What Does The Bible Say About...

One Church Being As Good As Another?

3erhaps no statement has been made by religious people more often than this, “One church is as good as another; so it makes no difference which one you belong to.” 0aybe you have said this or you have heard your preacher preach it all of your life. %ut is this what is taught in the %ible" 3lease consider what the %ible 6ays about this belief:

There Is Only One Body

In Eph. 4:4 we find this statement: “There is one body, and one Spirit, even as we are called in one hope of your calling.” This passage plainly says: “There is one body.” Yet in the face of it we have hundreds of conflicting religious bodies in the world. :ell, one body can¶t mean two hundred bodies. %ut what does 3aul mean by the one body"

What Is The One Body?

In Eph. : , he said: “And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be head over all things to the church, which is his body.” 6o the body is the church. %ut 3aul says there is “one body.” )urthermore, when Jesus promised to build the church, he said: “Upon this rock I will build my church.” 0att. : . +e did not say: ³upon this rock I will build my churches.´ +e mentioned only one ”my church” not churches, If the /ord built but one, and he certainly did for that is all he promised to build, then somebody else must have built all the others.

Jesus Is The Head f The One Body

Are we ready to say that any church that man built is as good as the one the /ord built" This is what we will have to say if we contend that one church is as good as another. In &ol. : 3aul also declared: “He is the head of the body, the church.” /ook at this passage in your %ible &ol. : and see Must what it says. :e don¶t want you to take our word for it, but it will certainly be alright for you to read it yourself and take Must what it says. Now, does it say, ³+e is the head of the %2'IE6 the &+85&+E6"´ It does not read that way in your book, does it" %ut it says: ³He is the head of the body, the church.” There is the same number of bodies as there is of heads. +ow many heads" +e is THE HEAD. That means Must one head, doesn¶t it" “He is the head of the body, the church.” 6o there is one head, one body, one church. And since Jesus is the head of only one. somebody else must be the head of every other. 'o you believe that a church of which man is the head is as good as the church of which Jesus is the head" You must believe this if you believe that one church is as good as another.

:e do not believe that we could build a church that would be as good as the one built by Jesus. Jesus died that he might establish his church he purchased it with his own blood. If man could establish one Must as good, without even dying for it, as the one Jesus purchased with his blood, then Jesus died in vain. This would give man more power than the /ord had. 6o if your preacher has been telling you that one church is as good as another, Must ask him for the scripture that says so. And while he is finding that for you, you might ask him how many churches are actually mentioned in the New Testament.

The Church Is Not Necessary To Salvation?

6o many times the statement is made that the church does not save you. 2f course, we know that the church is not the 6avior. Jesus is our 6avior. %ut the statement as used simply means the church is not necessary to your salvation; that you can be saved on the outside of it as well as on the inside. Now, you have likely heard your preacher make that very statement many times; and as he is your teacher in spiritual things, he should be glad for you to want to know where to find any such statement in the %ible. 'o You not look upon him as a %ible teacher" &ertainly you do. Then, if there is any such statement in the %ible, he should know where it is; or if he does not, it should not take him but a little while to find it for you.

Christ Is The Savior Of The Church

:e read the statement of 3aul in Eph. : which says: “For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the savior of the body.” If You will read the verses that follow in this chapter, you will readily see that the term “body” refers to the church. 6o &hrist is the savior of the church. This statement could not be true if he saves men out of the church and before they enter the church. In that case he would be the savior of men out of the church but not the 6avior of the church. Yet 3aul says he is the 6avior of the church. If the /ord saves one man out of the church, he evidently saves all who are saved out of the church. +ence, every person who goes into the church is saved before he enters. Then how could Jesus be ³the 6avior of the church"´ It Must wouldn¶t be possible. 6o the statement shows us that the /ord saves men who enter the church, not those on the outside. And while the church is not the savior, it is the institution in which the 6avior saves men. :e, therefore, read in Acts :4 : “And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.” Every saved person in the city of Jerusalem was added to the church. There was not a saved person in all that city that had not been added to the church. And what was true of the city of Jerusalem has, throughout the ages, been true of every other place. The /ord has added to the church everywhere such as should be saved. And if any one from that time to this has been saved out of the church, he was saved when he should not have been. %ut in spite of all these statements, you will hear preachers constantly say that you can be saved out of the church. If you have heard your preacher say this, please ask him to tell you where it is found in

the %ible.

“Join The Church Of Your Choice”?

In view of what has Must been said regarding, Jesus built only one church, it is not necessary to say much about this point. %ut does the /ord allow men to have their choice in matters of this kind" If man is allowed to choose the church that suits him best, then the /ord has no choice in the matter. %ut since Jesus built but one church, do you think he will allow you to choose one that some uninspired man built in preference to the one he built" The /ord gives you the choice of accepting him or reMecting him, but if you reMect him, he will see that you do not go unpunished. :hy not let the /ord have his choice instead of choosing our own way " %ut if your preacher has been telling you to Moin the church of your choice, he ought to be able to give you the passage of scripture that says so. 6o go to him and ask him for it.

All Denominations Are Branches Of The Same Vine?

You have heard this statement made many times, no doubt, when there has been any discussion of denominationalism. :e know that the religious world is woefully divided, with conflicting sects of every kind. Not only do denominations differ in name; they differ in teaching and practice. Their doctrines are in direct conflict with one another. In no sense is there unity, harmony or concord, but there is discord, disagreement and division. :e sometimes ask if *od is pleased with a condition like this, and we are told that it is perfectly all right, for all denominations are Must branches of the same vine. Now if you have heard your preacher say this, please ask him where the %ible says so. :eI have read the statement made by Jesus in John : that is often relied on to sustain this idea. %ut it doesn¶t say anything that even remotely resembles it. In this passage Jesus is talking to his disciples. +e is not talking to denominations but to his disciples. And to his disciples Jesus said in 9erse : “I am the vine, ye are the branches.” +e was not even speaking of denominations, for in that case he would have said: ³I am the vine, T+EY are the branches.´ %ut he did not say ³T+EY are the branches.´ +e said: “YE are the branches.” A number of disciples made a number of branches. &hrist was the vine; the disciples were the branches; and each disciple in &hrist was a branch in the vine. It took Must one disciple to make a branch, for Jesus said in verse : “If a MAN abide not in me, HE is cast forth as a BRANCH.” This destroys the idea that Jesus referred to denominations as branches, for in that case, it would take a great group of men to make a branch, but Jesus said one man makes a branch. 6o this is not the passage that must be found. If your preacher refers you to this passage, call his attention to the fact that one man is a branch and that he must find some other passage. This one will not do, for it does not even begin to say that all denominations are branches of the same vine.

Now we would like to ask you a Tuestion:

Have You Obeyed The Gospel Of Jesus Christ?

+ave you been bapti]ed into &hrist" If you have not been bapti]ed you are still lost in your sins. Jesus says, ³+e that believes and is bapti]ed shall be saved´ 0ark

: . 3aul said; ³)or I am not ashamed of the gospel of &hrist: for it is the power of *od unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the *reek´ 5omans : . The words of Jesus teach us that to become a &hristian one must:

‡ +ear the gospel John :44 4 .

‡ %elieve in Jesus as the &hrist John : 4 .

‡ 5epent of all sins /uke : .

‡ &onfess &hrist as /ord 0atthew : .

‡ And be bapti]ed to be saved 0ark : .

‡ After baptism remain faithful to *od. 0atthew : .

Our 3lea To Our )riends And Neighbors

It is our sincere desire and prayer that you obey the gospel today and be saved. 5emember the words of Jesus, ³Not every one that saith unto me, /ord, /ord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my )ather which is in heaven. 0any will say to me in that day, /ord, /ord, have we not prophesied in thy name" and in thy name have cast out devils" and in thy name done many wonderful works" And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniTuity´ 0atthew : .

If we do Must what our /ord commanded we know that our salvation is certain and we will hear +im say ³:ell done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the Moy of thy lord´ 0atthew

: . /et us go back to the %ible, back to &hrist and +is church and do e[actly what +e commanded. 3lease let us help you in your obedience to the gospel before it is eternally too late.

[This material is presented by the members of the Northside church of Christ - 700 Jolly Road, NW Calhoun, Georgia 30701. If you would like to have a Bible Study or discuss this subject further please contact one of our elders; Kent Bailey at 706-629-6111 - Ron Hall at 770-548-3167 - Eddie Jones at 706-2642651]