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The Church of Christ . . .Who
Are We?
Matthew 16:18 '..upon this rock I
will build My church'
Romans 16:16 '..All the churches
of Christ salute you'
Welcome to a brief introduction
to the Church of Christ! If you have any questions or comments don't
hesitate to
contact us.
I. The Origin of the Church:
From Matthew 16:18 we learn:
A. The church wasn't established in the Old
Testament. Thus the rules governing this relationship will be found in the
New Testament.
B. The church belongs to Christ, not man.
C. The church is a very important
relationship. d. The word 'church' is spoken of in the singular, Jesus
desires that all believers be united and in one universal body (Eph.
1:20-23; John 17:20-23).
Acts 20:28 '..the church of God which He
purchased with His own blood'. This verse reveals: a. The church came into
existence after the death of Christ. b. It is an essential relationship, for
it is inherently connected with the blood of Christ. c. The church isn't a
building, rather it is people who have been redeemed (1 Peter 1:18-19). d.
The church isn't an optional relationship, for one cannot be saved apart
from the blood of Christ. e. The church is the same relationship known as
the kingdom of God (Compare Acts 20:28 with Revelation 1:5-6).
Acts 2:38,41,47 '...And the
Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved' (KJV). From these
passages we learn: a. Hearing the gospel, faith (2:37), repentance and
baptism stand between the sinner and salvation. b. Upon being baptized one
is added by the Lord to the church. The church that the Lord adds us to
belongs to Him. c. Being saved and being a member of the church are the same
thing. d. Therefore the church is the body of the saved (Eph. 5:23). e. Thus
the church that Jesus Christ established came into existence upon the day of
Pentecost in Acts chapter 2.
II. The Undenominational
Church:
If you have spent much time
reading the Bible then you already have realized that there are no
denominations mentioned within its passages. Every Christian was simply a
member of one united body of believers. Various congregations existed
(Corinth, Rome, Ephesus, etc..), but they were all part of the same body.
Each congregation practiced and believed the same doctrines or teachings,
that is, what was being revealed through the apostles (1 Corinthians 4:17;
14:37). Christians were admonished to remain united, divisions based on
following certain leaders within the church, or dividing up the body of
Christ into various sects or flavors of Christianity were condemned (1 Cor.
1:10). In fact, even sects based on following elevating one apostle over all
others were rebuked (1:12-13).
III. What Christians
Believed/Practiced:
This isn't meant to be a
complete list. But here is just a sample. Someone has noted that if you were
trying to find something then you would look for its identifying marks, such
as the specific characteristics of a car that had been stolen. In like
manner, the church that Jesus established has identifying marks.
Worship
Christians assembled on the
first day of every week (Sunday) (Acts 20:7; 1 Cor. 16:1; Heb. 10:25),and
observed the Lord's Supper. Every member partook of both elements (1 Cor.
11:23-26). They sang spiritual songs (Eph. 5:19; Colossians 3:16); gave as
they had been prospered (1 Cor. 16:1-2). Collections were not solicited from
non-members. They prayed together (Acts 2:42), and listened as the Word of
God was taught (Acts 2:42).
Organizational Structure
Jesus was the sole head (Eph.
1:20-23). Each local congregation was shepherded by a plurality of men
called elders/pastors/overseers or bishops (Acts 14:23; 20:17,28; 1 Tim.
3:1-7; Titus 1:5-11). The authority of these men was limited to the
congregation of which they were members (1 Peter 5:1-3). Thus each
congregation was self-governing. The New Testament provides no earthly
organizational structure for the church which is beyond the local
congregation. Including state, regional, national or a world headquarters.
Basic Teachings
The church that Jesus
established taught and practiced: a. Water baptism is just as essential to
salvation as is hearing the gospel or believing that Jesus is the Son of God
(Mark 16:15-16; John 3:16). b. Man is born pure and innocent (1 Cor. 14:20).
c. No one has been predestined for salvation or damnation (2 Peter 3:9). d.
Heaven and hell are both eternal (Matt. 25:46). e. The Father, Jesus and the
Holy Spirit each possess the qualities of Deity (John 1:1; Acts 5:3-5). f.
Jesus is the only way to the Father (John 14:6). g. All non-Christian
religions are powerless to save (Acts 4:12). h. God's moral standard is not
changed by time and culture (Galatians 5:19-21). i. A Christian can lose
their salvation (Heb. 10:26-31).
IV. Church History:
The unity found in the New
Testament wasn't to last. Through the apostles God predicted a coming
apostasy which would hit the church (Acts 20:28-30; 1 Tim. 4:1-4; 2 Tim.
4:2-4).
Following the death of the
apostles changes started to happen. For example, changes were made in the
organizational structure of the local congregation. One elder began to be
elevated above his fellow elders and assumed the title of bishop as applying
exclusively to himself. Such bishops began to oversee more than one
congregation, instead they were ruling a geographical region containing many
congregations. Eventually, one bishop assumed oversight over all the
congregations, thus the organizational structure found in Roman Catholicism
came into existence. During the early centuries many other foreign practices
were being introduced (the Bible clearly condemns adding to the Word-Matt.
15:1-9; 2 John 9; Revelation 22:18-19). We find such human religious
traditions as infant baptism, prayers for the dead, the fruit of the vine
withheld from the members during communion, a clergy-laity system, and so
on.
Finally people realized that
these things weren't right and began to "protest", thus the beginnings of
the Protestant religious bodies. While many people had good intentions, and
some of the human traditions found in Catholicism were removed,
unfortunately the Protestant Reformation only succeeded in establishing even
more religious bodies based on human founders, doctrines and practices.
Among other things, the Reformation introduced the unscriptural idea of
being saved by faith alone, which is a complete reverse of what the Bible
says (James 2:24).
Conclusion
The Westside School Road Church of Christ
is striving to be nothing more and nothing less than a congregation that
conforms to the Church that Jesus established and purchased with His own
blood. We urge all believers to come back to the teachings and practices one
can find revealed in the New Testament, to discard all human religious
traditions which lack book, chapter and verse and to lovingly and obediently
speak and practice what the Bible sanctions (1 Peter 4:11). Let's be content
to allow God to tell us how He wants to be worshipped and served. |
