One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church: The Biblical Doctrine of the Church

For us and for our salvation

We can better see God’s wise and good plan for the world when we better understand his intentions for the church.

One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church provides a comprehensive guide to understanding the nature and purpose of the church. Throughout redemptive history, God has been gathering a people to himself to worship him, to serve one another, and to bring the gospel to the nations.

Waters approaches the doctrine of the church from biblical-theological, historical, and systematic angles. He also addresses practical concerns about the life and ministry of the church today, such as worship, spiritual gifts, and the relationship between church and state.

Contents

The We Believe Series

Understand. Proclaim. Act.

We Believe is a series of eight major studies of the Christian faith’s primary doctrines as confessed in the Nicene Creed and guided by the Reformed tradition. In each volume, trusted authors engage a major creedal doctrine in light of its biblical-theological foundations and historical development, fleshing out its spiritual, ethical, and missional implications for the church today.

348 pages.

We’re told that biblical studies and systematic theology should be totally separate. But then comes along Guy Waters, a New Testament scholar and a superb systematic theologian. There has never been a greater need for a biblical doctrine of the church. I hope this is read widely for the health of every church not only in the US but in the Majority World.

—Michael Horton, professor of theology and apologetics, Westminster Seminary California

Guy Prentiss Waters provides an insightful, precise, readable, and thorough doctrinal account of ecclesiology. His masterful work encompasses biblical revelation, doctrinal matters, and practical wisdom.

—Gregg R. Allison, professor of Christian theology, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Kentucky

In his typically warm and readable style, Dr. Guy Prentiss Waters presents a rich gift to the church. In One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church, he invites us into a sweeping (biblico-theological) survey of the church through Old and New Testaments, and then, while fearlessly probing the perennial questions (including such topics as government, worship, discipline, mission, and church/state relations), draws summary (systematic-theological) conclusions about Christ-honoring principles for the church’s life and practice. In this welcome work about the church, Waters has produced a new go-to resource for the church.

—David B. Garner, chief academic officer, vice president of global ministries, and Charles Krahe Professor of Systematic Theology at Westminster Theological Seminary, Glenside, Pennsylvania

Guy Waters embodies a rare combination of being a sharp biblical scholar, excellent theologian, and clear writer. This addition to what is proving to be an excellent series on the Nicene Creed, develops the doctrine of the church biblically, systematically, and practically. Summarizing the book’s primary arguments with seven theses on the church at the close of the book, Waters presents his material with characteristic clarity and exceptional usefulness.

—Ryan M. McGraw, Morton H. Smith Professor of Systematic Theology, Greenville Presbyterian Theological Seminary