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UNION GROVE CHURCH OF CHRIST, CLEVELAND TN. |
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FALSE STATEMENTS THAT ARE SOMETIMES MADE ABOUT THE CHURCH OF CHRIST ( 1)
The kingdom of Christ will never be destroyed (Daniel 2:44). Regardless of what men might say or do, the kingdom (church) will stand forever (Luke 1:31-33). About this there is no doubt. More than a few people in history have said things about the Lord’s church that simply were not true. Whether they purposely told untruths or spread falsehoods without knowing that what they were declaring was false, still, one thing is the same. What they said was not correct, and such has caused numerous souls to be misinformed, and consequently some have turned away from an interest in the body the Christ in which salvation is found (Ephesians 5:23; Acts 2:47). The affairs of the church of Christ are not a secret. The activities of the church are not carried out "in a corner" (Acts 26:26). We encourage one and all to "come and see" (John 1:39) whether statements that are made about the church are true or not. Without judging the motives of those who continue to believe and say false things about the church of the living God, let us consider some of the false statements that they sometimes make. There are those that continue to spread the false notion that the church was started or founded by Alexander Campbell. Some books declare him to be the founder of the "Church of Christ denomination." Some observations are in order. First, not everything that is written in a book is true. Evolution is taught from coast to coast in our country as being a fact of science. It simply is not so. Evolution is a false theory, yet textbook after textbook parades it as "the answer" to the question of man’s origin. The same can be said about books declaring Campbell to be the founder of the church of Christ – it is not so. Second, the church of our Lord is not a denomination. The church about which we read in the New Testament is not part of the body of the Christ, rather it is the complete body of our Lord. That church is not part of a denomination, nor is it made up of denominations, period. Just who was Alexander Campbell anyway, and why would anyone get the notion that he founded the church of Christ? He was a human being, no more, and no less. He came to this country from Scotland in about 1810. Among other things, Campbell taught that baptism is necessary in order to receive the remission of sins and that the use of mechanical instruments of music in worship to God is unauthorized, and thus wrong. The above noted doctrines, as well as Campbell’s call for men to lay aside the traditions of men and simply be Christians, caused him to be out of favor with some. Many who had lived in ignorance of what the Bible taught considered Campbell’s message as something new. The truth is, his teaching about baptism being essential for salvation, and what he said about the type of music authorized in worship, was right down the line. But be clear about this – his message on these topics was right, but not because he originated it. He was simply preaching what the Bible had taught all along. Still, some insisted on calling those who obeyed the gospel of the Christ that Campbell preached "Campbellites." In the Cleveland, Tennessee area where I now live, to this day there are denominational people who refer to members of the church as "Campbellites." I have given this brief bit of information because I know that some of our young people had questions about why in the world some people call us "Campbellites." At this point we must speak plainly. If Alexander Campbell taught the truth on some Bible subjects, then that is great. The truth is, he taught error on some other matters. But, regardless of what Campbell did or taught, you and I have no allegiance to him. He is not the Son of God who died on the cross for our sins! He is not the author of salvation (Hebrews 5:9). He is not the head of the church (Ephesians 1:22,23). Make no mistake about it, Jesus the Christ, and He alone, is worthy of our allegiance. We will never be Campbellites. Who is it that promised, "Upon this rock I will build my church?" (Matthew 16:18). It was Jesus, of course. Who is it that is declared to be the only foundation of the church? (1 Corinthians 3:11). Same answer, Jesus the Christ. Who is it that purchased the church with His blood? (Acts 20:28). Again, the only answer is Jesus the Christ. Friends, Jesus built or founded His church on the first day of Pentecost after His death, burial and resurrection. You can read about it in Acts chapter two. That is the church of which you and I are members. Its establishment took place over 1700 years before Alexander Campbell was even born! Here is a historical fact that you would do well to hang on to. As we already noted, Alexander Campbell came to the U.S. in about 1810. Before he ever set foot on American soil, there were already congregations of the church of Christ that existed in this country. That’s right. One of them, the Rock Springs congregation, which meets not far from the town of Celina in Clay county, Tennessee, was established in 1805 and has been in existence ever since! Now that is a historical fact. I have preached on more than one occasion during the assembly of the Rock Springs church, and I know whereof I speak. Hear it one more time: the Rock Springs congregation was established in the year 1805, but Alexander Campbell did not come to America until about five years later. So, you see, it was physically impossible for Alexander Campbell to "start" the church in this country. It was already here before he was! If you and I will take the seed, the word of God (Luke 8:11), and sow it in a particular location where men have not before heard the pure gospel, then the residents of that area might be inclined to call us a "new church" or teachers of a "new doctrine." But if we were teaching and following the pure gospel of God’s Son, then we would simply be Christians that were preaching the great message that goes back to the first century. If we plainly show a person that Alexander Campbell did not found the church, and afterwards that person still insists that we are followers of Campbell and that Campbell did, indeed, found the church of Christ, then such a person has ceased being ignorant (remember, we taught him/her the truth about this matter), and has become dishonest. That may not sound like a pleasant conclusion, but why would it not be a valid one? Jesus the Christ, not Alexander Campbell, is the sole founder of the church. May we give Him the glory that He deserves. -- Roger D. Campbell |
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