Here, the Divines state that “the doctrine of the Gospel, ordinances and public worship” are necessary for a church to be considered a true church. The Belgic Confession (a precursor to the Westminster Standards), in article 29, outlines in a more succinct form what have been so frequently termed “the marks of a true church” when it states:
The marks, by which the true Church is known, are these: if the pure doctrine of the gospel is preached therein; if she maintains the pure administration of the sacraments as instituted by Christ; if church discipline is exercised in punishing of sin.
After setting out these three marks of a true church, Guido de Brès, the principle author of the Belgic Confession, went on to contrast the three marks of a true church with those of a false churches. He wrote:
As for the false Church, it ascribes more power and authority to itself and its ordinances than to the Word of God, and will not submit itself to the yoke of Christ. Neither does it administer the sacraments as appointed by Christ in His Word, but adds to and takes from, as it thinks proper; it relies more upon men than upon Christ; and persecutes those who live holily according to the Word of God and rebuke it for its errors, covetousness, and idolatry.
The Offices, Means, and Marks
When we ask the question about the marks of the church, we have to remember that Scripture teaches that the church is the body of Christ. He is the head of the members. Every true believer is savingly in union with Christ. Every professing believer is under the administration of Christ’s governance in the visible church. This means that we can never develop a biblical understanding of the marks of a true church without first starting with the Lord Jesus Christ.
A fascinating correspondence emerges as we consider the three marks of the church in light of Christ. It has long been understood that Scripture teaches that there are the three offices in which Christ functions as mediator between God and man–that of Prophet, Priest, and King. Just as Jesus carries out his mediatorial work with regard to these three offices, so he works in his church in ways commensurate with those offices. Accordingly, the three marks of the church are reflective of the relationship that Jesus sustains to his body as its head. The three marks of the church have their origin in Christ. As the Lord Jesus serves as the mediator of the new covenant, carrying out the responsibilities of prophet, priest, and king in relationship to his church, so he has given three marks that coincide with those offices.
On a simplistic level, we can say that Christ, as Prophet, corresponds to the mark of the “pure preaching of the word,” Christ, as Priest, corresponds to “the right administration of the sacraments,” and Christ, as King, corresponds to “the faithful exercise of discipline.” In this way, the three marks are merely a reflection of the presence and power of the risen Christ at work among his people in the world.
Daniel J. Meeter, in his work Meeting each other in doctrine, liturgy, and government, writes,
Where Christ is active and his Lordship is honored and obeyed, that is the ‘true church.’…How are these marks directly related to the threefold office of Christ? First, preaching arises out of the gift of prophecy. It also relates to priesthood and royalty, when it bears witness to Jesus’ heavenly priesthood and his finished work for our salvation, and when it testifies to Christ’s claim as king. Second, the administration of the sacraments arises out of Jesus’ priestly work on the cross, his prayer for us, and the communication to us of the benefits of his sacrifice by the means of the washing of his blood and the breaking of bread. But the sacraments are also prophetic, when they celebrate the promises of God as present realities that we can touch, taste, and see. They are also royal prophecies when they point us to the celestial banquet, when, after having washed our robes in the blood of the Lamb, we shall sit down for the royal feast, when his kingdom has fully come. Third, church discipline arises out of the right claims of Jesus’ kingship. It also points to the holiness of his priestly work, to which we must come repentant and hungry; and it points to the power of his prophetic word…revealing the secrets that are within the hearts of men and women, and announcing the way of salvation.
In connection with the three marks of the true church corresponding to the three offices of Christ is the fact that the means of grace also correspond to the offices of Christ and the marks of the church. The three mediatorial offices of Christ and the three primary means of grace coincide to form the “three marks of a true church” within the context of local, visible churches. As Paul Avis suggests, “The principal means by which God saves us—the channels through which God works for our salvation—are also the marks of the true Church (notae ecclesiae). Or, to put it the other way round: the signs by which we can tell where the true Church is to be found are precisely the key means of grace that give the Church its raison d’être.”
While some have limited the means of grace to the word, sacraments, and prayer (on account of the teaching of Acts 2:42), it is equally true that discipline is a means of grace. It is not difficult to see how the means of grace relate to the offices of Christ. Christ as prophet of his church, appoints his word to a means of grace for the nourishment of the souls of his people. Christ as priest of his church, mediates through the means of prayer and the sacraments for the deepening of communion with him, and Christ as king uses the practice of church discipline to be a means of grace unto the recovery of fallen saints and the protection of the flock from wolves. As Christ carries out his offices in the ministry of the means of grace the marks of the church become evident. In this sense, the offices of Christ, means of grace, and marks of the church work in tandem with one another.
