Since the concept of one church is so foreign to people today, the usual question is, “Which church?” You may hear things like, “God delights in variety. There are many good churches. Join the church of your choice.” You never hear such ideas from the voice of the one Shepherd. Rather, you hear Him promise, “I will build My church” (Matthew 16:18). It is singular. It is His. He builds His own church and offers nothing else. To be true to Scripture, we should say, “Choose the church of Jesus’ choice.” That is the one He loves, the one He saves.
For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, His body, and is Himself its Savior. … Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her, that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that He might present the church to Himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish (Ephesians 5:23, 25-27).
Jesus is neither an adulterer nor a polygamist. He has one bride. “Well, which church is she?” She is the one that the New Testament describes:
“The church submits to Christ.”
- She is the church of “one Lord” enthroned in heaven. She is the “one body” of which there is the one Head (Ephesians 1:20-23; 4:4; 5:23; Colossians 1:18). Churches with other heads and headquarters do not match that description.
- She is “the church [that] submits to Christ” (Ephesians 5:24). Churches that submit to other authorities and rules do not match that description.
- She is the church to which Christ adds believers when they repent and receive the “one baptism” (Acts 2:38-41, 47; 1 Corinthians 12:13; Ephesians 4:5; 5:26). Churches that use other entries and ways to join do not match that description.
- She is the church that abides in Christ’s word, that has “one faith” (John 8:32; Acts 2:42; Ephesians 4:5). Churches that favor only a part of that faith or develop their own faiths do not match that description.
- She is the church filled with love, first for the Lord, then for one another (John 13:34-35; 1 John 2:5; 3:14; 4:20-21; Revelation 2:4). Churches that grow lukewarm or cold do not match that description (Revelation 3:16).
Listen to the one Shepherd.
The full description comes from the Scriptures, not from our traditions or preferences or ideas. For many of us, that means rethinking the entire concept of “one body.” It means that we stop listening to other voices, even the most pleasing and familiar. Listen more carefully than ever to the one Shepherd whose voice calls together one flock (John 10:16).