stained-glass window

Introducing the church Of Christ

The church of Christ is not Catholic, Protestant, nor Jewish in nature. Neither is it nondenominational in the typical sense of that word. Rather, the church of Christ is undemoninational. We do not seek to be part of the religious world that partitions itself off in man-made division, nor do we wish to simply absorb people from various religions by offering generic doctrine, social programs, and hierarchical leadership. Instead, we seek to abandon all of the barriers to unity that exist by appeals to men and their creeds and appeal only to the Bible for all matters of doctrine and practice, trusting in it as the inspired source of all that pertains to life and godliness (2 Pet. 1:3).

Some attempt unity by avoiding some doctrinal discussions and some portions of the Bible. We instead choose to discuss the truth and seek the truth so that we may embrace the truth. The unity that Jesus prayed for before His betrayal was not based on ignoring differences. Jesus prayed for a unity that eliminated those differences in seeking unity after the pattern of God Himself (Jn. 17:21-23).

Contrary to popular belief, religious unity does not escape us because too few people desire unity. The problem is that too few people are willing to give up their own personal agendas, opinions, and preferences in order to submit to God’s will. Far too many religious discussions fail because those participating do not really base their beliefs on God’s Word in the first place in a consistent fashion.

God’s Plan of Salvation

  1. Men have sinned of their own volition (Rom. 3:10-11).
  2. God sent His Son as the expression of His grace to provide the way of salvation due to the depth of His love (Jn. 3:16; Eph. 2:4-10; Tit. 2:11-12; Rom. 5:5-9; Tit. 3:4-7).
  3. God extends His arm and explains His plan to man in the gospel (Rom. 1:16-17; James 1:21; 2 Thess. 2:14-15).
  4. Men must hear and listen to that message if they are to learn what God has done and what they must do (Rom. 10:13-17).
  5. Men must accept God’s message as it is and make it what they believe in its entirety (Jn. 8:24; Heb. 11:6).
  6. Men must change the way they think, repenting of their sins in order to adopt the way of thinking described in the New Testament (Acts 17:30; Rom. 12:1).
  7. Men must acknowledge their sinfulness and therefore their need for salvation and also acknowledge that Jesus Christ is the Son of God who made salvation possible through His sacrificial death on the cross (Matt. 10:32-33; Rom. 10:9-10; 1 Jn. 2:1-2).
  8. Men must do what God says to do, obeying out of love and faith (Jn. 14:15; 1 Jn. 5:3-4) whatever God says for the reason God says to do it (Jas. 1:22; Heb. 5:8-9). This is a matter of giving up your will and accepting God’s will. The first act He requires of us is to be immersed in water to be forgiven of our sins (Acts 2:38), which is how we call on the name of the Lord, appealing to Him for our salvation as He has requested (Acts 22:16; Mk. 16:16), after which He adds us to His church (Acts 2:47; 1 Cor. 12:13).
  9. We must be faithful unto death (Rev. 2:10). Since falling from grace is possible according to the scriptures (Gal. 5:4), we, like the apostle Paul must take care to bring our bodies and will unto subjection (1 Cor. 9:27). This is a lifelong process of spiritual growth (Phil. 3:13-14; 2 Pet. 3:18).
  10. We therefore live in hope of eternal life with God in heaven (1 Jn. 2:25) following the general resurrection on Judgment Day (1 Cor. 15:19-54).