What is the church of Christ?

Mark Dunagan
05/16/10 - Sunday Morning

What is the church of Christ?

It is not man made

Contrary to the claims of some, the church of Christ did not start in this country some two hundred years ago. Long before such men (many of them working completely independent of one another) as Thomas and Alexander Campbell, or Barton W. Stone, Abner Jones, or James O’Kelly were seeking to get back to the Bible, groups in Europe had called themselves “church of Christ”. And before that, in the First Century the apostle Paul said, “All the churches of Christ salute you” (Romans 16:16).

It is not a denomination

The reason we are not a denomination and have no interest in being one is that there is no scriptural authority for the existence of any denomination. Jesus did not start a denomination, rather He said, “I will build My church” (Matthew 16:18). The denominations often try to justify their existence by claiming that they are just one piece of the church that Jesus established and that each denomination is a small piece of the bigger pie. Yet this concept is completely foreign to Scripture. According to Scripture is there is “one body” (Ephesians 4:4), this one body is the church (Ephesians 1:22-23). This one body is composed, not of various denominations, but rather of individual Christians (1 Corinthians 12:27 “Now you are Christ’s body, and individually members of it”; Romans 12:5 “So we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another”). Much like Jesus’ illustration of the vine and the branches, Jesus is the vine, and the branches are individual believers (John 15:4-5).

The idea that each denomination is just one small piece of the greater pie violates another Scriptural principle, that is, that any church can be less than what God expects. No church is allowed to be a “fraction” of what God expects for the church. Each local congregation is expected to be a pillar and ground of the truth (1 Timothy 3:15). And each local congregation is expected to be the church of Christ in all aspects (see Revelation chapters 2-3).

In reading the Bible

1. We find no denominational names for the church. Rather, we find the expressions “churches of Christ” (Romans 16:16) and “church of God” (1 Corinthians 1:2).
2. We find no denominational names for the members. Rather we find that the members were called “brethren”, “saints”, “disciples” or “Christians” (Acts 11:26).
3. We find no denominational organizational structure, such as conventions or headquarters – whether state, regional, national or worldwide. Rather we find the qualifications of elders and deacons (1 Timothy 3:1ff), and each congregation having its own elders and deacons (Philippians 1:1). These elders ruled only the congregation of which they were members (1 Peter 5:2) – there is no human organizational structure beyond that in scripture. Jesus is presented as the only head of the church (Ephesians 1:22-23). 
4. We find no denominational plans of salvation, such as “faith only” or saying “the sinner’s prayer”. Rather, we find the simple conditions of hearing the gospel (Romans 10:17); faith in Christ (John 3:16); repentance (Acts 2:38); confessing Christ (Acts 8:37); and baptism, an immersion in water for the forgiveness of sins (Acts 2:38). We likewise find no infants being baptized, but only those who are old enough to believe (Acts 16:31-32).

We are honoring Jesus’ prayer for unity

“I do not ask in behalf of these alone, but for those also who believe in Me through their word; that they may all be one; even as Thou, Father, art in Me, and I in Thee, that they also may be in Us; that the world may believe that Thou didst send Me” (John 17:20-21).

Observe that Jesus did not pray for a “let’s just agree to disagree” type of “unity”, which is in reality no unity at all. Jesus not only prayed for the apostles, but for all who believe in Him by following their word (the New Testament). Thus the unity under consideration is a unity based on the teachings of the apostles, a unity based on following the New Testament, a unity based on doctrine. In like manner, in speaking through the apostle Paul, Jesus later said, “...you all agree, and there be no divisions among you, but you be made complete in the same mind and in the same judgment” (1 Corinthians 1:10). Finally, in another place, the Holy Spirit said, “There is one body and one Spirit, just as also you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all” (Ephesians 4:4-6).

We honor the Author of Scripture

The Bible or its Author is not to be blamed for the division that exists in the religious world today. We honor God. We respect His revelation to mankind (Isaiah 66:2). We do not say things like, “The Bible is too confusing” or “It is impossible for people to understand it alike”. We know and believe that God has authored a book that all honest hearts can understand alike (Ephesians 3:3-5). We also know that division is not caused by following the Scriptures too closely, rather division happens when people depart from the Scriptures (2 Timothy 4:2-4). For example:

• If you added the Augsburg Confession of Faith to the Bible, what would be the result? You would become a Lutheran.
• If you added a Catholic Catechism to the Bible, what would be the result? You would become a Catholic.
• If you added the Book of Mormon to the Bible, what would be the result? You would become a Mormon.
• If you added a Baptism Manual to the Bible, what would be the result? You would become a Baptist.
• If you just followed the Bible, what would be the result? You would become a Christian.

Thus you could say the DNA that makes one a Christian is simply a humble and honest heart (John 7:17) and an allegiance to God’s word above everything else. In the First Century this combination produced nothing more or less than Christians (Acts 2:38-41; 8:35-38). We still have the same word of God (1 Peter 1:23-25), and obedience to it will still produce nothing more or less than a Christian, a member of the “church of Christ”.

We acknowledge that the apostasy did happen

We firmly believe the passages that predicted a falling away from the faith after the life-time of the apostles: Acts 20:28-31; 2 Timothy 4:2-4; 2 Peter 2:1-3. This falling away resulted in the Catholic Church (1 Timothy 4:1-3) and the denominations that broke off from it centuries later.

We believe in a return to Scripture

The clear precedent in Scripture, for restoration after an apostasy or falling away from the faith, is to go back to the original instruction.

We believe in a fixed pattern

The reason God’s people are expected to return to the Scriptures after they wake up and realize that an apostasy has occurred – that there are things being done that are not authorized in Scripture as well as things being left undone that are commanded – is because the roots of the truth are in a Biblical pattern. This pattern was not just for that time and culture, rather it is the way Jesus wants His church to always be. The existence of such a timeless pattern is undeniable. It touches every corner of our life.

• The moral pattern in Scripture is timeless: Galatians 5:19-21
• The pattern for the Lord’s Supper is timeless: 
  1 Corinthians 11:23-26
• The pattern for the role of men and women is timeless: 
  1 Timothy 2:11ff
• The pattern for marriage is timeless: Matthew 19:3-9
• The pattern for the one body, and the one faith is timeless: Ephesians 4:4-6
• The authority of Jesus’ words are timeless: John 12:48
• The pattern for obedience is timeless: Matthew 7:21-23
• The pattern for remaining within the doctrine of Christ is timeless: 
  2 John 9

Some have argued that the principle of restoring a fixed pattern of the primitive Christian church is divisive rather than unitive, yet it is only divisive for those who do not want to do the will of the Father. All who desire to hear the words of Jesus and obey them will find unity – all others will find division. Let’s all enjoy a unity based upon Jesus’ wise and life-giving words!

Mark Dunagan | mdunagan@frontier.net
Beaverton Church of Christ | 503-644-9017
www.beavertonchurchofchrist.net