What Happened To the Church Established By Christ and His
... In reaction to the church that forgot its own mission and tried to
control the life and destination of everyone using all methods including
physical death, the reformation movement completely separated itself
from the church and denied most of what belonged to the church.
People had had it with the ...
One true church
The one true church is the assertion by a number of Christian churches that they alone represent the church to which Jesus gave his authority in the Great Commission. The Catholic, Eastern and Oriental Orthodox churches each view themselves as the one and only original church. The mainstream Protestant view is that all Christians are members of the Christian Church. This belief in ""an invisible church"" arose in the 4th and 5th centuries in the Novatianist and Donatist schisms, both of which were condemned by the Bishop of Rome and the church throughout the Roman Empire.A number of groups, such as The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), say apostolic succession is an essential element in constituting the one true church, ensuring it has inherited the spiritual, ecclesiastical and sacramental authority and responsibility that Jesus Christ gave to the Apostles, while others, such as Iglesia ni Cristo, believe in a last messenger doctrine, where no such succession takes place. A few believe they have restored the original church, in belief or practice. The claim to be the ""one true church"" is related to the first of the Four Marks of the Church mentioned in the Nicene Creed: ""one, holy, catholic, and apostolic church"".
