The early church, as described in the New Testament and reflected upon by the Reformed tradition, was a community defined by devotion to apostolic teaching, the sacraments, prayer, and a radical, sacrificial love for one another. While it was not free from internal struggles or imperfections, it remained anchored in the sufficiency of Christ as its only Head and the Word of God as its final authority.
The early church was characterized by a profound, continuous commitment to what the apostles taught and the practices Christ instituted. As recorded in Acts 2:42, the believers 'continued stedfastly in the apostles' teaching and fellowship, in the breaking of bread and the prayers.' This was not merely an organized system, but a living, gospel-centered community where believers shared their lives, possessions, and resources to support those in need, grounded in the grace of God that had redeemed them.
Reformed theology maintains that the church is the assembly of the faithful, governed not by human inventions or a worldly hierarchy, but by the Word and Spirit of Christ. The Second Helvetic Confession Ch. XVII emphasizes that Christ is the sole Head of the Church, and that its true unity is found in the doctrine of the Gospel and the right administration of the sacraments. Calvin, in his Institutes of the Christian Religion Ch. 4, explains that while the primitive church followed a form of government (presbyters, bishops, and deacons) to preserve order, these were always intended to be subservient to the Word of God, ensuring the church remained a body dedicated to the ministry of the Word and the care of the poor.
It is a vital gospel truth that the early church was a fellowship of flawed people—sinners saved by grace. Chrysostom, in his Homilies on the Epistle to the Romans, reflects on how this community dealt with repentance and restoration. They were 'more sinful than they ever dared believe, and more accepted and loved in Christ than they ever dared hope.' This is consistent with the Westminster Confession Ch. 25 §5, which acknowledges that even the purest churches are 'subject both to mixture and error.' The beauty of the early church lay not in its perfection, but in its daily dependence on the gospel, which alone sustained its unity and holiness in the face of an 'untoward generation.'