"WHY THE CHURCH OF CHRIST IS NOT A DENOMINATION" (PART TWO)

Hi everyone and I pray you are all doing well as we approach the holiday season. God has been good to each of us in so many ways and I pray you count your blessings and see what HE has done in your life. We continue today with part two of our devotional time together. May God bless as you read and know HIM just a little better and HIS desire for man from HIS Word. Here we go and I hope you learn something new.

"WHY THE CHURCH OF CHRIST IS NOT A DENOMINATION" (PART TWO)

"None of these practices, which denominate or separate into peculiar groups of professed followers of Christ, are sanctioned by those desiring to restore the church of the New Testament. We have no
particular denominational name. We are known simply as Christians. See Acts 11:26; Acts 26:28; 1 Peter
4:16, for the use of this God-given name by the apostles in the New Testament. The use of any other name
is sinful, because it divides or denominates. We are members of the church of Christ, which was
established by Christ through the instrumentality of the Holy Spirit inspired apostles on the day of
Pentecost. Certainly this church was not a denomination, since to denominate means to divide, and the
church then was one body."

"WE HAVE NO RULE OF DISCIPLINE over us except the New Testament. We have no creed except
faith in Christ as God’s Son and our Savior, the Founder and Foundation of the one true church. It is true
that tracts, articles, and books have been written explaining this position of undenominational
Christianity, just as I am writing this tract, but these are not authorized disciplines, being made tests of
fellowship over any congregation. We have no ecclesiastical organization over any church or
congregation. Every local congregation is free under the authority of Christ and His Word. WE HAVE
NOT ADDED or subtracted any practice, teaching, or ordinance to that of the New Testament Church.
We desire to restore the church founded by Christ and His apostles, as recorded in the New Testament. To
do this we approach the New Testament historically, rather than theologically. That is, we do not impose
theological views or opinion upon passages from the Scriptures, but simply attempt to do what the
divinely inspired apostles did. Although man may differ over the meaning or interpretation of a passage of
Scripture, or a practice, it is easy to ascertain what the apostles actually did. The universal mind of
scholars is agreed on what these practices were. Thus we know that they preached Christ as God’s Son,
who died to effect men’s salvation, that He arose, and that He ascended into heaven. They commanded
people to believe this message and, believing, to repent, or change their way of life. They demanded of
those desiring entrance into the church a confession of faith, and they baptized these by immersion. Thus,
when individuals believed, repented, confessed, and were baptized, God added them to His Church. No
man or group of men voted people into His church, neither did they set down the requirements for
entrance into the church. These requirements were given by inspiration of the Holy Spirit. For church life
the apostles practiced prayer and the weekly observance of the Lord’s Supper (Acts 20:7, 1 Corinthians
11:17-34), which was a simple spiritual remembrance of Christ’s death by eating unleavened bread and
drinking of the fruit of the vine."

"They urged people to live according to the teachings of Christ and to support the work of the church. For these historical records read the book of Acts, especially Acts 2 and Acts 8. We endeavor to imitate these practices. Our motto in this respect is, “In essentials, unity; in non essentials, liberty; in all things, love.” Or, “No creed but Christ; no book but the Bible; no ordinances but those of the New Testament; no name but the name Christian.”

"One can readily see that there were no denominations in the New Testament. There was one true church of Christ, His body, made up of penitent believers who were baptized into Him (Ga. 3:21). Through the years divisions, sects, and denominations arose over human opinions, doctrinal corruptions, and the pride of men who built denominations around themselves."

This is the end of part two and I will finish this off next week. Digest this and "Study to show yourself approved unto God, a workman that needs not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth"
(2 Timothy 2:15). God bless until our next time together.