your website - Church of Christ?

Do you have questions about the nature, work, purpose, or pattern for the church? This is the place to share your thoughts and questions with others.

Moderator: grand_puba

Post Reply
User avatar
email
Non-Member
Posts: 2994
Joined: Thu Mar 24, 2005 1:23 pm
Location: ether
Contact:

your website - Church of Christ?

Post by email » Sat Jul 02, 2005 1:40 pm

Are you with the church of Christ ?
The above presented views do not necessarily represent any specific individual, registered on this forum or otherwise.
Who is "email"?

User avatar
m273p15c
Posts: 2788
Joined: Tue Sep 28, 1999 10:45 am

Post by m273p15c » Sat Jul 02, 2005 10:36 pm

Depends on what you mean - probably the answer is, yes.

If you consider the "church of Christ" to be the one true church, universal body of all the saved, whose head is Christ, then, yes, I am personally doing my best to serve as a member of that body (Matthew 16:18; Ephesians 1:22-23; Ephesians 4:4-6). However, the Lord ultimately controls its membership (Acts 2:37-38, 41, 47).

If you are wondering what the sign says outside of the building, where I worship, then yes, the sign does mention the church being a "church of Christ". Although this a fine, Scriptural name for any local congregation of the Lord's saints (Romans 16:16), others would also be acceptable, presuming the name emphasized the Savior of the body, rather than some feature peculiar to the group's peculiar interest. Please consult the following article for more information on this topic:

Bible Names of the Local Church

If you are curious about membership in the "church of Christ" denomination, then the answer is, no. The denominational concept is rejected by Scripture (I Corinthians 1:10-13). Unity of God's people upon the pure truth, was His original plan, and it is still His prayer (John 17:20-23; James 3:14-18). Many people sign up to follow a particular creed, or system of beliefs. However, myself, and others where I worship, strive to only follow the Bible. We will follow the Lord wherever He leads us through His revealed will. If God's Word illuminates error in our teaching and practices, then we must follow Him, no matter how cherished be the doctrine dashed by the truth. Additionally, we have no inter-congregational relationship, organization, or oversight of any kind, except the one Shepherd (Ephesians 4:11-16; Ephesians 5:25-28). Each congregation is autonomous, which is opposite to most modern denominations. Nothing holds us to a particular "party" or belief system, except the Word of God, our conscience, and the providential rebuke of the Lord (Hebrews 12:5-13).

If you are referring to a group of people that think they are saved just because the sign says, "church of Christ", then the answer is, no. God does not save local churches. He saves people as individuals (Acts 2:41, 47). Too many people think that occupying a pew is equivalent to obtaining a ticket to heaven. Ultimately, the Lord will judge us according to things done in the body (II Corinthians 5:10; Romans 14:11-12; I Peter 1:17). A positive judgment will require more than just saying the right things, and it will require more than doing good things in the Lord's name (Matthew 7:21-23 - very sobering). It will require diligent preparation, obedience, and thoughtful love put in action (Matthew 25:1-46; James 2:14-26). Therefore nobody will ride someone else's "wake" into heaven, even if they shared a pew with the most godly of saints.

Your brief questions deserved an efficient answer; however, I felt compelled to explain a little more, because so many confusing, false doctrines are being taught in the world, regarding denominations and the nature of the church.

If you have any other questions, comments, feedback, or concerns, we would be glad to hear them. We are always thankful for the opportunity to study God's Word with those who are concerned about eternal and spiritual things.

May God bless us with a sincere love of the truth.

Post Reply