What makes a ‘true’ church? Is there just one? Multiple? None? And does it matter?

MY TWO ASSUMPTIONS

1. God is just, merciful, and wants good things for us, and He “is not the author of confusion” (1 Corinthians 14:33).

2. Where there are two or more churches (distinct entities, in terms of affiliation with a particular sect/conference) and those churches teach mutually exclusive doctrines and/or have mutually exclusive claims of authority that are in direct conflict with one another, then at least in terms of those conflicting teachings or claims of authority, they can’t both be right.

CRITERIA FOR A/THE ‘TRUE’ CHURCH Until we define the criteria, we can’t really evaluate or draw any conclusions. What would such criteria include? Some of my thoughts:

• Teachings: aligns with the gospel as taught by Jesus. For me at least, this doesn’t mean there can’t be any exposition of, expansion of, or even introduction of anything new. Considering the vastness of God, I can’t imagine everything we’d ever need to know about Him is contained in His three-year ministry, and that the only other valid voices are the 15-18 or so Apostles whose writings appear in the New Testament canon as we know it today. However, any such teachings should comport/align with teachings and principles taught by Jesus and his Apostles.

• Organization: should be, or resemble, the organization as established by Jesus when calling the Twelve, and as they added to it after Jesus’ ascension. An honest study of both the OT and NT makes clear that authority matters. Acts 8 clarifies that the Apostles have it, and it cannot be sold for money. Romans 13:1-2 teaches we should be subject to such governing authorities, which must come from God. And Hebrews 5:1-4 clarifies that “no man takers this honour unto himself, but he that is called of God, as was Aaron.” Therefore, there should be a viable claim of authority that follows this Biblical pattern, and that the church organization functions in a way consistent with the early church of the NT.

• Fruits: perhaps the ultimate test is Jesus’ injunction that “by their fruits ye shall know them.” (Matt 7). Paul’s list of the fruits of the Spirit in Galatians 5 gives specific markers to look for: “love, joy, peace, long suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance.”

So if God is not the author of confusion, if churches can’t all be ‘true’ to the extent that specific teachings or claims of authority are in direct conflict with one another, and if the criterion I’ve listed above are correct, then.. is there a ‘true’ church, and if so which is it?