THE CHRISTIAN CHURCHES and CHURCHES OF CHRIST
Christian Military Fellowship
Fred's Facts 7 |
 |
|
|
THE CHRISTIAN CHURCHES and CHURCHES OF CHRISTChristian Military Fellowship
|
|
|
Fred's Facts includes Bible studies, Christian history studies, and hopefully provocative discussion of Bible-based subjects of interest to servicemen and women. This page also includes offers of free Bible study materials and will include many other features, as we develop them in the months ahead. Feedback on these studies from our readers is encouraged! Also, suggestions from readers on subjects to be included in these studies and discusssions are welcome. Messages should be sent to Fred at cmf@cncnet.com! Following is our seventh study: |
|
|
The Church described in the New Testament is a simple one, with easy-to-understand doctrines and a very simple organizational structure. There were no elaborate rituals such as processions, burning of incense or candles, and no special robes for church officials, statues of Jesus or Mary to pray to, or the wearing of prayer beads. The Christians simply met together on Sunday to share in the apostles' teaching, fellowship, the breaking of bread (communion) and prayer (Acts 2:42; 20:7). Likewise, there is no mention in the New Testament of central authority over individual congregations other than the authority of the teachings of Jesus and His inspired apostles. There is no mention of the offices of archbishop, cardinal, patriarch , metropolitan or pope. And there is no mention of organizations such as denominations, presbyteries, synods, associations, or national conventions. Instead, local congregations are described as being led by elders, selected from within each congregation, to shepherd the Lord's flock (Acts 15:21-23; 20:17 & 28-32). And please note that in Acts 20:17 & 28 elders and bishops (overseers) are the same positions! The New Testament does indicate that Jesus' apostles had authority in the Church. However, there is absolutely no indication that the apostles' authority in the Church will be passed on to others after their deaths. The apostle James was put to death about 46 A.D. (Acts 12:1-2) and church tradition says Peter and Paul were put to death in Rome about 67-68 A.D, before the last books of the New Testament were written. But there is not the slightest shred of evidence in the Bible that anyone was selected to replace them! Thus, the Roman Catholic claim that the pope is the apostolic successor to Peter is unfounded. |
|
|
But by the early years of the second century A.D., important changes in the structure of the Church began to take place. This was caused partly by threats to the Church's existence which developed---the threat of persecution by the Roman authorities and the threat of unbiblical ideas being taught by some within the church. But mostly the changes resulted because of the egos of men in positions of leadership. Instead of going back to the teachings of Jesus and the apostles to find the solutions to problems or difficult questions, men preferred to depend on their own thinking to decide these things. From the writings of Ignatius of Antioch (30-107? A.D.), we know that by the first decade of the second century some churches were being led by a single official called a bishop, assisted by a presbytery (elders), instead of being led by a plurality of elders (bishops), which is the pattern described in the New Testament (Acts 14:23; 15:4, 6, 22; 16:4; 20:17 & 28; 21:18; Titus 1:5). And Ignatius indicates that church members must obey their bishop! He wrote to the church at Smyrna: "See that ye all follow the bishop, even as Jesus Christ does the Father, and the presbytery as ye would the apostles; and reverence the deacons, as being the institution of God. Let no man do anything connected with the Church without the bishop. Let that be deemed a proper Eucharist [communion], which is administered either by the bishop, or by one to whom he has entrusted it. Wherever the bishop shall appear, there let the multitude of the people also be; even as wherever Jesus Christ is, there is the catholic [universal] Church. It is not lawful without the bishop either to baptize or to celebrate a love-feast; but whatsoever he shall approve of, that is also pleasing to God." We know from the writings of Polycarp of Smyrna (65-155 A.D.) that all congregations in the early second century were not organized like Ignatius' church. Polycarp wrote a letter to the Philippian church sometime between 105 and 116 A.D., which began, "Polycarp, and the presbyters with him, to the Church of God sojourning at Philippi." The use of the plural word "presbyters" (elders) makes it clear that the church at Smyrna was not a single-bishop church. Other sources indicate that the church in Rome was governed by a plurality of elders until about 140 A.D. Nevertheless, by the end of the second century, it is clear that the single-bishop church was universal throughout Christendom! |
|
|
Important changes in Church doctrine and practice began to take place by the fourth and fifth centuries. For example, in the New Testament, baptism was a simple ceremony---a believer in Christ, upon the confession of his or her faith, was immersed in water for "forgiveness of sins" as soon as possible (Acts 2:36-41; 8:30-39; 9:29-34; 22:12-16). The Greek word "baptizo," which we translate "baptize," means "to immerse, dip or plunge." (Other Greek words are used for "pour" and "sprinkle.") More importantly, there is not a single example of an infant being baptized anywhere in the New Testament! But "The Didache," a Christian writing dated about 120 A.D., indicates that by that time pouring water over the head of a person was permitted under some circumstances---such as a person on his death bed. Other sources indicate that sprinkling of water upon the candidate was acceptable in cases of serious illness. Apparently, a procedure that made some sense in the beginning was gradually expanded to cover more and more situations so that eventually sprinkling became an almost universal practice. Also, by the year 300 A.D., some churches were baptizing infants---clearly non-believers---although many people still opposed this practice. The practice of baptizing infants began because of the newly-created doctrine of Original Sin, which was greatly debated in the fourth and fifth centuries. That doctrine says that, because of Adam's sin in the garden of Eden, all men and women are born with such a corrupt nature that they cannot obey God's commands. As a result, every baby is actually born a sinner---condemned to hell. Thus, it became necessary to quickly baptize a baby to prevent its going to hell, should it suddenly die! The fact that there is nothing in the New Testament to support the baptizing of non-believers didn't stop the church from eventually making this a standard practice! Changes in Church practices continued to take place as the Middle Ages arrived. A major portion of the Church evolved into the Roman Catholic Church, which was led by a powerful pope claiming apostolic authority, cardinals, archbishops, bishops and priests with total control over individual congregations. By this time, Catholics were worshipping Mary, the mother of Jesus, and praying to hundreds of saints---deceased people declared special by the Catholic Church. Church members were required to confess their sins to a priest and do penance for their sins as determined by a priest. And only priests or higher church officials were considered good enough to partake of the cup during communion! |
|
|
Throughout Christian history the Church has always had devoted servants who pressed for reform of practices which they believed were violations of God's plan for the Church. Most of them used the Scriptures to support their demands for changes. One such man was Peter Waldo, who led in the creation of the Waldensian Movement in the 12th century. The Waldensians made the New Testament central to their beliefs and practices and considered it the authority in all Church matters. They repudiated all Roman Catholic practices that they found inconsistent with the New Testament and rejected the authority of all clergy except those who lived as the apostles lived. They rejected masses for the dead, the office of the pope, the requirement that priests preside over worship services, and the honoring of saints, because they couldn't find a precedent for them in the Bible. John Wycliffe (1329-1384) was an English clergyman who opposed the power of the pope over the English Church. He also preached against the immorality of the clergy and urged that the Roman Catholic Church be stripped of its vast property holdings, which he felt was the source of its corruption. Carefully studying the New Testament, Wycliffe began to reject other teachings of the church. For example, he insisted that congregations should be led by elders, instead of presbyters, priests and bishops. He argued that every believer was a priest (1 Pet. 2:4-5 & 9) and, therefore, has no need to pray to Catholic saints. To make it possible for Englishmen to read the Scriptures in their own language, he translated the New Testament into English. Wycliffe asserted that the Bible is the supreme authority for Christians, not church councils or traditions (2 Tim. 3:16-17; Heb. 4:12). Students from Bohemia (today's Czech Republic) studying at Oxford came into contact with Wycliffe's teachings and carried them home. John Huss (1373-1415), a student at the University of Prague, absorbed many of these ideas prior to becoming a priest in 1400. He denounced the evils of the Catholic Church, from the corruption of parish priests to the corruption of the pope. He said that Jesus Christ and not Peter was the foundation on which God had founded the church (Matt. 16:13-19), and said that many popes had been heretics. Huss argued for the authority of the Scriptures over the Church, and wanted them available in the Czech language. When Pope John XXIII proclaimed a crusade against Naples and began selling indulgences (for forgiveness of sins) to raise money for it, Huss said the pope had no right to go to war, since Jesus had said, "My kingdom is not of this world" (John 18:33-36). As to indulgences, Huss said no mortal man has the power to forgive sins, since only God can do that! |
|
|
Martin Luther (1483-1547) was a monk of the Augustinian Hermits in Erfurt, Germany. He was taught that he must do enough good works in his life to make up for his sins, or he would be sent to Purgatory at his death to make up for his sins. He felt trapped, because he felt God expected perfection of him, but had created him with a human nature that was too prone to sin. In 1508 Luther began teaching theology at the University of Wittenberg, where his studies led him to understand that the concept of repentance that the Bible taught was an attitude of sorrow for sin---not a requirement that a Christian do works of penance. Luther began to study the book of Romans to find answers. He was tormented by the phrase, "the righteousness of God" (Rom. 1:17), which he had been taught referred to "the righteous punishment of God." But he came to understand that it meant "the righteousness which God freely gives to those who believe in Christ." He now understood that righteousness can't be earned, but is instead a free gift of God through Jesus Christ! Once Luther understood "the righteousness of God," he also understoood the gospel, which is defined in Romans 1:16, "I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes." And he also understood the rest of Romans 1:17, "a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: 'the righteous will live by faith.'" This mind-opening experience was like a new revelation to Luther. He was led out of the darkness of a life of penance into the bright light of God's redeeming love. The doctrine of justification by faith became for Luther the heart of the gospel---the central truth of Christianity (Rom. 3:21-24). In 1517 indulgence sellers arrived in Germany, sent by Pope Leo X, who needed money to build St. Peter's basilica in Rome. The sales campaign promised complete forgiveness of all sins. Infuriated, Luther posted his famous "Ninety-Five Theses" on the door of the Wittenberg church. Luther placed that document there as a subject for debate on indulgences at the university. Today, this is regarded as the start of the Protestant Reformation. The "Theses" were copied, translated, printed, and spread throughout Europe in a matter of weeks. And they were read aloud to the illiterate masses in cities and towns everywhere. Luther was ordered to apear in Rome in 1518 to recant his heresies and submit to the pope. Luther refused and said that he must obey God rather than man and that the Scriptures were on his side. He pointed out that Peter (who the Catholic Church claimed was the first pope) was once reproved by Paul for misconduct (Gal. 2:11) and that Peter's successor (the pope) was therefore not infallible. Luther studied the history of the Church and found no evidence of a pope in the early centuries of the Church. He discovered that "The Donation of Constantine" and the "Decretals of Isidore," which were key claims to the power of the pope, were actually forged documents. In 1519 Luther wrote, "I know not whether the Pope is antichrist himself, or his apostle, so wretchedly is Christ, that is the truth, corrupted and crucified by him in the Decretals." He concluded, "I prefer, with all deference to the [Church] Fathers, the authority of the Scriptures, which I herewith recommend to the arbiters of our cause." In 1520 Luther published, "Address to the German Nobility," in which he stated that if church leaders would not reform the church, then the nobility must do it. Luther argued they had the authority to do this because of "the priesthood of all believers" (1 Pet. 2:4-9). In other words, ordinary Christians have the right to reform the church if the clergy will not do it. This was a denial of the absolute authority of the pope and his cardinals and bishops over Church members. Also in 1520, Luther published, "The Babylonian Captivity of the Church," an attack on the seven sacraments of the Catholic Church. He said there were only two sacraments, the Lord's Supper and baptism, because only those two are mentioned in the New Testament. He said Jesus intended for all Christians to partake of both the bread and the cup, citing passages from the gospels and Paul's writings, concluding, "The sacrament does not belong to the priests, but to all; nor are the priests lords, but servants, whose duty it is to give both kinds to those who seek them, as often as they seek them." Luther cited baptism as the means of regeneration of the sinner (Acts 2:38) and found it sufficient for forgiveness of sins performed AFTER baptism. Furthermore, Luther wrote, "I could wish that the baptized should be totally immersed, according to the meaning of the word and the signification of the mystery." He also wrote, "Baptism is that dipping into water whence it takes its name. For in Greek to baptize signifies to dip, and baptism is a dipping." Luther cited Romans 6:4 as the basis of his understanding of baptism: "We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life." Many others contributed to the Protestant Reformation, including Ulrich Zwingli and John Calvin, but Luther was truly the catalyst. He was the right man at the right time, and his teachings and personality shaped this important movement for Church reform. |
|
|
The Protestant Reformation led by Luther, Zwingli, Calvin, and others made great strides in rolling back more than a thousand years of unbiblical Roman Catholic changes to the Lord's Church. But it fell short of completely restoring the New Testament Church and Protestant leaders also introduced error into the Church---doctrines such as Predestination, the idea that God, before a person is born, arbitrarily determines whether he or she will go to heaven or hell, and that men and women have no free will to choose Jesus or reject him. It was necessary that new generations of Christians take up where Peter Waldo, John Wycliffe, John Huss, Martin Luther and many others had left off, and further advance the cause of restoring the Lord's Church---the New Testament Church. John Wesley (1703-1791) was educated for the ministry at Oxford University in England. He and his brother, Charles, because of the apathy about Christianity they saw, organized the Holy Club, a Christian student group. Because of their methodical prayer life and Bible study, they eventually became known as "Methodists." John Wesley had a life-changing experience in 1738 at a prayer meeting. Someone was reading from the preface of Martin Luther's commentary on Romans. While Luther's description of the change which God works in the heart through faith in Christ was being read, Wesley felt his heart become "strangely-warmed." He felt he did trust in Christ alone for his salvation. He rejected the Calvinist doctrine of Predestination and the Methodist movement became the champion of man's free will and God's offer of grace to anyone who would choose to follow Jesus (John 3:16-18; Rom. 3:21-24; 2 Pet. 3:9). Wesley advanced this doctrine through evangelistic preaching tours throughout England, often preaching outdoors to vast audiences. He traveled 250,000 miles on horseback and preached 40,000 sermons, bringing hope to England. In the 18th century, the Presbyterians of Scotland practiced extreme intolerance toward those with even slightly different doctrinal views. This led to repeated divisions in that church and, for some, renewed interest in using the New Testament as the only rule of faith and practice. One such man was John Glas (1695-1773), who began to study the New Testament in search of a better way. He came to the conclusion that the functioning of the established churches was inconsistent with the New Testament and published a book saying that. Glas gathered a group of followers, who became known as "Glasites." Holding a literal interpretation of the New Testament, the Glasites insisted on weekly communion (Acts 20:7), foot-washing (John 13:5 & 12-15), a plurality of elders in each congregation (Acts 14:21-23), and liberal sharing of private goods (Acts 2:44-45). The Glasites urged the church be governed by the simple guidance of the New Testament, rather than by synods and councils. They found an "order of worship" in Acts 2:42: "They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and prayer." Archibald McLean (1733-1812) was raised a Presbyterian, but discovered the writings of John Glas and was convinced of their truth. One day a friend, Robert Carmichael, asked him what he thought about baptism. McLean then read the entire New Testament, studying every reference to baptism. When done, he wrote Carmichael that he found no authority for practicing infant baptism. He next concluded from the Greek that baptism was immersion and was himself immersed. In 1768 McLean and Carmichael founded the Edinburgh Scotch Baptist Church, which followed Glasite doctrine, except they practiced immersion. Finally, McLean concluded that New Testament baptism was by immersion of adult believers only and FOR REMISSION OF SINS. McLean wrote, "As to remission of sins, new converts are exhorted to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, Acts 2:38, and to be baptized and wash away their sins, Acts 22:16." McLean had rediscovered the purpose of baptism, lost for centuries by the Church! He also concluded, "It is plain, therefore, that none are commanded to be baptized, but such as are first taught or made disciples, and profess to believe the gospel" (Matt. 28:19). Brothers Robert (1764-1842) and James Haldane (1768-1851) devoted their lives to restoring the New Testament Church. Dissatisfied with Presbyterianism, the Haldanes started their own movement. They believed in the sufficiency of the Scriptures as a guide for faith and practice, congregational independence, the rule of elders, weekly communion and baptism of believers by immersion. They called themselves simply "Christians" or "disciples" and made no distinction between clergy and laity. English writer James Wallis described the Haldane churches in 1847 as "advocating original Christianity, and contending for the ancient order of the church of God---the doctrines and institutions delivered to the faithful by the holy Apostles." Unique to the Haldane movement was the teaching that faith is not supernaturally induced but is instead based on the belief of testimony---the Bible---as stated in Romans 10:17, "Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ." |
|
|
Despite the Protestant Reformation and the efforts to restore the New Testament Church in the centuries which followed, the Church in 18th and early 19th century America still fell far short of the original. The American Church was a hodge-podge of denominations holding significantly different beliefs and practices, that usually refused to take communion with one another or even recognize one another as fellow Christians. As a result, as the 1700s grew to a close, there was a growing dissatisfaction among many serious Christians in the U.S. with the teachings and actions of America's denominations. The bitter antagonism between Christians of differing views, the teaching of complicated creeds and doctrines that didn't seem to be supported by Scripture, and the decline in commitment of Christians in the mid-1700s led many Christians to begin to question their belief systems and seek answers in the Bible itself. At least four totally independent movements to restore New Testament Christianity resulted. In the 1790s, American Methodists struggled over whether to have a hierarchy of bishops. This happened despite the decision of English Methodists to reject bishops. Several preachers, led by James O'Kelly (1734-1826) of North Carolina, pleaded for a congregational system of church government and said the New Testament should be the only creed of the church. When they were overruled, they seceded from the Methodist Church. The leaders of this new group met in 1794 and agreed that the Lord's Church is made up of "all real Christians in the world," and that the only office in each congregation should be that of elders, since the apostolic office was limited to "those extraordinary days" of the church's founding. They also rejected the concept of bishops serving in an office distinct from that of elder (Acts 20:17-28). They also accepted this proposal of O'Kelly's friend, Rice Haggard, "Brethren, this [the New Testament] is a sufficient rule of faith and practice, and by it we are told that the disciples were called Christians, and I move that henceforth and forever the followers of Christ be known as Christians simply" (Acts 11:25-26; 26:28; 1 Pet. 4:16). Thus, this group called themselves "the Christian Church." They also soon adopted immersion as biblical baptism. In 1804 Rice Haggard urged the unity of all Christians on the Bible and the liberty of Christians in areas of opinion. Abner Jones (1772-1841) was a Vermont physician and member of a Baptist church, who began to urge that sectarian names and creeds should be abolished and that true piety alone should be made the basis of Christian fellowship. In 1800 he estabished a church in Lyndon, VT and then founded two more congregations by 1803. Elias Smith (1769-1846) was a Baptist preacher in New Hampshire, who soon adopted Jones' views. Several other Regular and Free Will Baptists followed his lead. They called themselves simply "Christians" and adopted the Bible alone as their only standard of faith and practice. They began to use the name "Christian Churches" for their congregations, which eventually numbered 14. As former Baptists, they baptized by immersion, but never came to the view that baptism is for remission of sins as some other groups did. They also did not not talk about restoring primitive Christianity as the O'Kelly-Haggard people did. Exposed to Calvinism, Barton Stone (1772-1844) underwent great agony of soul as he struggled to find salvation through a "saving experience." He finally obtained peace of soul after hearing a sermon on "God is Love," preached by a man who was not a Calvinist. Stone became a Presbyterian minister. In 1796 he migrated to Kentucky and became the preacher of the Cane Ridge church. Stone soon rejected the Calvinist doctrines of predestination and total human depravity since they were inconsistent with the Bible. If man was incapable of coming to God until touched by the Holy Spirit, what was the use of preaching to people? By 1801 Stone was preaching that salvation was offered to all men (1 Tim. 2:3-4; 2 Pet. 3:9) and that faith in Jesus was the condition of salvation (John 3:14-18). Four other ministers joined Stone and they all boldly preached the sufficiency of the Gospel to save men and that the Bible alone was able to produce faith. Being touched by the Holy Spirit first was not required, but was something that came after conversion (Acts 2:38). The five preachers organized themselves into the Springfield Presbytery, totally abandoning all confessions and creeds, and accepting the Bible alone as their only rule of faith and practice. But they soon dissolved the presbytery as an unbiblical, man-made organization and took the name "Christian," because the first century disciples used that name (Acts 11:26). Stone's movement soon adopted immersion as scriptural baptism and came to believe that baptism is for remission of sins (Acts 2:38-41; 22:16). Stone's Christian Church movement spread rapidly through Kentucky, Ohio, Indiana and Tennesse and soon joined forces with the O'Kelly-Haggard movement in what was called the "Christian Connection." Membership in these churches reached 10,000 by 1831. |
|
|
While three independent movements to restore New Testament Christianity (mentioned above) were developing and growing, a fourth such movement got underway in the southwestern corner of Pennsylvania. It was led by Thomas Campbell (1763-1854), a Presbyterian minister, and his son, Alexander Campbell (1788-1866). Thomas was born in Northern Ireland, where he became a minister of the Anti-Burgher faction of the Seceder Presbyterian Church of Scotland. The bickering between the branches of the Presbyterian Church disturbed him greatly and he campaigned constantly for a reconciliation between them. Thus, uniting the Lord's Church became his life-long passion. Thomas sailed to America in 1807, intending to have his wife and children follow as soon as he located a place for them to live. Thomas was assigned by the Seceder Presbyterian synod to a presbytery in southwestern Pennsylvania as a circuit-riding preacher. On one trip he traveled with a young minister to a remote community where they found several people from another branch of the Presbyterian Church who had not had communion for a very long time. In his sermon he spoke of the evils of church division and violated his church's policy by permitting these people to partake of communion, because he saw no basis in Scripture for excluding them. His young companion filed charges against him and the presbytery found him guilty and suspended him from preaching. He appealed to the synod, where his sentence was reduced to a "rebuke and admonition," but his presbytery still refused to give him preaching assignments. In 1808 Thomas withdrew from the authority of the presbytery and synod, in effect separating himself from his denomination. Thomas began preaching in the homes of friends from many different religious backgrounds. He said that no denomination has a right to make any man-written confession of faith essential for membership since they were the opinions of men, that the Bible alone is an infallible standard and the only rule of faith and practice needed for guidance of the church, and the only possible basis for reuniting the church's many denominations. He said that Christ died for all men, not just the "elect" (as Calvinists taught) and any man could believe in Jesus and be saved (1 Tim. 2:3-4; 2 Pet. 3:9). In 1809 Thomas and his friends formed the Christian Association of Washington, PA to give more definiteness to their movement. They adopted the guideline, "Where the Scriptures speak, we speak; where the Scriptures are silent, we are silent." This committed them to follow the Bible alone. Thomas produced a document called "The Declaration and Address," which stated the purposes of their association. In it, he listed 13 propositions which were the foundation stones of what became the Restoration Movement. Proposition One stated, "That the Church of Christ upon earth is essentially, intentionally, and constitutionally one; consisting of all those in every place that profess their faith in Christ and obedience to Him in all things according to the Scriptures, and that manifest [demonstrate] the same by their tempers and conduct, and of none else; as none else can be truly and properly called Christians." While Thomas Campbell was separating from denominationalism, his son, Alexander, was attending the University of Glasgow in Scotland and being exposed to the ideas of John Glas and the Haldane brothers (see above). Alexander arrived in America a few days after his father had issued the Declaration and Address, and immediately accepted its contents. The Christian Association of Washington formally became the Brush Run church in 1811 and Alexander became its first preacher. Relying on the Bible as their only guide, all members began a careful study of it. Their study immediately raised the issues of infant baptism and immersion. One day, three church members asked to be immersed and Thomas immersed them, even though he hadn't been immersed himself, a decision that troubled Alexander. Alexander had married and his wife, who would soon give birth, wanted the baby baptized, lest it should die and go to hell. Alexander searched the Scriptures and was led to believe that infant baptism was not believers' baptism as defined by the New Testament (Mark 16:16; Acts 2:38-41; 16:29-34) and he himself had not been properly baptized. And study of the Greek word, "baptizo," convinced him that immersion was the biblical form of baptism. In 1812 Alexander, Thomas, their wives and three others were immersed by a Baptist minister. Alexander's study next caused him to abandon the Calvinist idea that intervention of the Holy Spirit was required before one could have saving faith. He concluded that faith is the direct result of the divine testimony of Scripture itself, because "faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God" (KJV: Rom. 10:17). In 1815 he delivered his famous "Sermon on the Law," in which he challenged the Baptist belief that the Old Testament was as valid for the guidance of the church as the New Testament. He said that "there is an essential difference between the Law and the Gospel, between the Old and the New Testament. . . . In respect of existence, or duration, the former is denominated, 'That which is done away'; the latter, 'That which remaineth'" (KJV: 2 Cor. 3:11). He concluded, "Christians live not under the Law of Moses, but under Christ" (Rom. 6:14; 7:1-6; 8:1-2). An associate of Alexander's, Walter Scott (1796-1861), began preaching a five-point Plan of Salvation he found in Acts 2:38: (1) faith, (2) repentance, (3) baptism, (4) remission of sins, and (5) the gift of the Holy Spirit. When they heard it, people marveled at the simplicity and logic of this plan, which had been lost for centuries amongst the jungle of man-made ideas. Suddenly, the Campbell movement began to spread rapidly through Ohio and Kentucky, as many thousands were immersed. In 1832 the Campbell and Stone movements united, becoming one of the largest church groups in the American West. |
|
| A quick look at the Church in America today leads to the conclusion that the Church of the first century is still a long way from being restored. Instead of a few denominations, there are now hundreds of them---many espousing extraordinarily unbiblical ideas. On the plus side, many other church groups have easy-to-understand, biblical doctrines and simple congregational structures. Calvinist teaching is not as widespread as it once was, and most churches preach a salvation that is open to all men and women who will accept Jesus as their Savior. But there is much work left to be done. We need to constantly devour the New Testament to determine from its contents what the Lord wants his church to be. And all Christians should be like the Bereans, who "examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true" (Acts 17:11). We must take the word of no preacher, teacher or writer (including this writer) without studying the Scriptures to verify that what they are saying is true. Only in this way will we succeed in successfully restoring the Church of the first century established by our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ! |
|
| Fred invites you to send him some feedback about this Bible Study. Did you agree with the conclusions? Are other conclusions more appropriate, in your opinion? Did you find this Bible study useful? Did it provide you information you didn't already possess? What additional information would you have liked to have seen included? Will you continue to read future studies? Comments and questions may be sent to Fred at PO Box 2408, Oroville, CA 95965, or E-mailed to cmf@cncnet.com. |