What Is the Church of Christ?
The Importance of
Understanding the Church
Who are the people of the church
of Christ? What do they believe? Why do they practice what they do?
This lesson will provide a partial answer to those questions by
focusing on what the Bible means when it speaks of “the church” and
who makes it up. The most important question to begin with is:
When did this church begin?
Some claim it began with Alexander Campbell in the 1800s or with
other historical figures, but the only authoritative answer is found
in Scripture.
The Church Prophesied in the
Old Testament
The prophets of the Old
Testament foretold the coming of the church, often called the
kingdom, as Jesus used the terms interchangeably in Matthew 16.
Isaiah 2:2–3 contains one of the greatest prophecies of the coming
of the Lord’s house, which is the church of the living God. In the
last days, Isaiah said, the mountain of the Lord’s house would be
established and exalted, and all nations would flow to it. People
from every nation would say, “Come, and let us go up to the mountain
of the Lord… He will teach us His ways, and we shall walk in His
paths. For out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the
Lord from Jerusalem.” This prophecy describes the church as a
worldwide body, not limited to Israel, and identifies Jerusalem as
the starting place for God’s word.
The Church Foretold by
Jesus
Jesus confirmed Isaiah’s
prophecy in Luke 24:46–49, telling His apostles that repentance and
remission of sins would be preached in His name to all nations,
beginning at Jerusalem. He instructed them to wait there until they
were clothed with power from on high. This matches Isaiah’s prophecy
exactly—Jerusalem would be the starting point, and the church would
begin with the preaching of the gospel.
The Church Established in
the New Testament
Acts 2 records the fulfillment
of these prophecies. On the Day of Pentecost, the first Pentecost
after Christ’s resurrection, the apostles were gathered together
when the Holy Spirit came upon them, enabling them to speak in
languages they had never learned. This miracle allowed them to
preach the first full gospel sermon to the vast, multilingual crowd
gathered in Jerusalem. The power Jesus promised had come, marking
the beginning of the last days and the establishment of the church.
From that point on in the New Testament, the church is spoken of as
existing, never again as future. This means the church of Christ
began in the first century, exactly as God planned from eternity.
The Church Purchased with
Christ’s Blood
Acts 20:28 reveals the precious
cost of the church—Christ purchased it with His own blood. He did
not purchase any political, social, or educational organization. He
purchased the church alone. This truth should deeply affect how we
view the church, recognizing its value and sacredness because it
cost the life of the Son of God.
The Church as the Body of
Christ
In Ephesians 1:22–23, Paul
describes the church as the body of Christ, with Christ Himself as
its head. A body separated from its head cannot live, and so the
church must remain under the authority and leadership of Christ to
have life. There is only one body and therefore only one church,
just as there is only one head. This contradicts the idea that many
different churches, all teaching conflicting doctrines, can equally
represent Christ.
Entering the Church
Acts 2:36–47 records Peter’s
sermon on Pentecost and the people’s response. When they asked what
to do, Peter told them to repent and be baptized in the name of
Jesus Christ for the remission of sins. Those who did so were added
by the Lord to the church. The church, then, is simply the body of
the saved, wherever they may be in the world. Anyone who obeys the
gospel in this way becomes part of that same church that began in
the first century.
What Is the Church of
Christ? Sermon Outline:
-
Introduction
-
Recent public attention
on the church of Christ
-
Questions: Who are
they? What do they believe?
-
Goal: See what the
Bible says about the church
-
The Church Prophesied
in the Old Testament
-
Isaiah 2:2–3 – Lord’s
house established, exalted, open to all nations
-
Prophecy specifies
Jerusalem as the starting place for the gospel
-
The Church Foretold by
Jesus
-
The Church Established
in the New Testament
-
Acts 2:1–13 – Holy
Spirit comes, apostles speak in other languages
-
Fulfillment of Isaiah
2, Joel 2, and Luke 24
-
Beginning of the last
days; church now in existence
-
The Church Purchased
with Christ’s Blood
-
Acts 20:28 – Church
bought with His blood
-
Shows value,
importance, and exclusivity of the church
-
The Church as the Body
of Christ
-
Ephesians 1:22–23 – One
head, one body, one church
-
Church must remain
connected to Christ to have life
-
Entering the Church
-
Acts 2:36–47 –
Repentance and baptism for remission of sins
-
Lord adds the saved to
the church
-
Church is the body of
all the saved
Call to Action
The church of Christ is not a man-made institution but the body of
the saved, planned by God from eternity, foretold by the prophets,
established in the first century, and purchased with the blood of
Jesus. If you have not yet obeyed the gospel, the same invitation
offered on Pentecost is open to you today: believe in Jesus as the
Son of God, repent of your sins, confess your faith, and be baptized
for the forgiveness of sins. In doing so, the Lord Himself will add
you to His church—the same church we read about in Acts 2.
Key Takeaways
-
The church of Christ began
in the first century, not in modern times (Acts 2:1–4, 36–47)
-
It was prophesied in the
Old Testament (Isaiah 2:2–3; Joel 2:28–32) and foretold by Jesus
(Luke 24:46–49)
-
It was purchased with the
blood of Christ (Acts 20:28)
-
The church is the body of
Christ with Christ as its only head (Ephesians 1:22–23)
-
Entrance into the church is
by obedience to the gospel—faith, repentance, confession, and
baptism (Acts 2:38, 47)
Scripture Reference List
-
Isaiah 2:2–3
– Prophecy of the Lord’s house in the last days, starting in
Jerusalem
-
Luke 24:46–49
– Jesus’ command to preach repentance and remission of sins from
Jerusalem
-
Acts 2:1–4, 36–47
– Establishment of the church, response to the gospel, Lord
adding to the church
-
Joel 2:28–32
– Prophecy of the Spirit poured out in the last days
-
Acts 20:28 –
Church purchased with the blood of Christ
-
Ephesians 1:22–23
– Church is the body of Christ with Christ as head
-
Romans 10:10
– Belief and confession as part of salvation
Prepared by Bobby Stafford of
the church of Christ at Granby, MO
|
The
church of Christ
