I. What is being confessed in this article?⤒🔗

Article 27 dealt with the duty of all believers to join the church, while this article points out how we can find this church in the midst of the many groups or organizations that incorrectly identify themselves as "church."

1. The fact is that all existing sects call themselves "church." They do so in error, and so we must accurately and deliberately discern the true church from Scripture.
   We are not dealing here with the reality that there are hypocrites within the church who are not truly part of it. So we mean the organization of the church as such, which is to be distinguished from all sects that claim to be the church.
2. The characteristics of the true church as an organization are the following:
   • she uses the preaching in such a way that it transmits the gospel in its purest form;
   • she makes use of the sacraments as Christ has instituted them;
   • she practices discipline in such a way that sins are punished thereby.
     ​In short: the true church bows before the Word of God, rejects anything contrary to it, and acknowledges Christ alone as the head of the church. On the basis of these characteristics, one can know for sure what the true church is, and therefore no one has the right to separate himself from her.
3. Members of the Church can also be identified. Characteristic of them is that
   • they believe;
   • they have accepted Christ and therefore want nothing more to do with sin and strive for what is righteous;
   • they love the true God and also their neighbour;
   • they follow a straight course; and
   • they deny themselves.
     That does not mean that they no longer have any major defects, but every day they fight against them by the power of the Spirit. And they continually seek refuge in Jesus, for by believing in him their guilt is forgiven, because he has paid for their sins by his blood.
4. However, there is also a false church:
   • She ascribes more authority to herself and her own decisions than to God’s word. She does not submit to the authority of Christ.
   • She does not administer the sacraments as Christ commanded in his Word, but makes arbitrary alterations to them, and thus listens more to men than to Christ himself.
   • She persecutes those who live according to God’s will and who rebuke her for her sins, such as greed and idolatry.
5. For those who take the above to heart, the true and the false church are easy to recognize and tell apart.

II. Scripture determines what constitutes the true church←⤒🔗

1. The church is a close-knit community under the leadership of its one Head, Jesus Christ, and all believers are commanded to join it. On that basis there should be only one church in the whole world, consisting of all believers together.
   But the perplexing fact arises that “all the sects which are in the world today” lay claim to the name "church," even if they do so wrongly. Therefore the question arises as to how the true, genuine church can be recognized in the midst of all the others.
2. It may surprise us that such an abundance of different faith communities value the term "church." Should this not be appreciated in a positive manner? And is it not arrogant to say of them that they falsely call themselves the church?
   Or should we explain this radical language from the life-and-death struggle that was then mainly fought with Rome?
   We note, however, that neither Rome nor any sect is in fact mentioned by name. Why not? It is because in this article the church was concerned not only with a polemic against the church of Rome of that time, and not only with the struggles of those days, but with presenting us a picture of the front line throughout the history of the church.
   It is known that Luther and Calvin recognized the current struggle of their day as an extension of the many centuries of struggle since Cain and Abel. They encountered the phenomenon of the name of church being falsely claimed multiple times in Scripture. And, of course, they also recognized Scripture’s judgment on this claim.
3.  Luther says that there have been two churches throughout the history of the world. That was already the case in the time of Cain and Abel, because Cain also supposedly served the LORD. Luther feels a strong connection with the prophet Jeremiah, who stood alone against all the prophets and priests who, like himself, said, “Thus says the LORD of hosts” (Jeremiah 23:16-17, 21). “This is what the dear prophets always experienced as they were tormented with the name and the appearance of the church.” He points to Matthew 7:15, where Jesus says, “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves.”
   In more than one sermon Luther appeals to John 16:1-2, where Christ says: “ I have said all these things to you to keep you from falling away. They will put you out of the synagogues. Indeed, the hour is coming when whoever kills you will think he is offering service to God.” Luther gives the lesson from this that we should not be surprised if the same thing happens to us.
4. It is striking that Calvin often mentions the same texts as Luther. He too points to the danger that threatens the church from within by people who hide behind the title of "shepherd." Some passages that are instructive are Acts 20:29, 2 Peter 2:1, and 1 John 2:19.
   He points out how it was precisely the faithful prophets who were accused of harming the church. Yet they remained steadfast; and their example strengthened Calvin to persevere as well. The prophets fought against a masked church. It was even present in the family of Abraham in the person of Ishmael who persecuted Isaac (Galatians 4:22, 29).
   The reformers did not feel lonely in their struggle, because they knew they were involved in the grand struggle that had been raging throughout both the Old Testament and New Testament. That knowledge broadened their outlook and gave them the courage to persevere. They stood shoulder to shoulder with Abel versus Cain, Isaac versus Ishmael, Jeremiah versus the priests and prophets, Jesus versus the scribes.
5. Can we know with certainty which is the true and which is the false or disguised church? At this point we should not immediately refer to the last sentence of this article that says that it is "easy" to tell the true and the false church apart.
   That is because something else precedes it. First of all we need to read the Bible carefully and take note of what it says on this subject. Those who do not do this get confused because of the countless sects and churches and never find the solution. And therefore: “we believe that we ought to discern diligently and very carefully from the Word of God what is the true church!”

III. We are not speaking here of the hypocrites in the church←⤒🔗

1. Immediately after confessing that only God’s Word determines what the true church is, a common misunderstanding is cleared up. Not all that glitters is gold, even in the true church. The true church is not the perfect church. At the time of writing this confession it was the Anabaptists, and before them the Donatists who wanted a church of perfect people. But if you want to know what the church is, and where it is found, you should not look too much at the church people. There may even be hypocrites among them. It is even possible for lawful office-bearers to pretend; just compare what Jesus says about them in Matthew 23:1-2, 13-14, 23, 25, 27-30. These hypocrites are the chaff among the wheat. When we speak about the church, we have to ignore their presence altogether since they “are not a part and only outwardly in it.”
2. What should we pay attention to? According to this article the focus is on “the body and communion of the true church.” The intention will be that we have to judge the church as an organization (body and community). We should not rely on what some of its members do rightly or wrongly, for they do not determine the course of this church. We need to see what her official position is with respect to the Bible. We find this especially in her creeds and confessions. Those are the official papers in which she professes what God’s Word means to her. It is mainly from this that we get to know the church. Of course, it also needs to be examined whether this church adheres to its own confession in practice.
   In this way we get to know the body and the fellowship of the true church.

IV. The characteristics of the true church←⤒🔗

1. The first and also decisive characteristic or mark of the church is that she “practices the pure preaching of the gospel.” The preaching must be honest. Sermons should honestly convey not what the preacher is thinking but what the gospel is saying, without adding or subtracting anything. In the proclamation of the Word the congregation has to be able to recognize the trusted voice of Christ, her Shepherd, as she knows that voice from the gospel. Then what Jesus says is also happening: “... the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. A stranger they will not follow, but they will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers” (John 10:4-5).
   However, when it is theorized from the pulpit, for example, that Jesus did not come to earth to pay our debts with his blood, but only to set a good example for us, then that is the voice of a stranger. It is normal for the sheep to “flee away.”
   We may also say that the preaching serves to nourish faith. When this food is the messed-up gospel, the sheep are being poisoned. There is also the possibility that the sermons do not contain pertinent falsehoods, but constantly omit certain central truths. In that case the sheep become malnourished, and that too is fatal in the long run.
   Therefore, the first characteristic is that the pure and complete gospel is imparted through the preaching. This is how the sheep recognize the voice of the good shepherd, even if that voice says some surprising things. A fine example of this is given by the Jews of Berea, who heard Paul preach the news of Jesus, and then “examined the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so” (Acts 17:11). Only in that way are we “built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets” (Ephesians 2:20). And only there does the promise of Christ holds true, that “where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them” (Matthew 18:20; see also Galatians 1:8-9).
2. The second characteristic concerns the pure administration of the sacraments. This attribute is tied to the first. A church that bends the gospel according to her will and insights through the preaching forces herself to adapt the sacraments to her ideas as well. This is no wonder, because the sacraments are the illustrations that accompany the Word, so if the Word is changed, the corresponding representation will necessarily also be changed. For example, those who deny the doctrine of atonement will no longer regard baptism as the sign or image of the washing away of our sins.
   Moreover, the sacraments confirm the Word, so if that Word changes, the associated seal will also have a different value. Again, those who deny the doctrine of atonement (or reconciliation) no longer experience the Lord’s Supper as the meal where Christ offers us his shed blood as payment for our sins. According to Rome, grace is wrapped up in the sacraments and this view meant that two sacraments were not sufficient and five more were invented.
   The Anabaptists or Baptists do not see the gospel as the book of God’s covenant to which the children belong, which leads to their rejection of infant baptism.
   Corruption of the audible Word always goes hand in hand with corruption of the visible Word (the sacraments). That is why the true church can also be clearly recognized by the pure administration of the sacraments.
3. The third characteristic or mark of the true church is that “church discipline is exercised for correcting and punishing sins.” The church may never misuse discipline to rid itself of members who express scriptural criticism of it, as, for example, the pope excommunicated Luther. Discipline should be directed at rebuking of sins (1 Corinthians 5). This third characteristic is also closely related to the first, for a church that changes the gospel also alters at the same time the standards given by God and then no longer knows what is and what is not sin. As a result, true believers may even be persecuted by her. It may even happen that such a church no longer practices any discipline at all. But both have the same cause.
   Whereas the first characteristic is about the audible Word and the second about the visible, with the third we can speak of the tangible Word. Expressing it in this way makes it very clear that the question is always what the church is doing with the gospel.

V. The marks of the members of the church←⤒🔗

1. Special attention is given to the question of how the members of the church can be recognized. That is not because of a lapel pin or any other identifying mark. They are to be characterized by all of their conduct. The article is so clear about this that further explanation appears unnecessary.
2. What is the purpose of this article, in addition to mentioning the characteristics of the church as an organization, as well as those of its members? This contradicts at least two erroneous opinions about the church:
   a. Church members may be so satisfied with the purity of the sermons, the sacraments, and the discipline, that they forget that all of this is in vain when the church members are not changed by it. Then the dangerous situation arises as it existed in the church at Ephesus, (Revelation 2:1-3). The preaching and the exercise of discipline were in order. Yet they had “forsaken their first love” (Revelation 2:4). and would perish if they did not repent (Revelation 2:5-6).
   Therefore it would be a bad situation if the sermons, the sacraments and the discipline were all right, but the church members were not changed as a result.
   The church of Rome thinks it is indeed enough when one believes what the church (meaning the clergy) believes. But this article points out that church membership — while very important — is not enough.
   b. Another danger is that church members are expected to be close to perfection. Many people say they have avoided or even left the church because of their deeply disappointing experiences with other church members. But our article does not portray the true believers as supermen. Even though they conduct themselves as Christians, there is still “great weakness” in them and they therefore “appeal constantly to the blood, suffering, death and obedience of the Lord Jesus Christ.”
   Those who are looking for the true church should not be trying to find the fellowship with perfect people.

VI. Why the false church is called as such←⤒🔗

1. Designating a church as "false" is a signficant judgment. That hits hard. But then it must be clear what is and what is not meant by this sentence.
   It is a misunderstanding if one were to interpret the judgment "false church" as a direct value judgment on all people in that church. This misunderstanding is made even worse if it is assumed that all these people are called "false" in the sense of meanness. A false church is then something like a church full of malicious people. But that is not what it means.
   Therefore, it is necessary to consider what both those words "false" and "church" mean.
2. We start with the word "church." Just as with the true church, also now we need to distinguish between the church as an organization and its members. The judgment "false church" does not primarily refer to the people of that church, but to its organization. And as a body may be called sick, when not all organs are affected, so a church may be called false, yet in it there are still true believers and even ministers who preach and warn scripturally to help and heal the sick church.
   ​These believers are there "contrary to God’s command" (Article 28). However — and that is now the point — just as the still healthy body parts do not keep the patient up and about, so he is nevertheless declared sick, so these believers cannot prevent their church from being called false as an organization. For
   • she does not cause the voice of the good Shepherd to be heard;
   • she tampers with the sacraments, and
   • she persecutes the believers who openly tell her the truth.
     We would be going too far, however, to say that the expression “false church” marks all the members of that church as “false believers.” Nor does the expression “true church” imply that all its members are “true believers.”
3.  We move on to the word "false." It is true that the false church “persecutes those who live holy lives according to God’s Word” and that Jesus speaks of “false prophets who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves” (Matthew 7:15). Under the leadership of her prophets, the false church can indeed act in a bloodthirsty way, as the Roman Catholic church did at the time. Yet the term "false" mainly refers to something else that is much more dangerous when it comes down to it.
   Think of a counterfeit coin. It is just like the real thing, but you can’t buy anything with it.
   So also a false church is not real. It gives the outside appearance of being a sincere church of Christ. It convenes church services, employs office-bearers, and appeals to the gospel.
   It should also be noted that she does not deliberately pretend to be a church. No, she acts with a deep sense of being a church. She assumes that she is “offering a service to God” (John 16:2). That is why she may act so fanatically.
   But of her it is nevertheless true:  that “she assigns more authority to herself and to her ordinances than to the Word of God." And this is the point at issue.
4. The expression “false church” does not imply that there is no longer any trace of the gospel or of the sacraments in that church. Calvin remarked that despite the impiety of the people, God preserved his baptism and covenant through his faithfulness in the Roman Catholic church at that time, “so that the church should not perish entirely.” God willed “that even after the destruction, a half-collapsed building should remain.” He speaks of “some marks” that have survived, such as baptism. This is not the case because the apostasy there is not all that bad, but because these are marks “whose power neither the cunning of the devil nor human wickedness can destroy.” For as far as men are concerned, these are churches where “Christ lies there half-buried ... inasmuch as some symbols of the church still remain...” (Institutes IV.2.12).

VII. The true and the false church are easily distinguished from each other←⤒🔗

1.  Article 29 states that it is easy to tell the true church from the false one. But this is on condition that one studies God’s Word on this point “diligently and very carefully.” One must be able to discern what truly matters and be prepared to bow to the judgment of the Bible. But then no one needs to remain in doubt where the voice of the Good Shepherd, Jesus, is heard, because he himself assures us that his sheep know the Shepherd’s voice out of a thousand (John 10:4-5).
2. Yet this does not imply that a church that is seriously deficient, even in its preaching, should immediately be called "false." She only becomes false when she no longer takes warnings and continues to follow her self-determined course in word and deed. It has rightly been pointed out that during the Middle Ages, the seriously erring papal church was nevertheless the lawful church but that she became a false church when she rejected God’s call for reformation and even caused believers to be put to death.
3. It is therefore not yet decisive whether there is error in the church, because we even have to count on this to happen. For "from among your own selves men will arise speaking twisted things, to draw away the disciples after them” (Acts 20:30;  see also 2 Peter 2:1 and 1 John 2:19). It is not decisive whether there is error in a church that determines if she is church or not, but what it does about it after she has been seriously warned.

Points to discuss←↰⤒🔗

1. Refute the claim that Paul, in Philippians 1:15-18, would not be concerned about the pure preaching. Distinguish between the content of the sermon and the motivation of the preacher. See also what Jesus said about the scribes (Matthew 23:3).
2. Can there be differences of opinion within the church? If so, where are the boundaries?
3. a. Explain why the choice of church has to do with the second commandment of the law. Look up Lord’s Day 35 of the Heidelberg Catechism.
   b. Consider what punishment God imposes on transgression of this commandment, and then how this punishment may be carried out when someone ignores one’s calling to the church.
4. a. How do we assess the argument of those who themselves think that things are deplorable in their church, but who nevertheless continue to stay, because “we still have a good consistory or minister”?
   b. Also consider an argument that is often heard: “We need to stay as long as there is room for our witness and until we are cast out.”
5. Evaluate the following thesis and its critique.
   Thesis: In general, it cannot be said of the sects that they persecute (or have persecuted) the church, so they lack the third mark of the false church. This means that they belong to a category of which this article does not say anything.
   Critique:
   a. Sects generally voice serious criticism of the church and that can already be called a form of "persecution." For a broader use of the verb "persecute," compare Galatians 4:29 in connection with Genesis 21:9;
   b. Even if there were no persecution, it should be remembered that the first characteristic is decisive. This does imply that our judgment about the "false church" must always be nuanced, because there is a difference between "false" and "false." The entire historical situation should also be taken into account, see Section VII, point 2; there is a difference between ignorance and unwillingness, and so on.
6. According to dictionaries such as Collins and Merriam-Webster, the term "churchism" refers to a strong adherence to a certain denomination, that is, to the principles of an established church. It is often said that Reformed people display this stance.
   Questions: Do they display this stance? And should they?