The Four Marks of the Church (Part 1) | Acts 2:41–47 | Thomas Renz

When asked in a doctrine exam and what are the four marks of the church, you're likely meant to channel the Nicene Creed in which we confess that we believe in one holy Catholic and apostolic church.

Four key traits, one holy Catholic and apostolic.

What does it mean to say that the essential features of the church are unity, holiness, catholicity, and apostolicity? And what does it mean for us? I hinted at yesterday that how we understand church is actually quite complex.

In one sense, the church is the body of Christ, and therefore there can only be one body.

Back in Acts two, there was already more than 3,000 people.

By now, it's billions of people all over the globe, all through history.

One church.

And in that sense, we are never the church.

We are just a tiny part of the church.

And yet what did Jesus mean when he promised when two or three are gathered in my name, I will be among them? Did he mean to imply that when you're on your own, you're really on your own, I won't be with you? Of course not.

Christ is with us when we are alone in our study, in our bedroom.

He lives through his Spirit in us.

What does it mean to say that he is with us, among us, in that special sense when two or three are gathered in my name? I think if we look at Matthew 18:10 in context, we might say it means in another sense wherever two or three are gathered in the name of Christ, there is the Church, head and body.

Not only in some sense a part of the Church, but the Church participating in that reality.

To explain that more fully would need a doctrine lecture probably and some philosophy, and I won't do that.

I think I've said enough to suggest that we are not the local church here, but we are in some sense church because we are local Christians, brothers and sisters meeting together.

Not a full sense of church in the accountability structures, but in such a way that one holy Catholic and apostolic might have something to say to us too.