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What is the church of Christ?

In Matthew 16:18, Jesus promised to build a church. In Acts 2:47, Luke tells us that people were being added to that church. Thus, we can conclude that Jesus built His church sometime between His promise in Matthew 16 and Luke’s statement in Acts 2. Indeed, a closer study of the events in Acts 2 reveals that the Lord’s church was established on that first day of Pentecost following the Lord’s resurrection when Peter preached the first gospel sermon. That church is the church of Christ.

A common misconception about the church of Christ is that “The Church of Christ” is its name. It is not. The “church of Christ” is its description. The church of Christ is the church that belongs to Christ, that was established by Christ, that was built by Christ, and that was bought by Christ. It is not our church; it is His church, the Lord’s church. We are not voted into the church by men, and we do not join a church the way some might join a country club. Instead, God adds us to His church when we obey His gospel.

Are those in the church of Christ the only people who are going to be saved? Of course they are! God adds people to His church when they are saved. If you are not in the Lord’s church, then you are not saved. If you are saved, then you are in the Lord’s church. To be saved outside of the church of Christ is to be saved outside of the body of Christ – and that can never happen. Jesus is not just a way to the Father; he is the way to the Father. As Jesus said in John 14:6, “ I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”

Thus, the real question is not what is the church of Christ, but is rather how do you become a part of the church of Christ? That question was asked in the first century as it is asked today, and the answer remains the same. We are saved and added to the Lord’s church when we obey the gospel of Jesus Christ. Like the Apostle Paul, we are saved when our sins are washed away at our baptism.

There is one church of Christ. If you are a member of something else or something more or something less, then you are not serving God according to His plan or according to His will. He wants you to be a Christian and only a Christian, wearing only the name of His Son, Jesus Christ, who is the head and the savior of the church, His body.

Want to know more? Here are 10 things everyone should understand about the church, here are some common misconceptions about the church , and here is how God views the church.

What Must I Do?

What must I do? That same question was asked in Acts 2:37 at the end of the very first gospel sermon ever preached. Before we look at Peter’s answer in verse 38, let’s look at some answers Peter did NOT give.

What must I do? John Calvin answers, “Nothing!” According to Calvin, there is nothing we must do and nothing we can do. Each of us has already been personally predestined to Heaven or Hell without regard to anything we do on Earth, and so, logically, according to Calvin, the only answer to the question in Acts 2:37 is “Nothing.” But that is NOT how Peter answered that question.

What must I do? Many preachers today answer, “You must make Jesus the Lord of your life.” But that answer makes absolutely no sense then or now! Peter had just said in Acts 2:36 that “God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.” Jesus was already Lord of their lives! Jesus is Lord of lords and King of kings, which means he is your Lord and your King whether or not you obey him or believe him. We obey Jesus because he is Lord and King – not to make him Lord and King.

What must I do? Many preachers today answer, “You must pray the sinner’s prayer and invite the Lord Jesus into you heart.” But no one in the Bible was ever told to do that. In fact, Paul prayed after he saw Jesus on the road to Damascus (Acts 9:11), and yet Paul was still in his sins when Ananias met him three days later (Acts 22:16). Cornelius prayed to God always (Acts 10:2), and yet there remained something he still had to do after calling for Peter (Acts 10:6). If praying the sinner’s prayer was all that Paul and Cornelius needed to do, then why were Ananias and Peter needed?

What must I do? Listen as Peter answers that question: “Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.” (Acts 2:38) That answer has not changed one bit in the intervening 2000 years. If your preacher is telling you something different, then you need a new preacher! “And now why tarriest thou? arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord.” (Acts 22:16)

Want to know more? Here is God's Plan of Salvation.

He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved!

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Bibles Classes at ThyWordIsTruth.com

Songs of Faith and Praise?

Are you singing without thinking? Or worse, are you leading singing without thinking about the songs you are choosing? Song leaders, like preachers and teachers, have a tremendous responsibility. Does your song leader take that responsibility seriously? Or does he take it lightly? Without impugning anyone's motives, I hope that at least we can all agree with this starting point: (1) it is better to think about what we are singing than to sing without thinking, (2) if a song is counter to what we find in God's word, then that song should not be sung in our worship service, and (3) poetic license is not a license to proclaim error. Singing is an important part of our worship service. Although the church properly rejects the use of musical instruments in worship, we often are not as quick to reject songs that are clearly at odds with the word of God. Many of the songs we sing came from the denominational world, so it should not surprise us that some of those songs contain denominational errors. Indeed, some of the newest song books are the worst in this regard because they were deliberately designed to appeal to and be sold to the denominations that surround us. Thus, for those of us who use these new song books, it is very important that we pay particular attention to the songs that we sing so that those denominational errors do not enter into our worship service. More...

Evolution

Life from lifelessness? Order from disorder? Textbooks teach our children that they are just animals and share a common heritage with earthworms. Godless judges do not permit the tenets of evolution to even be questioned in our public schools ... even though the evolutionists themselves have nothing but questions! What caused the Big Bang? They don't know. How did life come from non-life? They don't know. The history of evolution is a history of hoaxes. Evolutionists know they have a choice: either life was created by God or life spontaneously generated. They cannot face the former and so they cling to the latter despite having no evidence that it has ever happened. Evolution is not a fact; evolution is a theory. Evolution is not science; evolution is a religion. Read more about these topics at Apologetics Press. Also, see our special lesson on intelligent design. "For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse." (Romans 1:20)

Baptism

The Bible teaches that baptism is essential to salvation. It is at the point of our baptism that we enter the kingdom of God and depart the kingdom of darkness. Our deliverance from sin involves a passage through water, which to anyone who knows the Old Testament should not be surprising. It is at our baptism that we die to sin and are raised to walk in newness of life. It is at our baptism that our sins are washed away. To reject these facts is to reject the word of God. The denominations proclaim that he who believes and is saved shall be baptized, but that is not what Jesus said. Jesus said that he who believes and is baptized shall be saved. More...

Read Your Bible

Most daily Bible reading schedules have two problems.  First, the daily readings are not balanced, with many readings taking three or four times longer than others to complete.  Second, the daily readings offer little variety, with the New Testament being pushed to the very end of the year.  The 52-Week, Balanced, Parallel Daily Bible Reading Plan offered here solves both problems. Click here to read more about it and download your own copy.

Audio Lessons

Many of the lessons presented on this website include complete audio presentations of the class in which the lesson was originally presented. The lessons are in the MP3 format and may be played on any computer or portable MP3 player such as an iPod. At present there are nearly 200 such lessons, which (at 45 minutes per class) is well over 100 hours of Bible classes! Classes with audio include Ezra & Esther, Isaiah, Revelation, Thought Provoking Questions, First Corinthians, Second Corinthians, the Lord's Church, Romans, First & Second Peter, and Ezekiel (partial). Many audio sermons are also available.

God's Plan of Salvation

You must hear the gospel and then understand and recognize that you are lost without Jesus Christ no matter who you are and no matter what your background is. The Bible tells us that “all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23) Before you can be saved, you must understand that you are lost and that the only way to be saved is by obedience to the gospel of Jesus Christ. (2 Thessalonians 1:8) Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” (John 14:6) “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12)
You must believe and have faith in God because “without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.” (Hebrews 11:6) But neither belief alone nor faith alone is sufficient to save. (James 2:19; James 2:24; Matthew 7:21)
You must repent of your sins. (Acts 3:19) But repentance alone is not enough. The so-called “Sinner’s Prayer” that you hear so much about today from denominational preachers does not appear anywhere in the Bible. Indeed, nowhere in the Bible was anyone ever told to pray the “Sinner’s Prayer” to be saved. By contrast, there are numerous examples showing that prayer alone does not save. Saul, for example, prayed following his meeting with Jesus on the road to Damascus (Acts 9:11), but Saul was still in his sins when Ananias met him three days later (Acts 22:16). Cornelius prayed to God always, and yet there was something else he needed to do to be saved (Acts 10:2, 6, 33, 48). If prayer alone did not save Saul or Cornelius, it will not save you either. You must obey the gospel. (2 Thess. 1:8)
You must confess that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. (Romans 10:9-10) Note that you do NOT need to make Jesus “Lord of your life.” Why? Because Jesus is already Lord of your life whether or not you have obeyed his gospel. Indeed, we obey him, not to make him Lord, but because he already is Lord. (Acts 2:36) Also, no one in the Bible was ever told to just “accept Jesus as your personal savior.” We must confess that Jesus is the Son of God, but, as with faith and repentance, confession alone does not save. (Matthew 7:21)
Having believed, repented, and confessed that Jesus is the Son of God, you must be baptized for the remission of your sins. (Acts 2:38) It is at this point (and not before) that your sins are forgiven. (Acts 22:16) It is impossible to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ without teaching the absolute necessity of baptism for salvation. (Acts 8:35-36; Romans 6:3-4; 1 Peter 3:21) Anyone who responds to the question in Acts 2:37 with an answer that contradicts Acts 2:38 is NOT proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ!
Once you are saved, God adds you to his church and writes your name in the Book of Life. (Acts 2:47; Philippians 4:3) To continue in God’s grace, you must continue to serve God faithfully until death. Unless they remain faithful, those who are in God’s grace will fall from grace, and those whose names are in the Book of Life will have their names blotted out of that book. (Revelation 2:10; Revelation 3:5; Galatians 5:4)

Who is the Villain in the Book of Revelation?

"And I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns. And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication: ... And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus: ... The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth." (Revelation 17:3-9)

A coin (shown above) minted at the time Revelation was written depicts the goddess Roma sitting upon the seven hills that surrounded the city of Rome. When Revelation 17 shows us a bloodthirsty harlot sitting upon seven mountains it is flashing a giant neon sign that reads "Rome! Rome! Rome!" If anyone ever tells you it means something else, they need to explain to you how a first century reader with that coin in his pocket would have understood this image to mean anything other than Rome.

One commentator has said, "Perhaps no point is more obvious in Revelation that this one: Rome is the one city in history that has been distinguished for and universally recognizable by its seven hills. ... Suetonius and Plutarch record for us that in the time of Domitian the festival of Septimontium ('the feast of the seven hilled city') was held annually in December to celebrate the seven hills enclosing Rome. ... This point is well nigh indisputably certain. Indeed, 'there is scarce a poet that speaks of Rome but observes it.'" More...

Saved by Works?

The Bible teaches very clearly that salvation occurs at the point of baptism and not before. (Acts 22:16, 1 Peter 3:21, Romans 6:4) To deny that fact is to deny scripture. But does that mean we are saved by works? Hardly! Hebrews 11:7 tells us that Noah built the ark by faith. Did he earn his salvation from the flood by building that ark? Would he have been saved from the flood had he not built that ark? Hebrews 11:7 tells us that 100 years of ark building was faith. How then can anyone seriously label 5 seconds of obedience in baptism a meritorious work? Those who believe they are saved from their sins at their baptism believe so because the Lord said so, and they take him at his word. That is called trust, not self righteousness. Isn't that what Paul said in Titus 3:4-7? Notice in those verses that Paul does not link baptism to our works of righteousness (which do not save) but rather to the mercy of God (which does save). More...

Baptism in the Bible

Matthew 28:19

Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.

Mark 16:16

He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.

Acts 2:38

Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.

Acts 8:36

And as they went on their way, they came unto a certain water: and the eunuch said, See, here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized?

Acts 22:16

And now why tarriest thou? arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord.

Romans 6:3

Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?

Romans 6:4

Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.

1 Corinthians 12:13

For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.

Galatians 3:27

For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.

Ephesians 4:5

One Lord, one faith, one baptism.

Colossians 2:12

Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead.

1 Peter 3:21

The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God,) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Want to Know More?

Please read this lesson on baptism from our series of lessons on Thought Provoking Questions.

Class Notes

On this web site, you will find 1000's of pages of detailed class notes and 100's of hours of audio lessons on a variety of Bible books and Bible subjects.

Our class on Revelation provides a detailed verse-by-verse treatment of that beautiful book in 25 lessons. Is Revelation all about Heaven and the end of the world as so many believe? Revelation promises a blessing to those who read and heed what it says, which means that the book is meant to be understood and that it can be understood. But to understand Revelation we must read it through first century eyes, and we must study it in light of the Old Testament.

We have 7 lessons on the prophecies of Daniel. How is Daniel related to Revelation? What are the 70 weeks? What is the abomination of desolation?

We have 25 lessons on the book of Isaiah. What can we learn about the Lord's church from the book of Isaiah? What was the history of that time? These lessons are also available in video format.

We also have 24 lessons on First Corinthians. In this epistle, Paul deals with many current issues facing the church both then and now: immorality, divorce and remarriage, the role of women, spiritual gifts, the importance of love, and the resurrection of the body.

We have 25 lessons on Second Corinthians. In this epistle, Paul continues to deal with problems facing the church in Corinth, which now include an influx of false apostles who are belittling Paul and demeaning his apostolic authority.

We have 13 lessons on the books of First & Second Peter. Were those books written by Peter? Was Peter the first pope? Why were those books written? Are false teachers still a problem today?

We also have 23 lessons on the book of Romans. These lessons take you on a verse by verse study of what many consider to be the most beautiful book in the Bible.

We have 25 lessons on the book of Ezekiel. These lessons take you on a verse by verse study of this fascinating but often neglected book from the Old Testament.

We have 11 lessons about Elijah and Elisha. These notes provide a verse by verse study of 1 Kings 16 through 2 Kings 13, as well as a lesson about the role of Elijah in the New Testament.

We have 13 lessons on James and Jude, the two letters written by the earthly (half)-brothers of Christ. They have much to tell us about the Christian life and how we are to contend for the faith in a godless world.

We have 25 lessons on Thought Provoking Questions with over 500 pages of detailed class notes and special handouts. Topics include: Marriage & Divorce, Baptism, The Role of Women in the Church, End Times, Mormonism, Social Drinking & Gambling, Instrumental Music, The Lord's Church, Evolution & Intelligent Design, Forgiveness, the Holy Spirit, the Afterlife, Secular Humanism, Premillennialism and the Rapture, The Restoration Movement, Alleged Contradictions in the Bible, The Christian and the Law, Time and Chance, The New Hermeneutic, God and Politics, Jehovah's Witnesses, Islam, and Muhammad.