The Church is Catholic

In the Nicene Creed we confess that the Church is catholic. We may feel uncomfortable with the term “catholic” because of its connotation with Roman Catholicism. If we confess that the Church is catholic, do we imply a necessary allegiance to the Roman Catholic church and everything it represents? Some churches have updated the creed by replacing the word “catholic” with “Christian;” however, I would argue we don’t need to update the wording, we need to retrieve the meaning.

The word “catholic” carries the idea of wholeness. To say the Church is catholic is to say something about its wholeness, its breadth and depth. Here’s what Cyril of Jerusalem, a pastor in the 4th century, says about the catholicity of the Church in his Catechetical Lectures: “The church is called catholic then because it extends over all the world, from one end of the earth to the other; and because it teaches universally and completely one and all the doctrines which ought to come to men’s knowledge, concerning things both visible and invisible, heavenly and earthly; and because it brings into subjection to godliness the whole race of mankind, governors and governed, learned and unlearned; and because it universally treats and heals the whole class of sins, which are committed by soul or body, and possesses in itself every form of virtue which is named, both in deeds and words, and in every kind of spiritual gift” (Catech. 18.23).

That’s a long sentence. Cyril gives four reasons why the Church is catholic:

(1) “Because it extends over all the world.” The Church is global. It includes people from every tribe, nation, and language (Rom 7:9). Linguistic and ethnic diversity are a mark of the Church (Eph 3:10).

(2) “Because it teaches universally and completely one and all the doctrines which ought to come to men’s knowledge.” The Church both preserves and promotes the whole counsel of God, without addition or subtraction (Acts 20:27; 2 Tim 3:16-17). The Church is catholic because it preaches and teaches the Scriptures, the whole counsel of God.

(3) “Because it brings into subjection to godliness the whole race of mankind, governors and governed, learned and unlearned.” People from every walk of life are brought to repentance and grow in godliness in the Church. The Church is no respecter of persons. Its community compromises men and women from every socio-economic background (Gal 3:27; Col 3:11; 1 Cor 1:26).

(4) “Because it universally treats and heals the whole class of sins, which are committed by soul or body, and possesses in itself every form of virtue which is named, both in deeds and words, and in every kind of spiritual gift.” The whole counsel of God is not only taught, but applied to the whole person and every aspect of life. To be catholic is to be obedient to the whole counsel of God. To be catholic is to be wholly submitted to our Lord Jesus Christ and wholly committed to his service. 

The Church is catholic because it’s global and compromises people from every walk of life who are wholly submitted to the whole counsel of God, wholly serving and growing in Christ.