Written by Eng Kim Leng (KKCOC Elder)
3 Distinctive Doctrines of the Church of Christ (2 Timothy 1:13-14)
The church of Christ identifies itself as the church of the first Century, a God established church. It not a church that evolves from that established by God, and as outlined in the Bible. The doctrines of the church of Christ are the doctrines of the Lord’s church.
They are not based on human creeds or traditions, but on the timeless truths of the Lord’s church as revealed in the New Testament.
The Church of Christ emphasizes a return to the simple yet profound practices and beliefs of the first-century church. We see ourselves as members of the Lord’s church, consider ourselves as simply ‘Christians’ and look to the Bible as the sole authority for faith and practice.
God has revealed a pattern or form of doctrine which we must observe, passing it unadulterated to successive generations of Christians. While we hold to all biblical teachings, three doctrines are most identified with the church of Christ: namely,
- the necessity of water baptism for remission of sins
- the use of A Capella singing (i.e. unaccompanied by any use of musical instruments) during worship
- the biblical role of women in our assemblies.
This is a three-part article that provides scriptural foundation into why we believe as we do, each article covering one of these topics.
Article 1: The Case for Water Baptism
Salvation, the gift of God is the goal and hope of all Christians. It is the enjoyment of heaven as our home, in God’s presence for eternity, when our life on earth is over. Most Bible believers would agree that Jesus is our Saviour and the way to the God, as Acts 4:12 says, “… there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved,” Acts 4:12). The disagreement among believers arises not in who saves but in how one is saved and becomes a child of God. Consider the confused state the Christendom is in. Some believe that salvation is attained when one asks Christ to come into his life. Some believe that a person is saved when he recites the sinner’s prayer. Some believe that water baptism is necessary but differ on its meaning, whether it be sprinkling, pouring or immersion. Others believe that baptism is conducted as a public declaration after one is saved, as an ‘outward sign of an inward grace.’ Some believe in infant baptism. An overwhelming majority of denominations insist that baptism has nothing to do with salvation, arguing that if it is, then it becomes a work of merit rather than an act of grace. Over time, man have created alternatives that ignore the explicit commands in the bible and bypass the plain commands of Christ. Surely, they can’t all be right, as they each differ on how one can be saved. God is not the author of confusion (1 Cor 14:33).
The importance of getting it right cannot be overemphasized, nor should it be underemphasized. The correct way is to look to the word of God, the truth, and the sole authority of faith. In Acts 2:38, Peter proclaimed on the Day of Pentecost, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” In that verse, two things were required for one to receive the remission of sins – repentance and baptism. Baptism is also required for one to become a disciple of Christ (Matthew 28:19, “make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,”). Paul indicates that we become ‘in Christ’ and ‘put on Christ’ when we are baptized into Christ. “For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.” (Galatians 3: 27)
It is not merely an outward sign of an inward grace; it is the moment our sins are washed away. In Acts 22:16, Ananias charged Saul saying, “And now why are you waiting? Arise and be baptized and wash away your sins, calling on the name of the Lord.” The belief that baptism and salvation are linked is clearly shown throughout Scripture. Peter in 1 Peter 3:20-21compared baptism to the water that saved Noah and said, “Baptism…now saves us.” He also taught that being “buried with Him in baptism” results in being “forgiven” of all our sins (Colossians 2:12-13, “buried with Him in baptism, … He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses”).
If baptism is required in order to cleanse one’s sins, that means sin was still present at the point of baptism. In Mark 16:16, before His ascension into heaven, Jesus made this declaration, “He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.” Some argue that since the second half of the verse does not explicitly have the words, ‘and is not baptised’, this means believe alone is enough and without baptism, one is not condemned. Consider the order: believe, and immediately thereafter baptism. The correct understanding is simple: if a person does not believe, then baptism is already out of the equation. That is why in the second half of the sentence, baptism is not mentioned. He who believes and is baptized will be saved. These are the words of Jesus. Believe is absolutely essential, but Scripture shows it is inseparably linked with baptism in God’s plan of salvation. They go hand in hand, belief alone without baptism will not result in salvation. Just like repentance alone without baptism is not complete. We see this pattern in the Philippian jailer, who, after believing was “immediately baptized” (Acts 16:30-33). Likewise in Corinth, “many of the Corinthians hearing Paul believed and were baptized” (Acts 18:8). In both cases, believe was never separated from baptism, faith and obedience worked together in God’s plan of salvation.
How is Baptism Done?
The word “baptism” in English is a transliteration of the Koine Greek word, βάπτισμα (baptisma), which is derived from the verb βαπτίζω (baptizo). Baptizo literally means, “to immerse, dip, or plunge”. It is the word the Greeks used when saying a ship sunk at sea. There was no original English word for this which could explain how innovation changed the act of immersion into other forms. This is symbolized in Rom 6:3-4 where baptism is described as a burial with Christ and a resurrection to walk in newness of life:
“Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? Therefore, we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.” (Romans 6:3-4)
The account of Philip and the Ethiopian eunuch provides a perfect example whereby they both “went down into the water” and “came up out of the water” (Acts 8:26-40), Verses 38 and 39 states, “both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water, and he baptized him. Now when they came up out of the water …” Clearly baptism is an immersion, not sprinkling or pouring.
Baptism buries us into the death of Christ and raises us to a new life. It is the point at which God grants forgiveness of sins and adds the saved to the church (Acts 2:38, Acts 22:16, Mark 16:16, 1 Peter 3:21). Without baptism there is no remission of sins and without the remission of sins, we cannot be added to the Lord’s church. God’s word is clear, we must not try to be ‘clever’ or substitute our own ideas, as Nadab and Abihu did when they offered profane fire before the Lord, and were consumed for their disobedience (Leviticus 10:1-2). Salvation is not merely a symbolic or public declaration. As Paul wrote, “not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit” (Titus 3:5). This is not man’s work but God’s work of grace through Christ.