Dearly beloved congregation of our Lord Jesus Christ, we have confessed together many times that the church is one, holy, catholic, and apostolic. Those sound really good, and indeed, they are really good. But how on earth do we get there? I just want to circle back today and look at the biblical description of the church and compare and contrast it over against the creedal description. Let me say at the outset two things. 1. There is nothing wrong with the creedal description of the church. 2. The biblical language is always going to be richer, fuller, and more practical than the creedal. Always. So in that light, comparing Luke's fourfold account of the church with the Nicene fathers' fourfold account of the church is not some kind of sick exercise in making the Nicene Creed look stupid. Rather, it is a reminder that whenever we are inspired by creedal language but wonder how to put it into practice, we need only go back to the endlessly fecund pages of Scripture, where the light of Christ shines out brightly at the darkest hours. How do we make the church one, holy, catholic, and apostolic? The answer is that God makes it those things. But He makes it those things by, and insofar as, we continue in the apostles' teaching and fellowship, the breaking of bread and the prayers. So let's just look in detail at these four elements, these four things that a healthy church is always doing.
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Caleb Nelson grew up in Ft. Collins, CO. Born into a Christian home, where he eventually became the eldest of 11 children, he has been a lifelong Presbyterian. He professed faith at the age of six, and was homeschooled through high school. He then attended Patrick Henry College...
