Church of Christ versus other churches? Is it wrong to go anywere else?

Question

I have a mother in law that says Church of Christ is the only church that you can learn the correct word of the Lord. She says anyone that goes to any other church are sinners and are not learning whats right. She said the Lord died for us through Church of Christ and that why we should all go to Church of Christ. I don't support what she is saying. I feel that you can go to what ever church you feel and learn the word of the Lord. What do you think?

Answer 1

God is not a member of any chruch. Jesus founded "the church," not specific churches or denominatons. I think God cares about faith, compassion, forgiveness, love of each other - and it is a lot harder to live up to these values (it requires forgiveness and grace) than to recite dogma or statements of beliefs of a specific church.

So, try and forgive your mother and get on well with her. But if you are an adult, however, be firm on making your own spiritual choices.

Answer 2

Churches of Christ make the understandable but false assumption that if a person will simply read the book of Acts and be careful to perform all the same moral and religious commands that the first century believers did at salvation, that through our obedience we can be saved as well.

These commands include hearing, believing, repenting from sin, confessing the name of Christ and being baptized in water, and then (once in a saved condition) that we keep ourselves saved by being faithful and continuing to live a moral and religious good life.

In Church of Christ language, this is sometimes called 'following the gospel', 'meeting God's conditions of pardon', 'following the New Testament pattern', or the '5 step plan of salvation', and is a theology teaching salvation by New Testament law-keeping.

Unfortunately beginning any study with a false presupposition, pretext, or false doctrinal bias can (and often does) prevent someone from ever understanding how we are saved by placing faith in the Savior, and can lead a person into a salvation theology of works.

So with that being said, here are 3 doctrines you should be very concerned about as it relates to the Churches of Christ

1. Their doctrine of the fall. Churches of Christ believe or assume man is basically "good" or morally neutral and that he can save himself by his own cooperation and obedience to the 'necessary moral and religious requirements of the New Testament'. The Bible doesn't teach this, but rather that man is a sinner by nature, can't save himself, and therefore is in great need of a Savior. Romans 3:9-20, 23

2. Their doctrine of 'salvation through faith in Jesus Christ'. Churches of Christ believe a person is 'saved by faith' when their belief causes them to cooperate and be obedient to all of the necessary moral and religious requirements of the New Testament.

Again, the Bible doesn't teach we are saved by what we do (and cannot be because of our sinful or fallen nature) but because of what Jesus did FOR us.

That is, Jesus Christ came, died on the cross, paid the FULL penality for OUR sin (i.e. God punished Jesus OUR SUBSTITUE so He wouldn't have to punish us), Jesus was burried, and God raised Him from the dead. 1 Cor. 15:1-4

How we respond to the Gospel is to BELIEVE in Him. 1 Cor. 15:11

God's promise is that every person who trusts in Him as Savior, will NOT perish, but HAS everlasting life. John 3:16; John 5:24; Gal. 2:15-16; Eph. 2:8-10

3. Their doctrine of "water" baptism for salvation. Churches Christ believe that a person cannot be saved until they are baptized in water.

Again the Bible doesn't teach this; There are biblically plausible and contextually valid interpretations of the pretext verses that are commonly used by the Churches of Christ which show that water baptism is not necessary for salvation.

One short explanation is that when those in the Churches of Christ find 'baptism' in the Bible, they assume it is talking about "water" baptism. Yet in all four gospels and twice in the book of Acts the Word makes the contrast that while 'John baptized in water, that Jesus would baptize with the Holy Spirit.' Matt. 3:11, Mark 1:8, Luke 3:16, John 1:33, Acts 1:4-5 and Acts 10:34-48; Acts 11:15-17

Thus water baptism, which is what Church of Christ members are trusting in for salvation, is simply a sign or symbol of the believer's true, acutal, or Holy Spirit baptism which occures at conversion.

1 Cor. 12:13 says that "For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free—and have all been made to drink into one Spirit."

Answer 3

Will only the Church of Christ be in heaven ?
An oft-heard assumption and criticism by those in denominationalism or with no religious affiliation is that those in the Church of Christ think that they are the only ones going to heaven. An answer to this 'loaded' question can be found by looking at the authoritative New Testament with an honest, open, and loving heart.

First, we can affirm that besides those in Christ's church, there will be the faithful from many generations on the other side of the cross. The righteous from both the patriarchal and Mosaic dispensations will be there. These pre-date the church Jesus established. Also, heaven will be inhabited by the souls of those who are 'safe' (including the mentally handicapped and retarded, young children who die before reaching an age of accountability, the aborted, etc.). These are blessed not by virtue of their conscious obedience to the gospel but through their innocence.

Second, we need to tactfully affirm that salvation is in Christ and the body He purchased with His own blood (Acts 20:28; Eph. 1:20,21; Eph. 5:23). The Bible teaches that we are saved by many things: grace (Eph. 2:5), mercy (Titus 3:5), Jesus (Acts 4:12), His blood (Rev. 1:5), the Holy Spirit (John 3:5), the word (James 1:21), faith (Eph. 2:8), repentance (Acts 2:38), confession (Rom. 10:9,10) and baptism (1 Pet. 3:21). Many mistakenly submit to one or some of these Biblical prerequisites to salvation. Churches of Christ, in the main, strive for balance in stressing the divine and human sides to salvation. We should not insist on doing more, less, or other than what the Bible teaches.

Third, we sadly confess that not all members of the Church of Christ will be saved. Without setting ourselves up as judges, or trying to do God's work for Him, we realize that some who wear Christ's name are guilty of open or hidden sins that will condemn them in the judgment if not repented of. Being a member of the church has never eternally insured salvation in the New Testament, any more than being an Israelite insured salvation in the Old Testament (1 Cor. 10:1-12).

"Speaking the truth in love" (Eph. 4:15), we can kindly and firmly say that salvation today is in Christ and His church. We can and should urge honest-hearted people to follow the Bible pattern of obedience to receive God's wonderful reward (Rev. 2:10)

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The above is an article written by a friend of mine, a preacher at a church of Christ in north Alabama. (See the first link below.)

Also, please look at the second link. It tells some ways the Church of Christ is and is not the only church.

It boils down to this: how do you define the tern "church of Christ"?

If you say the church of Christ, meaning the church that belongs to Christ and the church that follows the doctrine of Christ, then YES the church of Christ is the only ones who will be saved. We cannot be saved belonging to the church that belongs to anyone but Christ, and we can only be saved through the doctrine of Christ. No man-made doctrine can lead us into salvation!

But note, you are NOT saved because you are a member of the church! That is backwards. Instead, you are a member of the church because you are saved. When a person is saved, GOD ADDS THEM TO HIS CHURCH, the church Christ built and purchased! (Matt. 16:18, Acts 20:28, Acts 2:41, Acts 2:47)

Compare the things the Church of Christ teaches with the scriptures to see if it is true. (Acts 17:11) If something they teach is found in the Bible, accept it! If they teach anything not found in the Bible, the doctrine of men, then reject it! (Matt. 15:9)

No church should mind such a comparison to the Bible! In fact, they should insist on it!

Accept only Bible answers to your Bible questions! (Ask for a book, chapter, and verse!)

The true "Church of Christ" will teach only what is authorized in the Word of God!