A mural of Aaron Douglas's painting "An Idyll of the Deep South". Photo by New York Public Library for Unsplash
What does it look like to practice discipleship in secrecy? Invisible churches, or invisible institutions, described by historians as the spiritual gatherings that occurred away from the watchful eyes of the slave owners, held profound significance in enslaved communities during the 18th century, according to The Black Media Authority.
For John Calvin, a French theologian and reformer during the Protestant Reformation, the invisible church was a concept that defined true faith existing beyond what is seen composed of individuals chosen as God’s own children, according to John Calvin for Everyone.
Enslaved individuals worshiped in secrecy because their gatherings were outlawed by those who knew if they developed a filled spirit, it would only be a matter of time before they came into a sense of their own identity, according to The Black Media Authority.
African Americans during slavery were reduced to three-fifths of a human being, and the slave owner had to claim that those enslaved didn’t have a soul, according to The Black Media Authority.
The enslaved were forced to worship in secrecy, but God still knew their hearts. Meanwhile slave owners worshiped freely and visibly, but their actions towards enslaved people exposed the wickedness of their hearts.
Calvin believed people could fall out of the visible church but not out of the invisible church because God preserves His members forever, according to Ligonier Ministries.
The visible church alone is insufficient for salvation; one must be a member of the invisible church, consisting of those who possess true faith in Christ, according to Ligonier Ministries.
1 Peter 1:8-9 provides Scriptural evidence for this idea: “Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you receive the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls.
Vibrant colorful windows in an all-black church. Photo by Josh Eckstein for Unsplash
Reformers like John Calvin said the invisible church includes all of God’s elect, known only to God. In contrast, the visible church is the “mother of believers” who gives births, nurtures and helps mature believers, according to John Marks Hicks.
While the invisible church is indiscernible by human eyes known to God alone and free from judgment. The visible church is open to discernment and judgment, according to John Marks Hicks.
Calvin stated that the former church was invisible to us but it is visible to God. The visible church is open to discernment and judgment because it has many hypocrites who only have the name of Christ and appearance nothing more.
Calvin emphasized that while the invisible church remains free from judgment, the visible church is identifiable and subjected to it, according to John Marks Hicks.
John Calvin stated that in this church there are many individuals who are ambitious, greedy, envious persons, evil speaks and some who have an unclean life, according to John Marks Hicks.
The enslaved worshiping in private showcased what true worship with a pure heart stood for as true believers in Christ, risking their lives to gather in secret, while the slave owners worshiped in the visibility while trying to justify their actions through empty outward performances of their faith, but the enslaved found true faith in these hidden gatherings. This showcases Calvin’s concept of the invisible and visible church as God alone knows the heart of the invisible church.
The invisible church reflected purity and true devotion, the visible church revealed that even hypocrites could participate in worship but not truly belong to the invisible church, which God alone knows and can see.
The enslaved were able to connect with God on a spiritual and personal level, free from judgment of their oppressors which is a connection to Calvin’s belief that the invisible church allowed and removed the hypocrisy and the judgment.
The visible church of Christ coexists with the invisible church for true believers, according to John Marks Hicks. The invisible church doesn’t exist as an independent reality but is made present through Christ in the Word and Sacraments within the true visible church.
A woman praying and clutching a rosary. Photo by Isabella Fischer for Unsplash
Calvin’s theology provides a framework for understanding the distinction between a true visible church and a false one.
A false visible church denies, lacks or fundamentally distorts one of the essential teachings or practices of the New Testament, while the true visible church possesses all the essential marks of the church, according to John Marks Hicks.
Although the visible church can remain faithful and justified, it can never attain the perfect sanctity of the invisible church. But, it still offers a space to fellowship with God, according to John Marks Hicks.
Believers don’t need to be seen in order to receive and practice God’s word. Instead, they find Christ within themselves, staying connected to the ideal invisible church.
Destiny Dickerson is a recent graduate of Regent University. She received her bachelor's degree in Communications with a concentration in Journalism and a minor in International Relations and Foreign Policies. She loves the Arts field and can't wait to share more of her gifts with the world.
