My Faith

I have been inspired by Kaylee & Kelly to talk a little bit about my church & faith.

I am a member of the Church of Christ. I was googling and found a pretty good run-down of our basic beliefs, so I thought I would share!

1. Communion, or the "Lord's Supper," is observed every first day of the week (Acts 20:7). All those who have been baptized partake.

2. Only adult believers who confess their faith in Christ as the Son of God, our Savior, are baptized (by full immersion) for the forgiveness of sins (Mark 16:16; Acts 2:38; Acts 8:26-39; Acts 22:16) and the promise of eternal life. The church of Christ does not teach "once saved, always saved," as the NT warns of the danger of being "estranged from Christ" (Galatians 5:4) and admonishes Christians to be "faithful unto death" (Revelation 2:10). One does not "join" the church of Christ; one is "added" to the church (by the Lord, not by vote or proclamation) when they are baptized (Acts 2:47; Acts 5:14). Infant baptism or alternate modes (pouring, sprinkling) are not practiced.

3. There is no "clergy" and "laity." Church leaders do not take titles. (Matthew 23:8-10). Members simply refer to one another as "brother" and "sister" (1 Timothy 5:1, 2).

4. Scripture is seen as all-sufficient (2 Timothy 3:16, 17). Therefore the church of Christ has no "creed," nor does it use "prayer books" (Matthew 6:7).

5. Congregations are autonymous. There is no council, synod, or governing body overseeing multiple congregations. Each congregation is to have "elders" (which in the New Testament is synonymous with the terms "pastor," "bishop," and "presbyter") and "deacons." Put simply, elders are responsible for the congregation's spiritual well-being while deacons see to its physical well-being (1 Timothy 3; Titus 1). Again, these men hold no honorific titles, nor do preachers. Calling a preacher "Pastor Smith," for example, is both a misuse of the term "pastor" and a violation of Jesus' prohibition against titles.

6. Music in the church of Christ is a capella congregational singing (Ephesians 5:19; Colossians 3:16). There are no mechanical instruments, choirs or "praise groups." This belief is becuase there are no biblical examples of music being used in a worship service.

7. Women do not aspire to leadership roles over men (1 Corinthians 11:3; 1 Timothy 2:12), nor do they preach, teach or lead public prayer (except in women's and children's groups).

(1 Timothy 2:11).

8. "Saints" are not venerated. In New Testament usage, a saint (Greek hagios - "most holy thing") is anyone who has obeyed the gospel and been sanctified (made holy) by faith in Christ (Hebrews 2:11). It is a descriptive word, not a title (Romans 1:7).

9. Worship services are not "charismatic" in nature; no speaking in tongues, no latter day prophecy, no "being slain in the Spirit." It has been said that members of the church of Christ do not believe in spiritual gifts. This is incorrect. They believe that the necessity for spiritual gifts of miraculous nature (which were to help spread and confirm the gospel message) was supplanted by the completion of God's revealed word, the Bible (1 Corinthians 13:8-10). The "gift of the Holy Spirit" is given to all who obey (Acts 2:38), and the Spirit is continuously at work within the heart of the believer (Romans 8:14; Romans 8:26; 1 Corinthians 3:16; 1 John 3:24).

10. The church of Christ is grieved by the divisions among those who profess to follow Jesus, and will forevermore appeal for unity among believers (Ephesians 4:3). This may be her single most telling mark of distinction. There is no "church of your choice" in the New Testament, there is only the church that Christ built through the Spirit-led efforts of His first-century followers. There are other distinctions, but these are some major fundamentals that set the church of Christ apart from others. In short, the church strives to worship and serve ONLY by scriptural precept and example in order to resemble, as closely as possible, the church of the first century. As individuals, members of the church of Christ should be (one cannot say "will be," as we all fall short of the ideal) models of decency (Matthew 5:16), humble in word and deed (2 Timothy 2:25), caring and concerned about others (Galatians 5:22, 23; Titus 3:2).

If you're interested in knowing more you can just comment and ask me questions! I love talking about my faith and the things I believe to be true.