What is the church of Christ?
Introduction
In response to a question by Jesus in Matthew 16:13-19, Peter declared Him to be the Christ, the Son of the living God. Jesus acknowledged Peter's declaration by saying that this truth would be the rock, or foundation, upon which He would build His church. Then, in Mathew 16:28, He said His church, or kingdom, would be established during the lifetime of some who were there with Him.
Prophecies about the Messiah, or Savior, begin in Genesis 3:15, after Adam and Eve sinned, and continue throughout the Old Testament, all pointing to Jesus and the establishment of His church, or kingdom. These prophecies were looking forward toward the future.
In Jeremiah 31:31-34, God said that He would make a new covenant written on the heart to replace the one written on stone. Colossians 2:14 states the old law was nailed to the cross with Christ, and James 1:25 refers to the new covenant as the perfect law liberty (providing a means for forgiveness of sin).
In Acts 2, we see Christ's promise and the prophecies fulfilled. He established His church in Jerusalem on the Jewish Pentecost after His death. He purchased the church with His blood (Acts 20:28). From Acts 2 through the end of the New Testament, the church is always referenced as being in existence, and the pattern for the church is found in these scriptures; to include ownership, how it and the members are to be known, its organization and leadership, the assembly of the church, its purpose and mission, requirements for membership, and daily living.
As we study the scriptures, we find that God expresses His will for man through direct commends, approved examples, and necessary inferences. To be obedient to His word, we must not go to the right or to the left, but maintain the straight and narrow road that leads to eternal life (Matthew 7:13-14). This means we must speak where the Bible speaks and be silent where it is silent (Deuteronomy 5:32; Proverbs 30:5; Revelation 22:14, 19) and use Bible names for Bible things. The Bible is the perfect and only standard of faith provided by God (2 Timothy 3:16-17). If a creed authored by man has more than the Bible, it has too much; if it has less, it has too little; and if it has the same, it is redundant, and therefore not needed.
Ownership
Since Christ paid the price for His church with His blood, the church belongs to Him and should wear His name (Acts 20:28; Matthew 16:15-19; 1 Corinthians 3:11; Ephesians 2:19-22; Acts 4:12).
How the church is to be known
Sometimes it is just called "the church" (Ephesians 3:20-21, 5:23). Ephesians 1:22-23 and 1 Corinthians 12:27 refer to it as the "body of Christ". It is called "the church of God" in 1 Corinthians 1:2 and "the church of Christ" in Romans 16:16. The in Colossians 1:13, Matthews 16:19, and Matthew 16:28, it is referenced as "the kingdom of the Son", "the kingdom of heaven", and "his kingdom". respectively. All of these terms are interchangeable and refer to the ownership of Christ. The church is not to be called by a man's name, a practice of the church, or any other name. "Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is non other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved" (Acts 4:12).
How the members of the church are to be known
In like manner, individuals in the church are called "disciples" (John 8:31, "Christians" (Acts 11:26), "members" (Romans 12:5), "brethren" (2 Thessalonians 1:3), "sons of God" (Romans 8:14), "children of God" (1 John 3:10), "saints" (Romans 12:13), and "priests" (1 Peter 2:5). All of these terms are interchangeable and refer to those who are in Christ.
Organization
The pattern in the New Testament for the organization of the church is that the head is Christ (Ephesians 5:23; Colossians 1:18). There is no earthly head or headquarters, and each congregation of the Lord's people has the freedom to act independently. Reference to a congregation is by location, such as the church in Corinth, the church in Ephesus, or the church in Smyrna.
Spiritual leadership in each congregation, or church, is to be provided by elders (Acts 14:23). The qualifications for elders are found in 1 Timothy 3:2-7 and Titus 1:5-9, and require they be men, not women. Interchangeable terms for elders are bishops (1 Timothy 3:1), overseers (Acts 20:28), pastors (Ephesians 4:11), and presbyters (1 Timothy 4:14).
Deacons are to be appointed in accordance with 1 Timothy 3:8-10 and 3:12-13 to minister to the needs of the church.
Assembly
The church is to assemble each first day of the week (Sunday) (Acts 20:7; 1 Corinthians 16:1-2). Five activities are to be accomplished during the assembly on each first day:
1. Singing (1 Corinthians 14:15-17; Ephesians 5:17-19; Colossians 3:16).
2. Partaking of the Lord's supper (Matthew 26:26-28; Luke 22:17-18; 1 Corinthians 10:16, 11:23-20; Acts 20:7).
3. Giving (2 Corinthians 9:6-7; 1 Corinthians 16:1-2).
4. Preaching and teaching (2 Timothy 2:2, 4:12; Acts 20:27, 28:30-31).
5. Praying (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18).
Purpose and mission of the church
Ephesians 3:8-11 states the purpose of the church is to make known the manifold wisdom of God. This is to be accomplished by the works specified in Ephesians 4:11-16 which include evangelism, edification, and benevolence.
How to become a member of Christ's church
It is important that we know what the New Testament, our standard, teaches about becoming a member of the Lord's church:
1. We must hear the gospel, or good news of Christ (Romans 10:17).
2. We must believe what God's word says and be willing to obey (John 8:24).
3. We must repent, or put aside and turn away, from our sins (Luke 13:3).
4. We must confess our belief that Christ is the Son of God (Matthew 10:32-33).
5. We must be baptized for the remission of our sins (Acts 2:38). The word "baptize" is the Anglicized form of the Greek word "baptizo", which means to dip or immerse. It is not sprinkling or pouring. It is a burial in water (Romans 6:3-11). Once these requirements have been met, Christ (not man) adds the saved to His church (Acts 2:47).
Then we must continue to live in accordance with God's word (1 Corinthians 10:12-13; Galatians 5:4; 2 Peter 1:10, 3:17; John 14:23; Romans 12:9-21; Philippians 2:1-4; 2 Peter 1:5-9). As we do these things, we need to meet with other members of the Lord's body (Hebrews 10:25) who refer to themselves and the church in a Biblical way, are organized and assemble as specified in the New Testament, and carry out the purpose and mission set forth by God.