expressing this same idea of sanctification being a process xxvi. The Church is most truly holy, then, in an eschatological sense. She is the bride of Christ, but only at his return will she be revealed ‘without spot or wrinkle’ (Eph. 5:27). In the meantime, God is sanctifying the Church by bringing people to faith in Christ, turning them into disciples, and making effective the preaching of the Word and the administration of the sacraments. The Gospel, which is the basis of the Church’s unity is also the basis of its holiness. Baptism in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, which is for the forgiveness of sins, is administered in response to the Gospel (Acts 2:38). The community of faith which shares this one baptism is shown in Matthew 18:15-18 to have authority to mediate the forgiveness of sins. However, this task of mediation requires two things of the Church. Firstly, it means that the Church itself must be constantly open to metanoia (repentance), and therefore to internal renewal. Secondly, it means that the Church must be outward-looking. As Küng says, “this community which has been set apart must not cut itself off from the world” xxvii. Rather, its members are constantly sent back into the world to act in a different way from those who do not believe. It is at the heart of the Orthodox understanding of the Eucharist that it brings a realization of “man’s true being as image of God” before sending the participants back into the world to serve God
xxviii
. This conclusion will be important
when we come to consider the impact of church plants upon their community, because it implies that social action is a sign of holiness. The holiness of the Church is also linked to its unity, because only a truly united Church can be holy. “Its holiness as the church of the one God and the one Lord Jesus Christ demands its unity,” as Pannenberg says, “and demands it unconditionally” xxix. He asserts that the way back to unity is through a reflection on the holiness of Christ, since the Church’s form, order and even doctrine are finite, and in constant need of reformation and renewal. Holiness, therefore, is a characteristic of the Church which is both a challenge to action and a sign of hope. As a result of the sanctifying activity of the Holy Spirit, whom the Father has given to the Church as a result of the Son’s reconciling work, the Church will never cease to be the communion of the saints, and will one day appear as the perfect bride of Christ.
The catholicity of the Church 11