Unless the church of Christ is different from all other religious institutions it has no lawful right to exist as a separate body. To establish another church and create more division among professed followers of Jesus Christ is both foolish and wrong. There are therefore certain distinct factors that distinguish the church of Christ from all others and we believe that these differences are absolutely essential.

One of the significant features of the church of Christ is its attitude toward the Holy Scriptures in terms of the nature of the Bible, and the authority inherent in this sacred Book. We believe the Scriptures are from God, and through them the divine Mind has been revealed. » Continue reading “What Makes The Church Of Christ Different?”

The word “denomination” means “a collection of individuals classed together under the same name; a religious sect or body having a common faith and organization, and designated by a distinctive name.” A denomination is essentially any aggregation of congregations, the sum of which is less than all of the universal church of Christ.

Denominations are commonly recognized as religious bodies known by specific names (or, doctrines, organizations, etc.). As the word is used in most Protestant literature, a denomination is any “Christian” church that believes itself to be a part of the universal church (of Christ), but only one part among many (which may differ in doctrine or practice). » Continue reading “What Caused Denominations To Come Into Existence?”

Denominationalism is inherently sinful and stands in opposition to the will of Christ. This is not an indictment against the sincerity of those who are members of denominations because we believe the members of all denominations sincerely believe they are following Jesus Christ. However, denominationalism is not a solution to our religious problems, but is in reality a part of the problem. Denominationalism does great harm for several reasons.

Underlying the problem of denominationalism is the question of authority. When religious leaders modify, change and alter the Scriptures then the authority of Christ is rejected and confusion reigns. The rejection of Christ’s authority and the Scriptures as the rule of faith and practice allows denominationalism to minimize the » Continue reading “Do Denominations Do Any Harm?”

Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, He {began} asking His disciples, saying, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” And they said, “Some {say} John the Baptist; and others, Elijah; but still others, Jeremiah, or one of the prophets.” He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” And Simon Peter answered and said, “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.” –Matt 16:13-16 NAS

The tendency was to give Jesus a label, to put Him into some category and to dismiss Him from their thoughts. This saved them the trouble of really looking at Jesus and making a fresh, independent evaluation of Him. However, the different categories into which the people put Jesus were all wrong. Jesus was not John, Elias, » Continue reading “Can One Be Just A Christian?”

Denominationalism is so prevalent that people usually find it hard to understand how there could be a church that is not a denomination. Therefore, they see the church of Christ in a context of numerous “churches” and they assume that it is simply another one among the many. This concept of modern denominationalism is foreign to the Bible.

A denomination is by definition a part of the whole, hence a party among parties. The theory of denominationalism is that one may be a Christian and a member of the universal and “invisible” church, but by choice may be also a member of a particular segment (party) of “Christianity.” That segment or party will have certain features which distinguishes it from other “Christian” segments or parties. » Continue reading “Is The Church Of Christ A Denomination?”

Jesus said, “I will build my church” (Matt. 16:18). The word “church” in this passage is in the singular. Our Lord did not say “churches,” or “one of the churches,” or, “a church.” Rather, Jesus said, “church” (singular). To illustrate, if there is a vacant lot (absolutely empty of everything) and I say to you “I will park my car in this lot.” How many cars would be in this lot? Suppose I then say to you, “Take the car of your choice.” You would respond by saying, “I cannot take the car of my choice, for there is but one car there.” The same applies in the Lord’s promise to build His church. He was not giving us a choice; rather, He was promising to build one church.

Paul told the Ephesian elders to “Feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood” (Acts 20:28). Paul also said that Christ, » Continue reading “Does The Bible Teach There Is Only One Church?”

It is very sad that the majority of people of our day have become so accustomed to thinking in terms of denominationalism that it is a most difficult task to persuade them that the church of Christ is not a denomination. Neither Peter, Paul, nor any other Christian of the first century belonged to a denomination. Yet, all Christians in apostolic times belonged to the church.

The term “church” translated from the Greek word ekklesia appears in the New Testament more than one hundred times. Literally, it means “the called out.” Therefore, the phrase “church of Christ” simply means “the called out belonging to Christ.” Such people are called by the gospel (2 Thess. 2:14; Rom. 1:16) out of the world of darkness into the glorious light of the kingdom of Christ (I Pet. 2:9; Col. 1:13). » Continue reading “What Is The Church?”

The world at large de-emphasizes the importance of the church and, indeed, it sometimes appears to be the case that the church has been eliminated from the minds of men. This is to be expected from those who make no claim to religious belief, but even among those who claim to be seeking after God’s will, there are many who regard the church as being of little importance.

There is a very significant movement in modern Japan called the “No-church Movement.” This means simply that many thousands of people who were formerly Buddhists and Shintoists have come in more recent years to realize the tremendous appeal of the person of Jesus Christ. Many of them have accepted Him in a personal way and would call themselves Christians. While they have a great » Continue reading “How Important Is The Church?”

There is a commonly held belief in the religious world that the Lord Jesus Christ came to this earth to set up or establish His kingdom, but because He was rejected by the Jews, He postponed His kingdom and set up the church instead. Those who hold to this view believe that Jesus will set up His kingdom on earth when He returns the second time.

This concept relegates the church to the role of a stop-gap arrangement, a kind of after-thought conceived by Christ to provide something to fill the gap between His return to the Father and His return to the earth. It is also believed that the prophets said nothing about the church since they saw only the first coming of the Christ and His yet to come, earthly kingdom. » Continue reading “Was The Church Predicted By The Prophets?”

There are different ideas about when the church began. There are those who speak of it as beginning in the Old Testament period, though such a view is a misunderstanding of what the church is. Others believe that it began with the ministry of John the Baptist. Still others believe that the Lord’s kingdom has not yet been established. With such different answers to our question it is no wonder people are confused.

The correct answer is rather easily determined, if one notices the tense of the verbs used in reference to the church. Throughout the Old Testament all references to the Lord’s kingdom are future. Notice just a couple of them: » Continue reading “When Did The Church Begin?”