Article 18

Of the church of God and the communion of believers. Concerning this we believe and confess: whereas men, by reason of the natural birth of the flesh, follow sin and wickedness when they come to their understanding, and by this depart from God their Creator; therefore the high and holy God, before whom sinners and the ungodly cannot stand, from the beginning of the world called and chose, out of all the unbelieving nations of the world, a special people of His own, and separated them from all other nations. These are they who turn their ears to the calling voice of God, and have by this separated themselves from the world with all its sinful lusts, and all false worship, and have united themselves again to Christ, bowing, as obedient members and sheep of Jesus Christ, under His head and commanding voice, and shunning everything strange that fights against this. These are they who are renewed in the inward man, and are circumcised, changed, and converted, and live after the Spirit.

This church of God was first begun on earth with Adam and Eve in paradise, and afterwards with Enoch, Noah, and all those who with them honored and called upon the high name of God; which was the first period of time, that is, before the law.

After this God the Lord established His covenant or church with Abraham and his seed, giving them circumcision as a sign of the covenant, together with many laws, ceremonies, statutes, and customs; which continued until the coming of Christ, and was the second period, or the time of the law of Moses.

Finally God sent His Son, who, as a potentate in heaven and earth, established a new and perfect covenant with the house of Israel, calling to it all the Gentiles and nations of the earth, all those who amend their sinful life and obediently yield their bodies under this covenant. With all these Christ has established His church and congregation; this is the third and last period, which shall continue so, without change in faith, walk, and laws, until the reappearing of Christ from heaven.

And though the people of God in these three periods had different and special laws and ceremonies, according to which they had to live and walk, yet this was the will of God, and they were nevertheless only one people of God, and were moved and led by one Spirit.

This church and congregation of believers has not always been visible to the eyes of all men, but has often vanished from the sight of the sinful and bloodthirsty world, that world not being worthy of them. This can be seen in the case of Noah with his families in the ark, who hid themselves from the whole world; in the people of Israel in the Red Sea, and here and there during the forty years in the wilderness; in the godly in Judah, from the bloody sword of Manasseh; and in all the God-fearing in Israel, from the dreadful threats of Jezebel. So also the bride of the Lamb, the church of Jesus Christ, had to hide herself in the wilderness forty-two months, or three times and a half a time,* from the abominable beast of antichrist, which with its tyrannical sword and burning exalted itself above everything that is called and worshiped as God. Afterwards, through the grace of God, she came to the light again, and was built upon the first, ancient apostolic foundation.

And as Solomon's temple was destroyed, and the second building continued until the first coming of Christ in the flesh, so we hold that the church of Jesus Christ, rebuilt upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, shall also continue openly in the light until the second coming of Christ from heaven.

This church of God, that is, all believers, are, as members of one body, joined together by faith and the bond of love; they are like-minded one toward another according to Christ Jesus; they live according to the same rule of the divine word, and are bound together by the same love, thus having fellowship with one another. Those whom God has blessed with spiritual gifts minister with them to the souls of their neighbors, out of love. And those whom God has provided with temporal possessions minister with them to the temporal needs of their neighbors; thus showing that they have their temporal and spiritual goods in common, and suffer no want in spiritual and temporal gifts. This church of God has existed on the earth from the beginning of the world, either in greater or in smaller numbers, secretly or openly, and shall continue so to the end of the world, and Christ will be with her, with His Spirit, always.

Of the Christian church, that is, of all believing regenerated persons, gathered and purified by the Holy Spirit, read: "The Lord your God has chosen you to be a special people to himself, above all people that are upon the face of the earth." Deuteronomy 7, verse 6; Deuteronomy 14, verse 2; Deuteronomy 26, verse 18; First Peter 2, verse 9.

"And among all the multitude of peoples you have gotten yourself one people: and to this people, whom you loved, you gave a law that is approved by all." Second Esdras 5, verse 27.

How the church of God, which is built upon Christ, must be subject, as members to their head, read: "And upon this rock (Christ) I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it." Matthew 16, verse 18; Matthew 28, verse 20.

"Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; that he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, that he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish." Ephesians 5, verses 25 to 27, 29 and 32; Ephesians 1, verse 22. [n543-1]

"That you may know how you ought to behave yourself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth." First Timothy 3, verse 15; Ephesians 2, verse 20; Ephesians 4, verse 16; Hebrews 12, verse 23.

Of the fellowship of believers, read: "But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanses us from all sin." First John 1, verse 7.

"They continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship." Acts 2, verse 42; Acts 4, verse 34; First Corinthians 12, verse 12; Galatians 3, verse 28; John 17, verse 21.