Who Are The Churches Of Christ?

Articles

The unfortunate reality of our world today is that in seemingly every city throughout America you can find a multitude of different religious groups and Christian congregations. Each group has different beliefs and practices. This makes it very difficult to sort through which group believes what, or which group you may want to be a part of. Maybe you’ve been exposed to someone who is a member of the church of Christ, or maybe you’ve seen a congregation’s place of worship and wondered what they are about. In an effort to cut through the confusion, let’s look at what the churches of Christ are by considering what the Bible says about the church that Jesus Christ established.

The Old Testament contains many prophecies related to the church; it just uses other terms like “kingdom” to describe it. For example, in Daniel 2:44[1] the prophet stated that at a future point in time, an eternal kingdom would be established that could never be destroyed. What’s very interesting is that Daniel actually tells us when that kingdom would be established. In the preceding verses, he describes how four different world powers would rise and fall over the coming centuries, and then states that during the days of the fourth kingdom, God would establish his eternal kingdom. We know from scripture as well as world history that the first kingdom described was Babylon, the second was the Medo-Persian Empire, the third was Greece and the fourth was the Roman Empire. Therefore, according to Daniel, the eternal kingdom would be established during the Roman Empire’s reign of power.

Interestingly enough, it was during the days of the Roman Empire that God sent Jesus to live, minister and offer himself as a sacrifice for sin. During His ministry and teaching, Jesus preached a lot about the kingdom. In fact, he made several important points about it:

  • The kingdom was very near, but had not been established yet. (Mark 1:15[2])
  • Those living at the time would see the kingdom established. (Mark 9:1[3])
  • The kingdom is not physical, but spiritual in nature. (John 18:36[4])
  • The kingdom would not rule over geographical territory, but rather the hearts of men and women. (Luke 17:20-21[5])
  • The kingdom and the church are terms that describe the same thing; they refer to the same group of people. (Matthew 16:18-19[6])

In the Matthew 16 passage, Jesus states that he is going to build His church. The word “church” in this passage means “a calling out, that is, a popular meeting, especially a religious congregation”[7]. Jesus intended to call people out of something and place them into his kingdom, or his church. So what are they called out of? Colossians 1:13 says “He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son.” (ESV) Therefore, the kingdom or church of Jesus Christ is made up of people who have been delivered from darkness and sin. In other words, it is made up of those who have been saved.

So what does all of this mean? Old Testament prophets like Daniel foretold that God would establish an eternal kingdom during the days of the Roman Empire. God sent Jesus to earth during the time of Roman power in order to offer salvation to mankind and establish the eternal kingdom, or the church. When someone accepts the gift of salvation and obeys the gospel of Jesus Christ, they are called out of darkness and placed into the kingdom, or the church. Therefore, Jesus’ church today is made up of men and women who have been saved from their sins, and who seek to obey God in all aspects of their life. Members of Christ’s church are part of the eternal kingdom, meaning that they have been given eternal life. These are those to whom God has promised an eternity in heaven.

So who are the churches of Christ? We are congregations of people who have been saved by Jesus Christ and added to the kingdom of Christ. As members of His church, we seek to obey Him not only as individuals, but as congregations. As such, we seek to restore our congregations back to the original design of the church found in the Bible. The New Testament has outlined God’s plan for Christ’s church, and we seek to fulfill it to the best of our ability. Our belief system, code of morality, worship practices, and community outreach efforts are all based upon the instructions God gives us in His Word. We reject anything that adds to or takes away from God’s plan for the church. If we change His plan, then we have made it our church. In that case, it is no longer Christ’s church. So, we don’t call ourselves the churches of Christ arbitrarily, nor do we want to be recognized as a denomination of Christianity. We want to be known as Christians who have been saved by Jesus and added to the church of Christ.

Timothy Fleming, Evangelist
College Park Church of Christ

[1] Daniel 2:44 “And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever.”
[2] Mark 1:15 “And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.”
[3] Mark 9:1 “And he said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That there be some of them that stand here, which shall not taste of death, till they have seen the kingdom of God come with power.”
[4] John 18:36 “Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom not from hence.”
[5] Luke 17:20-21 “And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation:  21  Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.”
[6] Matthew 16:18-19 “And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.  19  And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”
[7] Strong’s Bible Dictionary – G1577, ekklēsia