2484.—What Is the First Church?
Catholics claim that they were the first church. Is that true? Looking at it from a Biblical point of view, it certainly is not true. The word "church" comes from the Greek word ekklesia. The very root meaning of the word is those "regularly called out," those who heed God's regular call, come out from the world, and join with Him. This carries us back to righteous Abel and our first parents who turned from sin and turned to God; and from that time to the present time God has had His called-out ones in all ages. At different times His church has apostatized, yet God has invariably called out the remnant from apostasy. This was true in the days of Elijah, and Paul refers to it in Romans 11. In the days of Babylon they went into apostasy, but the Lord still called out His remnant, even out from among His own people, and after the captivity, out from Babylon. When we reach the first advent of our Saviour, His church was again in apostasy, yet the Lord called out the remnant again, and the remnant then was composed of those who followed the Lord Jesus Christ; that remnant of that day composed the organized church of the Lord. The only true test of the church is as to whether it follows God's call, heeds God's word, and abides with Him. Of course Roman Catholics claim that their church was the apostolic church. In order to prove that, they would also have to prove that they had been in harmony with God's call, His holy word, from that time to the present time. The real test would be as to whether some of these remnants which have been called out from that church are not the true church. We have not space in this department to enter upon a discussion of this at this time. If you can secure a copy of a little tract of your tract society, of Apples of Gold Library, entitled, "The True Church," it will give you more light upon the question than we are able to give in this department. In the year to come the SIGNS OF THE TIMES will have a series of articles on the true and the false church.