The Significance of the Four Marks of the Church - One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic - Essay Example

? Explain the significance of the four "marks" of the Church - "One", "Holy", "Catholic" and "Apostolic". Introduction The four “marks” of the church namely, “One”, “Holy”, “Catholic” and “Apostolic” signify the essentials of the churches today, and of the true Church of Christ, which is professed today. The Nicene Creed is the one that declares the church to be; One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic. The four marks are inseparable and are linked to each other as qualities of Christ’s church. The Lord himself, in founding the Church marked it with this distinctiveness, which reflects the vital features and work of the Church of Christ. Through the guidance of the Holy Spirit, the Church has continued to fulfill the marks, and only faith can recognize that the Church received these manifestations from God. The “One” mark of the Church shows that the Church of the apostles was one. Paul wrote that there is only one body and spirit in (Eph. 4:4-5), and he linked the unity to the Church’s common Eucharistic bread in (1 Cor. 10:17). The Bible says that the Church is the bride of Christ (Eph. 5:23-32) and has only one source. Jesus also promised from the outset in (John 10:16) that there would be one flock, and one shepherd. The Catechism also notes that the Church is one with three reasons namely; first, source of the Church is Holy Trinity, which is a the great unity of three heavenly persons; Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit; the second being the founder of the Church, Jesus Christ, who came to reunite through the blood in the cross for all mankind; and the third, “soul,” the Holy Spirit that is in the souls of the faithful, unites all the faithful into one communion of believers, and guides the Church. The “oneness” of the Church is visible in Catholics who are united in their Creed and other teachings, the sacramental celebrations, and the hierarchical arrangement that are based on the apostolic succession that are handed and preserved through the Sacrament of Holy Orders (Brian 2008). The Body of Christ Himself is the Church, and so is whole one, and one as Christ’s Body is whole one. The Church of Christ teaches only one set of doctrines that are taught by the apostles (Jude 3). The unity in the belief in which the Scripture calls all to adhere to (Phil. 1:27, 2:2). The Christian Church is united in faith, worship, and succession from the apostles themselves. The unity manifestation is hard to clutch today with centuries of old divisions and the existence of many Christian denominations spread across the world. Mass is conducted in the same way all over the world in terms of prayers, readings, structure, and everything except in difference of language by Catholics who have the same belief, and are offered by a priest who is united by his bishop who is united by the holy Father, the pope. Although, some dissent from official doctrines, the Church understands them (John 16:12-13) and it does not misunderstand them to mean contrary to want they meant before. Diversity is found in the oneness, in that the faithful has different vocations and different gifts, although they work together to continue with the mission of the Lord. The different cultures and traditions enrich the Church in their expressions of faith. Charity must saturate through the Church, for members to continue being together in unity. Example of the Catechism of the Catholic Church states that; The Church is one that recognizes one Lord, which confesses one faith, the Church born of one Baptism; it forms only one Body, given life by one Spirit, for the sake of one hope, at whose fulfillment all divisions will be overcome. Churches of all denominations have continued to emphasize the fundamental unity showing that there is only one faith, one Lord and One God. “Holy” as a mark of Church signifies the Church of the apostles as the Lord Himself as the source of all holiness. This shows that all things that the church has from the all-holy God himself and everything are holy. However, this does not imply that people seized to be sinners and all have become holy. Christ is the one who sanctifies the Church, and through him, and with him, the Church is the agent of this sanctification. The church in the beginning was composed of sinners from the human perspective (1 Tim. 1:15). The church itself was founded for the sole purpose, and reason, to prolong Christ’s redemption and sanctifying work in the world. By the grace of Jesus the Church was made holy, just the way he is holy, and members of the Church can be either true or evil as (John 6:70) puts it and that not all members will go to heaven (Matt. 7:21-23). The Church from the beginning has been able to have the sacramental means of helping the sinners who are among them, to be holy as one of the things it was doing from the beginning, as Paul put it in (Eph. 5:25-27). The Church as a master of faith should be holy as Christ the Son of God, who is the Father and the Spirit is also known as “alone holy” and loved the Church as his Bride and gave himself for her so as to sanctify her (Cheng 2011). The church as holy as been spoken of by the faithful who have reference to their divine Founder on what the Church was founded, by the power and authority from him with the condition of her members. Through the sacraments, of the ministry of the Church and the giving of power of the Holy Spirit, the Lord gives abundant graces, and by the teachings, worship, good works, and prayers, this is a visible sign of holiness. Through baptism members of the Church have been called to holiness, by being freed from original sin, with sanctification through grace, through the Lord’s ardor, death, and renaissance, and integrated into the Church through God’s grace. The church is perfect and holy, as the apostles’ bride of Christ, the undefiled body of Christ Himself, filled with the Holy Spirit. Holiness is a real concrete, attribute of Christian life, and role of saints in the mystical body of Christ. “Catholic”, which means, “universal” from the Greek language meaning “completely whole”, is another mark of the Church, and it is a significant aspect of one true Church or a substantial historical mark because it is a gift to all people. It refers to the fullness of the faith that it possesses to the extension in both time and space that has characterized it from the beginning. In (Luke 12:32), the “little flock” in which the church consisted of, could by any extension of imagination succeed in being “universal”. In (Acts 2:5), the Holy Spirit came down upon at Pentecost at the Church with significance at that time, that it enabled the apostles to speak in languages of all the various nations, this was a message of powerful nature showing that the Church was destined fro all men universally, and were represented at the first Pentecost in Jerusalem by those nations that had come from far places (John 2007). During that period, many accepted faith and from then started carrying “the Catholic Church” to the four corners of the world. The Church is Catholic, and Christ is universally present in it, and has commissioned, the Church to evangelize the world (Mat. 28:19). The Church is for everyone at all times, and was destined to be spread all over the world hence the Catholicity of the Church. Churches fall under the care of pastors, Bishops who are faithful and successors of the Apostles. After few years of founding the Church, Paul wrote in (Col. 1:5-6), that the word of truth was bearing and growing fruit in the whole world. The Church here on earth is united in Heaven triumph and Purgatory suffering, in the understanding of communion of saints in Heaven in their faithfulness, in Purgatory and on earth. The good news that Christ died for all men, and he wants all to be members of his universal family, is the mission that has been carried out by the Church since time immemorial (Gal. 3:28). The Church has continued to send out missionaries to make disciples of all nations (Mat. 28”19). The Church is a universal community of all believers and Christ through his appointed apostles on the earth by Holy Father has continued to guide his followers. “Apostolic” mark of the Church was given from the order of Christ to the apostles by the Church. Christ founded the Church upon the apostles in (John 6:70), who understood well that they do not set themselves up in their own in their little communities, as some “gospel churches” do. In the New Testament, one is not to take honor upon himself (Heb. 5:4). The Church is apostolic as Jesus founded it and appointed the fist leaders and their successors to be future leaders. It is clear that the Church started out as “apostolic”, and the question is whether apostles had the power and authority to pass to others what they had received from Christ. The New Testament shows clearly that they did have the power and authority. The belief in the physical Resurrection of Jesus, Real Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist, sacrificial nature of the Mass, forgiveness of sins through a priest, the baptismal regeneration, and existence of purgatory, the Mary’s significant role, and many more show the apostolic succession itself. This is further manifested by the historical evidence of apostles successors like the bishops, and in New Testament the appointment of bishops by apostles and further appointment of further bishops by the apostles (Titus 1:5-9). The Church everywhere is found to be the same as recorded in the New Testament as Christ is the founder. Any Church of Christ must have its apostolic link to the original apostles, on whom Christ clearly established his church, and nothing less can qualify as the Church of “apostolic” that Jesus founded. Jesus said this in (Luke 10:16) by giving assurance to the apostles on listening and hearing to him. Jesus declared that apostles and those who take after them would address for him in gatherings that are serious in sanctifying his people, and leading them to salvation that he offers. The Church is the one that ordains one into apostolic ministry that is given by the Lord to his Church, and no bishop, priest, or deacon in the Church are self-ordained or self-proclaimed. The apostolic nature of the Church is seen in the deposit of faith found in Sacred Scripture and Sacred tradition that is preserved, taught, and given by the apostles (Madges 2006). The Holy Spirit protects the Church from the error in the teaching authority, and under its guidance, the duty to preserve, defend, teach, and hand on the deposit of faith is fulfilled. The transmission of authority through the appointed apostles through authentic oral teaching and power gives them the power to speak for Christ on the earth. The fullness of grace intended by Jesus to his people in a Church from the beginning is what the followers and people with the belief in him call; One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic. The four marks of the Church are fully realized in the Catholic Church, and other Christian Churches also accept and profess the Creed, and possess the elements of truth and sanctification. Reference: Brian Singer-Towns, Janet Claussen, Clare Vanbrandwijk. The Catholic Faith Handbook for Youth. Winona: Saint Mary's Press, 2008. Print. Cheng, Patrick S. Radical Love: An Introduction to Queer Theology. Elmhurst: Church Publishing, Inc., 2011. Print. John Trigilio, Kenneth Brighenti. The Catholicism Answer Book: The 300 Most Frequently Asked Questions. Naperville: Sourcebooks, Inc, 2007. Print. Madges, William. The Many Marks of the Church. London: Twenty-Third Publications, 2006. Print. Read More