http://apologeticspress.org/APContent.aspx?category=11&article=1191
Who Are These People?
From time to time, we are asked for clarification concerning the
identity of the church of Christ. “What do churches of Christ stand
for?” “What do they believe?” “Who are these people—the churches of
Christ?”
One must take Bible in hand to answer these questions. In Matthew 3:2,
John the baptizer declared that the kingdom of heaven was near. In
Matthew 16:18, Jesus Himself announced to His disciples that He would
build His church and give to them the keys of the kingdom. In Mark 9:1,
Jesus further stated that some were standing in His presence who would
not taste of death before they would see the kingdom of God come with
power. In John 3:5, Jesus explained to Nicodemus that in order for him
to enter into the kingdom of God, he would have to be “born again”—which
consisted of being “born of water and the Spirit.” After Jesus’
crucifixion and resurrection, He instructed the apostles to go into all
of the world and preach the Gospel to every creature. He who would
believe and be baptized would be saved (Mark 16:16).
These passages set the stage for the momentous events of Acts chapter
2. In that key passage, Jesus followed through with His promises. The
Gospel was preached, some 3,000 hearers believed and were baptized, and
the church of Christ was brought into existence. The year was
A.D.
30. The place was the city of Jerusalem. In direct fulfillment of many
Old Testament prophecies—including Isaiah 2, Daniel 2, Joel 2, and Micah
4—Jesus established His church.
Churches of Christ today are reproductions of the church of Christ that
is described in the New Testament, beginning in Acts 2. Several
characteristics are discernible from the Bible that aid in seeing what
it takes to be a church of Christ.
In the first place, consider what people in the first century did to
become a member of the church of Christ. In Acts 2, after listening to
the preaching of the Gospel, the people asked the apostles what they
needed to do. Peter responded: “Repent and be baptized every one of you
in the name of Jesus Christ, for the remission of your sins” (Acts
2:38). This was in fulfillment of Jesus’ words in Mark 16:16: “He who
believes and is baptized will be saved.”
The same procedure is depicted over and over again in Acts. Acts
8:12-13 records that “when they believed Philip as he preached the good
news of the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were
baptized, both men and women. Simon himself believed and was baptized.”
In the same chapter, Philip preached Jesus to the Ethiopian eunuch. When
the eunuch saw water, he insisted upon being baptized. Philip said he
could if he believed.
In Acts 10, Cornelius heard the message, believed, and was baptized. In
Acts 16, Lydia listened to the message, believed, and was baptized. In
the same chapter, the Philippian jailer heard the word of the Lord and
was immediately baptized the same hour of the night. In Acts 18:8, many
of the Corinthians heard the word, believed, and were baptized. In Acts
19:4-5, some of the citizens of Ephesus listened to Paul’s preaching,
believed, and were baptized. Paul, himself, in Acts chapters 9 and 22,
heard the word and was baptized to have his sins washed away.
The rest of the New Testament confirms this procedure for becoming a
Christian. Paul reminded Roman Christians that on the day they were
baptized, they were baptized into Christ, into His death, and were made
free from sin to live a new life (Romans 6:1-7). He told the Corinthians
that on the day they were baptized, they were baptized into the one
body, which is the church of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:13). He told the
Galatians that when they were baptized, they were baptized into Christ,
and thus put on Christ, i.e., were
clothed with Him (Galatians
3:27). Peter added his support to this same understanding by declaring
that one is saved at the moment of baptism, for it is at that point that
the benefits of the
resurrection of Christ are applied to the believer (1 Peter 3:21).
Notice from these Scriptures that in the first century, a person became
a Christian in the same way and at the same moment that he became a
member of the church of Christ. First-century people heard the message
of salvation and God’s will for their life. They then believed (had
faith in) God and Christ (and the teaching about Them), repented of
their sins, confessed the name of Christ with their mouths, and then
were baptized (or immersed) in water for the remission of sins (cf.
Romans 10:9-10; Colossians 2:12; Hebrews 10:22). Who are the churches of
Christ? They are
those churches that practice that same New Testament plan of salvation.
Second, consider how churches of Christ were organized or structured in
the New Testament. Each local congregation was independent and
autonomous. There was no hierarchy or denominational headquarters. Each
local church was directly under the headship of Christ (Colossians
1:18). Churches of Christ had no synods, councils, or conventions that
established policy or provided governing guidelines. Every single local
congregation was self-governing and completely autonomous.
Within each of these churches, the New Testament teaches that men who
meet the qualifications of 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1 are to be appointed
by the church members to be elders. Other names for this function in the
New Testament are bishops, pastors, shepherds, and overseers (Titus
1:5,7; Acts 20:17,28; 1 Peter 5:1-2). The New Testament teaches that
when a church has qualified men, two or more are to be appointed to
serve. Churches in the New Testament always had a
plurality of
elders over a single congregation (Acts 20:17; Philippians 1:1; Titus
1:5). These men are to function as the overseeing authorities in the
local church. They shepherd and watch over the members under their
charge (Hebrews 13:17; 1 Peter 5:1-4). The name “pastor” did not refer
to a preacher in the New Testament, but to an elder.
New Testament churches also had deacons appointed who were to meet
specific God-given qualifications (1 Timothy 3:8-13). Deacons were
assigned responsibilities and tasks that involved serving the needs of
the congregation (Acts 6:1-6; Philippians 1:1).
In addition to elders and deacons, churches of Christ in the first
century had teachers, preachers, and evangelists (Ephesians 4:11; 2
Timothy 4:5; James 3:1). These men taught and preached Christian
doctrine to non-Christian and Christian alike. Female Bible teachers
taught women and children (Titus 2:4). All of the members participated
together in the work and worship of the church in an effort to glorify
God in their lives.
Many improvisations have evolved since the first century as regards
church government and organization. But, in summary, the simple
structure of Christ’s church according to the New Testament consisted of
elders who shepherded the flock, deacons who ministered to the
congregation, preachers and evangelists who proclaimed the Gospel, and
all other members of the local congregation who worked and worshipped
under the oversight of the elders. Who are the churches of Christ? They
are
those churches that follow this simple New Testament format.
Third, how is the church of Christ to be designated? What are the
scriptural names by which God’s people are to be known? The New
Testament clearly states that the group of saved people was called the
“church of Christ” (Romans 16:16). Remember, Jesus Himself stated that
He would build
His church (Matthew 16:18). The church, therefore,
belongs to Christ, Who is the Head of the body (Ephesians 1:22-23).
Sometimes His church was referred to merely as “the church” (e.g., Acts
8:1). “Church” simply means “called out,” and refers to the fact that
Christians have been called out of the world and into Christ’s kingdom.
Sometimes, Christ’s church was referred to as “the kingdom” (Matthew
16:19), “the kingdom of God” (Mark 9:1; John 3:5), “the kingdom of
heaven” (Matthew 18:3), or “the kingdom of His dear Son” (Colossians
1:13). We also find the “church of God” (1 Corinthians 1:2) and the
“church of the living God” (1 Timothy 3:15)—no doubt references to
Jesus’ deity as owner. We also find the “body of Christ” (Ephesians
4:12). Several other names are found in the New Testament for Christ’s
church. But observe that most of the names that men have given to their
denominational organization are not found in the New Testament. Churches
of Christ are
those who seek to be scriptural in name.
The same applies to the designations for individual members. The number
one name by which church members are to be known is the name
“Christian” (Acts 11:26; 26:28; 1 Peter 4:16; Isaiah 62:1-2). This is
the name which indicates that one belongs to Christ. Other names
included “disciples” [which means “learners”] (Acts 20:7), “saints” (1
Corinthians 1:2), “brothers” (1 Corinthians 15:1), “sons of God” (Romans
8:14), “children of God” (1 John 3:1), “priests” (1 Peter 2:9)—and
several other names. These are
scriptural names.
But what about the many religious titles and designations used today? The denominational concept of a
clergy
is foreign to the New Testament. Preachers in the New Testament were
merely Christians who prepared themselves to teach others. They were not
set apart as a special class of religious people. They did not receive
special titles like “reverend” or “pastor” or “father” (Matthew 23:9).
Such designations are manmade and serve only to cultivate the praise of
men, when, in fact, all praise belongs to God (Luke 4:8).
So who are the churches of Christ? They are
those churches that wear the name of Christ—individually
and collectively. As the apostle Peter stated, “neither is there
salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given
among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12). “If any man suffers as
a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God in this
name” (1 Peter 4:16).
A fourth identifying mark of the church of Christ in the New Testament
is seen in the absence of denominational trappings. For example,
churches of Christ had no official creeds, church manuals, or
confessions of faith to which members had to subscribe. The only
authoritative document for governing belief and practice was the Bible.
The Bible presents itself as the inspired, inerrant, infallible Word of
God—the only reliable guide to get humans from this life to heaven. Who
are the churches of Christ? They are
those churches that rely solely on the Bible for direction.
A fifth and final facet of the church of Christ in the New Testament is
her worship practice. Churches of Christ have reproduced simple New
Testament worship in their services—nothing more and nothing less. When
one examines the New Testament, one finds that first-century churches
engaged in five worship activities on Sunday. First, they met together
for the important purpose of partaking of the
Lord’s Supper,
which consisted of bread and grape juice as symbols of the body and
blood of Christ offered on the cross (Matthew 26:26-29; Acts 20:7; 1
Corinthians 10:16-21; 11:20-34). Christians observed the Lord’s Supper
every Sunday and
only on Sunday. Second, the early church engaged in
prayer together (Acts 2:42; 1 Timothy 2:1-8). Third, Christians
sang religious songs
together (Ephesians 5:19; Colossians 3:16). Their congregational
singing was unaccompanied by musical instruments. Fourth, they
participated in
Bible study, either by public reading of the
Scriptures or as taught by a preacher or teacher (1 Timothy 4:13; 2
Timothy 4:1-4; Titus 2:15). Finally, Christians
contributed their money on the first day of the week as a treasury from which the Lord’s work could be carried out (1 Corinthians 16:1-2).
New Testament worship is extremely simple and unpretentious—free from
the hype and glitter that bored humans frequently fabricate. Who are the
churches of Christ? They are
those churches that have restored simple New Testament worship
in their congregations. They meet together every first day of the week
and commune together around the Lord’s Table; they sing psalms, hymns,
and spiritual songs together; they contribute a percentage of their
income to carry on the work of the church; they pray together; and they
study the Word of God together.
Members of churches of Christ are certainly not perfect. Just as in the
first century, churches of Christ are composed of imperfect people. But
the superstructure of the New Testament church has been set in place.
It therefore is possible for anyone to be
simply a Christian—a member of the church we find described in the New Testament—
the church of Christ.
That’s not to say that all groups who bear the name “church of Christ”
are following the New Testament portrait of the church. A church may
have a scriptural name without engaging in scriptural worship. Some
churches of Christ are in the process of going off into apostasy as they
restructure the church and make unscriptural changes. We cannot endorse
such churches, merely because they continue to wear the name “church of
Christ.”
You can be a member of the New Testament church. You do not have to
settle for a manmade denomination. We urge you to study what the
New Testament says about the church of Christ.
