The word “remnant” has been defined as “what is left of a community after it undergoes a catastrophe” or “a small part remaining.” The words “Remnant Church” would then imply that a great failure has occurred within the church and that there is only a small fraction that have remained faithful. The word “remnant” is found in a few verses in the New Testament (see Matthew 22:6; Romans 9:27; 11:5; Revelation 11:13; 12:17; 19:21) but none of these verses speak of a “Remnant Church.” Having said that, there are two well-known religious sects that refer to themselves as the “Remnant Church”; the Seventh-day Adventists and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (i.e. Mormons). According the Seventh-day Adventist theology, there will be an end time REMNANT of believers who are faithful to God. They teach that “the remnant church is a visible, historical, organized body characterized by obedience to the commandments of God and the possession of a unique end-time gospel proclamation.” Adventists have traditionally equated this “remnant church” with the Seventh-day Adventist denomination. The Mormons have a splinter group called the “Remnant Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.” On Wikipedia we read the following: “Through its history with the Reorganized Church, the Remnant Church considers itself to be a remnant of the Church of Christ organized by Joseph Smith Jr. in 1830, and thus the ‘one true church.’” The article goes on to state some of their beliefs that differ from the original Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Since both of these two groups “claim to be the Remnant Church” we know they can’t both be right. In fact, we shall see from Scripture that “neither of them is right!”

In short, both of these sects are claiming to be the “one true church” based on their faithfulness. Let us examine Scripture to see what it says about the “one true church” and I believe we shall see that it is NOT “based on man’s faithfulness” but on the truth of the Person of Christ and man’s simple faith in Christ. Let’s read Matthew 16:13-18, “When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, saying, ‘Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?’ So they said, ‘Some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.’ He said to them, ‘But who do you say that I am?’ Simon Peter answered and said, ‘You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.’ Jesus answered and said to him, ‘Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. And I also say to you that you are Peter, and ON THIS ROCK I WILL BUILD MY CHURCH.” Here we learn, from the Lord Jesus Himself, that “He would build His church” and that it would be built upon the confession of Jesus as “the Christ, the Son of the living God” (which means He is the eternal Son of God…see John 1:1 &14). In Acts chapter 2 we have the “birthday of the church” where Peter preached Christ to a multitude of fellow-Jews (verses 14-36) and there were 3,000 souls “who gladly received his word” and identified with Christ in baptism (verse 41). From that day forward “the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved.” This, my dear friend, is the “one true church.” All who confess, from their hearts, the Lord Jesus as the Son of God, are “added to the church.” It is not based on “their faithfulness to God’s commandments”; it is based on “their faith in Christ.” And as we saw in the Lord’s words to Peter after he confessed that Jesus was “the Christ, the Son of the living God,” his faith was not a “good work” but rather a “revelation from the Father.”

We conclude that there is no such thing as a “Remnant Church” based on man’s faithfulness. Every sinner who has “believed on the Lord Jesus Christ” (Acts 16:31) and from his heart has confessed Him before men (see Romans 10:9-10), is part of the “only true church.” It matters not if they are newborn babes in Christ or have been saved for many years, nor does it matter if they are “faithful to all of God’s commandments” (for what believer could ever say this without blushing?); what matters is they have had a divine revelation from God and confessed that “Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God.”  (DO)  (528.3)