Why We're Not Roman Catholic #8 - The Real Catholic Church: Unity in Truth, Not in Rome

We live in an age that values unity—not necessarily biblical unity, but unity nonetheless. For this reason, the Roman Catholic Church has become appealing to many. To the modern eye, it seems to offer a greater sense of cohesion compared to the diversity of Protestant churches. Romanists often accuse Protestants of being schismatics, plagued by division and fragmentation, pointing to the supposed thousands of Protestant denominations as evidence. And that is a serious charge. The Bible clearly teaches that God hates division and that His design for the church is unity.

Passages like Ephesians 4:4–6, 1 Corinthians 12:12–13, and Romans 12:3–8 make it clear that the church is the one body of Christ. There are not multiple churches in essence—there is one church, expressed locally but existing universally. The word historically used to describe this universal reality is catholic. Early church fathers used “catholic” to mean the whole church across all times and places. We find the word even in the Apostles’ Creed: “We believe in the holy catholic church.” Many Protestants become uncomfortable with this language, mistakenly equating “catholic” with “Roman Catholic.” But that’s not what the term originally meant, and we shouldn’t surrender a biblical and historical word just because others have misused it.

The Reformers and their heirs gladly called themselves catholics—true catholics or Reformed catholics. That’s why they referred to the Roman Catholic Church as “papist” or “Romanist,” distinguishing it from the true catholic church. And this leads to the heart of the issue: What does it mean to be catholic? What does it mean to be the one true, universal church of Jesus Christ?

The Roman Church claims that it is the church Jesus founded. Vatican II reasserts that the Roman Church is the one “true Church of Christ,” and those outside its visible structure are considered deficient or in “imperfect communion.” Why such a bold claim? Because Rome defines unity as submission to the pope rather than union with Christ and His gospel. And that is the crux of the matter: What is the center of Christian unity?

If Christian unity is defined by allegiance to a man and an institution, then yes—Protestants are divided. But Scripture teaches something entirely different. In John 17:17–21, Jesus prays for unity through sanctification in the truth. Ephesians 4:1–6 speaks of one Lord, one faith, one baptism—not one pope. The New Testament grounds unity in shared truth, not hierarchical structure. That’s why the Reformers rightly taught that the unity—and true catholicity—of the church is found not in a man or institution, but in the gospel of Jesus Christ. As a consequence, they affirmed that wherever the Word of God is faithfully preached, the sacraments rightly administered, and church discipline upheld, there is a true church. Protestants of many kinds can acknowledge their differences while recognizing one another as true churches and brothers in Christ—as long as the gospel is preserved and proclaimed.

Rome, sadly, lost catholicity when it anathematized the gospel at the Council of Trent. In condemning Protestant teaching, it did not merely expel Protestants from their institution; it removed itself from the one holy, catholic, and apostolic church, founded on the teaching of the apostles and prophets. Apostolic succession is not primarily a matter of institutional lineage, but of doctrinal faithfulness. To be in continuity with the apostles is to preach the gospel they preached.

Rome’s unity may seem attractive—offering the comfort of numbers, visible grandeur, and a clear hierarchy—but it is a false unity. True unity is rooted in the Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:13), centred on Christ (Colossians 1:18), and governed by the Word (2 Timothy 3:16–17). When we understand this, we see that the diversity within Protestantism is not necessarily a flaw. Institutional "flexibility" is not a bug; it’s a feature. External uniformity can be helpful, but the unity we are called to pursue is not primarily institutional. It is spiritual, theological, and gospel-centered.

This kind of unity keeps our eyes on the right things. It enables us to see the Kingdom of God advancing through diverse churches united by one Lord, one faith, and one mission. It teaches us to pursue unity in the essentials, to extend grace in the secondary matters, and to love the whole body of Christ with humility.

May our Lord Jesus Christ be glorified in His Church. And may His prayer for unity be fulfilled in us as we become one, sharing in the same Spirit, the same truth, the same salvation, the same baptism, and the same Lord.

Nino Marques