What the Bible Says About the Church of Christ - Apologetics Press

96 Pages·2007·0.62 MB·English

Dave Miller, Ph.D.
APOLOGETICSPRESS
Apologetics Press, Inc.
230 Landmark Drive
Montgomery, Alabama 36117-2752
© Copyright 2007
ISBN: 978-1-60063-001-9
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be repro-
duced in any form without permission from the pub-
lisher, except in the case of brief quotations.
All Scripture quotations are from The New King James
Version of the Bible, unless otherwise specified. Copy-
right © 1982, Thomas Nelson, Inc.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication
Dave Miller (1953 - )
What the Bible says about the Church of Christ/Dave Miller
Includes bibliographic references
ISBN: 978-1-60063-001-9
1. Comparative religion. 2. Christian theology. I. Title
280—dc22 2007929504
DEDICATION
To Deb—
whose positive influence on my
life has been inestimable, pro-
found, and eternal.

Table of ConTenTs
Chapter 1
Foretold and Founded . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5
Genesis 3:15 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6
Genesis 12:3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8
Ephesians 3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9
The Prophets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11
Acts 2: The Hub of the Bible . . . . . . .12
Chapter 2
Doctrine/Creed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15
Reference . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17
Chapter 3
Entrance Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . .19
The Great Commission . . . . . . . . . . . .19
Acts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19
Rome, Corinth, Galatia,
Colossae, and Beyond . . . . . . . . . . .22
Hear, Believe, Repent,
Confess, Be Baptized . . . . . . . . . . . .23
Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24
Chapter 4
Structure/Organization . . . . . . . . . . . .27
Christ the Head . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .27
Elders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .28
Deacons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .29
Preachers/Evangelists and Teachers .29
Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30
Chapter 5
Names . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Names for the Church . . . . . . . . . . . . .31
Names for the Members
of the Church . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .34
Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .35
Chapter 6
Worship . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .37
Sunday . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .37
Lord’s Supper . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .38
Singing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .38
Giving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .39
Prayer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .40
Preaching, Teaching,
Bible Reading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .40
Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .41
Chapter 7
Work and Purpose . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .43
Evangelism . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .43
Edification . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .44
Benevolence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .44
Chapter 8
Conclusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .47
Appendix A
New Testament Christianity vs .
Denominationalism . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .49
“One Body” = One Church . . . . . . . . .52
Pluralism: “Live and Let Live,”
“I’m Okay, You’re Okay” . . . . . . . . .53
Conclusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .55
Reference . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .56
Appendix B
The Thief on the Cross . . . . . . . . . . . .57
Appendix C
The Essentiality of Baptism . . . . . . . . .63
The New Birth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .63
Is Baptism a Symbol? . . . . . . . . . . . . .68
Romans 6:3-18 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
Colossians 2:11-13 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .74
1 Peter 3:20-22 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .76
Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78
Christ at the Door of Your Heart? . . .79
Calling on the Lord . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .81
References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .89

Chapter 1
ForetoLD AnD FounDeD
If you were to open your Bible and begin reading, you
would quickly come to understand how the Universe got
here, including the Earth, and how we human beings
came into existence. You would read about the first two
human beings, Adam and Eve, and how they disobeyed
God’s directive to them, thereby introducing sin into the
world. This circumstance becomes the central concern
of the rest of the Bible: human sin and God’s intention
to atone for that sin so that humans can be reconciled
to Him through the forgiveness of their sins.
Something had to be done about human sin. God
loves people in spite of their sin. Neither His love nor His
justice would let that be the end of the matter. Being
perfect, holy, and unable to allow sin to go unresolved
-  -
 What the Bible Says...
(Habakkuk 1:13), God had already devised a wonderful
plan to make it possible for Adam, Eve, and all people
since them to be forgiven of sin. Consequently, the Old
Testament is riddled with references to God’s eternal and
ultimate plan to redeem people from their disobedience
to His will. It turns out that, due to the foreknowledge
of God, this divine intention was formulated in eternity
before the sin of Adam and Eve (Ephesians 3:9-11). God
knew that humans would violate His will, so He pre-
planned a means by which they could be forgiven if they
would choose to do so. This plan entailed the sending
of Himself, in the person of His Son, to be offered as a
perfect sacrifice for human sin (Hebrews 9:2-28).
Genesis 3:15
Anticipation of this amazing plan of redemption is
detected repeatedly in the Old Testament. Even on the
occasion when sin first entered the world, God offered
a glimpse of His intention in His remarks to the snake
through whom Satan had worked his seductive ploy:
“And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and
between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your
head, and you shall bruise His heel” (Genesis 3:1). What
did God mean by this statement?
He meant that trouble would always exist between
Satan (including those who follow him), and those who
follow God. From the Garden until now, Satan tries to
get people to disobey God. The righteous people and the