The Universal Church

The Roman Catholic Church is a false religion and a false church. The Roman Catholic Church is built on this idea of being one universal church in which they are the true church. The word Catholic actually means universal. But the Bible does not teach the concept of a universal church of which all believers are members. There are several reasons why.

First, the word church is used interchangeably with congregation in the Bible, meaning that you are congregated together. You cannot be congregated while spread all over the world. The Bible says in Psalm 22:22: "In the midst of the congregation will I praise thee." When this verse is quoted in the New Testament in Hebrews 2:12, it says: "In the midst of the church will I sing praise unto thee." Congregation is quoted as church in the New Testament, helping define what a church actually is. A church is a congregation. You have to be congregated or assembled together to actually be a church. The idea of a universal church scattered across the entire world therefore falls apart immediately.

Second, the Bible uses the analogy of a church being a body with many members. 1 Corinthians 12:12 reads: "For as the body is one, and hath many members." With a physical body, the members and parts all work together because they are assembled in one place. If the members of my body were spread all over the world, they would be of no use to one another. So when the Bible uses the analogy of a body to describe the church, what it is saying is that the members are assembled and congregated together — not scattered across the globe under one centralised organisation.

Third, the Bible mentions local churches all throughout the word of God. Individual congregations in individual cities, each with their own leadership and their own membership. That is the consistent biblical pattern.

In fact, the only time the Bible ever mentions anything resembling a universal church is in Hebrews 12:22–23. Verse 22 talks about the heavenly Jerusalem, and verse 23 says: "To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven." So it talks about the church of the firstborn — and notice it says the general assembly. They are assembled or congregated together. And where is this assembly? In heaven. That is the only time you see the concept of all believers in the world making up one church, and it is because in heaven everyone will literally be assembled and congregated together.

So the one and only universal church the Bible describes is the heavenly one — not an earthly organisation headquartered in Rome. If there is no universal church on earth, the whole idea of the Catholic Church as a universal body does not make any biblical sense.

And therefore, the Roman Catholic Church is a false religion and a false church.

Pastor Matthew Stucky