The discussions of unity in 1 Corinthians 12 and Ephesians 2, 4, both mention church officers, but as gifts to his church that is one (1 Corinthians 12:28-30; Ephesians 4:11-16). Nothing in these texts suggests that the officers constitute the unity as Rome believes. Rather, officers serve the one church. In 1 Timothy 3:1-13, which gives qualifications for officers, nothing points in a different direction. If anything, it indicates that the church as household of God already exists, and the way to behave in it is to appoint qualified officers (3:14-15). Similar in Titus 1:5-9. Obviously, it would be impossible to express our unity without believers being brought together in institutional structures. But a single, worldwide body is not necessary for such unity. Christians and churches can express much unity across ecclesiastical lines. We can and do participate in each others’ sacraments, etc.

Having considered the marks of the church, we now move on to consider the attributes of the church.  

There are four classical attributes of the church as expressed in the Nicene Creed which are held in common by all major Christian traditions.  These are:  1).  Unity, 2).  Holiness, 3).  Catholicity, and 4).  Apostolicity.  The Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, and Reformation churches all confess these same attributes, yet understand them in fundamentally different ways.  The Lutherans, for example, add “invisibility” to the four marks expressed above as a polemic against Rome’s claim of the visibility of the true church (Rome claims to be the true church because of its visibility).[1]

James Bannerman, a Scottish Presbyterian, who wrote what many consider to be the definitive volume on Presbyterian polity (The Church of Christ) offers a number of reasons why discussing the marks of the church should be done before considering the attributes of the church.  He lists the four attributes of “Unity, Sanctity, Catholicity, and Apostolicity.”  But then notes that these “belong . . . to the Christian Church, in consequence of the Church holding and professing the true faith of Christ.”[1]  Herman Bavinck also considers the marks before addressing the church’s attributes since, as he contends, it is important to distinguish a true church from a false church since this determination defines how we are to understand the attributes of the church.[2]

As some Reformed theologians point out, the classical attributes are not merely descriptive but also function as exhortations.  According to Heyns, unity, holiness, catholicity, and apostolicity “provide, not only a factual description of the current situation, but also a factual command:  they set the ideals to be realized, the objectives for which the Church must strive.  They are both a gift and a mandate.”  Heyns also adds that these attributes are to be viewed in terms of the already/not yet.[4]  As attributes of the church militant, they point ahead to the church triumphant in which all four attributes will be fully realized.

The seminal biblical text when discussing the attributes of the church is 1 Corinthians 1:1–2.  Paul opens the letter with an important declaration about the nature of the church.

I Paul, called by the will of God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus, and our brother Sosthenes, To the church of God that is in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints together with all those who in every place call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours.

First, Paul speaks of unity as an attribute of the church when he identifies the church in Corinth as a “church of God,” composed of those who are called together with all who call on the name of the Lord Jesus.  Second, Paul identifies holiness as an attribute.  Paul says the Corinthians are the sanctified but also called to be holy.  This speaks both of the church’s status (holy) but also the importance of reflecting such holiness in the life of the church (aspirational).  Third, Paul speaks of the church’s catholicity.  The apostle declares that the Corinthian Christians are called together with all those who in every place call on the name of Christ.  Finally, Paul speaks of the church’s apostolicity–they are authoritatively addressed by Paul, who was called by the will of God to be an apostle.

The First Attribute in the Creed: Unity

Roman Catholicism understands unity in terms of the church as an external, visible organization united in the Pope.  “Where the Pope is, there is the church” (ubi papa ibi ecclesia).  Also, “where the Pope is, there is the true church, pure doctrine, and apostolic succession.”[5]  In Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger’s Called to Communion, the second chapter begins with Ratzinger (later Pope Benedict XVI) connecting the primacy of Peter with the unity of the church.  That is not accidental.  At the end of the chapter he states: “The Roman primacy is not an invention of the popes, but an essential element of ecclesial unity that goes back to the Lord and was developed faithfully in the nascent Church.”[6]

The Eastern Orthodox understand unity in terms of visible communion of the saints in the Eucharist.  Timothy (Kallistos) Ware (an Anglican convert to Eastern Orthodoxy) writes:

In its teaching upon the visible unity of the Church, Orthodoxy stands far closer to Roman Catholicism than to the Protestant world.  But if we ask how this visible unity is maintained, Rome and the east give somewhat different answers.  For Rome the unifying principle in the Church is the Pope whose jurisdiction extends over the whole body, whereas Orthodox do not believe any bishop to be endowed with universal jurisdiction.  What then holds the Church together? Orthodox answer, the act of communion in the sacraments . . . . The Church is not monarchical in structure, centered round a single hierarch; it is collegial, formed by the communion of many hierarchs with one another, and of each hierarch with the members of his flock.  The act of communion therefore forms the criterion for membership of the Church. 

Ware concludes that “Orthodoxy, believing that the Church on earth has remained and must remain visibly one, naturally also believes itself to be that one visible Church. [7]

The Reformed Understanding of the Attribute of Unity

The Reformed understand the attribute of unity in terms of both the invisible and visible church.  Members of the invisible church enjoy common union with Christ, by one Spirit, through one faith, hope, and love (cf. Ephesians 4:5-6).  God calls Christians to strive to give expression to this unity visibly, in part, but not exclusively, through external organization.  The Belgic Confession, Article 27 (of the Catholic Christian Church), states “We believe and confess One single catholic or universal church—a holy congregation and gathering of true Christian believers, awaiting their entire salvation in Jesus Christ being washed by his blood, and sanctified and sealed by the Holy Spirit.”  Throughout article 27, the Belgic Confession speaks of the church in the singular.  The article concludes by confessing that the church is “joined and united in heart and will, in one and the same Spirit, by the power of faith.”

In regard to the invisible church, Bannerman writes that the unity which is characteristic of the church is “a spiritual unity.” 

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