Friends,
The True Church of Jesus Christ does not belong to me, its members or any other person or organization in this world. It belongs to Jesus Christ.
He alone established His Church. He gave it His doctrine, His ordinances, and His authority. The responsibility of those who serve Him is not to reinvent the Church, but to keep it faithful to Him.
That sounds simple. It should be simple.
But religious institutions drift when people lose their way. A Church can become something to manage, modernize, market, or reshape around the ideals of the people who are currently in charge. Before long, the question is no longer, “What did Jesus Christ teach?” It becomes, “What will people accept?”
A Church cannot remain true by following the world and attaching the name of Christ afterward. It remains true by belonging wholly to Him.
“And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence.”
Read Colossians 1:18 in the Scripture Reader ↗“I Will Build My Church”
Jesus Christ did not come only to leave behind a collection of private teachings. He called Apostles, ordained men, gave them authority, established ordinances, and sent His servants to teach and baptize throughout the world.
He gathered His disciples into one body. They worshipped together, learned together, cared for one another, corrected one another, and carried His gospel into their homes and communities. Their faith was personal, but it was never meant to be private and solitary.
Jesus Christ called it my church. Those two words settle an important question. The Church is His possession and His work.
“And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.”
Read Matthew 16:18 in the Scripture Reader ↗We Do Not Get to Reinvent What Belongs to Him
If the Church belongs to Christ, its teachings are not ours to soften when they become uncomfortable or to twist when we are angry. They are not mine to revise, and they are not ours to settle by popular vote.
Church leaders are stewards. Members are disciples. Jesus Christ is our Lord.
Traditions can be helpful. Councils can bring wisdom. Teachers can explain difficult things. But every tradition, decision, and teaching must remain beneath the authority of Jesus Christ and the truth He has revealed.
This is why Holy Scripture stands at the center of the True Church. The Scriptures are not decoration for our faith or quotations to place around ideas we already hold. They preserve the Lord’s words, His commandments, His dealings with His people, and the testimony of those who knew Him.
We do not read Scripture merely to be reassured. Sometimes the word of God comforts us. Sometimes it corrects us. Both are acts of mercy.
“If ye love me, keep my commandments.”
Read John 14:15 in the Scripture Reader ↗Why His Name Matters
The name of the Church is not a marketing decision. It is a declaration of ownership.
We call it The True Church of Jesus Christ because it belongs to Jesus Christ and must be built upon His gospel. His name reminds every leader that this is not his church. It reminds every member that we have gathered to follow Christ, not a personality, a political movement, or a religious fashion.
The word true does not mean that every member is already right about everything. We are still learning, repenting, and growing. It means that Jesus Christ is true, His gospel is true, and His Church is true, so long as it remains faithful to what He has revealed.
“And how be it my church save it be called in my name? … But if it be called in my name then it is my church, if it so be that they are built upon my gospel.”
Read 3 Nephi 27:8 in the Scripture Reader ↗Founded on Christ and Governed by His Word
We cannot separate Jesus Christ from Holy Scripture as though we must choose between following Him and following His word. The Scriptures bear witness of Him. They teach us to recognize His voice, understand His commandments, and distinguish His gospel from ideas merely presented in His name.
For that reason, The True Church preserves and teaches the full body of Holy Scripture entrusted to it. We do not approach sacred records looking for reasons to reduce them. We open them because we want all the light and truth the Lord has given His people.
Scripture also protects the Church from becoming whatever its present leaders prefer. My words must be measured against it. Every sermon, lesson, decision, and claimed revelation must remain accountable to the truth of Jesus Christ alone.
That accountability is not a burden. It is one of the Lord’s great protections for His Church.
“All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.”
Read 2 Timothy 3:16–17 in the Scripture Reader ↗What Belonging to Christ Requires of Us
It is easy to say that the Church belongs to Jesus Christ. The harder question is whether we are willing to belong to Him.
A Church faithful to Christ must be made of people willing to hear Him, repent when they are wrong, keep their covenants, forgive one another, protect their families, serve their neighbors, and place His truth above their pride.
Before asking what the Church can give us, we should ask what Jesus Christ is calling us to become.
The True Church of Jesus Christ will not be built around a founder, a passing generation, or the spirit of the age. If it is truly His Church, it must remain centered on Him.
Jesus Christ is our foundation and our living Head. The Holy Scriptures preserve His truth. The work before us is His work, and we are His people.
The Church belongs to Jesus Christ. May we have the humility and courage to let Him govern it.
In Christ,
Tyler GreeneFounder and High PriestThe True Church of Jesus Christ