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"It is impossible to preserve for all time the Church of apostolic times". So say many Christians today. I believe that many of us, if not all of us, in the United Church, can support that statement. We believe that a Church which remained the same in form as the original primitive Church throughout the changes of nearly two thousand years, would be a static entity incapable of influencing for the good the life of the world.
Changing circumstances must result in changing patterns within the life and witness of the Church. Yet in spite of changes in form, the structure brought about by change must be reared on the foundation given by Christ. If the Church is to remain true to Her Lord, there are certain test marks, traditionally called the "Notes of the Church", which must be clearly recognizable as she pursues her mission in the world. The Church, therefore, must be identified by the "Marks" or "Notes" of Unity, Holiness, Catholicity, and Apostolicity.
This does not mean that these marks are always obvious to those who are not members of the Church, but that, rightly understood, they can be discerned by spiritual minds whenever that body is extended. It must be recognized also that no part of the Church reveals the "Notes" adequately except in relation to the whole of which it is a part.
THE UNITY OF THE CHURCH:
The Unity of the Church is founded on Jesus Christ. He is the centre of the community which must confess everywhere that He is Lord and Saviour. He is the Head who holds the body together, and therefore is the source of its unity.
Despite the differences within the Church, it is still unquestionably right to speak of its unity. St. Paul made this very clear to the Church at Corinth when he wrote: "One of you says, 'I follow Paul'; another, 'I follow Apollos'; another, 'I follow Cephas'; still another, 'I follow Christ'. Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you?" (I Corinthians 1: 12-13). He also spoke similarly to the Ephesian Church: "There is one body and one Spirit-as you were called to one hope when you were called-one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all" (Ephesians 4: 4- 6).
There can never be more than one Body of Christ (the Church) on earth - one chosen people, one Bride. The One Church is that which was founded upon the apostles and prophets. There exist in the church of today various denominations and congregations, humanly arranged for convenience in ecclesiastical government, and in accordance with the preservation of fctith and the Principles of Order, which Christ revealed.
Today, while it is not the purpose of the World Council of Churches to negotiate union between the various Churches, this body has as one of its chief aims to put the Churches into living contact with one another, and to start the process by which discussion and research into the pursuit of Church unity can be made.
It is inspiring to note that all the member Churches of this World Council believe, on the basis of the Witness of the New Testament, that the Church of Christ is one. In short, the Churches of the World Council form a disunited plurality of Churches, all of which are seeking unity of the one Church.
It is with this hope that we await the day when "we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God" (Ephesians 4:1 3). Not a unity that destroys or stifles creativity, but a diversity in unity which respects the principles of freedom and responsibility, and which can contribute to the harmonious working of a healthy body.
THE HOLINESS OF THE CHURCH:
The Holiness of the Church is not due to the moral and spiritual qualities of its members, nor does it stem from their discipline and religious behavior. The Church as a corporate body is holy in respect of its vocation and function as a royal priesthood. It is God who makes the Church holy by calling its members together with this holy calling: "You are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation" (I Peter 2:9).
The members of the Church are themselves totally in need of justification and sanctification. Because they have responded to the call of the Holy Son of God, whose name they bear, whose Spirit guides and empowers their witness, and whose purpose they are to fulfill in the world, they are called to be holy as He is holy: "He who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: 'Be holy, because I am holy"' (I Peter 1: 15-16).
The Holiness of the Church, therefore, is due to the fact that by nature it is the Body of Christ, and participant in His holiness. Its membership consists of those who have been consecrated to God, rather than those who have become perfect. Its function is to be the means of gathering together sinful human beings in order that they may be fitted in righteousness for the fellowship with God to which they are called.
The Church can never separate itself from the rest of the world in such a way as to avoid contamination with earthly things. God calls the Church to the work of Jesus Christ in the world, and in co-operating with Him, the members become progressively like Him. Thus the members of the Church are called "fellow workers with God" in His work of reconciliation.
CATHOLICITY
The 'catholic' Church means the Universal Church or the Church spread over the whole world. This emphasizes that the Church is for all peoples everywhere. It means also that the Church must be an open rather than a closed community. Through its catholic outreach, it abolishes all divisive schemes, all barriers that separate peoples, and proclaims with Paul the Apostle- "There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Jesus Christ" (Galatians 3:28).
The catholic Church is meant to embrace all nations. The command of Jesus Christ to His disciples is: "Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations" (Matthew 28:19) and everywhere to nourish in the members of the Church all Christian graces that Christ might "present her to himself a radiant Church" (Ephesians 5:27). Since no other body has received this authority, the Church's mission is exclusive. It does not recognize the work of other bodies as a substitute for its work in making disciples. Its field is the world.
In the primitive and early Church, the word catholic was used to distinguish between what was orthodox and what was heretical in doctrine. Today, it should refer to the authentic faith of the Church to which the New Testament testifies; that all things pertaining to the Church must be interpreted in the light of the Person and Work of Jesus Christ, and of the love of God, the Father and of the enabling power of the Holy Spirit.
THE APOSTOLICITY OF THE CHURCH
This refers to its uninterrupted continuity in the Apostles' teaching and its identity with the Church that was established by Christ and His Apostles. The first preacher! of the gospel were the apostles. The message that the) proclaimed (the gospel of Jesus Christ) and our response ol faith in Christ, is the rock-like foundation on which the Church rests.
The apostolicity of the Church appears also in the apostoli( form of worship, which continues (in every congregation ol the United Church) along the same fundamental structure and outline that it had in the early days. In spite of the
many changes in terminology required by the passage of to time and circumstance", the Church's faith is shown to be fully in accord with the apostolic faith. The United Church's life, therefore, continues to be directed by the basic and determinative elements of the Church's faith and order, which are apostolic.
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