THEOS prōtos

The Roman Catholic Church and Orthodox churches claims THEY are the only true Church, but not the other.

The traditional Church of Christ denomination, some progressive Pentecostal Church denominations, some Lutheran churches, and some Episcopal churches all claim they are the only true Church.

Though not orthodox Christian, Mormons, 7th Day Adventists, and Jehovah’s Witnesses also claim this.

Religious cults also make this same claim.

The premise of their problem:

It is important to notice that all those who make this claim, base it on some sort of required religious action of rites and rituals that can only be performed by and in their religious sect.  Thus, they are adding human works to the gospel to claim they can officially achieve a saved state, but its only official if it is through their church only. Therefore, it is that visible worldly church that is boasting about how THEY save people through THEIR WORKS (rites) and all the other religious sects can’t.  This is literally a kind of Pharisaical legalism built around extra-biblical man-invented traditions.  Therefore, their claims can not be true.  All these claims are based on the errored worldly premise of works of rites and outward conformity.  Despite these serious issues, carnal blindness and subconscious desire for control over everyone’s faith, people still believe this claim.

So, WHO is the True Church?

NO single visible church of denomination is “the only true church,” because the bride of Christ is not an worldly institution, but instead the Church is a spiritual entity made up of all those who have by grace through faith been brought into a close, intimate relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ (Ephesians 2:8–9). Those people, no matter which building, denomination, or country they happen to be in, constitute the true church.  The whole body of the redeemed, all those whom the Father has given to Christ, the invisible catholic church (Eph 5:23,25,27,29; Hbr 12:23). The whole body of professing Christians throughout the world (1Cr 15:9; Gal 1:13; Mat 16:18) are The Church. 

Even just a few believers gathering is considered a divinely recognized authentic Church to God (Rom 16:5; Col 4:15).

The local (or visible) church is nothing more than a gathering of professing believers. In Paul’s letters, the word church is used in two different ways. There are many examples of the word church being used to simply refer to a group of professing believers who meet together on a regular basis (1 Corinthians 16:9; 2 Corinthians 8:1; 11:28). We see Paul’s concern, in his letters, for the individual churches in various cities along his missionary journey. But he also refers to a church that is invisible—a spiritual entity that has close fellowship with Christ, as close as a bride to her husband (Ephesians 5:25, 32), and of which He is the spiritual head (Colossians 1:18; Ephesians 3:21). This church is made up of an unnamed, unspecified group of individuals (Philippians 3:6; 1 Timothy 3:5) that have Christ in common. 

If their claim is true, then how are goats and wolves able to join their churches?

Since we KNOW that the unbelievers and those who have never believed in their heart the gospel can attend church, join a church, and participate in church activities, without ever knowing Jesus.  This is true for all the churches that claim to be the only true church as well.  By this simple fact alone, we can KNOW that the REAL TRUE Church isn’t a visible one.  This fact also proves that their claim to being the only true church doesn’t hold up when it is possible for some of their official church members to possibly not even be saved, born-gain believers.

How can their church be true when some of their believers are not?  How can they continue to make their claim in light of scriptural contradictions?  That’s why they invent rites, rituals, and traditions to make up for their lack of biblical support.

There are NO wolves, heretics, and apostates in the true invisible Church.  They may “attend” a physical local church building regularly become friends with people who also attend that local church location, but they are not a regenerated born-again believer and Saint.  It is impossible for them to worship in Spirit and Truth because they don’t know or believe God’s truth and are spiritually dead.  They make up the VISIBLE church, not the INVISIBLE Church.  It is the heart and soul that is the invisible.

The Church, according to God in God’s Word, is such:

• The Church belongs to God, not a Pope, patriarch or elder/pastor (1Ti 3:15) and HE directly provides HIS church with grace (Isa 27:3; 2Cr 8:1), wisdom (Eph 3:10) and special protection (Psa 89:18; Isa 4:5; 49:25; Mat 16:18)
• The Church is the Body of Christ (Eph 1:23; Col 1:24) and HE is the corner-stone (1Cr 3:11; Eph 2:20; 1Pe 2:4,5) and THE head of the Church (Eph 1:22; 5:23) and Christ LOVES his church (Sgs 7:10; Eph 5:25).
• The Church members, Christ’s sheep, were purchased by Christ Jesus (Act 20:28; Eph 5:25; Hbr 9:12) and those members of His Church are sanctified and cleansed by Christ and not by a priest or ritual (1Cr 6:11; Eph 5:26,27).  The members are subject to the authority of Christ (Rom 7:4; Eph 5:24).  Every member IS clothed in Christ’s righteousness (Rev 19:8) while the “goats” in the Church are not.  The SHEEP will NOT despise the Church, only the false converts and apostates (1Cr 11:22; 1Cr 3:17).  Genuine believers, sheep of Christ, are all SAINTS, as Peter said, are “an elect race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession” (1Pe 2:9) and not just a select few, selected by persons holding a position that isn’t even biblical (Pope, Cardinals, modern patriarchs).
• The Church members, collectively, praise God openly for the world to know Christ is worthy (Isa 60:6) and give God all the glory (Eph 3:21) and not of various men of the church.
• The Church leadership, who are Elders and Deacons, are provided to the Church by God (Jer 3:15; Eph 4:11,12) and are expected by God to nurture and feed their flocks (Act 20:28).  Offices of Apostle and Prophet are closed given the fact the word of God is complete and no one currently has the apostolic power to raise the dead or the Prophetic power to reveal NEW divine truths to add to Holy Scripture.
• All those who are part of the New Testament Church, were elected by God to be part of his Church (1Pe 5:13).  It is when humans choose members (“goats”) that some may fall away and were never really saved.
• The Church, functioning as God made it to, reflects God’s glory (Psa 45:13; Eph 5:27) and He will add to the Church “flock” more sheep (Act 2:27; 5:14; 11:24) but goats may tag along.
• The Church is unified (Rom 12:5; 1Cr 10:17; 12:12; Gal 3:28) and every local body that properly teaches all that which has been taught by the Prophets and Apostles, Holy Scripture, are unified.  Not only unified in truth, but unified in Spirit (1Cr 12:13); a unity which is not visible, physically, or locationally, but invisible.  Jesus even explicitly said that true believers WILL worship in spirit and truth (John 4:23-24)
• The Church that teaches the doctrines of the Apostles and Prophets is “edified” and matured (1Cr 14:4,13; Eph 4:15,16)
• The Church WILL be hated and persecuted by the world (Act 8:1-3; 1Th 2:14,15), not loved or celebrated.
• The Church is NOT a building or legal organization established by various worldly government laws.  It can simply be a group of believers gathering in their home to fellowship and worship (Rom 16:5; Col 4:15).  Each Church group may be different in the same city, but all still recognized by God as THE Church.  All the disciples in Antioch, forming several congregations, were one church (Act 13:1); so also we read of the “church of God at Corinth” (1Cr 1:2), “the church at Jerusalem” (Act 8:1), “the church of Ephesus” (Rev 2:1). 

The only way for those churches to make a claim of being THE only true Church is if they INVENT “sacred” traditions that then wiggle people into some sort of religious dogma that is only conducted by that church.