No, the church of Christ is not a new church. It was founded by Jesus in Jerusalem in the first century. This makes it hundreds of years older than any denomination in existence today. In Matt. 16:18 Jesus made this promise: “I will build my church.” On the day of Pentecost in A.D. 33 that promise was fulfilled and the church of Christ came into existence. On that day the gospel was first preached by Peter and the other apostles. In doing so, the Lord’s plan of salvation was revealed: “Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins” (Acts 2:38).

Those who responded had their sins forgiven and were added to the church of Christ (Acts 2:47). Members of the church of Christ today are members of that same church that was established over 1900 years ago.

Members of the church of Christ today want to restore the original New Testament church. To do this, it is necessary to set aside the creeds and doctrines created by men. We must go back beyond all the denominations that men have established, back to the pattern for that church left for us in the New Testament.

To be God’s true people, we must take the Bible alone as the authority in all things religious. Therefore, we strive to give a “thus saith the Lord” for that which we teach and practice. We need to “speak where the Bible speaks and remain silent where the Bible is silent.” If we teach the pure Word of God today, we are planting the same seed that was planted in the first century. When that seed was planted then, Christians and only Christians were produced and the church came into existence. The plea of members of the church of Christ today is for religious unity based upon the Word of God.

No, the church of Christ is not a denomination, nor is it a part of a denomination. To suggest that the church of Christ is a denomination is to suggest that it is one of many, or a part of the whole, in the same way that a dollar bill is one denomination of the U.S. currency. The church that we read about in the New Testament could never be classified as such. When the church came into existence in A.D. 33, no one needed to ask the Christians to which denomination they belonged, for there was only one church. All who were members of the church were simply Christians.

We firmly believe that the same should be true today. The New Testament teaches “There is one body” (Eph. 4:4), and that the “body” is the church. “He is also the head of the body, the church” (Col. 1:18). Therefore, there is only one church. While many seem to glory in there being many denominations, the Lord prayed that all of his followers would be one. “I do not ask on behalf of these alone, but for those also who believe in Me through their word; that they may all be one” (John 17:20-21). The apostle Paul condemned division among Christians. “Now I exhort you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all agree and that there be no divisions among you” (I Cor. 1:10).

The church of Christ is neither Protestant, Catholic, or Jewish, but simply the church that Jesus established, the one for which he died (Acts 20:28). Preaching the same gospel that was preached by the apostles and obeying the same conditions of salvation will reproduce the church of Christ in any period of time, in any place in the world.

Unlike denominations, the church of Christ does not have an earthly head, nor does it have an earthly headquarters. It does not have a human creed. It does not have a universal organization. It does not have policy making conventions or even elected officers such as presidents and vice-presidents. No man on earth can rightfully claim to be head over the church of Christ. The only head of the church is Jesus: “He is also head of the body, the church; and He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead” (Col. 1:18).

Jesus has all authority over the church, and he has never relinquished that power to anyone on earth. “And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, ‘All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.’” (Matt. 28:18). The headquarters for the church of Christ is in heaven.

Each congregation is self ruling, or autonomous, being independent from every other congregation of the church. The only tie that binds the thousands of congregations together throughout the world is a common allegiance to the Lord and the Bible. No person or group of people can issue policies to other congregations or make decisions for them.

The church of Christ is governed by the authority of the Word of God. In each congregation, as men are recognized to posses the qualifications set down in the Scriptures (see I Tim. 3:1-12 and Titus 1:5-9), a plurality of men are selected to be elders. They are also called bishops. These men have the oversight only of the congregation over which they were appointed. Deacons, who are special servants, are also appointed in each congregation.

This is one of the most commonly asked questions about the church. There are fundamental reasons why we do not use pianos, organs, or other instruments of music in our worship.

Churches of Christ plead for a return to first century faith and practice. A careful study of New Testament teaching on the subject will reveal that there is no scriptural authority for using instruments in worship. Everything believed and practiced in religion must have divine authority behind it. “Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father” (Col. 3:17). To do something in the name of the Lord is to do it by His authority.

Christians are to “walk by faith, not by sight” (2 Cor. 5:7). That faith comes only from the Word of God (Rom. 10:17). The true disciple is concerned about those things that are specifically forbidden, as well as respecting the silence of the Scriptures. A respect for the silence of the Scriptures will keep us from adding things that are not authorized. In God’s Word we read of the disastrous results of those who tried to offer unauthorized worship to God. (I Sam. 13:11-14, II Chron. 26, Lev. 10:1-17).

The church of the first century did not use instruments of music in their worship. In fact, it was several hundred years after Jesus established his church that the apostate church introduced instruments into their worship about A.D. 670. This caused such a furor that the instrument was speedily removed in order to avert a split. It was not introduced again until about A.D. 800. Since the New Testament leaves out the use of instrumental music in worship, we must leave it out.

The New Testament passages that deal with the subject of music in worship are Matt. 26:30, Mark 14:26, Acts 16:25, Rom. 15:9, I Cor. 14:15, Eph. 5:19, Col. 3:16, and Heb. 2:12. In every case the authorized music is singing.

The Lord never authorized instrumental music in worship. No apostle ever sanctioned it. No New Testament writer ever commanded it or condoned it. No New Testament church ever practiced it. The practice of using instrumental music in worship was born in a church that hardly resembled the church that Jesus established. Instrumental music in worship today has no more sanction than the burning of incense or the offering of animal sacrifices.

Since the church belongs to Jesus (Matt. 16:18), and he is its only head (Eph. 1:22), and all authority has been given to him (Matt. 28:18), the terms of entrance must be determined by Him. The same obedience that makes one a Christian is also the basis on which the Lord adds one to the church. “And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved.” (Acts 2:47 NKJV). “For He… transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son” (Col. 1:13).

Jesus said, “For unless you believe that I am He, you will die in your sins” (John 8.24). He also said, “he who had disbelieved shall be condemned” (Mark 16:16). We must believe, for “without faith it is impossible to please Him” (Heb. 11:6). Faith alone does not make one a Christian, but it is the first step toward being a child of God and becoming a member of His church (Rom 10:10).

“God is now declaring to men that all people everywhere should repent” (Acts 17:30). Repentance is a turning away from sin in order to have that sin removed. “Therefore repent and return, so that your sins may be wiped away” (Acts 3:19). God’s desire is “for all to come to repentance” (2 Pet 3:9).

The apostle Paul wrote that we are to confess with our mouth “Jesus as Lord” (Rom. 10:9). Jesus said, “Every one therefore who shall confess me before men, him will I also confess before my Father who is in heaven” (Matt. 10:32). Before the Ethiopian eunuch could be baptized, it was necessary for him to confess “I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God” (Acts 8:37). This is the same good confession that one must make today prior to being baptized.

According to the Lord’s statement in Mark 16:16, no one can be saved from his past sins until he has been baptized. “He who has believed and has been baptized shall be saved“. Jesus joined faith and baptism as conditions for salvation. One is just as necessary as the other.

Before Jesus returned to heaven, He gave His Great Commission to his apostles. He told them to go preach, and baptize those who believed for the remission of their sins (Matt. 28:18-20, Mark 16:15-16, Luke 24:46-47).

Peter was obeying the instructions of Jesus when he stood up on the day of Pentecost and declared, “Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins” (Acts 2:38). Those who responded to the preaching of Peter were baptized into Christ and received the forgiveness of their sins, and they were added to the church (Acts 2:47).

When Peter had the privilege of preaching the gospel to Gentiles, “he ordered them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ” (Acts 10:48). This same Peter later wrote “baptism now saves you” (I Pet 3:21). Saul of Tarsus was told, “Arise, and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on His name” (Acts 22:16). What was true in New Testament times is just as true today. If one desires to have the forgiveness of his sins, he must believe, repent of his sins, confess Jesus, and be baptized.

Paul taught that baptism puts one into Christ. “Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death?” (Rom. 6:3). We read a similar expression in Paul’s letter to the Galatians: “For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ” (Gal 3:27). The only way to get “into Christ” is to be baptized into Him. To be “in Christ” is to be in his body, and his body is the church (Eph 1:22,23). “For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body” (I Cor. 12:13).

The answer to the question “How does one become a member of the church of Christ?” is the same answer to the question, “How does one become a Christian?” When one responds to the grace of God and obeys the gospel, he is saved, and the Lord takes care of his membership in His church, for it is the Lord who adds him (Acts 2:47). There is no “agony of uncertainty”, no filling out of applications, no experience to relate, and no voting anyone into the church.

Eph. 4:5 tells us that there is “one Lord, one faith, one baptism“. It is quite easy to determine that the “one baptism” of the New Testament is immersion. The word “baptize” comes from the Greek “baptizo” which literally means “to dip, to immerse, to plunge.” If we knew no more than the meaning of the word that was used to describe this act, it should be adequate to convince the honest truth seeker that there is not now, nor has there ever been, Biblical authority for sprinkling or pouring. The very word means burial.

As we look at the Scriptures pertaining to baptism, we can reach no other conclusion but that New Testament baptism was by immersion. “Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life.” (Rom. 6:4) When one is baptized scripturally he will be buried and raised up. This could only describe baptism by immersion.

“Having been buried with Him in baptism, in which you were also raised up with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead.” (Col. 2:12) Again, baptism is described as a burial and a raising up. There is no way that this description of baptism will fit sprinkling or pouring.

When we look at an example in the New Testament where one was actually baptized, we can see for certain that true baptism was a burial in water. “And he ordered the chariot to stop; and they both went down into the water, Philip as well as the eunuch, and he baptized him. When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord snatched Philip away; and the eunuch no longer saw him, but went on his way rejoicing.” (Acts 8:38-39) Baptism included both the preacher and the one being baptized going down into the water, and following the baptism, coming up out of the water.

The baptism of the Great Commission is the only baptism that is authorized today. However, in the religious world we see a number of baptisms being practiced. We can determine if a baptism is the true, scriptural one by comparing what we see practiced with that which is described in the Scriptures:

1. After the Great Commission was given, there was only one valid baptism (Eph. 4:4)
2. It was in water (Acts 8:37).
3. It was a burial in water (Rom. 6:4, Acts 8:35-39).
4. It was a resurrection from the water (Col. 2:12)
5. It was administered by men (Matt. 28:19).
6. It was for the people of the whole world (Mark 16:15).
7. It was to last until the end of time (Matt. 28:20).
8. It was administered in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (Matt. 28:19).
9. It was for the purpose of obtaining the forgiveness of sins (Acts 22:16, Acts 2:38).
10. It put one into Christ (Rom. 6:3, Gal. 3:27).
11. It was only for those who were capable of believing (Mark 16:16).

Since the Bible is the divine Word of God, we must place the same emphasis on baptism that was placed on it by the Lord, no more and no less. And what emphasis did the Lord place on baptism? He said that no one could be saved from his past sins until he had been baptized. “He who has believed and has been baptized shall be saved” (Mark 16:16). How can we refrain from emphasizing something that stands between one being saved or being lost eternally?

The Apostle Peter said that baptism results in the forgiveness of sins (Acts 2:38), and that baptism now saves us (I Pet. 3:21). Ananias told Saul that baptism washes away sin (Acts 22:16). We would be remiss if we failed to give baptism the same place in the plan of salvation as the Lord did.

The New Testament places baptism as standing between the sinner and soul saving relationships. Please give serious consideration to the vital role that baptism plays.

1. Baptism stands between the sinner and the forgiveness of sins (Acts 2:38).
2. Baptism stands between the sinner and his sins being washed away (Acts 22-16).
3. Baptism stands between the sinner and his becoming a child of God (Gal. 3:26,27).
4. Baptism stands between the sinner and his getting into Christ (Rom. 6.3).
5. Baptism stands between the sinner and membership in the church (I Cor. 12:13).

We observe the Lord’s Supper every Sunday because that is what the church of the first century did as they were led by the Apostles. We have their approved example to follow. Acts 20:7 contains a clear reference to the weekly observance of the Lord’s Supper. “Now on the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul, ready to depart the next day, spoke to them and continued his message until midnight.” (NKJV) They did not meet yearly, quarterly, or even monthly to observe the Lord’s Supper. They met weekly. This is an authoritative example for the church to follow as long as time will last.

The purpose of the weekly assembly of the church was to “break bread,” meaning to observe the Lord’s Supper, to remember Jesus in the manner He had instructed. Jesus had commanded this observance in Matt. 26:26-28 and Luke 22:19. Paul mentions the same thing in I Cor. 11:24-25.

Concerning the assembly, the church had a direct command not to forsake it (Heb. 10:25). It was the practice of the first century Christians to meet for worship each week on the first day, Sunday. When they did so, they ate the Lord’s Supper (I Cor. 11:20). The first day of the week is the Lord’s Day. It was the day that Jesus arose from the grave. It was the day the church was established.

Someone might suggest that there is no indication in Acts 20:7 that the disciples came together every week. In the Old Testament the Jews received the Ten Commandments. The fourth commandment stated “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.” (Ex. 20:8) Please notice that this verse does not say every Sabbath day, but it could mean nothing else. The Jews understood it to be every week. Each week included a seventh day or Sabbath, and every faithful Jew kept that day holy under the law of Moses.

Likewise, in the Christian dispensation, in the cycle of every seven days there comes a first day of the week. This is the “Lord’s Day” and Christians are to “break bread” upon this day. The regularity of this observance should be no more a question for the Christian than the observance of the Sabbath was for the Jews under the law of Moses.

In addition to internal proofs in the New Testament, respected historians have recorded that it was the practice of the Christians in those early centuries to meet and observe the Lord’s Supper every Sunday.

There are several subjects about which we will give some brief comments. While the views on many subjects may vary, the following positions are generally held by members of the church of Christ.

We believe there is one God (I Tim. 2:5), but there are three persons in that one Godhead. “For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily” (Col. 2:9 NKJV). The three members of the Godhead are the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. “After being baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending as a dove and lighting on Him, and behold, a voice out of the heavens said, ‘This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased.’” (Matt. 3:16,17) This passage makes reference to all three members of the Godhead.

We believe in the verbal, plenary inspiration of the Bible. “But know this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture is a matter of one’s own interpretation, for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.” (2 Pet. 1:20,21)

More than 2,600 times the Bible lays claim to divine authorship for itself with such expressions as “The Lord said,” “God spoke,” “The Word of Jehovah came to me saying.” The Lord revealed the contents of the Bible through the Spirit “For to us God revealed them through the Spirit; for the Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God … which things we also speak, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit, combining spiritual thoughts with spiritual words.” (I Cor. 2:10-13)

When we speak of the verbal or plenary inspiration, we mean total inspiration. We believe that the whole Bible is inspired. Paul told Timothy “All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.” (2 Tim. 3:16, 17) There is not a part of the original writings of the apostles and prophets which is not inspired. We are a people who believe in God’s Book! Since it came from God it is the authority in all religious matters. If we can’t justify a practice or a teaching from the Word, we have no business practicing it or teaching it.

Special gifts were given to some Christians in the early days of the church. These included gifts such as healing, effecting of miracles, prophecy, and speaking in foreign languages they had never learned (I Cor. chapters 12 and 14). These were only temporary gifts to last until the New Testament was completed. Their purpose being served, they passed away. “Love never fails; but if there are gifts of prophecy, they will be done away; if there are tongues, they will cease; if there is knowledge, it will be done away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part; but when the perfect comes, the partial will be done away.” (I Cor. 13:8-10) The original purpose of special gifts is now served by the completed Word of God. Therefore, people do not possess these miraculous gifts today.

The Bible records many miracles. We believe that every one of them happened exactly as they were recorded. In the New Testament, the purpose of the miracles was to authenticate that Jesus was from God. “…Jesus the Nazarene, a man attested to you by God with miracles and wonders and signs which God performed through Him in your midst, just as you yourselves know” (Acts 2:22). They were also to confirm that the message of the apostles and prophets came from God. “And they went out and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them, and confirmed the word by the signs that followed” (Mark 16:20) The miracles, signs, and wonders did exactly as they were intended to do and then passed from the scene.

The greatest miracle of the New Testament was the resurrection of Jesus. We confidently believe that Jesus rose from the dead on the Sunday morning following his death by crucifixion. After Jesus was buried, the Roman seal was set, and the guards were posted. That was on Friday, but when they looked in the tomb three days later, the body of Jesus was gone!

After He was seen dead, and was resurrected, He made at least 10 different appearances to men. He was seen alive by more than 500 people after he had been killed! In desperation, His enemies searched for his body or anything that they could use to counter the resurrection story. They could find nothing! No contradictory evidence was ever presented that Jesus did not rise from the dead. His disciples so believed in the resurrected Christ that they gave their very lives in preaching that message. We still preach the resurrected Christ!

“Behold, the virgin shall be with child and shall bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel” (Matt. 1:23). We unashamedly believe and proclaim that Jesus was born of the virgin Mary. She was a virgin when she conceived Jesus, and she was still a virgin when she gave birth to Him. “but kept her a virgin until she gave birth to a Son; and he called His name Jesus” (Matt. 1:25). An all-powerful God who could create the heavens and the earth (Gen 1:1) could certainly bring His Son into this world in any manner that He chose, including being born of a virgin. If one is inclined to doubt the virgin birth of Jesus, how can he consistently believe in the God who sent Him here. “But when the fullness of the time came, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law.” (Gal. 4:4) We believe God. We believe the Bible. And, we believe in the virgin birth of Jesus.

We do not believe that authentic miracles are performed today. Sometimes we are told by so-called “faith healers that a miracle has been performed, but never anything that can be proven or verified as a miracle. Also, many times things are called miracles that are simply the Lord working through natural means. Some call a recovery from a serious illness a miracle. A narrow escape from a tragedy is often called a miracle. The wonder of childbirth is called a miracle by some. While these are wonderful things, they are not miracles. For a true miracle to occur, a natural law must be suspended. We believe that today God works through natural laws rather than in violation of them.

Miracles were helpful during the infancy period of the church, before the written Word was completed. When Paul wrote to the Corinthians, he made it clear that the age of miracles was not to continue indefinitely. “But when the perfect comes, the partial will be done away.” (I Cor. 13:10)

To deny that miracles are performed today does not mean that we deny the power of prayer. We believe in prayer, and we believe that God answers prayer. “And all things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive.” (Matt. 21:22) Through prayer the sick are healed and blessings are showered upon us.

Paul said “Just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him. In love He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will.” (Eph 1:4,5) Paul was not talking about God pre-selecting individuals to be saved or lost, even against their own will. He was talking about a class of people, Christians, those who would choose Him, trust him, obey Him. These would be saved.

If the teachings of John Calvin were true, that is, that specific ones were pre-chosen to be saved and other specific individuals were pre-chosen to be lost, this would make God a respecter of persons. That cannot be. The Apostle said “God is not one to show partiality” (Acts 10:34).

The New Testament speaks of the free will of man being able to respond to the Lord in order to be saved. “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven” (Matt. 7:21). “Whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved.” (Rom. 10:13) The Lord has given all of us the free will to choose or to reject Him. The reason that people are lost is because they make the wrong choice.

We do not believe the doctrine of premillennialism, which basically says that Christ will come again to the earth to establish an earthly kingdom in Jerusalem. This kingdom will supposedly last for 1,000 years and then the end will come. Indeed, Jesus is coming again, but He is not coming to establish his kingdom here on earth. That kingdom came in the first century. While Jesus was on earth he promised that the kingdom would be established within the lifetime of those listening to him. “Truly I say to you, there are some of those who are standing here who will not taste death until they see the kingdom of God after it has come with power.” (Mark 9:1) If the kingdom has not yet come, some of the people who were listening to Jesus speak are now almost 2,000 years old!

In Matthew 16:18-19, when Jesus promised to build his church, he used the terms “church” and “kingdom” interchangeably. The church was established on the day of Pentecost, A.D. 33. From that time forth the kingdom, the church, is spoken of in the New Testament as being in existence. The Apostle Paul spoke of the kingdom as being in existence when he wrote the letter to the Colossians. “For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son” (Col. 1:13).

Those who wait for an earthly kingdom should listen carefully to the words of Jesus as he described the nature of His kingdom. “My kingdom is not of this world.” (John 18:36) We do not wait for that which is already here. As Christians, we are now citizens of that kingdom, members of that church.

When Jesus comes again, Christians who are alive will be “caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord.” (I Thess. 4:17). The Scriptures do not tell us that Jesus will even set foot on earth when he comes again, much less establish an earthly kingdom.

The desire of churches of Christ today is to restore the model church of the first century. That restoration must include its organization, worship, and apostolic teaching.

In the first century when the pure Word of God was planted in honest hearts, accepted and obeyed, Christians, and only Christians, were produced. When those New Testament Christians banded together, they became congregations of the church of Christ. Exactly the same thing will happen today.

We can restore the church that we read about in the New Testament. But, it will be necessary to discard the human creeds that blind us, and the man-made organizations that hinder us. We must put our trust solely in the Lord and his Word for the divine pattern of what he wants His church to be. The pattern is still there. It always has been. If we want to please the Lord, we will follow it.

By V. Glenn McCoy