That’s The Story Going Around

David Eldridge

A little boy was in his Sunday Bible class when the teacher asked him to, “name one of the twelve apostles. “Luke was an apostle,” the boy replied. The teacher proceeded to correct him and explain that Luke was not one of the twelve apostles. The boy said, “Well, I don’t know who told you he isn’t, but that’s the story going around.” Although the story is funny, it is sad to see that so many people believe things about the church of Christ because “that’s the story going around”. Let’s clear the air a little bit.

The members of the church of Christ don’t believe in using music in worship. Some have erroneously made this claim. The members of the church of Christ most definitely do believe in using music in our worship to God. However, we believe that we must worship our God according to truth (John 4:24). In our services we do have music, but it is acappella music – without mechanical instruments of music (i.e. organs, guitars, etc.). We do this because this is the only form of worship to God in song that is authorized in the New Testament. In Ephesians 5:19 we are told, “Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord.” Every time you see the commandment for the church to worship God in song it says only to sing. We do not use mechanical instruments of music simply because God did not authorize them. We do, however, use the instrument of the human voice played on the strings of the heart to worship our God.

The members of the church of Christ don’t believe in helping those in need. Some have made this claim because we do not support soup kitchens, food pantries, or benevolent institutions out of the church treasury. The members of the church of Christ do believe in helping those in need. As individual members we have the responsibility to, “as we have opportunity…do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith” (Galatians 6:10). However, when it comes to the funds of the collective group, we are limited. Paul demonstrates this when, in speaking of caring for the widows who had living relatives, he said “Let not the church be charged” (I Timothy 5:16). The church, collectively as a congregation, is to be involved in benevolence but they are limited to helping only needy saints. Why? The reason is this—in every Bible example of the church collectively doing the work of benevolence it was directed towards saints only. Notice the examples of this fact in Romans 15:25,26 and I Corinthians 16:1-3. The members of the church of Christ do believe in helping those in need. As individuals we help all men. Collectively we can help only those that God has authorized us to help.

The members of the church of Christ don’t believe in the grace of God. Some believe that since we teach that baptism is necessary for salvation that we don’t believe in God’s grace. Nothing could be further from the truth! We do believe that God’s grace saves us. Romans 3:24 states, “Being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus”. However, the Bible teaches that a number of other things also work in our salvation. Faith saves (Ephesians 2:8), confession saves (Romans 10:10), repentance saves (II Corinthians 7:10), baptism also saves (I Peter 3:21). You see, it is not just one thing, such as grace, that saves man from his sins, it’s a combination of many. Man is saved by the grace of God when he believes the things of God, repents of his sins, confesses his faith and is baptized to have those sins washed away. Members of the church of Christ do believe that we are saved by the grace of God when we submit to his commandments.

The church of Christ was started by Alexander Campbell. Some claim that the church of Christ has its roots in the teachings of Alexander Campbell. This is absolutely not true. The church of (belonging to) Christ has been in existence since 33 A.D. on the day of Pentecost read of in Acts 2. Paul stated, “The churches of Christ greet you” (Romans 16:16). When Paul stated this, Alexander Campbell was about 1750 years away from being born. Alexander Campbell did much work in restoring New Testament Christianity in the United States during the restoration movement, but did not start the church of Christ. Jesus said he would establish His church in Matthew 16:18, it came into existence in Acts 2, and Paul referenced it in Romans 16:16. The church of Christ is made up of those who acknowledge Christ as their head and look to His word as the sole source of authority in all we do (cf. Colossians 1:18; Colossians 3:17). No earthly man originated the church of Christ; it was established by the power of God having originated from his infinite mind.

If you would like to know more about the church of Christ, don’t listen to the stories going around. We would be happy to study with you at any time concerning the church of our Lord.