The church of Christ at Fort Towson, Oklahoma

God’s instruction for man’s salvation

We believe in the whole counsel of God (Acts 20:27; 2 Tim. 3:16-17), regarding God’s instruction for man’s salvation. We believe that salvation, or redemption, has two parts: God’s part and man’s part.

Repentance is a change of mind that leads to a change in action (Matt. 21:28-30), as seen in examples such as “Let him that stole, steal no more” (Eph. 4:28) and “Go, and sin no more” (Jn. 8:11).

What God has joined together

To abide in the teachings or doctrine of Christ (2 Jn. 9), one must accept and do all of God’s instructions, not just one or some of them. The Bible says, “What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder” (Mk. 10:9). One cannot add to, nor take away from, His Word (Deut. 4:2; Prov. 30:6; Rev. 22:18-19).

• Belief is joined with baptism (Mk. 16:16).
• Repentance is joined with baptism (Acts 2:38).
• Confession is joined with baptism (Acts 8:35-39).

The church belongs to Christ

We believe that God adds the saved to His church. Once those who comply with His instructions are saved (Rom. 8:24), God adds those individuals to the Book of Life (Phil. 4:3; Rev. 3:5) and to His church (Acts 2:47, 41). Man does not add anyone to the church or to the Book of Life.

We are simply Christians who believe that Christ built the church (Matt. 16:18), purchased the church with His own blood (Acts 20:28), gave Himself for the church (Eph. 5:25), and is the chief cornerstone or foundation of the church (Eph. 2:19-22; 1 Cor. 3:11). Collectively, we call ourselves the “church of Christ” (Rom. 16:16) because the church belongs to Christ.

The Bible plainly teaches, “neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.” Acts 4:12

The Bible also teaches that men are not to call themselves after other men (1 Cor. 1:12-14). One can read the Bible from cover to cover and find that it produces nothing but a Christian (Acts 11:26; Acts 26:28; 1 Pet. 4:16)—not a Baptist, Methodist, Catholic, Lutheran, Mormon, or any other man-made name.

New Testament worship

We believe that the purpose of the church is to glorify God (Eph. 3:21). Therefore, you will find us worshipping God according to New Testament Bible practices.

• In spirit—with a genuine, sincere spiritual attitude—and in truth (Jn. 4:23-24).
• By remembering the Lord’s death (1 Cor. 11:23-29) upon each and every first day of the week (Acts 20:7; Acts 2:42; Lk. 22:17-20).
• By praying (1 Tim. 2:1; Acts 2:42).
• By teaching and admonishing one another in spiritual songs, singing and making melody in our hearts to the Lord (Eph. 5:19; Col. 3:16; Matt. 26:30), and by singing with the understanding also (1 Cor. 14:15).
• By giving attendance to reading, teaching, and preaching (1 Tim. 4:13; Acts 20:7; Acts 2:42; 2 Tim. 4:2-4).
• By giving cheerfully (2 Cor. 9:7), or by laying by in store from a common treasury from which to do good works, as God has prospered each individual separately (1 Cor. 16:2), according as one purposes in his heart (2 Cor. 9:7), each and every first day of the week (1 Cor. 16:2).

You will not find us playing an instrument, humming, yodeling, whistling, or engaging in hand clapping as acts of worship. Such things do not teach spiritual truths (Col. 3:16) and cannot be understood as singing can be understood (1 Cor. 14:15). God simply instructs His people to sing, not to sing and play.

The pillar and ground of truth

We believe that the church is the pillar and ground of truth (1 Tim. 3:15; Eph. 3:9-11). We glorify God in the church (Eph. 3:21). This necessarily condemns man-made institutions or organizations, such as a college or religious publication, from training preachers, disseminating truth, conducting worship services, lectureships, or gospel meetings as church works.

The only institution that has authority to sound out the Word of the Lord and spread the faith abroad is the church that Jesus purchased with His own blood (1 Thess. 1:8; Acts 20:28). An individual can do his or her own work, but an individual is not an organization.

The work of the church

We believe that the work of the church is to:

• Preach to the lost, or those outside of Christ (1 Thess. 1:8).
• Preach to the saved, or edify the collected saints or church (Eph. 4:16).
• Provide benevolence to Christians, or saints, who are in need (1 Tim. 5:16; Acts 2:44-45; Acts 4:32-35; Acts 6:1-6; Acts 11:27-30; Rom. 15:25-31; 1 Cor. 16:1-3; 2 Cor. 8:1-4, 13-14; 2 Cor. 9:1, 13-14).

Individual Christians do have benevolent responsibilities as opportunities arise (Gal. 6:10; Jas. 1:27); however, the church is not tasked with the responsibility to feed the globe.

Autonomous local churches

We believe that each local church does its own work autonomously, according to its own ability, and not in and through any other local church or any man-made organization or institution.

The apostle Paul wrote to the church at Philippi, “to all the saints in Christ Jesus which are at Philippi, with the bishops and deacons” (Phil. 1:1). In Acts 20:17, Paul sent to Ephesus and called the elders of the church. In verse 28, he told them to take heed to themselves and to all the flock over which the Holy Spirit had made them overseers. Therefore elders, bishops, and overseers refer to the same work.

What is “all the flock” over which they are to take oversight? Peter explains, “Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof” (1 Pet. 5:2). The oversight of elders is always limited to the local flock where they are members—“among you” (1 Cor. 12:27). Elders or overseers in Australia have no Bible authority to oversee a person, local flock, or church in Texas, and vice versa. There is no inter-congregational oversight on earth, and there was no single treasury of multiple churches in the first century.

Elders have authority to pay a preacher for his work (1 Cor. 9:4-14; 2 Cor. 11:8-9; 1 Tim. 4:12-15) and give direct support for a preacher’s work (Phil. 4:5; 2 Cor. 11:8; 1 Cor. 16:17; Acts 18:1-3). Unless that preacher is “among” them, in the same assembly where they are members, the relationship is not oversight, but fellowship or joint participation (Phil. 1:5).

These Bible passages and principles eliminate the man-made sponsoring church arrangement, the papal or Catholic system of faith overseeing all churches, and the denominational one-man pastoral system where only one man oversees one church.