How To Identify Christ's Church
The Bible teaches that Christ built wily one church. In Ephesians 4:4 we read, "There is one body." Then in Colossians 1:18, "He is the head of the body, the church." Since there is one body and the body is the church, then Jesus Christ has but one church. He never promised to build but one — Matthew 16:18; he never gave himself up for but one — Ephesians 5:25: The New Testament says he gave himself up for "it" not "them."
Salvation is in Christ-2 Timothy 2:10. But to be in Christ is to be in his spiritual body which is the church of Christ. There is no salvation outside of Christ — outside of his church. Even though Christ built but one church and endowed but one with his Spirit, we find about 300 different churches in this land of ours now and new ones being born every day. It should be painfully obvious to any sober thinking person, without Bible knowledge, that 300 churches could not differ and all of them be right. They might all differ and all be wrong, but they cannot differ and all be right. Even two could not differ and both be right, much less 300! Since Christ is responsible for but one, then men must be responsible for all the others, and there is no salvation in them.
At this point, we recognize the problem which confronts the honest inquirer. He wants to be in the Lord's church, because he wants to be saved. But which one belongs to the Lord? How may one know which one of the 300 is the Lord's? Asking the different preachers of the different churches would be a waste of time, for each, no doubt, would say his church was the Lord's. Furthermore, one would not have time to wade through all the maze of theology of each church. He would not live long enough to attend them all and study the doctrine of each and determine which one was right by an elimination process. By the time he finished with the present ones, he would find an entirely new crop awaiting his investigation. There is one quick and sure way. Go to your New Testament, study the various phases of the church as it is revealed. Learn what the church looked like in New Testament times, then find the one today that is exactly like that one in the Bible. If you can not find one that looks exactly like that one in the New Testament, then reject them all, for they are but counterfeits! By way of further warning, let us say that the more like the genuine a counterfeit becomes, the more dangerous it is. The more like the Lord's church a man-made church becomes, yet isn't the Lord's the more dangerous it is, for people will more likely be fooled by it.
In making application of the parable of the sower, Jesus said in Luke 8:11 that the "seed is the word of God." God's unchangeable law of reproduction is that every thing shall bring forth after its kind. If we want to produce cotton, we must plant cotton seed. We could never produce corn from cotton seed. The same principle is true in regard to the seed of the kingdom which is the word of God. The word of God planted in the hearts of men will produce exactly what it produced 1900 years ago. It will produce nothing more, nothing less, and nothing else. Whatever it made out of people then, it will make the same out of them now. Whatever church it produced then, it will produce exactly the same now. If the seed of the kingdom produced the Baptist Church, the Methodist Church, the Lutheran Church, the Presbyterian Church, the Catholic Church, etc., etc., in New Testament days, then it will produce them now. But if it did not produce them then, it will not produce them now! Since we cannot find such churches mentioned in the Bible, then we know that the seed of the kingdom, the word of God, did not grow them. Something produced them, but the word of God did not. Somebody planted a different seed.
Let us notice some marks of identification by which we can know the church of the Lord:
(1) The builder and foundation. Jesus Christ is the builder of his church and also its foundation — Matthew 16:18; 1 Corinthians 3:11. If you are a member of a church built by Martin Luther, John Calvin, John Wesley, Mary Baker Eddy, or any other than Jesus Christ, then you are not a member of the Lord's church. Psalms 127:1 says, "Except the Lord build the house, they labor in vain that build it." Jesus said, "Every plant which my heavenly Father hath not planted, shall be rooted up." Matthew 15:13.
(2) The Divine name. It had been prophesied by Isaiah 62:1-2 that the people of God would be called by a new name given by the mouth of the Lord when the Gentiles saw the righteousness of God. In Acts 11:26, following the conversion of the first Gentile converts, we read of the first combination Jew and Gentile membership in the church of the Lord, "and the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch." They were not called different kinds of Christians, just Christians. As individuals they were called Christians. As a church, it was called "church of God"-1 Corinthians 1:2; "church of the Lord" — Acts 20:28; "church(es) of Christ" — Romans 16:16; and "My (Christ) church" — Matthew 16:18. Are you a member of the church that wears the above names, in which the individuals are called Christians? It is not enough to say, "We claim to be this, in addition to what else we call ourselves," for Acts 4:11, 12 says "there is none other name under heaven given among men by which you can be saved." You can't be saved and call yourself by some other name.
(3) The Divine creed. The New Testament church had only Christ and his word as their creed — Matthew 28:18; 2 Timothy 3:16, 17; 2 John 9. Are you a member of a church that has formulated its own man-made creed? Such as the Baptist Manual, Methodist Discipline, Presbyterian Confession of Faith, Episcopal Prayer Book, and Catholic Catechism? The New Testament church had no such creeds.
(4) Terms of admission. The New Testament church had for its terms of admission (a) hearing and believing the gospel — Mark 16:15, 16; (b) repenting of sins — Acts 2:38; (c) confessing faith in Christ as the Son of God — Acts 8:37; (d) and being baptized (buried — Romans 6:4) in water for remission of sins — Acts 2:38. Which baptism, they knew, had something to do with saving them-1 Peter 3:21. Are you a member of a church that teaches salvation by faith only and then tells you to 'join' some church of your choice for one is as good as another? If so, you are not a member of the church of the Lord. The seed of the kingdom never produced such as that.
(5) Form of worship. New Testament Christians met for worship upon the first day of the week to break bread — Acts 20:7; to give as they were prospered-1 Corinthians 16:2; to sing — Ephesians 5:19; to pray — Colossians 3:17; to teach and to be taught — Hebrews 10:25. Are you a member of the church that does these things every first day of the week? Do you break bread — eat the Lord's Supper every first day of the week? Are you taught to give according to your prosperity, or has man attempted to bind upon you a certain percent?
(6) The organization of the church was simple. Each congregation was independent with its own elders to oversee, deacons to assist, evangelist to proclaim the word, and other members working with them. There were no National Councils, Synods, or other governing bodies.