Theology of the Church, Mentor's Guide, MG03

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T H E O L O G Y O F T H E C H U R C H

C. Finally, the rule summarizes the principles with “What has been believed everywhere, always, and by all .”

1. This is the standard of consent : all branches of the Church have held to this same core of confessional truth.

2. The essential core has been confessed always by all: heresy, by definition, is that which innovates or changes the meaning of that which has “once for all been delivered to the saints,” Jude 3.

In this wonderfully simple statement we have a certain and sure rule for detecting true teaching from false teaching regarding Christian belief. We may consider a teaching to be authoritative and binding on the Church if it can pass the test of being “what has been believed everywhere, always and by all.”

Conclusion

We have considered three sets of marks of the Church:

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» The Nicene Creed: One, holy, apostolic, and catholic Church.

» The teaching of the Reformation: Word rightly preached, sacraments rightly administered, discipline rightly ordered. » The Vincentian Rule: That which has been believed everywhere, always, and by all.