Reflection: This Is the Catholic Faith (June 3, 2012)

Holy Trinity Sunday
Isaiah 6:1-8; Acts 2:14, 22-36; John 3:1-17

Use the world "catholic" today and most people will automatically associate it with the Roman Catholic Church. While the church of Rome may see no problem with this, it is unfortunate. The word catholic has a rich meaning and encompasses far more than a single church body, no matter how large it may be. The catholic church is more historic, more universal, and more scriptural than the Roman Catholic Church. It includes all who believe the good news of Jesus Christ and put their trust in Him — everyone who holds the catholic faith.

While the original wording of all three ecumenical creeds use the word catholic, it's the Athanasian Creed that explicitly refers to and defines the catholic faith. "This is the catholic faith" the creed boldly proclaims — and we boldly confess — as it lays out the definitive teachings of the Christian faith. While most of the creed is a detailed confession of the Trinity, it also includes other critical and necessary teachings, including the atoning work of Jesus, the resurrection of all flesh, and the Judgment. While its statements about the nature of the Trinity are wonderfully confounding, its assertions about what it takes to be saved can be very troubling.

The Athanasian Creed pulls no punches about the Judgment. It begins and ends with definite declarations about what it takes to be saved and makes it very clear that those who are not will "without doubt perish eternally." "This is the catholic faith," it concludes, "whoever does not believe it faithfully and firmly cannot be saved." These are strong words, maybe stronger than we'd like them to be. They mean what they say. If someone claims to be a Christian but doesn't hold to the catholic faith — the Trinity, the Incarnation, the atoning work of Jesus, and the reality of eternal punishment — he is not saved. Can we say this creed with sincere hearts? Do we believe what we are confessing in this creed? What about the statement that "those who have done good will enter into eternal life"? Can we really keep the catholic faith "whole and undefiled"? Yes, with the help of God, who puts everything in perspective when He pronounces that "God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life." Thanks be to the Triune God that this is the catholic faith.

Audio file of the sermon "This Is the Catholic Faith"