What Is The Church? By R. C. Sproul

Sundays tend to be busy days for Christians and more especially for pastors and other church workers because it’s a church day! It is not uncommon to see people donning fine textile prints and wielding fat bibles all trooping to church. But what exactly is church? Is it merely “an institution that we see visibly in the world…has a list of members on its rolls and we can identify them.”? Or is it something more than that? And who makes up the church: the people who attend the meetings? Or everyone all over the world who truly believes?

This is the question that R. C. Sproul sought to answer in this short book exploring the very nature of the Church. Referring to the council of Nicaea, the author enumerates certain key descriptors stating “Historically, via the ancient church council of Nicaea, the church has been defined by four key words. It is, 1) one, 2) holy, 3) catholic, and 4) apostolic.”

He also notes several senses in which the church is to be perceived based on the Greek roots of the word “ekklesia” which literally means the “called out” and that is exactly what Christians are because God has assembled us from the entire world unto Himself. The author employs the analogy of the nation Israel to underscore his point showing how God called them out of the world and separated them unto Himself giving them a peculiar way of life. Using the analogy of the relationship between a slave and master, the author shows that another way to perceive the church is like that of a people purchased and belonging to a master. Thus the church is owned by a sovereign Lord and Master.

The author also addresses other pertinent topics regarding the church including doctrinal disputes, ecumenical efforts in the past with its attendant pluralism and how these have rather backfired and given rise to new factions who perceived such ecumenical attempts as adulterations of their creeds and resisted them, the visible and invisible church and the ever pressing issue of when to leave one’s church for another together with a host of other issues.

However, the chapter I enjoyed most was that which discussed the marks of a true church. Under this he enumerated three key points which are distinct attributes of any true church. The first being the faithful proclamation of the gospel. By this, he clarified that not merely the announcement of the death and atonement of Jesus but also the faithful proclamation of the essential truths of Christianity. He further states that “Luther said that it was inevitable that before long, the truth of the gospel would be hidden once more in obscurity. The reason he gave was that when the gospel is preached, it divides and controversy ensues. People don’t want ongoing controversy. We want peace.” Thus, the need to faithfully preach the gospel cannot be overemphasized. The second mark is that sacraments are rightly administered. This is one key feature that distinguishes a church from other para-churches and thirdly, the true church practices authentic discipline of its people censuring all gross, heinous and egregious sins. This last feature seems to be particularly lacking in the church today.

The book was an easy read as the author skillfully dilated on all inevitable didactic tropes he had employed to make his case. This is a book I highly recommend to all believers for its simplicity and clarity in addressing the church and what is it!

SDG!!!