I believe in the Holy Catholic Church

Sunday in worship we’ll profess our faith using the historic Apostles’ Creed.

Let me focus your attention on the phrase about the Church.

“Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation, and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth.”
Revelation 5:9–10

Although we find ourselves in a world filled with many Christian denominations and individual congregations, we believe in a church that is much bigger than any one of these entities. There is a universal church that is not defined by geographical boundaries, ethnicity, social class, manuals of church order, or any other such factor. Instead, the church universal — the catholic church — includes everyone who trusts in Christ alone for salvation, no matter who they are or where they live. Ultimately, there is but one church, and it includes everyone who is united to Christ Jesus by faith alone. As the Apostle Paul reveals in Ephesians 4:4–6, “There is one body and one Spirit … one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all.”

Revelation 5:9–10 is a key proof text for our belief in the church universal, for it tells us that Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God, has with His blood “ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation.” God’s kingdom excludes no nationality but welcomes all who repent of their sins and trust in the King of this kingdom. In fact, since today’s passage tells us Christ has already purchased people from every nation and ethnicity, we know that our mission is not complete until the Christian community includes every tribe and tongue in its “membership roster.” The church’s task is to make disciples of all nations (Matt. 28:18–20).

The catholic, or universal, church is the realization of our Lord’s plan for His creation. Through His old covenant prophets, the Holy Spirit foretold a day when the nations would worship the God of Israel (Ps. 22:27; Isa. 19:16–25; Zech. 14:16–19). As the church grows to include all peoples, this prophecy is being fulfilled.

This affirmation is not one of allegiance to the pope or Roman Catholic theology. The term catholic simply means “universal.” –Ligonier Ministries

Richard Horner 4 minute teaching on the church