When some are invited to worship with members of the church of Christ, they do not know what to expect. They might think we are some sort of Pentecostal group or perhaps even a cult of some kind, since so many exist today. New religious groups that no one has ever heard of seem to be popping up every day. But we are neither Pentecostal nor new; in fact, we simply call ourselves Christians. That may sound like a novelty in today’s religious climate, but the name is a Divinely-designated one dating back to the first century. The disciples of Jesus were called Christians first in Antioch (Acts 11:26).
What we call ourselves relates to what we are all about. Various religious groups are known for certain characteristics. The Roman Catholic Church, for ex-ample, is known for having a pope, being against abortion, and being steeped in traditions that extend back over 1,000 years. The Mormons have presented themselves as being very family oriented. Jehovah’s Witnesses are known for going door-to-door. Church-es of Christ should be known (if they are not) for their emphasis on truth.
If someone compared us to those listed above, they would observe that we oppose abortion, also, but our reason for doing so is based on what the Bible teaches. We are happy to observe God-instituted traditions (2 Thessalonians 2:15)—but not those invented by men (Matthew 15:8-9). We also stress family relation-ships, although it is not what we are most noted for. And we sometimes go door-to-door to reach people with the gospel—even though others have a greater reputation for doing so.
The fact is that the religious world is greatly divided and therefore confusing to anyone trying to figure things out. Someone who has the desire to love God and to please Him may not know where to start, since so many different ideas exist. If one were in a forest with heavy undergrowth, he might keep slashing every-thing in his way with a blade, or he might climb a tall tree to get a better perspective of the way out. That tree which will furnish the proper perspective is the reality which is found in the Bible.
Before someone argues, “But everyone uses the Bible, yet confusion reigns,” consider that God gave us the Holy Scriptures for a reason. “Your Word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path” (Ps. 119:105). God gave His Word so that we would be able to find the right path. So why are people wandering all over the place. The answer is not difficult to discern—the devil has sown seeds of error (weeds) in the Garden of Truth. The remedy is to read the Scriptures carefully and learn which is which. We must apply correct principles of reasoning to the Word of God.
God did not create mankind and then say, “Worship me however you feel like doing and live whatever way you want.” One may as well believe in a random universe that arrived here by chance because then the chaos would be understandable. No standard of right and wrong could exist under those conditions, and one person’s views would be just as valid as another’s. God has, however, given us a standard, and we have no excuse for not understanding it and applying it properly.
Take, for example, the moral issue of abortion. Is it right or wrong? Roe v. Wade has been the law of the land since January 22, 1973—nearly 43 years ago. More than 60,000,000 infants have been put to death since that time with the permission of our government. However, a higher authority than our government exists, as the Nuremburg Court declared when trying Nazis for war crimes. They did not violate German law when they put Jews to death, but they did violate a higher law—God’s.
The same is true with respect to abortion. While our Supreme Court may have legalized it (without any legal precedent whatsoever), the Bible considers that a “fetus” is a human being from conception. In the Old Testament, after Rebekah had conceived, it was told her that she had two nations in her womb (Genesis 25:22-26). If she had aborted the twins, Hitler would have had no Jews to persecute; they would never have come into existence.
In the New Testament, the fruit of Elizabeth’s womb leapt when Mary greeted her (Luke 1:41). If Elizabeth, who was “well advanced in years” (Luke 1:7), had elected to have an abortion because of the inconvenience, then John who prepared the way for Jesus by preaching truth and baptizing people, would never have been born. Worse yet, what if Mary had made that decision? No Lord and Savior of the world would have been born. Yet the same Greek word that refers to John in the womb is used to describe Jesus after birth (Luke 2:12, 16). So the Scriptures are clear on the subject of life within the womb, but some man-made churches support abortion. The only way to determine that they do not represent Christ is to know the Word.
Truth is the only foundation we have. We cannot simply speculate and offer opinions on a matter. We cannot use the writings of philosophers or theologians (who often err), nor can we depend upon the charismatic personality of a religious leader. The only way to arrive at the truth is through a sufficient knowledge of the Scriptures. Did not Jesus say so? “If you abide in My word,” He said, “you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” (John 8:31-32).
Jesus also said that true worshipers would worship God in spirit and in truth (John 4:23-24). Therefore, it matters whether we are following the traditions of men or the New Testament. God designed worship to be spiritual rather than carnal. Worship is not something that God gives to mankind to please him; worship is what man gives to God in order to please Him. If a church has an orchestra and a mammoth choir, it may make for a great show for attendees, but it would not be worship offered to the Father. If a band comes in to rock the house, the beat may attract young people, but such performances are geared to the audience—not the Lord.
God, through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit told us to sing and make melody in our hearts to the Lord (Ephesians 5:19)—not be wowed by semi-professional musicians and singing that brings forth goosebumps on our bodies. Simply singing praises that honor God from hearts devoted to Him is sufficient.
One way in which Jesus desired to be remembered was in what is called the Lord’s Supper. Originally, Jesus showed His disciples how to remember Him with the unleavened bread and the fruit of the vine in Mat-thew 26:26-29. Later, Paul reminds brethren to ob-serve the Lord’s death in all seriousness, discussing the subject in 1 Corinthians 11:23-29. Partaking of these two elements, which represent the Lord’s body and blood, is the way He said to remember Him. The church in the first century met together, in part, to do that very thing, as demonstrated in Acts 20:7. Why have so many churches de-emphasized the one thing that the Lord commanded? The truth regarding this practice is found in the Scriptures.
Because the Bible says, “Buy the truth, and do not sell it” (Proverbs 23:23), all of the messages presented involve many references to the Scriptures. Some people may find that odd. As a matter of fact, a woman and her boyfriend once visited a congregation in Den-ton, Texas—but after a few weeks, quit attending. A few months later, the two returned (at his insistence) and stayed. Eventually, we found out why they left. She had come from a very liberal church that seldom used more than one passage of Scripture for sermons, and she thought it was weird for people to be using the Bible so much. But the Bible is what God gave us. It is our only source of authority.
Three decades ago on a Donahue show, some members of the studio audience, as well as one person on stage, were members of the church of Christ. They were discussing a situation that had occurred and explaining that what was done was following the Scriptures. Near the close of the program, one woman in the audience spoke up: “These people are blinded by the Bible.” Apparently, she would have preferred the wisdom of men to the Word of God.
What apparently was intended as an insult actually proved to be a compliment, although most of us would not use the term blinded. What we would say is that we recognize that God’s Word is the final authority in all things regarding what we believe and how to live. Jesus told His apostles just before returning to Heaven: “All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth” (Matthew 28:18). What He and His apostles taught, then, is the final word.
When two teams play football, they both have an authority to which they submit. One team cannot play by the rules of 1935 while their opponent is playing by the current rules, for there would be variations. Nor can one team make up their own rules as they go along. The game would be chaotic. Instead, the players, the coaches, the referees, and the fans all subscribe to the same authority.
The New Testament is our final authority for this era. It is the truth by which all mankind must abide. God did not give us permission to change His Words into something we might prefer. Paul wrote: “And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him” (Colossians 3:17). To act in the name of Jesus means by His authority.
Jesus went to the Scriptures for answers to questions or when establishing a principle. In talking about wicked men (some of whom He was facing at that very moment), He said, “Did you never read in the Scriptures…” and then He quoted from Psalm 118:22-23. When they perceived that He was talking about them, they became angry with Him (Matthew 21:41-45). The point, however, is that the Lord appealed to Scriptures for a prece-dent.
Some Sadducees tried to trap Him by talking about a woman who had married seven brothers (one at a time, after each husband died successively). They wanted to know which man’s wife she would be in the resurrection. Notice that Jesus answered: “You are mistaken, not knowing the Scriptures nor the power of God” (Matthew 22:29). First, marriage is an earthly covenant for human beings—not one for angels or those who have been raised from the dead and changed into a spiritual body. Second, the Sadducees did not believe in the resurrection, but God has the power to raise the dead. Further-more, they did not know the Scriptures sufficiently, or they would have known that Abraham was still alive for God is the God of the living (Exodus 3:6, 15).
The New Testament is our authority in Christianity. If we do not know it, we will err just as the Sadducees did. If we do know it and follow it, we can please God (Mat-thew 7:21-27). Paul commended those in Thessalonica because when they received the gospel that he preached, they “…welcomed it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God…” (1 Thess. 2:13).
May all of us share in their attitude.