Radio Sermon 92 <Back to Table of Contents>
The New Testament Church
It is easy to think of "the church of Christ" as one of many denominations. But it is far from that. It is possible that you have had some misconception about the church of Christ. Truth welcomes investigation; therefore, we ask you open-mindedly to consider some matters with us today on our study together. Please stay tuned
Some people think we are "Campbellites." It is frequently said that Alexander Campbell established the church of Christ. Therefore, some call us "Campbellites." Those who think this way may be honestly mistaken, but Alexander Campbell did not establish the church of Christ. In fact, if we as members of the church of Christ thought for one moment that Campbell, or any other mere man, founded the church of which we are members we would not wish to have anything more to do with it than with any other man-made church. Alexander Campbell himself denied that he was the founder of any kind of a church. In a letter written to the editors of the Commercial Bulletin, published in New Orleans, Louisiana, he addressed the following note:
"I have always repudiated all human heads and human names for the people of the Lord, and shall feel very thankful if you will correct the erroneous impression which your article may have made in thus representing me as the founder of a religious denomination." This man, who lived in the 19th century, was only doing what every gospel preacher is trying to do today and that is to urge people to return to the New Testament as our only source of religious authority.
We urge that all lay aside creed books, manuals, disciplines, and articles of faith; that all discard human names, human ways of worship, human organizations and the doctrines and practices that have no higher authority than some man or group of men. We admonish all to return to the plain and simple pattern of doctrine, work, worship and organization outlined so clearly in the New Testament. This was the work of men like Alexander Campbell. Over a hundred years ago, right here in our own country, a number of good men sought to get everyone to take only the New Testament as a complete rule of faith and practice. Their only objective was to return to simple New Testament Christianity, speaking where the Bible speaks, remaining silent where it is silent and calling Bible things by Bible names, doing Bible things in Bible ways. They sought to elevate the authority of Jesus Christ above all other sources of authority.
Those whom they converted were not Campbellites -- they were simply Christians, nothing else. They sought to do exactly what people did in the first century to become exactly what those people became. Today, when people return to the New Testament as the only standard of authority in religion, when they are determined to obey nothing outside of the New Testament, but to practice everything it teaches, they are God's children, members of Christ's church. They cannot be part of anything like a modern day denomination. You see, no denominations existed in the first century. They have no Bible right to exist today.
The gospel is the seed or word of the kingdom. Jesus said, "When anyone hears the word of the kingdom, and does not understand it, then the wicked one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is he who received seed by the wayside" (Matthew 13:19). In Luke's account of this same teaching from Jesus the record says, "Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God" (Luke 8:11). When the gospel seed is planted in the hearts of honest hearers there is only one thing it can produce -- what it produced in the first century. If you can read about something in the New Testament that is the direct result of apostolic preaching, that is the product of the gospel seed. It produced the kingdom of God then and will produce it again today.
It makes no difference at all who does the planting or sowing of the seed. Suppose a woodpecker, while flying over newly plowed ground should drop an acorn. It and when it sprouts and grows into a tree, who would say, "That's a woodpecker tree." It is an oak tree regardless of whether a woodpecker or a squirrel drops the acorn. And what is true with that very simple illustration is true of the church Jesus established.
Seed produces after its own kind. This is one of the oldest laws of God. Listen: And the earth brought forth grass, the herb that yields seed according to its kind, and the tree that yields fruit, whose seed is in itself according to its kind. And God saw that it was good" (Genesis 1:12). The point is that no matter if Alexander Campbell did plant the seed of the kingdom it still produces Christians, not Campbellites. Those who still use the name "Campbellite" do so either because they are misinformed or uninformed -- or possibly enjoy calling people by names they repudiate. In the latter case there is only meanness to blame.
The church Jesus built originated on the day of Pentecost immediately following the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ. The year was A.D. 33. This was the first Pentecost festival after Jesus had ascended back to His Father in heaven. You can read all about the establishment of His church in Acts 2. Read with me:
"When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance" (Acts 2:1-4).
Peter and the apostles spoke the words revealed to them through the direct power and guidance of the Holy Spirit. These words were not their own -- they were words of the kingdom, authorized by the King of kings. The sermon preached on that day was incomplete. Peter never got to finish it. The crowd heard his stinging words accusing them of the murder of innocent blood, the killing of Jesus Christ. Under the heavy burden of conviction they cried out in anguish, "Men and brethren, what shall we do?" (Acts 2:37). They were told: "Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit" (Acts 2:38). In verse 41, the divine record tells us: "Then those who gladly received his word were baptized; and that day about three thousand souls were added to them" (Acts 2:41). This is how honest people became members of Christ's church in the first century. This is how people were saved from their sins. It is very simple. If we all are willing to do only what we know they did, who would deny that we will be what they were? As members of the church of Christ, we will also all continue "steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers" (Acts 2:42). Members of the church of Christ today are still striving to be just what those honest souls were back then -- nothing more or less -- or other.
But where was the church of Christ during the dark ages? Jesus said that His church would last forever. He affirmed that the "gates of Hades shall not prevail against it" (Matthew 16:18). This is absolute truth. But no one can accurately follow the true church down through the dark ages. The only source of historical authority is man -- usually men who had strayed far far away from the simplicity of New Testament Christianity. But suppose it is not possible to put your finger on the precise time and place where the church of Christ existed during all ages of history. Historical evidence during the dark ages is not only fully unreliable; it is not necessary. A train enters a tunnel. We see the train distinctly and mark its characteristics. We see that it had a red diesel engine and 120 cars with a blue caboose. At the other end of the long dark tunnel emerges a train with a red diesel engine, 120 cars and a blue caboose. Is it the same train? Sure it is. How do you know it is the same train? It has the same identifiable marks as the one we lost sight of as it entered the tunnel.
Now, it seems very simple to apply this to the church Jesus promised would never be destroyed. We do not have to trace an unbroken chain of history back through the dark ages to connect with the New Testament church. Such cannot be done by anyone with any accuracy at all. It is not necessary to have a watermelon vine that has its roots in Georgia and its vine that stretches all the way to Warren County, Kentucky, in order for us to have Georgia watermelons growing in our garden. All we need is seed from a Georgia watermelon. Plant it and be satisfied with what it produces. I will guarantee you that if you plant Georgia Watermelon seeds in your garden, if you get any melons at all they will be Georgia watermelons. That is the way God's law of reproduction works. So it is with the church. All you need to produce the church of Christ, the one Jesus built, is the same seed that produced it in Jerusalem, A.D. 33, on the first Pentecost after Jesus went back to heaven. The seed that produced His church then will produce it anywhere in the world that it is planted faithfully.
No man founded the church of Christ. It was founded by Jesus Christ. He said to Peter, "And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it" (Matthew 16:18). It was Jesus who promised to build His church and if He did not do so, then He failed to keep His promise. Jesus built His church. Paul said that He purchased it with His own blood (Acts 20:28). After He ascended to heaven, he became head of the church. Listen to Paul: "And He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all" (Ephesians 1:22-23). In the previous verses, Paul extolled the great power of God that was working in the resurrection of Christ from the dead.
Since Jesus is the one head of the one church, it is reasonable that He is head of only one body. The church (singular) is the one body (singular) and Paul says there is only ONE body (Ephesians 4:4). But listen specifically how exclusive Paul makes it. "But now indeed there are many members, yet one body" (I Corinthians 12:20).
The church is called "the bride of Christ" (Ephesians 5:23-25). Any woman who really loves her husband will not wear the name of another man. She proudly wears the name of the man to whom she has been wed. A good way to start weeding out religious institutions that claim to be part of Christ's church is to look at their name. If they wear the name of some man, some ordinance, some process, or form of government, they are no part of the church to which Jesus is married as whom He loves as husband. Notice how these early Christians were identified by an inspired writer. "The churches of Christ greet you" (Romans 16:16). To be faithful to Christ and to be identified as His bride we must wear his name.
Jesus did not build a denomination. The church of Christ is not a denomination. It cannot be associated with denominations. We are not attempting to reform denominationalism. We are only trying to restore New Testament Christianity as it was in the first century. Paul said, "Nevertheless, to the degree that we have already attained, let us walk by the same rule, let us be of the same mind" (Philippians 3:16). Anyone who can show us anything in our teaching and practice that is not according to that rule is our friend.
We urge you to come and see for yourself whether you believe we have had any degree of success in restoring simple and primitive New Testament Christianity today, right here in this city.
If you have a question about this study today, please let us hear from you.