We are now to discuss the first article of the last part of our Confession. The Articles 27-37 deal with the doctrine of the church, and each of those eleven articles deals with a different aspect. Article 27 speaks about the essence of the church; Article 28 speaks about the members of the church; Article 29 speaks about the marks or the characteristics of the church; Articles 30-32 speak about the government of the church; Articles 33-35 speak about the sacraments of the church; Article 36 speaks about the calling of the government in regard to the church; and Article 37 speaks about the blessed future, the destination of the church and the doctrine of the last things, which we call eschatology. In these articles we hope to hear much about God's care for His church, in the past, but also today.

The word church (in the Scottish language, kirk, and in the Dutch, kerk comes from the Greek word kuriake, which comes from kurios, which means Lord; kuriake means "that which belongs to the Lord." So our word church is derived from a precious word. When we speak about the church, we do not speak about bricks and stones and buildings, but about that which belongs to the Lord. When 1 Corinthians 11:20 speaks about the Lord's Supper, one finds the same word, kuriake; and when Revelation 1:10 speaks about the Lord's Day, the day which belongs to the Lord, the same word is used.

Another word for church which is often used is ecclesia, and one recog­nizes this in the word ecclesiology. Ecclesia is composed of two parts: the first part, ec, means out of and clesia comes from the word which means called. So ecclesia means that which is called out of. When elections are held, we are required to go on a certain date to the buildings where voting takes place. An announcement of this is made many weeks ahead of time. But in the Greek world, when there was an official announcement, the people were called by town criers, who went through the town and called the people together to the market place. Those who had voting rights – there were many slaves without these rights – that certain class of people was called out of the entire city and assembled before the city officials to hear and to make decisions. So they were "called out of" and they were the ecclesia.

Now the Lord calls His congregation the ecclesia, which means those who are "called out of," called out of this world, out of the race of Adam, out of fallen, sinful mankind, out of people who have lost the image of God. Out of that race and out of all nations, kindred, and tongues, the Lord calls together an assembly, just as they called people together at the market place. He calls them together as an ecclesia, as a congregation.

These words, kuriake and ecclesia, are the two main words used in the New Testament for the church. In the Old Testament we also find certain words which mean more or less the same. The main word is kahal; this also comes from calling, or to call, so it has more or less the same meaning – those who are called. Another word is edhah, which means to appoint or to meet or to come together at an appointed place. Thus the Old Testament words also point in the same direction. The people were to come together at an appointed place – we could call it the market place, as the ecclesia came together in the market place. In the Old Testament there were the kahal, the people called together to an assembly, a congregation. So you see that our words have a biblical foundation. A "congregation" thus means that which is called together, an assembly; and "church," that which belongs to the Lord.

There are more words in the Bible which indicate the church of God. For instance, the "temple of the Holy Spirit" is also an expression which is often used. God compares His church to a temple, or to a house, the house of God. For instance, in 1 Corinthians 3:16 the Lord speaks of that spiritual temple: "Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?" Another word is "body," the body of Christ, or "Jerusalem that is above" (Galatians 4:26), or "the heavenly Jerusalem" (Hebrews 12:22; Revelation 21:2,9,10). God also calls His church a pillar and ground of the truth (1 Timothy 3:15). Sometimes the church is called the wife, the bride of the Lamb, and it is often called a little flock. There are many more names for it, but these are the most familiar and the most frequently occurring ones.

Article 27 speaks of the essence of the church of God. It says that "we believe and profess one holy catholic or universal church." It does not say that we believe in a holy catholic universal church. In the twelve Articles we read, "I believe in God, the Father; I believe in the Son; and I believe in the Holy Spirit"; but we do not read, "I believe in a holy catholic church." The Roman Catho­lic Church believes in the church. For them the church is a kind of media­tor between God and the people, the only way to God, especially by means of the priesthood, which dispenses salvation through the sacraments. The priests are the mediators between God and the people, and these people are entirely dependent upon them, for salvation can be distributed only by the priests through the sacraments.

But what does God's Word say about the church? We believe that the church of God has two aspects. One aspect of the church is the visible, and the other, the invisible side of the church. We also speak of the church militant and the church triumphant. When we speak about these two aspects of the church, the visible and the invisible, then we know that Rome has put all the emphasis on the visible church. The church, as she is gathered around the sacraments, and as she is subject to the power of the hierarchy of the priests, is the visible church. Rome believes in an infal­lible, hierarchical church, a special priesthood which dispenses that salvation.

Luther, and also Calvin, believed that the emphasis must be on the invisible side, since this is the real church. The invisible church is the church which is professed in this article – a holy congregation of true Christian believers. That is the church of God. We see the visible church as it comes together under the ministry of the Word and sacra­ments, but only the Lord knows who really belong to this church of God. We cannot, with certainty at least, discern who belong to the catholic Christian church. Therefore we say that the church is invisible. Only the Lord knows the hearts, although "the tree can be known by its fruits," as the Lord Jesus says.

It is possible that we see some fruits and say, "That is the work of the Lord; that is how the Lord leads His church." We may sometimes have contact and feel that it is a work of God. The old believers sometimes said, "It can be three ways. It can be that you meet and talk together and you feel contact in your heart. You cannot make this; the Lord makes it; the Lord gives something which impresses your heart. It can also be that you say, 'Maybe. It could be; I cannot judge it.' But there are also occasions when you say, 'This is not it.'" The church of God is invisible in its essence, but visible in its manifestation.

This church is therefore one church with two aspects. There are not two different churches; they are together in one tent, as Isaac and Ishmael were together in one tent; but as Calvin also says, "the time will come when the Lord will cast Ishmael out of the tent." Here we may live together, may be under the same means, and may sometimes even partake of the same sacraments. But there is a time when the separation will be seen. The Lord sees the separation; it is not invisible for Him, even though it is for us. It is one church with two aspects.

This church has also two parts. There is a part, and that is growing, in heaven. That is the church trium­phant. The church militant is the church on earth. It is the part which is still fighting against the three-headed enemy. Are you a soldier in that church militant? These are all soldiers with broken legs, with broken arms, and crippled. You would say, "What must a captain do with such soldiers?" When a person goes into military service, he first is given a thorough medical examination; and if he is approved, he may join. But these soldiers of the church militant have also had their examination, and they are all failures, all unfit; yet they may fight under the Banner. They lose the battle so often, and they are defeated so many times; yet they will be more than conquerors in Him who gives them strength.

The Westminster Catechism says of this church, "The church invisible consists of the whole number of the elect that have been, are, or shall be gathered into one under Christ, the Head thereof; and is the spouse, the body, the fulness of Him who filleth all in all." Here we read, "We believe and profess one catholic or universal church." One church! That church does not need to be made one; it does not need to be joined together by the efforts of man; but that church is one. There is but one church, one living church, for that church has one Head. A head does not have four or five bodies. The body of Christ is one, though the visible manifestation of it can be divided. There are sad separations between God's children who belong to that one church. They are sometimes members of various denominations, and church walls may separate them, but this one body is a living organization; it is not just a collection of individuals put together without connection. No; it is an organism. The finger is not just there and the toes elsewhere; the body is joined together. The members of this body all have contact with the Head, and they all are joined by the same bond to the Head of that body. It is a living organism – the church is one.

We read in the Song of Solomon 6:9, "My dove, My undefiled is but one." I hope you may feel that; I hope it may be experienced. In Ephesians 4:4 we read, "There is one body and one Spirit." The visible church is divided; that is true, and it ought to be a cause of deep grief to all who love this body and who belong to Him.

This is a Catholic Church, which is not the name of the Romish Church, but the name of the true church, consisting of the true believ­ers of all ages, places, and nations. The word catholic simply means universal. The church of God as it is all over the world, in all nations and all tongues, is catholic.

It is also a holy church, a holy congregation. Our confession says they are holy because they are washed in the blood of Christ. In Him they are without spot or wrinkle. They are also holy because they are set apart. The word holy in the Bible often means being placed apart for a certain purpose, a holy purpose, dedicated, a being put aside for a certain sacred goal. This church of God is set apart. We read in Numbers 23:9, "The people shall dwell alone." We read in Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress that when the travellers to the Celestial City came to Vanity Fair, where there was all idolatry and vanity, they were recognized. How? Well, their clothes were different. This does not mean that if one is dressed in a certain colour then he makes his child-ship public and shows he is a child of God. No, it must be shown by the apparel of our lives, which includes also modesty and simplicity, according to God's Word. God's people should be known by their walk, their talk, and their clothing, in simplicity, and not in following the fashions of the world, not in luxury, highmindedness, and pride. It is a holy church, separated from the world.

The one, catholic, holy church is a church of all "Christian believers, all expecting their salvation in Jesus Christ." All those true Christians (and the marks of who these are will be mentioned in Article 29) expect their salvation in Jesus Christ. This means that they all have learned that they are lost and that they need to be saved. They have also learned by grace that they cannot save them­selves, that from their side this is absolutely hopeless. But the Lord has revealed unto them when they were lost that He Himself has provided the Lamb, the Savior. All these (the one with a weak faith, another with a strong faith, or one with an assured knowledge of it) are longing, hoping, waiting, hungering, thirsting for the same Savior, for the same Jesus. Oh, should you look in their hearts, they would all have the same hope. Who is their hope? It is Jesus; it is Christ. Oh, that does not mean they all dare to say, "He is my Savior, and He is my Redeemer"; but they all say, "To whom shall I go? Thou alone canst save me. If Thou wilt, Thou canst make me clean." Some may also say, "He has made me clean." That is what all God's people will seek after and long to be able to say, "Being washed by His blood, sanctified and sealed by the Holy Ghost." So they have salvation; they are justified in Him, but they are also sanctified and sealed by the Holy Ghost, as property has a certain seal placed upon it so that everyone can see that it belongs to a particular person. These people belong to God, they belong to Christ, and the seal is placed upon them by the Holy Ghost.

This church has been from the beginning of the world. It was there when Adam and Eve were found by God. When He brought them to their right place, they were made members of this church. They had fallen away from God, but the Lord saw them, found them, drew them. In Abel we see the separation made in the family. In the dark days of the first world there was still a Noah, and the Lord still preserved that church. Also in the days of Abraham the Lord Himself had a people, a church in the world. This church will be there to the end of the world. Why? It is because the King of that church will always be there, and a king must have subjects. This King will never be without subjects. We read that He is an eternal King, for we see in Luke 1:53, "He shall reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there shall be no end." And in Isaiah 59:21 we read that the Lord speaks of a covenant: "My Spirit that is upon thee, and My words which I have put in thy mouth, shall not depart out of thy mouth, nor out of the mouth of thy seed, nor out of the mouth of thy seed's seed, saith the Lord, from henceforth and for ever."

This article speaks of strife and of persecution, as it was in the days of Ahab, Jezebel, and the prophet Elijah. Elijah thought he was the only one left. However, the Lord said, "No, there are still seven thousand who have not bowed the knee before Baal." Think only of those prophets hidden by Obadiah. Also, when Jerusalem was destroyed, terrible things happened. Many of the Jews were killed, and the city was burnt by the cruel Romans, who were so upset because of the Jews' opposition. But the Christians escaped; they had fled to Pella, where the Lord gave them a hiding-place. The church could not be destroyed, not even in the days of the Roman empire. The emperors Nero, Domitianus, and Decius threw the Christians before the lions in the arena, before the wild beasts of prey; at times the Christians were used as living lanterns, as lamps burning in the city to spread light. But they gave another light. They were sometimes heard singing in the flames; they were heard praying for their enemies; and the blood of the martyrs became the seed of the church. Also, when the Romish church persecuted the true believers, the church was not destroyed, no matter how much they tried to do so. In our days the assaults of the devil are different. Now the church is threatened by the time, the age, and the spirit of the world in which we live: lawlessness and lasciviousness. The Lord could remove the candlestick from us, as He did from Asia Minor. Those churches have ceased to exist. Oh, let us ask the Lord that He not do it, in spite of our sins and the reasons we give. But yet there will always be a church.

We read in the gospel that the Lord's fan is in His hand; He will thoroughly purge His floor and gather His wheat into the garner. Chaff and wheat will be separated. What is the difference between chaff and wheat? The chaff has no weight; it is light, and it is blown away with the wind and does not come to the ground at the feet of Him who has the fan. Though the wheat may be small, it has some weight. The chaff is empty; it has no essence. We may have many words, may have high contemplations, but these do not have the kernel; they do not have essence. Examine your own heart. The wheat has essence; it may be small, but there is weight, the weight of the work of eternity, the work of an eternal God. Oh, it may be that they do not dare to speak of it, thinking that they are hypocrites, but there is that weight of God's work, of the love of God which is planted in their heart. That is something which Satan cannot destroy, but which causes them to say, "Though He slay me, yet will I trust in Him"; and they fall at His feet. Now this church will be safe; "all Israel shall be saved," Jew and Gentile (Romans 11:26); all bought with the blood of Christ.