Lord’s Day 21a; Colossians 1

I BELIEVE AN HOLY CATHOLIC CHURCH

I. The Church

A. The church organism is an object of faith, consisting of all the elect from the beginning to the end of the world.

B. There are three aspects of the church: the church triumphant, the church militant, and the church latent.

C.The church is one, though it appears fragmented, for it is the body of Christ.

II. Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is the Head of the church.

A. The relationship of Christ and the members is extremely close. Jesus is the life of all the members (Gal. 2:20); He lives in

them, and they out of Him (John 15:1-5).

B. The Head gathers, defends, and preserves to Himself this church by His Word and Spirit.

1. Jesus knows whom God has elected and those for whom He died, so them He gathers and preserves them.

2. And He preserves them by His Word, speaking as the Shepherd

C.The result of Jesus’ gathering, defending, and preserving is the visible manifestation of the church in the institute found in

particular places (I Cor. 1:2).

III. Four implications.

A. First, it is important to be have membership in the local church.

B. The church and her members must live in the consciousness of their total dependence on Christ, the Head.

C.Jesus works all things in the history of the world “to the church,” i.e., for the sake of His church (Eph. 1:22).

D.The members have the assurance that they are and forever shall remain living members thereof.