The Church
… I believe in the holy catholic Church ...
What actually is Church? Why is it ‘holy’ and ‘catholic’? Can you be a Christian without going to Church?
The Church Holy
In Greek the word for holy is hagios, which basically means different. That which is holy is different from ordinary things. So the Sabbath day is different from other days; the Temple is different from other buildings; the Bible is different from other books. Hence, they are called holy as is the church placed squarely in the middle of the human situation.
The Church Catholic
Catholic in Greek is katholikos meaning general or universal. So then the Church is universal. As Paul wrote to the Colossians, Here there is no Greek or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all and is in all (3.11). In its very essence the Church should be the one organisation in which there are no barriers of race, social status, party or sect. Indeed the condemnations of sects and heresies within the Church is not so much that they are theologically unsound, but that their exclusiveness can split the Church. A Church that is less than universal is a contradiction in terms.
The Church Alive
The Church has its background in both the Hebrew Old Testament and the Greek New Testament, culminating in the ekklesia or Church consisting of those who having accepted the invitation and command of God, given in Jesus Christ, to come to him. Now, ekklesia can refer to the whole Church of which Christ is the Head, it can be used to describe the various congregations of the Church, and it can be used to describe a body of Christian people meeting together for worship. It is within the Church that the story of Jesus Christ and the Christian faith are preserved.
The Body of Christ
The Church has many titles, but the greatest of all is the Body of Christ and as Paul wrote in his letter to the Church in Rome, Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all others. We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. (12.4-6).
Christian without Church?
The Church has progressed from communities meeting in homes to those worshipping in buildings specifically built to the glory of God. It has been through churches that the faith has been passed down from age to age. However, this has not always been without disagreement, leading some to ask, Can’t I be a Christian without going to church? These are sincere people who feel they cannot remain associated with much that goes on in the name of Christianity. However, if we acknowledge the gradual unfolding revelation of God in the Old and New Testaments leading us to a greater fullness of life, we must believe that we are called to remain until someone kicks us out. Church satisfies our need for corporate worship and provides opportunities to share our views with others. Christianity is essentially about relationships. We need to be able to share our faith and our doubts with each other without embarrassment. Stay in there.
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