Maybe you’ve heard something like, “He’s
Baptist, she’s Methodist, I’m Church of Christ.” This gives the impression
that the church of Christ is just a denominational sect among many others.
Or, “John is a Church of Christ preacher, Freed-Hardeman is a Church
of Christ university, and weekly communion is a Church of Christ doctrine.”
But the expression “Church of Christ” is not an adjective. It
would be more proper to speak of gospel preachers, Christian schools, and biblical doctrines. I’m a
member of the church of Christ, but I’m not “Church of Christ.” The word
“church” applies to a collectivity of believers, not to an individual. The
designation “Church of Christ” is not a
denominational label. It is not an adjective. It is a descriptive phrase for
the church belonging to Christ.
Sometimes the question is asked, “Will
only the church of Christ be saved?” This is a valid question and deserves a biblical answer. When
people derogatorily say, “The Church of Christ think they’re the only ones
going to heaven,” they usually have in mind a denominational sect wearing the
name “Church of Christ” who believe their denomination is better than all
others. This misguided perspective has led to considerable misunderstanding and
prejudice. Here’s a good response: “You know, I’ve heard that rumor too.
Would you like to see what the Bible says?”
A Biblical Response to Common Misconceptions
The Bible teaches that salvation is in Christ (2 Tim. 2:10). In
fact, salvation is only in Christ (Acts 4:12; John 14:6). How, then, does one
get into Christ where salvation is available? There are only two verses in the
Bible that specifically state at what point in our response to God we enter
Christ, namely Rom. 6:3 and Gal. 3:27. Both of these passages say the same
thing: as penitent believers we are “baptized into Christ.”1 Yet
elsewhere Paul says, “we were
all baptized into one body” (1 Cor. 12:13).
Which is it? Are we baptized into Christ or into Christ’s body? If I swallow a
coin, is the coin in me or in my body? Yes it is. To be in Christ is to be in
the body of Christ.
Does this mean that one must be in
Christ’s body to be saved? Again Paul writes, “… Christ is head of the church; and He is the Savior of the
body” (Eph. 5:23). Those outside the body
of Christ are not and cannot be saved. And what is the emblematic body of Christ? “And
He put all things under His
feet, and gave Him to be head
over all things to the church,
which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.” (Eph. 1:22-23). The body of Christ is the church of
Christ.
The church of Christ is not a physical building
or denominational sect. All penitent believers who have obeyed the gospel,
having been baptized into Christ for the remission of sins, are added by the
Lord to the church/the community of the saved (Acts 2:38-47; 1 Cor. 12:13), and
by remaining faithful to Christ’s teachings, comprise the church of Christ.
It’s not a matter of joining the church of your choice; it’s a matter of
obeying the word of God and being the church of Christ’s choice.
Will only the church of Christ be saved?
The only biblical answer is affirmative. To give any other answer is to misunderstand
what the church of Christ is. Someone might ask, “Do you think your church is
the only right one?” This is an easy question to answer, because I don’t have a
church. If I did, it wouldn’t be any better or worse than any other man-made
religious group. But Jesus Christ does have a church. His church is the only right one. This is the only church I
want to be part of.
Attempts to Justify Denominationalism
In an attempt to justify the current state
of the religious world, many try to define the church as a universal
brotherhood of various (all, some, most?) denominational bodies, all wearing different names and
adhering to different doctrines. But this concept is foreign to the Bible. When
Jesus employed the imagery of the vine and the branches (John 15:1-18), there
was no such thing as a denominational sect. In fact, the Lord’s own church had
not been established yet. Jesus is the vine and individual disciples are the
branches.
Christ promised to build only one church
(Matt. 16:18). By the time Paul wrote his letter to the Ephesians, there
was just “one body” (Eph. 4:4a), just as there is one Spirit, one hope, one
Lord, one faith, one baptism, and one God the Father (vv. 4b-6). As much as I’d
like to rationalize the current condition of the religious world and affirm
that everybody and everything is okay, this can’t be done if the Bible is to be
taken seriously (cf. Matt. 7:13-14).
Whose church? Whose name?
To be the church of Christ, the teachings
of Christ must be respected and followed. If a group meets in a building with a
sign that reads “Church of Christ” but are not abiding by Christ’s
teachings, they are not the church of Christ. If a group meets in a building
with no sign, or in a schoolroom, or in a living room, or in a cardboard shack,
and the teachings of Christ are faithfully obeyed, they are the church of
Christ.
The church of the New Testament does not
have a single, proper name – just descriptive designations (e.g. Rom. 16:16; 1
Cor. 11:16; 14:33; etc.). Nevertheless, there was only one church in the New
Testament era, so irrespective of which biblical expression was used, there
would be no confusion. In modern times, however, the religious environment is very
different. There are hundreds of churches claiming allegiance to Christ,
wearing different names, worshiping in different ways, and teaching conflicting
doctrines. It can be very confusing. Therefore, it is surely expedient to
have a designation that helps identify and unify those of like-precious-faith,
while distinguishing from those on a different path.
If Christ is the builder of his church (Matt.
16:18), the foundation of his church (1 Cor. 3:11), the purchaser of his church
(Acts 20:28), and the head of his church (Col. 1:18), why shouldn’t we wear
his name? When we speak of the church of Christ, it ought to be for the purpose
of honoring Christ and identifying ourselves with him. Any other usage is
unbiblical.
Putting it in Perspective
If the Lord says there is only one true church
(Matt. 16:18), am I narrow-minded if I say the same thing? If Jesus promises,
“you shall know the truth” (John 8:32), is it arrogant to say that I know the
truth? If the name of Christ has been exalted above all other names (Phil.
2:9), am I sectarian if I only want to wear the name of Christ? If God condemns
religious division (1 Cor. 1:10), how can I justify denominationalism? If Jesus
is the savior of all who obey him (Heb. 5:9), am I legalistic if I emphasize
the importance of obedience? If God specifies the kind of worship that is
acceptable to him (John 4:24), who am I to prescribe something different? If
human innovations in worship are unacceptable to God (Matt. 15:8-9), am I judgmental when I object to human innovations in worship? If we speak where the
Bible speaks (1 Pet. 4:11), why are we ridiculed for trying to follow the revealed will of God?
Conclusion
I only want to be a member of the church I
read about in the New Testament: nothing more, nothing less, and nothing else.
If, for whatever reason, I’m not a member of that church, the greatest service
anyone could do for me is to open the Bible and point me in the right
direction. At the same time, I sincerely want others to be in heaven. If that
means I have to step out of my comfort zone and lovingly confront those who are
in error, am I not doing what the Lord expects? “And a servant of the Lord must not
quarrel but be gentle to all, able to teach, patient, in humility correcting
those who are in opposition, if God perhaps will grant them repentance, so that
they may know the truth” (2
Tim. 2:24-25).
--Kevin L. Moore
Endnote:
1 Unless otherwise noted,
scripture quotations are from the NKJV.
Related Posts: Where's the Church in the Gospel Plan of Salvation?, The Church of the NT, Preach Jesus
Image credit: Photo taken by Lynne Moore of the sign on the building where the church of Christ in Nazareth meets.
