Subject 12 : The Faith of the Apostles Creed
● Faith in the Holy Catholic Church
The
Apostles’ Creed’s confession of faith “in the Holy Spirit” is followed
by its confession of faith in “the holy catholic Church.” Here, the word
‘catholic’ refers not to the Roman Catholic Church, but to the
universal church of the Lord Jesus Christ.
The
Apostles, who believed in the baptism and blood of Jesus, witnessed
Jesus Christ to many people on the Day of Pentecost. Then, they came to
repent, and also believed in the baptism of Jesus, and become saints,
and thereby the Church was established for the first time. Like this,
those who believe in the works of the Holy Spirit also believe in the
Church, which has been established by these works of the Spirit.
What Kind of Church is God’s Church?
In
the original Scriptural texts, the word “church” is “ἐκκλησία”
(Ekklesia), meaning “the gathering of the called out.” In other words,
this refers to the gathering of those who believe in the baptism and
blood of Jesus, in the truth that He has given them salvation.
God’s
Church is the gathering of those who believe in the truth that Jesus
has saved sinners with the baptism that He received and the blood that
He shed on the Cross. God distinguishes between the Church that He
Himself found and others that have nothing to do with Him. The Church
that was founded by God is one that was established to give the
blessings of the remission of sin to all people. Like this, the Church
founded by God does not teach the ethics and morals of mankind, but it
teaches Jesus’ baptism of the remission of sin, the blood of the Cross,
and salvation. The Lord has therefore permitted His Church to those who
believe in the gospel of the water and the Spirit. Mere mortals cannot
undermine this Church, nor can even Satan prevail against it (Matthew
16:18). God alone rules over His Church, guides it and works in it.
The
gathering of the sinless saints who have been saved by believing in the
gospel of the water and the Spirit is God’s Church (1 Corinthians 1:2),
and it is therefore a place where His special love and protection is
found (Romans 8:35-39). Like this, God blesses those who serve His
Church and punishes those who persecute it.
The
expression “holy Church” implies that all the believers who belong to
the Church are the sinless ones who have received the remission of their
sins by believing in the baptism and blood of Jesus, and the gathering
of such people is called God’s holy Church. Therefore, to take part in God’s holy Church, one must first believe in the gospel of the water and the Spirit.
In
the holy Church, the saints worship God by offering thanks, glory, and
praise to God within the faith that believes in the gospel of the water
and the Spirit, and by believing in His Word.
The
fundamental meaning of the worship that we give to God is to adore Him
by believing in the gospel Word of truth that has saved sinners from all
their sins and iniquities. Only those who believe in the baptism of
Jesus and the blood of the Cross as their own salvation are the true
worshipers to God.
In
God’s Church, the sermons of the gospel of the water and the Spirit are
proclaimed ceaselessly. Therefore, we must give our worship to God with
our faith, within this gospel of the water and the Spirit that is
testified in God’s Church.
The
true worship given to God, therefore, is a worship of individual faith
in the true gospel, not a worship inspired by a religious atmosphere.
The true worshipers always worship God in spirit and in truth (John
4:24). As Hebrews 10:25 states, “Not forsaking the assembling of
ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another,
and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.”
It is by the baptism of Jesus and the blood of the Cross that we are cleansed of all our sins.
Human beings must admit that their existence is, because of their
original and personal sins, like a pile of filthy manure. But even this
filthiness is made clean when covered by snow. Of course, this cannot be
compared with the remission of sins by Jesus Christ: When it comes to
the cleansing of the sins of the world by the work of Jesus, it is more
than enough to blot out even the traces of sins forever while covering
the filthiness by snow is something that is temporary. Likewise, when we
believe in the baptism of Jesus and the blood of the Cross as our own
salvation, we can then become sinless. Because Jesus has already atoned
all our sins with His baptism and His blood of the Cross, and because He
has thus made us righteous, if we only believe in this, we can all
receive the remission of our sins and become righteous. This is why 1
Corinthians 1:2 states, “To the church of God which is at Corinth, to
those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all
who in every place call on the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both
theirs and ours.”
We
believe that we have become righteous by believing in the baptism of
Jesus and the blood of the Cross as the remission of our sins, and that
it is by this faith that we are to enter Heaven. Anyone who believes in
this truth can enter the Kingdom of God, no matter who he/she may be,
whether from the East or the West, man or woman, old or young, rich or
poor, privileged or underprivileged, knowledgeable or ignorant.
A
balloon vendor was floating white balloons into the air. A black girl
approached him and asked, “Can black balloons also float up to the sky?”
The vendor answered, “of course.” Whoever believes in Jesus’ true
gospel can enter Heaven. There is no difference (Romans 3:22; Galatians
3:28). But before God, no one who has sin in his/her heart can ever
ascend to Heaven. Even if one believes in Jesus somehow, if he/she still
has sin, then this person just cannot ascend. However, because God has
already forgiven all the sins of mankind with the gospel of the water
and the Spirit, anyone who knows and believes in Jesus correctly can
enter Heaven. Why? Because he/she no longer has any sin. Anyone who
believes in the baptism that Jesus received from John and the blood of
the Cross as the salvation from all his/her sins can enter Heaven by
faith.
When Jesus takes our souls to Heaven, this is made possible because we have no sin anymore.
Our Lord is omnipotent. So, the beginning, the process, and the result
of His work are all the same. Our deeds are imperfect until the day we
enter His Kingdom. But the works of the Lord, His baptism and the blood
of the Cross, is perfect forever, and have made us holy. This is why
Ephesians 1:4 says, “Just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of
the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in
love,” and 1 Thessalonians 5:23 states, “Now may the God of peace
Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and
body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
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