20th March 2026 Question box

Today’s question is:

What do we think about Catholic/Orthodox people saying they were the first and only true church – and the Protestants are just the thought of man, split in many different denominations.

OK, let me say: not all Catholic or Orthodox people claim what is suggested in this question, but I have met some who do. Now, so there’s a few issues here. There’s a historical part to this question – what was the first church? There’s a theological angle – what is a true church? But I guess underlying both of them is a more foundational question: what is a church?

The word “church” in the bible means a gathering, or an assembly of people. In Acts 19, the word “assembly” used to describe the angry mob in the city of Ephesus! And then in the next chapter, Paul gathers together “the elders of the church” in that same city, and uses the same word to describe those who are loved by God, purchased by Jesus Christ, and given the Holy Spirit. (Acts 20:17). The fact that there are elders means church is organised; just like here at Hurstville we have leadership, we have regulations, we have an ABN… These are features of the church. But the church itself is the people, not the organisation. And so in a sense none of us today can claim to be the first church, because the first church lived 2000 years ago, and have now passed away to be with Jesus.

OK, next thing: the bible is clear that there is only one true church. When Paul wrote to the Ephesians: “ There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; one Lord, one faith, one baptism….” (Ephesians 4:4-5). Interestingly protestant, orthodox and catholic all confess this when we say the Nicene Creed, which says: “We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic church.”

How do we become part of this one true church? Well from heaven’s point of view, it is by faith. From our earthly, visible, point of view, people become part of the true church by baptism in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. If you were baptised in a Catholic or Orthodox church and you want to be a member here – we don’t require re-baptism, because its not the denomination that you belong to, your identity is that belong to God the Father, Son and Holy Sprit.

And so where did all the denominations come from? Well one day I’d like to answer this question by doing a six week training series on church history… But for today, let me note this: The one true church spread over all the world: The Roman Catholic church has it roots in the evangelisation of Western Europe, among Latin speakers. The Orthodox churches have their roots in the Middle East: and so you have the Greek Orthodox, the Russian Orthodox, the Coptic Orthodox, the Armenian Orthodox, the Assyrian orthodox, each independent and worshipping in their own language.

Our history as Presbyterians is that our roots are in the Church of Scotland. And in the year 1560 something significant happened. We recognised that many errors and additions had crept in over time, and so we made a conscious effort to be Reformed according to the word of God. We did not leave the one holy catholic and apostolic church, rather we attempted to more truly reflect our identity as part of that church…by figuring out what is it about us that is based on God’s word, and what inventions of men have crept in.

Now, if one denomination tries to say that they are the only the true church… Well, then maybe they also need to go back to the scriptures and think about what it means that there is “one Lord, faith, one baptism.” And it might be that they too, need to be reformed according to the word of God.

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This question was originally answered in our evening service on 16 November 2025. I’ll aim to post another question and answer next week. You can read about how our question box works here.