Some may ask, "What is the theology of the church of Christ? Some say, 'No creed but Christ; no law but love.' I want to know what they teach and why they teach it." Jesus tells us that we can know and be saved by the truth (John 8:32). Truth is one and can have no contradictions. If two statements are in disagreement, one or both of them must be wrong, but both cannot be right.

Truth is of paramount importance; seeing that Jesus said that he is the truth, the way, the life, and that we cannot come to the Father except by him (John 14:6). The way of truth is the way of life.

Succinctly put, the churches of Christ -- if that is what they truly are -- speak where the Bible speaks and be silent where the Bible is silent. By a strict following of the Bible, salvation and the church of the New Testament are recovered in each generation.

The church, if it is truly of Christ, must follow carefully and absolutely the teaching of Christ. The Bible warns us about neglecting the great salvation that was at the first spoken by the Lord, confirmed by those who heard him, and witnessed and certified by Jehovah (Heb. 2:3-4).

That is a short and correct answer, but it provokes another question: What is the exact teaching of Christ? Another short answer would be, it is found in the Bible and especially the New Covenant, but that does not define the teaching. It merely points to where it is stored.

Still, it gives us information about where to find good doctrine. The Bible is the source. It is the very word of very God and therefore true; being true there can be no mistakes in it.

We begin, then, with a commitment to the Bible as an authoritative rule book. If we would know the truth and be made free, the Bible, and the Bible only, must be our guide. There is no other way.

If we are agreed on this point, we can proceed with our study of the Bible, always remembering that while mere mortals may be able to help us to a better understanding of God's word, it is the word itself that is the authority.

If a teacher says something different from the Bible, the teacher is wrong and the Bible is right. Always weigh and measure what human teachers say by the never failing balance of the eternal and inerrant word of God. Make the Bible your standard.

Following the sacred scriptures may not make you popular, but it will make you right and deliver you blameless before the throne of God. So, do not make the mistake of seeking the majority position, but decide to seek truth, even if it is hated by most people (John 17:14).

Jesus said, "Many are called, but few are chosen" (Matt. 22:14). It is the wide gate and broad way that leads to destruction; the strait gate and narrow way lead to life (Matt. 7:14-15).

Please keep in mind that the Bible is the standard -- nothing else! The church is the people and the people are not the standard. The church Jesus built and purchased with his blood is precious and necessary, but the question is not what do the churches of Christ teach, but what does the Bible teach?

There is no salvation outside the church, seeing that God adds to the church daily such as should be saved (Acts 2:47). Because the Lord adds the saved to the church daily, no saved person was ever out of the church overnight. God does not make mistakes. He knows who the saved are and he adds them to the church of Christ, which is the one body of Christ. The church is one just as the truth is one.

The church is the body of Jesus (Eph. 1:22-23; Col. 1:18). There is one body (Eph. 4:5). Therefore there is one church. Jesus is the head of the church and the church is his body. Can you conceive of one head with many bodies?

The church is essential to eternal salvation, but it is not the measure of what is right and wrong. When we go to the Bible and follow it unfailingly, we are a part of the universal body of Jesus, which is his one church. Yet, we are not seeking to reproduce even churches that existed in the first century -- like the church at Corinth, or Berea, or Laodicea, or any other New Testament location - but we are dedicated to finding the exact teaching of Jesus about the church and salvation and obeying his words. "The seed [of the kingdom or church] is the word of God" (Luke 8:11).

To the extent first century churches kept the teaching of the Son of God, they were right and to the extent that varied from it, they were wrong, just as we are either right or wrong on the basis of whether we faithfully walk in the light of God's undying word. We will be judged in the last great day, not by any first century church, but by the words of Jesus (John 12:48).

It is not what does the church of Christ teach, but what does the Bible teach that matters. We are not so much interested in what people teach as we are in what the Lord teaches.

The Bible tells us plainly and emphatically what we must do to be saved by the grace of God and the blood of Christ. In the second chapter of the book of Acts we learn that Jesus baptized the apostles in the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:1-4);

A crowd gathered and were overwhelmed by what they saw and heard (Acts 2:5-13);

Simon Peter preached a fabulous sermon proving that Jesus is both Lord and Christ (Acts 2:14-35);

Many of those who heard believed that Jesus is the anointed Lord and asked, "What shall we do?" (Acts 2:37);

Peter told these believers to repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus for the remission of sins and they would receive the "gift" of the Holy Spirit (The Holy Spirit reveals the word of God and confirms the revealed word. Only God-breathed scriptures make us complete before God, giving us peace, joy, hope and multiple gifts - 2 Tim. 3:16-17; Gal. 5:22-24);

Many received the words of Peter and were baptized and God added them to the church (Acts 2:41);

They continued to study, worship and love each other (Acts 2:42-46);

Jehovah added to the church daily such as should be saved (Acts 2:47).

These first century converts had the teaching of the apostles, the sanction of Christ, the gifts (blessings) of the Holy Spirit and the approval of Jehovah. If we obey the same commands, the same results will follow. It is that simple - that clear. The penitent believer is to be baptized to wash away sins (Acts 22:16).

This is the unmistakable teaching of the Bible with regard to personal salvation.

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