Explain the Significance of the Four Marks of the Church - One, Holy, Essay

Explain the Significance of the Four Marks of the Church - One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic - Essay Example Through the guidance of the Holy Spirit, the Church has continued to fulfill the marks, and only faith can recognize that the Church received these manifestations from God. The â€Å"One† mark of the Church shows that the Church of the apostles was one. Paul wrote that there is only one body and spirit in (Eph. 4:4-5), and he linked the unity to the Church’s common Eucharistic bread in (1 Cor. 10:17). The Bible says that the Church is the bride of Christ (Eph. 5:23-32) and has only one source. Jesus also promised from the outset in (John 10:16) that there would be one flock, and one shepherd. The Catechism also notes that the Church is one with three reasons namely; first, source of the Church is Holy Trinity, which is a the great unity of three heavenly persons; Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit; the second being the founder of the Church, Jesus Christ, who came to reunite through the blood in the cross for all mankind; and the third, â€Å"soul,† the Holy Spirit that is in the souls of the faithful, unites all the faithful into one communion of believers, and guides the Church. The â€Å"oneness† of the Church is visible in Catholics who are united in their Creed and other teachings, the sacramental celebrations, and the hierarchical arrangement that are based on the apostolic succession that are handed and preserved through the Sacrament of Holy Orders (Brian 2008). The Body of Christ Himself is the Church, and so is whole one, and one as Christ’s Body is whole one. The Church of Christ teaches only one set of doctrines that are taught by the apostles (Jude 3). The unity in the belief in which the Scripture calls all to adhere to (Phil. 1:27, 2:2). The Christian Church is united in faith, worship, and succession from the apostles themselves. The unity manifestation is hard to clutch today with centuries of old divisions and the existence of many Christian denominations spread across the world. Mass is conducted in the same w ay all over the world in terms of prayers, readings, structure, and everything except in difference of language by Catholics who have the same belief, and are offered by a priest who is united by his bishop who is united by the holy Father, the pope. Although, some dissent from official doctrines, the Church understands them (John 16:12-13) and it does not misunderstand them to mean contrary to want they meant before. Diversity is found in the oneness, in that the faithful has different vocations and different gifts, although they work together to continue with the mission of the Lord. The different cultures and traditions enrich the Church in their expressions of faith. Charity must saturate through the Church, for members to continue being together in unity. Example of the Catechism of the Catholic Church states that; The Church is one that recognizes one Lord, which confesses one faith, the Church born of one Baptism; it forms only one Body, given life by one Spirit, for the sake of one hope, at whose fulfillment all divisions will be overcome. Churches of all denominations have continued to emphasize the fundamental unity showing that there is only one faith, one Lord and One God. â€Å"Holy† as a mark of Church signifies the Church of the apostles as the Lord Himself as the source of all holiness. This shows that all things that the church has from the all-holy God himself and everything are holy. However,