One Church

These are notes from a lecture by John Martignoni of the Bible Christian Society. This CD is one of many that are available free at www.biblechristiansociety.com - just pay $1 each for shipping!

Did Jesus mean for there to be 20,000+ churches and denominations?

John 14:6 Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but by Me.
Truth is a person, not some enigmatic concept. We need to know HIM if we're to reach Heaven.

John 8:31-32 So Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, "If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; 32and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free."

John 18:37 Therefore Pilate said to Him, "So You are a king?" Jesus answered, "You say correctly that I am a king For this I have been born, and for this I have come into the world, to testify to the truth Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice."

We need to know the Truth in order to come to the Father, be made free, hear the voice of Jesus, to be saved, to reach Heaven. Where do we find the Truth? Of course, we say "Pray to the Holy Spirit for guidance before reading Scripture."

Romans 2:25 For indeed circumcision is of value if you practice the Law; but if you are a transgressor of the Law, your circumcision has become uncircumcision.
Romans 3:1-2 Then what advantage has the Jew? Or what is the benefit of circumcision? 2 Great in every respect.

Circumcision has a great benefit?

Galatians 5:2 Behold I, Paul, say to you that if you receive circumcision, Christ will be of no benefit to you.

Romans 3:27-28 Where then is boasting? It is excluded By what kind of law? Of works? No, but by a law of faith. 28For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from works of the Law.

We are not justified by works - or are we?

James 2:17 Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself.

James 2:24 You see that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone.

Works or no works? Circumcision or uncircumcision? Which does the Bible teach???

Leviticus 3:1-4 1'Now if his offering is a sacrifice of peace offerings, if he is going to offer out of the herd, whether male or female, he shall offer it without defect before the LORD. 2'He shall lay his hand on the head of his offering and slay it at the doorway of the tent of meeting, and Aaron's sons the priests shall sprinkle the blood around on the altar. 3'From the sacrifice of the peace offerings he shall present an offering by fire to the LORD, the fat that covers the entrails and all the fat that is on the entrails, 4and the two kidneys with the fat that is on them, which is on the loins, and the lobe of the liver, which he shall remove with the kidneys.

Colossians 1:24 Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I do my share on behalf of His body, which is the church, in filling up what is lacking in Christ's afflictions.

Paul says that he completes in his flesh what is lacking in Christ's afflictions???? Christ did not do everything that needed to be done? Is that right? Is this true? We cannot just pick up the Bible and start reading it and expect to come to a knowledge of the truth that is necessary for our salvation. Nowhere does the Bible say that WE are infallible interpreters. In fact:

2 Peter 3:16 as also in all his(Paul's) letters, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which the untaught and unstable distort[twist], as they do also the rest of the Scriptures, to their own destruction.

Peter is telling these people, who are strong in the faith, that there are things in Paul's letters that are difficult to understand. How can he say that if we are perfectly guided by the Holy Spirit? They were Not evil, ungodly people, but untaught and unstable because they disregarded the apostles' doctrine and come to their own conclusions. These people didn't KNOW they were unlearned or ignorant of the Scriptures, they read them and used "their personal interpretation" to their own destruction, while thinking they knew the truth. They thought they didn't need to listed to Peter or Paul, they were fine reading Scripture on their own. Everyone reading Scripture for themselves (Individual Soul Liberty) to decide what they believe is NOT Scriptural!!!

There is dispute about Scriptural truth even among the most learned scholars. How then can an ordinary person w/o Greek or Hebrew be expected to know the Truth?

2 Peter 1:20 But know this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture is a matter of one's own interpretation, 21for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.

Acts 8:27-31 So he got up and went; and there was an Ethiopian eunuch, a court official of Candace (queen) of the Ethiopians, who was in charge of all her treasure; and he had come to Jerusalem to worship, 28and he was returning and sitting in his chariot, and was reading the prophet Isaiah. 29Then the Spirit said to Philip, "Go up and join this chariot." 30Philip ran up and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet, and said, "Do you understand what you are reading?" 31And he said, "Well, how could I, unless someone guides me?" And he invited Philip to come up and sit with him.

An educated, intelligent Ethiopian Jew, Secretary of the Treasury for the queen, needs guidance to understand Scripture.

This does NOT mean don't read the Bible, or that you won't EVER come to some knowledge of the truth by reading Scripture on your own, just that there ARE things that are hard to understand. Nowhere does the Bible say that the Holy Spirit will guide us into an infallible interpretation of EVERY passage of Scripture. If that were true, why go to seminary to learn Scripture? Can seminary teach you something that the Holy Spirit cannot? We MUST have a guide to properly understand/interpret Scripture.

WHO can guide us accurately? The early Christians had the apostles and those appointed by the apostles. Not just in interpreting Scriptures, but living out their faith daily. Do such men exist today? Where do we find them?

I Corinthians 12:28 And God has appointed in the church, first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, administrations, various kinds of tongues.

I Timothy 3:15 but in case I am delayed, I write so that you will know how one ought to conduct himself in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and support (bullwark) of the truth.

Scripture confirms for us that it is in The Church that we will find the truth. Most Christians will say the Bible is the pillar and support (bullwark) of the truth, but the Bible says the CHURCH is. What does a pillar do? Holds things up! What does a bullwark do? Protects and defends! The CHURCH upholds, protects and defends the TRUTH.

So we should check the Yellow Pages to find where The Church is. Depending on your area, you could have thousands of possible choices. Which church do I go to? Are they all the same? Is one better than the other? This is a VERY SERIOUS PROBLEM. How are we to know the Truth if we don't know for sure where to look for it?

Did Jesus Christ want Christianity to be divided into 25-30,000 churches and denominations? The situation we are in today tells us one of three possible things:

1) Jesus established more than one church
Did He? NO!!
Matthew 16:18 And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church, (singular)
John 10:16 I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold. These also I must lead, and they will hear my voice, and there will be one flock, one shepherd.

The Church is the Body of Christ.
Ephesians 1:22-23 And he (God the Father) put all things beneath his (Jesus) feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, 23 which is his body, the fullness of the one who fills all things in every way.
Colossians 1:18 He is the head of the body, the church. (this is repeated in verse 24)

How many bodies are there? ONE BODY OF CHRIST.

Ephesians 2:15-16 abolishing the law with its commandments and legal claims, that he might create in himself one new person in place of the two, thus establishing peace, 16 and might reconcile both with God, in one body, through the cross, putting that enmity to death by it.
Ephesians 4:4 one body and one Spirit, as you were also called to the one hope of your call;

Since the church is the (singular) body of Christ, we must conclude that there is ONE Church.


2) Jesus established one invisible abstract spiritual church, to which all belong regardless of denomination, which means: a)doctrine does NOT matter and b)it is acceptable to have conflicting and contradictory doctrines.

None of the churches who teach about an invisible church make the claim that their gathering is THE Church. Individually, members of any denomination belong to the One Church, but the denomination itself is NOT. The Church is bigger than denominations. There is no ONE church that you can call THE Church that you can physically go to, according to this view. Did Jesus establish an invisible, abstract church? Again, NO!!!

John 17:21 that they may all be one, as you, Father, are in me and I in you, that they also may be in us, that the world may believe that you sent me.
Jesus prays for unity that the world can SEE! The world CANNOT see invisible unity, because it sees 25,000+ divisions, it does not see unity.

v 23 ...I in them and you in me, that they may be brought to perfection as one, that the world may know that you sent me.
Obviously Jesus isn't talking about invisible, spiritual unity. It has to be unity that the world can see! Jesus was not just praying for his apostles here, as some might think.

John 17:20 "I pray not only for them, but also for those who will believe in me through their word,
The Unity of Christians is proof for the world that He was sent by the Father. The world is only able to see the visible. The world does not have spiritual eyes, so there MUST be one visible church.

Matthew 5:14 You are the light of the world. A city set on a mountain cannot be hidden.
Matthew 18:15-17 If your brother sins (against you), go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have won over your brother.
16 If he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, so that 'every fact may be established on the testimony of two or three witnesses.'
17 If he refuses to listen to them, tell the church. 14 If he refuses to listen even to the church, then treat him as you would a Gentile or a tax collector. (Don't associate with him)

If the church is spiritual/invisible, where can we go to fulfill this passage from Scripture? How do we decide what is or is not true, is or is not morally right, when it's so easy to find a church that will support, for example, your decision to have an abortion. Who decides what is good or bad doctrine? Who speaks for the Church? How does the Church function as the pillar and bullwark of the Truth? Does everyone claim to speak authoritatively for Truth? Each individual Protestant pastor is a Pope unto himself, deciding what is or is not good for his personal flock.

On average 5 new denonimations form world-wide each WEEK. Believers from all denominations, according to this view, are all in the ONE TRUE church, no matter how different their doctrines are; SO, either doctrine doesn't matter, or it's okay to have conflicting and contradictory doctrines. (infant vs believer's baptism, symbolic vs sacramental)

1 Timothy 1:3 I repeat the request I made of you when I was on my way to Macedonia, that you stay in Ephesus to instruct certain people not to teach false doctrines
1 Timothy 4:1 Now the Spirit explicitly says that in the last times some will turn away from the faith by paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons
Ephesians 4:14 so that we may no longer be infants, tossed by waves and swept along by every wind of doctrine arising from human trickery, from their cunning in the interests of deceitful scheming.
Titus 1:9 holding fast to the true message as taught so that he will be able both to exhort with sound doctrine and to refute opponents.

Doctrine IS VERY IMPORTANT in the Church that Jesus Christ founded.

They won't say it explicitly, but a lot of Christians believe that it is acceptable to have conflicting doctrines. "Well, even though we disagree on some of the non-essential doctrine, but we agree on essential doctrine" Sounds good, right? Open your Bible. WHICH doctrines does the Word say are essential/non-essential? That table/index does not exist. So who is deciding? It's simply a way to justify contradictory and conflicting doctrine and not make an attempt at total reconciliation.

Matthew 4:4 He(Jesus) said in reply, "It is written: 'One does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes forth from the mouth of God.'"
Doctrines are the revelations of God. They are ALL essential.

Matthew 5:18-19 Amen, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or the smallest part of a letter will pass from the law, until all things have taken place. Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do so will be called least in the kingdom of heaven. But whoever obeys and teaches these commandments will be called greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

John 14:26 The Advocate (Counselor), the holy Spirit that the Father will send in my name--he will teach you everything and remind you of all that (I) told you.

John 16:13 But when he comes, the Spirit of truth, he will guide you to all truth. He will not speak on his own, but he will speak what he hears, and will declare to you the things that are coming. (Are there changing, differing and conflicting truths??)

Malachi 3:6 Surely I, the LORD, do not change

If the Lord does not change, if the apostles were guided into all truth, if the Holy Spirit taught them ALL things and reminded them of what Jesus taught them, there can be NO contradictions in doctrines.

John 8:32 ...and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.
If there is conflicting and contradictory doctrine, how can you KNOW what is the truth? And if you don't know the truth, how can you be set free?

Jesus founded ONE, and only One Visible Church. It cannot be an abstract, spiritual church. It cannot be an invisible church where doctrine is irrelevant, or contradictory doctrine is acceptable. It must be a concrete visible, physical, tangible Church. A Church which, like its founder, has a body.

We're left with only one option:
3) Jesus established one VISIBLE church, in which doctrine matters and in which there can be NO conflicting doctrine, and this church would HAVE to contain the FULLNESS of Truth, as revealed by God. Other churches/denominations would have, at best, only partial truth.

Ephesians 1:22-23 And he (God the Father) put all things beneath his (Jesus) feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, 23 which is his body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.
The church is the FULLNESS of Jesus Christ. This One Church has unity in doctrine, and in faith and morals.

Acts 4:32 The community of believers was of one heart and soul,
I Corinthians 1:10 I urge you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree in what you say, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and in the same purpose.
Philippians 1:27 Only, conduct yourselves in a way worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that, whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear news of you, that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind struggling together for the faith of the gospel,

Faith of the gospel, not faiths. One Faith.

John 17:22-23 And I have given them the glory you gave me, so that they may be one, as we are one, 23 I in them and you in me, that they may be brought to perfection as one, that the world may know that you sent me, and that you loved them even as you loved me.

Jesus PRAYS that we will be ONE as He and the Father are ONE. Do you think Jesus and His Father ever disagree on any doctrine? Of course not!

We know that there is One visible Church, that has the fullness of truth, doctrine is VERY improtant, its members must not have conflicting and contradictory doctrines under the same roof.

I Corinthians 12:28 And God has appointed in the church, first apostles, second prophets, third teachers

The leaders of this One Church should be able to historically trace their authority all the way back to Jesus and His apostles. They cannot stand on the Bible as giving them their authority, as it does not have THEIR name in it stating that they have the authority to teach from it. If you're a pastor, teaching your congregation that the Bible is the sole rule of faith, teaching them what doctrines to accept or reject, then the Bible ought to have your name in it, telling people you have the authority to be teaching these things.

This One Church should claim to teach infallibly in matters of faith and morals. Wouldn't Jesus' church claim to speak infallibility on His behalf in areas of faith and morals?

This One Church should claim to be The Church founded by Jesus Christ - wouldn't the one founded by Christ KNOW that it was founded by Christ? And wouldn't it need to be about 2000 years old?

If anyone is in a church that divides doctrine up into essentials and non-essentials, so that it can claim to get along with other churches that do the same; or you're in a church that does NOT claim to be The Church founded by Jesus Christ, or doesn't claim to still have apostles, or whose leaders do not claim to be infallible when speaking on matters of faith and morals on behalf of Jesus Christ, or a church that claims that it is only one aspect of the spiritual, invisible church that is "out there somewhere." If you're in a church that is NOT 2000 years old, that was founded by a man or group of men rather than Jesus Christ, you might very well have some thinking and praying to do.

"But my pastor is a good, holy man; you can see the Spirit moving when he gives his sermons, and when he preaches, it's from the Word of God and ONLY the Word of God." That's all well and good, BUT don't you think almost everyone else in 25,000+ denominations would say the same about their pastor? Every pastor in every Protestant church claims to go by Scripture Alone, with the guidance of the Holy Spirit - Can they all be right in their interpretations of Scripture, even when those interpretations contradict one another? God does not give contradictory interpretations of His Word! Therefore, all the ministers of these 25,000+ churches and denominations are WRONG at least SOME of the time in their interpretation of Scripture. We need to constantly be in prayer for these ministers!

Again: Where can we go to for Truth? Where do we find the Truth that will make us free? The Church, the One, Visible, doctrinally consistent, 2000 year-old Church, which claims to be the one founded by Jesus Christ. If the church you're in does not claim all of these things for itself, then perhaps a long, hard, prayerful look at the Roman Catholic Church is in order. The Roman Catholic Church at least claims to be all of these things and more. Upon close examination, She can back up all of the claims She makes.

One Church. One Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church.