Why Only One Church?

Two thousand years ago in ancient Palestine, God entered creation.

The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world. (John 1:9)

With the advent of Christ, the Second Person of the Trinity entered space and time and walked among us.

And the Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us, and we saw his glory, the glory as of the Father's only Son, full of grace and truth. (John 1:14)

And this event happened exactly once. Mary was greeted by the Archangel Gabriel once. She was overshadowed by the Holy Spirit once. She conceived once and gave brith to one God, one Christ, one Jesus. And that Jesus had one body. And his body is the Church.

Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking 14 in the afflictions of Christ on behalf of his body, which is the church... (Colossians 1:24)

Christ's body is the Church. This is not a spiritual statement. It is not a metaphor. It is as real as the sandwich you will eat for lunch and as concrete as your driveway. Christ was born once and had one body and that body is his Church. One body, one Church. It can't be any other way.

And the Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us, and we saw his glory, the glory as of the Father's only Son, full of grace and truth. (John 1:14)

Look at John's words again very carefully. The disciples "Saw his glory". Christ's body was visible. The disciples saw Christ with their eyes, touched him and could point to him and say, "There he is." And that visible, touchable, identifiable body of Christ is the Church.

Why is there only one Church? Because Christ had only one body. Not two bodies, not ten bodies and not twenty five thousand bodies but one body. Christ had one body and therefor there can be only one Body of Christ, his Church.

And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age. (Matthew 28:20)

And His one, visible, touchable, identifiable, persecutable, hierarchical body is with us still.

-Tim-