2001

A Statement of our distinct plea

According to prophecy, the church or kingdom was to come into existence in the latter times or days (e.g., Isa. 2:1-4). The Messiah rules over the kingdom, which lasts forever (Isa. 9:6; 2 Sam. 7:11-17). It is called the house of God, and the house of David in both Isaiah and Second Samuel. Paul lets us know that it is “the household of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and support of the truth” (1 Tim. 3:15).

In these days of religious confusion, the church of Christ is a place of safety for all those with good and honest hearts. It came into existence on the Day of Pentecost, A.D. 33 (Acts 2:1ff). It is the eternal kingdom of our Lord (2 Pet 1:11), and will never cease to exist. Men have tried to eliminate Christianity by destroying the church. All of their efforts are doomed before they start because the church shall never be destroyed (Dan. 2:44). Men have made their own churches because they are not satisfied with the one Jesus built. There are over 3,000 denominations in this country. They are all less than 600 years old. The church is almost 2,000 years old.  Yes, they all claim to represent the church of our Lord, but history fails to support them in this assertion. Any religious group that did not begin on the Day of Pentecost is not the church of Christ.

Jesus Christ built the church (Matt. 16:18); He is head over it (Eph. 1:22,23). He is our King of kings and Lord of lords (1 Tim. 6:15). It belongs to him because he purchased it with his blood (Acts 20:28; Rev. 5:9,10). Jesus has all authority over the church, and is its lawgiver (Matt. 28:18). He reigns over the kingdom/church now. He is both Lord and Master. We obey him, not some man made religious government or form of ecclesiastical control.

Men try to usurp the authority that belongs to the Lord when they devise their own system of belief and organize their own churches. If the church you belong to has a manual, discipline, catechism, or creed written by men in something separate from the Bible, and all denominations do have these, they have written something that either says more than what is written in the New Testament, less than what is written, or unnecessary because it is already found in the Bible; therefore, these are not the rule of faith and law as given by God through Christ and the Spirit to the church. The doctrines advocated in them are not to be accepted, because they do not represent the system once for all times given to the Saints (Jude 3). The existence of these bear witness to the fact of the great apostasy that occurred in the church. The plea of the church is a return to biblical authority for all matters of spirituality.  

The true church has always accepted the Bible as the divinely inspirited preserved word of God. It alone is the complete revelation of God’s will; and it is the only source of Divine authority today. The Bible has been given as our manual, discipline, and catechism. The creed for all Christians is written in the New Testament. It is, however, possible to distort the truth. It is claimed that the books of men merely aid the believer in coming to a true knowledge of the truth. If these do not measure up to the biblical standard, they utterly fail in their claim. The majority of these advocate salvation by faith alone. Ninety percent of believers accept this; yet, it is false. Neither the Lord nor his apostles ever taught the doctrine of faith alone.

Faith is essential to salvation. It is impossible to please God without faith (Heb. 11:6). The faith that pleases God comes from hearing the word or gospel (Rom. 10:17). This faith causes one to be “obedient from the heart to that form of teaching to which you were committed” (Rom. 6:17). Faith leads a person to do all that the Lord has commanded without question or doubt. All those refusing to obey the Lord’s commands are showing that they do not have a true faith.

Repentance is also an essential to salvation. Jesus told one group of Jews that they would perish if they failed to repent (Luke 13:3,5). It is possible to have faith and never repent. Millions of disobedient souls attest to this fact. Demons believe in Jesus (James 2:19). Repentance leads to life (Acts 11:18). Who is he that is so bold as to deny the necessity of repentance for salvation?

Confession is also essential. Confessing Jesus as lord leads to salvation (Rom. 10:9,10). Who would be so bold as to deny the necessity of this confession, which is a pledge born out of surrender to let Jesus become the master of life?

Baptism is essential for salvation (Mark 16:15,16; 1 Pet. 3:21). It washes sins away (Acts 22:16), and results in remission or forgiveness of sins (Acts 2:38). Who would be so bold as to deny the necessity of baptism that a person might rise to walk in newness of life (Rom. 6:3,4)?

We have all things that pertain to life and godliness (2 Pet. 1:3). We are told to “Fight the good fight of faith; take hold of the eternal life to which you were called, and you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses” (1 Tim. 6:12). This cannot be done if even one essential is rejected. Jesus said,  “And why do you call Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say” (Luke 6:46). We must live as he has instructed through scripture. This does not mean that we are free to do as we please in matters of faith and law. Jesus spoke the following words to the religious people of his day; those claiming to do what he commanded:  “And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS’” (Matt. 7:23).

Come to the church of Christ and you will be encouraged to do only what the Lord has commanded. But you will also be encouraged to do all that he has commanded. Jesus said, “Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine, and acts upon them, may be compared to a wise man, who built his house upon the rock. And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and burst against that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded upon the rock. And everyone who hears these words of Mine, and does not act upon them, will be like a foolish man, who built his house upon the sand. And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and burst against that house; and it fell, and great was its fall” (Matt. 7:24-27). Will your faith stand this test?

Come visit us. You will be given book, chapter, and verse for all that is taught. We plead with all willing to listen that they return to complete dependence on the New Testament for matters of faith and law. We assure you that you will never be taught the doctrines and precepts of men. We stand on the firm foundation of Christ Jesus our Lord as revealed through scripture. His way alone leads to heaven. We will not preach any other way but His way. We will not obey any other voice but His voice. Come and join us in this endeavor.