The Apostles’ Creed: The ChurchSample

Necessity of the Church: Matthew 16:18

In the modern world, there are many Christians who believe that the church is unnecessary — or at least they act as it if is. In many cases, sincere believers think that organizations like the church are human inventions that intrude into our personal relationship with God. But Scripture teaches a very different perspective. In the broadest sense, the church is God’s kingdom on earth, the congregation of His special people, and a central means through which He dispenses grace to those who are faithful to Him. According to the Scriptures, the church is critical to establishing and maintaining our relationship with God.

When we say that the church is sanctioned by God, we mean that He created it for a purpose, and that He vested it with authority. In general terms, the Scriptures teach that God approves of the church. It is the organization He ordained to carry out His mission in the world. As Jesus Himself said in Matthew 16:18:

I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it (Matthew 16:18).

The church is not the invention of fallen human beings. Jesus Himself is the founder of the church.

So, even though we see flaws in the church throughout history, and sometimes churches turn so far away from the gospel that they are no longer the church of God, we must not conclude that the church is useless or unnecessary. The Apostles’ Creed affirms this divine sanction for the church with these simple words: I believe in ... the ... church.