We are still faced with the challenge of distinguishing the true church from a false church. While it is true that God is able to work through the most sinful of circumstances to reveal the saving truth, still it is not accurate that any group which calls itself a church is the true church.
We live in a pluralistic society in which any group is allowed to create its own religion and invite adherents to participate. Certificates of ordination can be ordered through the mail without qualifications apart from paying the requested fee. Spiritualism is a very marketable product in our time. People are willing to pay high fees to listen to people who claim to be channeling the wisdom of an ancient figure. Others will chant sounds from another language and be fully convinced that they are changing the world.
One does not have to look far to discover a variety of new age alternatives to the traditional faiths of the world. The variety even within the Christian faith is overwhelming in its confusing claims to the truth. Is it possible for the Christian church to positively define its boundaries in the pluralistic society in which we live? Can we say who we are in a way that is helpful in distinguishing a legitimate path to truth?
Historically, churches have appealed to different standards of authority in an attempt to distinguish the true from the false. The Roman Catholic Church defined itself in terms of apostolic succession. The true church was that church whose leadership descended directly from the apostles and particularly Peter. The Anabaptists defined themselves by the confirmation of the Spirit. Churches that did not experience the presence of the Spirit were sterile and empty of the truth.
Leaders of the Reformation, identified two marks or criteria by which the true church was identified. The marks of the true church as defined by the reformers were where the Word was truly preached and the sacraments rightly administered. Bonhoeffer added a third sign. In addition to the Word preached and the sacraments administered, he added community. The church was not an institution or organization but a community or body of persons.
Next week we will pursue the significance of the marks of the church for our time.
