Four Marks of the Church: One

Christ established one and not several Churches through which we could obtain Salvation; this is where the Mark of the Church, One, originates. It is also through this Church that we are not only unified with Christ, but with every other member of the Church. This is why the Church is referred to as the Mystical Body of Christ; because we are all unified with one another as one body or community, with Christ as its head. But throughout history, the unification of the Church has been wounded by a series of schisms and heresies. However, by the guidance of the Holy Spirit, the Church was able to heal these wounds and continues to heal them today.

The first schisms from the Roman Catholic Church started with the Eastern Orthodox and Protestant denominations. These then led to many other denominations such as, the Baptists, Methodists, Episcopalians, and Lutherans. Although these schisms are due to the misunderstanding of the Sacred Scripture and Tradition by some people, they are also caused by the Church's failure to communicate well enough to these people. The Church is given the authority to teach the Scriptures and must do this in a way that all people can relate to. This is why the Holy Spirit continuously guides the teachers of the Church; by the help of the Holy Spirit, the teaching of the Church is infallible and any one who has been baptized and learned the truth about the faith and yet still denies the authority of the Pope, commits the sin of schism.