The church of Christ is a group of people who believe in Jesus Christ as Savior, Lord and King.

The church belongs to Jesus (Matthew 16:18) — He purchased it with His own blood (Acts 20:28; Ephesians 5:25). The Bible speaks of the church as being Christ's body (Ephesians 1:22 & 23) — as such the church is the instrument by which God's will is executed upon the earth. The body, if it is behaving properly, will receive its instructions from the head and will perform the various acts and deeds as directed.

The apostle Paul tells us that Jesus is the Lord (Romans 1:3) and, as such, we have an obligation to live our lives so as to please Him. We are not left to wonder what such a life should be like, either. We are told clearly that we are to be obedient to the doctrine of the gospel (Romans 6:17 & 18), avoiding sin and giving ourselves to the pursuit of righteousness, as God defines it (Romans 6:11 - 14). It is in this manner that one may be "transformed" — leaving the conformity of the world and dedicating oneself to the service of God. This is not to say that we are not a part of the world (because we certainly are) but, rather, that we try to live as God would have us to, doing the things which please Him and His Son (see 1 Corinthians 5:9 - 16 for an example of this principle).

We would hasten to add that we are not perfect — far from it. But we haven't quit trying to be better, and to do better. It is our desire and intent to preach the gospel to the world, to help those who are in need and to grow stronger in the knowledge of God and His grace, day by day.

The church of Christ is a group of people who have turned to God for forgiveness of sins.

The Bible teaches that one is saved by the grace of God. That grace is bestowed upon all who obey Jesus (Hebrews 5:8 & 9), that is, those who do the things He has taught (John 12:48 - 50) and live their lives according to the pattern which He left for man to follow (1 Peter 2:21). Salvation is only through Jesus — there is no other way (John 14:6).

It is not enough to simply believe in Jesus — even the demons did this, but they were not saved (James 2:19). It is not enough to simply call upon the name of Jesus and to profess to be His follower — one must actually do the will of God in order to gain the salvation which is promised (Matthew 7:21 - 23). That will, as expressed clearly in the Bible, requires obedience to the commands of Jesus, passed on to us through the apostles and preserved for us by the inspired penmen of the New Testament. Some of the rulers of the Jewish people "believed" in Jesus but would not confess Him because of the fear of their peers (John 12:42 & 43). Those who truly believe will also obey, as did even some of the priests of the Hebrew nation (Acts 6:7). Notice that in this passage it is the word of God, spoken by the apostles and disciples, which brought about the faith and obedience of many. It is this word, faithfully preserved in the Bible and equally available for all to study and learn, which allows man to appropriate God's grace (Romans 1:16 & 17; 1 Corinthians 15:1 & 2).

The church of Christ is a group of people who are doing their best to worship, and to serve, God and Christ in this modern world.

The New Testament has recorded certain facts and truths regarding the things which took place in the church of the 1st century. One can learn, for example, that their worship consisted of five common practices — prayer, singing, partaking of the Lord's Supper, contributing of one's means so that the gospel could be spread and the poor could be helped, and preaching/teaching of God's word so that the individual members might grow to be stronger Christians (Acts 2:42; Ephesians 5:17 - 19). One can also learn of the simplicity of God's plan for organization of the church — each congregation was autonomous (self-regulating), answering only to God, through Christ. Each member was a priest to God (Revelation 1:5) with the entire membership forming a royal and holy priesthood (1 Peter 2:5 & 9) under the leadership of the High Priest, Jesus (Hebrews 2:17, 3:1, et al.). Each local congregation was authorized to appoint qualified men to serve as elders and deacons, in order to guide and serve them (1 Timothy 3:1 - 13; Philippians 1:1) in their duties to God. Each person was to "strive" to be pleasing to God (Philippians 1:27), to help and serve others (Romans 12:3 - 5; Galatians 5:13 - 15), that all might be unified as the Lord would have us (John 17:20 & 21). Simply put, we seek to conform ourselves to the pattern which is revealed in the New Testament.

It is obvious, from reading the letters of the New Testament, that the church of that time, consisting of a large and growing number of individual congregations, was plagued by many troubles and conflicts. We are blessed to have these examples so that we can learn from them, and from the apostles' teaching as to what to do about these problems when they arise today, using these letters as our guides in matters of faith and service. We have not yet reached perfection but, as Paul, we continue to press on to the goal so that we might gain the prize which is promised to those who are found faithful (Philippians 2:12 - 16).

The church of Christ is a group of people who recognize the Bible as the ultimate authority in all things pertaining to both life and godliness (2 Peter 1:3; 2 Timothy 3:16 & 17).

The Bible, as the inspired word of God, establishes those things which are, and are not, allowed. As Paul told the church at Corinth, it is not permitted for one, or a group, to go beyond the things which are written (1 Corinthians 4:6; John taught the same principle in 2 John 9). The Bible is the "authority" by which we work and worship — limiting ourselves to those things which are expressly allowed and avoiding those things which are not.

The Bible is the revelation of God's desires for, and demands of, mankind (Ephesians 3;1 - 7). It is the perfect, objective standard of truth (John 17:17) and is, as stated before, able to furnish one with all things which are necessary in order to live a life which is acceptable before God (2 Peter 1:3; 2 Timothy 3:16 & 17). It has been preserved for us, by God's providence, in written form (Psalms 12:6 & 7) and, by God's power, it will continue to withstand all of man's attempts to remove it or alter it (Isaiah 40:8; 1 Peter 1:22 & 23).

The Bible is divided into two parts, the Old and New Testaments. The Old Testament was written for our learning (Romans 15:4) — it teaches us how God dealt with men in their righteousness and in their sins (1 Corinthians 10:1 - 11). God, Who does not change nor show favoritism, will deal with men in the same manner today, based upon the same principles exhibited in the Old Testament. The New Testament, being filled with the doctrine of Christ (His teachings), establishes the pattern for the practices of the church which bears His name. The church of Christ attempts to follow those things which the Bible shows was approved of in the 1st century church, according to the inspired teachings of the apostles and prophets.

Stated simply, the church of Christ seeks to practice the true faith and simple worship of those congregations which are found in the New Testament. One part of that task entails determining those things which were approved of by God and restoring them fully. The other part of that task is to determine those things which God disapproved and to eliminate them entirely from our lives. Nothing less will please God. Nothing more is authorized.

dlf / Sep 2000