The Marks of a True Church
The distinction of a “true” church, from the mere proclamation of “a church”, seems at a glimpse to be unnecessary. If a gathering is not the true church, it isn’t a church at all. So, in a very real sense, to categorize a gathering as “a true church”, and “the church” are the same. The implication is that the gathering in question not only self identifies as a church, but meets the historical and theological criteria shared by the universal church to be considered a legitimate part of its whole. Unfortunately, there have arisen many gatherings that self-proclaim to be a church, whose identification has gone unchecked against the standards of the universal Church set forth by Scripture as well as tradition. This means that gatherings, and even entire denominations exist that claim to be part of the universal church, that fail to meet the aforementioned criteria and are therefore false. For this reason, the delineation of a “true church” has become helpful.
In his book, The Church: Contours of Christian Theology, Edmund Clowney highlights three marks of a true church as true preaching of the word, proper observance of the Sacraments, and faithful exercise of church discipline.[1] His adjectives of preaching that is true, or observance of the Sacraments that is proper seems to me a subjective addition. The more precise wording to sum up what I suppose to be Clowneys descriptive intention behind such adjectives would be to say such marks of a true church ought to all be Word centered. Earlier in the book, when alluding to Philippians 2:16, Edmund Clowney writes, "The Church is the community of the Word, the Word that reveals the plan and purpose of God. In the church the gospel is preached, believed, and obeyed. It is the pillar and ground of the truth because it holds fast the Scriptures".[2] This is a worthwhile note to add because it expresses a right and wrong way to go about the endeavor. If the Church doesn't go about these tasks in a way that adheres to the Scriptural direction provided for us, then such things will be vain and void. If our preaching, songs, sacraments, ordinances, local missions, and all else are void of the Word, they are rendered pointless. No matter how passionate or sincere, if the Word is absent, the action is void of its glorifying purpose. Scripture itself speaks to this point explicitly. In 1 Corinthians 11:27-29, direction is given as to how the eucharist ought to be participated in, and the consequences are enumerated for when these directions are not adhered to.[3] For all that the church participates in, the Word of God must govern how it is gone about.
According to Edmund Clowney, John Calvin made specific mention of the first two of the aforementioned marks of a true church in his, Institutes of Christian Religion. Calvin made the claim that it is fitting for a gathering to consider themselves a church if the preaching of the Word and observance of the Sacraments is gone about in a way that is “entire and uncorrupted”, with no “errors or irregularities of conduct”.[4] The third mark mentioned by Clowney regarding church discipline is still tucked in towards the end by implication. Church discipline is a Scriptural practice that ought to be taken heed of.[5] Especially in the case of a minister, if one refuses to submit to church discipline, and instead continues on in defiance before repenting and reconciling, the gathering they oversee cannot be trusted or considered a true church. Reason being, if they cannot submit to the Scriptural direction of Church discipline, they cannot be trusted to have reverent care for the Word of God regarding the other marks, such as the matter of preaching or the observance of Sacraments. More could also be said of reconciling such a situation with the call for elders and deacons to be blameless and above reproach.[6]
One more clarification that may be worthwhile is to broaden the language used in the second mark of a true church, observance of the Sacraments. Consider for a moment Baptists who don’t use the language of a Sacrament, but instead an ordinance. Although they participate still in the mark required, the language isn’t as helpful to their congregants when explaining these stipulations of a true church. It becomes even fuzzier when Free Will Baptists enter the conversation, who add the practice of foot washing as an ordinance. They might begin to wonder why no other denomination observes it on par with the Lords Supper and Baptism as they do, and then have justification to reject whole denominations from consideration as part of the true church. Even if this is in part mere semantics, the ramifications get messy very quickly when the wording could easily be more ecumenically friendly. That said, Clowney’s verbiage should be broadened to the Scripturally directed preaching of the Word, participation in the means of grace, and adherence to church discipline. The use of Wesleyan terminology, such as means of grace here, is helpful because it is an umbrella that both considerations (sacrament/ordinance) may rightly fit under, along with many of the other participations required of the church. Means of grace are divided into works of piety and works of mercy. Works of piety are such actions as prayer, the reading and study of Scripture, the observance of the Lords Supper and Baptism, ordinances, and even ceremonies of the church such as infant dedication, funerals, or weddings. Works of mercy include matters such as caring for widows, feeding the hungry, helping the sick and elderly, ministering to prisoners, and more of that nature.
Whenever these three Scriptural marks are adhered to, it can safely be assumed that a true church is ascribing glory to God in the way that He desires. This is the ultimate end, that all matters participated in by a gathering of believers are aligned with what Scripture requires and in the specific means by which it is required. This is for the blessed purpose of worshipping God in the way He explicitly wills to be worshipped by His people.
CITATIONS:
[1] Edmund P. Clowney, The Church: Contours of Christian Theology (Downers Grove, Illinois: Intervarsity Press, 1995), 101.
[2] Clowney, 16.
[3] 1 Corinthians 11:27-29, 27 Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty concerning the body and blood of the Lord. 28 Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. 29 For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself
[4] Clowney, 101.
[5] See Matthew 18
[6] See 1 Timothy 3:1-13 as well as Titus 1
