholic, which actually belongs to all who call on the name of the LORD in truth (Psalm 145:18) and show their true love for Jesus by keeping His commandments (John 14:15). 

A late twentieth century Christian song writer penned the lyric, "why should the devil have all the good music?" Indeed. And why should those who have a faith like that of the apostles give up the ancient and venerable word catholic? 

The apostles neither knew nor taught anything about the papacy or the veneration of the virgin mother and other redeemed sinners. They clearly taught according to our Lord's proclamation from the cross, "It is finished!" (John 19:30) That is, they taught that Christ sacrificed Himself once for all, not that there was a need for Him to be sacrificed again and again and again. (Romans 6:10; Hebrews 7:27, 9:12, and 10:10)

Amen! I believe in the Holy Catholic Church, rightly understood!