“Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle, or any other blemish, but holy and blameless.” (Ephesians 5:25-27)

I believe in the holy Christian Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, and the life everlasting.

At times, when we think of the Church, we tend to picture it as a building. But when we say, “the holy Christian Church, communion of saints,” it isn’t a building, nor an institutional organization, nor a particular denomination that we are confessing.

Instead, we are describing people saved by Christ. Martin Luther writes this is the sum and substance of this phrase, “I believe that there is on earth a little holy flock or community of pure saints under one head, Christ. It is called together by the Holy Spirit in one faith, mind, and understanding. It possesses a variety of gifts, yet is united in love without sect or schism.”

Now, it may be challenging to equate this last sentence to what we see sometimes in our churches, where, sadly, there can be a lack of unity and plenty of division. And to that end, we might want to conclude that there’s no such thing as a perfect church. Yet Luther points us further in this third article of the Apostle’s Creed, where we confess the forgiveness of sins.

Again, Luther writes, “Forgiveness is needed constantly, for although God’s grace has been won by Christ, and holiness has been wrought by the Holy Spirit through God’s Word in the unity of the Christian Church, yet, because we are encumbered with our flesh, we are never without sin.” And so still, in another sense, the church is absolutely perfect.

Ephesians 5:25-27 explains, “Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle, or any other blemish, but holy and blameless.”

The perfect Church: a little flock, trusting in Jesus, our Good Shepherd, to lead us. And lead us He will—bringing us together to life everlasting.

Prayer
Lord Jesus, our good Shepherd, continue to lead us. Lead us in paths of righteousness. Continue to grant to us the mercy and the forgiveness—the grace—as we all often stumble and do not live out this new life that You have won for us.

Instead, would You help us to focus in on You and Your call? We ask Your Holy Spirit to continue to work within us and within the church body, to continue to unite us in faith as we follow You.

In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.