A full-page ad for the book “Why I Am a Member of the Church of Christ” recently caught my eye, with its bold headline: “Now Is the Time to Act<\/strong>.” Much of the message carried in this conservative journal was true-and quite disturbing. Still, I expected the editor to make some kind of comments concerning the thoroughly denominational thinking of the author. He said nothing.<\/p>\n One statement particularly caught my eye: “We are not baptizing many, other than our own children…the average member doesn’t know what he believes and why he believes it … [It is] urgent that we preach what we practice.” However, as I considered some of the terminology used in the ad, I realized that the writer had missed the mark somewhere along the line. Several questions came to my mind that might spur us on to a deeper study of the scriptures:<\/p>\n To promote the book as a good way to indoctrinate saints (not a bad idea — cf. Titus 2:1), the ad urges: “We also admit that if we fail to indoctrinate just one generation-not two-the church will go into apostasy. It has in the past.”<\/p>\n “The church” is that body of people who have been saved by the blood of Christ. It is the “general assembly and church of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven<\/em>” and includes the deceased and Old Covenant saints now cleansed by the blood of the Messiah (Hebrews 12:23; 9:15; Matthew 8:11). In what year in the past did that body of people go into apostasy? How many times has it happened? Did it ever come out of apostasy? How and when?<\/p>\n If a local church drifts into apostasy, that would surely reflect poorly on its bishops. It is their job to shepherd the flock by feeding the truth and to “convict the gainsayer<\/em>” by counteracting false doctrine (Titus 1:9-11; I Peter 5:2). If they don’t, they will answer to God for their failure to properly watch out for souls (Hebrews 13:17). How does it reflect on the universal church’s Shepherd and Bishop (I Peter 2:25; 5:4) if He has allowed His church to go into apostasy? If “the church” has gone into apostasy, does it perhaps need a new Overseer who will do a better job?<\/p>\n It is a fact that many local churches have gone into apostasy in the past. Certainly, that was true in the first century-five of the seven churches of Asia in Revelation 2-3 deserved rebuke. Jesus was going to spit out Laodicea, and Sardis was dead. But had the universal church gone into apostasy? Even in a “dead” church like Sardis, there were still a few who had not defiled their garments and were pleasing to God (Revelation 3:4).<\/p>\n If the universal church were an alliance or body of congregations, then it surely did go into apostasy, even during the lifetime of the apostles. However, individuals can go to heaven even as congregations deteriorate, because the universal church is composed of saints, not churches. The Lamb’s book of life contains the list of saved people, not a directory of “faithful churches” put out by men (Hebrews 12:23; Revelation 3:5).<\/p>\n Consider this quote: “What we do in the next ten years will perhaps determine whether this generation and the next will have the church as we now know it.”<\/p>\n Wow. Imagine the burden on our shoulders if we have it within our power to determine whether the universal church will go out of existence! Or perhaps, if we’re not careful, it will be replaced by some other kind of church different from the one “as we now know it”<\/p>\n Daniel predicted that when the Kingdom of God would be established, it would never be destroyed but would stand forever (Daniel 2:44). Hebrews 12:22-28 shows that the kingdom is comprised of those who are in the church. Is it really possible that the next generation will not have “the church”? Who has the power to destroy the kingdom after the next “ten years” are over?<\/p>\n “For the word of God is living and active, and sharper than any two-edged sword<\/em>…” (Hebrews 4:12). That sounds pretty good, but you ain’t seen nothing yet. The ad says: “Many believe that a million copies [of this book] distributed and studied in the church in the next four or five years would safeguard the church from apostasy for at least another generation or two.”<\/p>\n A million copies of a book written by a man in the 20th century will accomplish something that the Bible apparently cannot do: safeguard “the church” from apostasy! If only John had had a million copies of “Why I Am a Member of the Church of Christ,” those churches of Asia wouldn’t have been in such a mess! If “the church” can go into apostasy, and the Bible can’t prevent it, it seems highly unlikely that any man’s book will do any better.<\/p>\n When we ask our denominational neighbors why they distribute millions of copies of creed books among their churches, how do they answer? “Well, we believe the Bible, but this creed keeps us doctrinally sound and consistent with all the other congregations in our fellowship.” What will our answer be when we do the same thing?<\/p>\n I’m not opposed to the writing or reading of Bible study materials-I’ve written some myself (this article, for example). What I’m disturbed by is anyone’s claim that his materials should be bound upon the universal church and that his writings have more power than the inspired scriptures. I don’t claim that anything I’ve ever written can “safeguard the church from apostasy,” and I’m amazed that anyone on earth today would make that claim for himself.<\/p>\n Consider: “They believe that another million [copies of the book] used among aliens would bring many into the church-and they would be well taught.”<\/p>\n If they were taught that someone’s book has the power to get them into the Lord’s church, they’d be taught wrong. The Lord adds people to his church when they meet his conditions of salvation (Acts 2:47; John 17:2; Revelation 3:5). Those terms of pardon were revealed by inspiration long before this 20th-century book was written.<\/p>\n What the ad writer had in mind is a denominational concept of “The Church of Christ.” We’re asking people to leave one alliance of congregations that has a particular sign on their door (Methodist, Baptist, etc) and get into our alliance of congregations that has the sign “Church of Christ” on the door. “Get out of your denomination and get into ours.” We ought to tell people: “Get out of sin and get into Christ” (Acts 17:30; Galatians 3:27). We may have to defeat denominational doctrines to persuade people that they are still in sin, but we had better not substitute “our” denomination for theirs.<\/p>\n I didn’t become a member of “The Church of Christ” by deciding to join an alliance of congregations that don’t use instruments of music, eats the Lord’s supper each first day of the week, doesn’t support institutions, etc., I became a member of “the church of Christ” when my sins were washed away and Jesus wrote my name in His Book of Life in Heaven. It was then that the Lord made me part of that “church and general assembly of the firstborn [ones] who are enrolled in heaven<\/em>” (Hebrews 12:23).<\/p>\n Why am I a member? Because Jesus wrote my name in heaven when I met his conditions, that’s why. Why are you a member of the church of Christ?<\/p>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" by Vance E. Trefethen via\u00a0Sentry Magazine, Vol. 18 No. 3, September 1992 A full-page ad for the book “Why I Am a Member of the Church of Christ” recently caught my eye, with its bold headline: “Now Is the Time to Act.” Much of the message carried in this conservative journal was true-and quite disturbing.…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[27],"tags":[617,448,544],"class_list":["post-92017","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-article","tag-apostasy","tag-church","tag-membership"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":61067,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/why-i-am-a-member-of-the-church-of-christ\/","url_meta":{"origin":92017,"position":0},"title":"Why I am a Member of the Church of Christ","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"May 29, 2004","format":false,"excerpt":"by Irvin Himmel via\u00a0The Voice of West End, Vol. 5, No. 23, Feb. 16, 1964. People have offered a variety of reasons for their religious connections. I am here to present my reasons for being a member of the church of Christ; but, first, some negative thoughts: Not because of\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":53899,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/if-someone-attends-but-hasnt-become-a-member-and-then-stops-coming-should-you-withdraw-from-him\/","url_meta":{"origin":92017,"position":1},"title":"If someone attends, but hasn’t become a member, and then stops coming, should you withdraw from him?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"August 14, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Someone begins attending a congregation but does not ask to be a member there. He starts forsaking the assembly. Can you withdraw from him? He was baptized. Answer: Before I answer the question, I want to note that some congregations add people to their membership simply because they keep\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":87357,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/what-am-i-worth-to-the-church\/","url_meta":{"origin":92017,"position":2},"title":"What Am I Worth to the Church?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"May 31, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Author Unknown Many passages of Scripture discuss the quality of character that is supposed to be possessed by those who follow Christ. Most of the epistles of the New Testament are directed to that end. While there is a desire among brethren to enlarge the numbers of people who profess\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":55569,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/the-church-yours-mine-or-the-lords\/","url_meta":{"origin":92017,"position":3},"title":"The Church: Yours, Mine, or the Lord’s?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"November 7, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"by Clem Thurman via\u00a0Gospel Minutes, Feb. 6, 1976 Questions: Isn't it true that the present-day church of Christ was begun in the early 1800s by Alexander and Thomas Campbell? Was there any organization of your church from the first to\u00a0the 18th centuries? On what basis can your ministers claim that\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":83642,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/the-nature-of-the-church\/","url_meta":{"origin":92017,"position":4},"title":"The Nature of the Church","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"January 25, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"by R. L. Whiteside via Gospel Advocate, December 3, 1942 From what reading I do, it seems to me that brethren are drifting away from a correct conception of what the church is. The church of God is the family of God, and all his children are in it. If\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":17510,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/denominationalism-is-unnecessary\/","url_meta":{"origin":92017,"position":5},"title":"Denominationalism Is Unnecessary","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"December 30, 2008","format":false,"excerpt":"by Larry Ray Hafley Religious denominationalism in general and Catholicism and Protestantism, in particular, are unnecessary institutions. First,\u00a0if they were essential, they would be found in the Bible. Christ would have spoken of them and told us how to sustain and support them. That he did none of those things\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/92017","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=92017"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/92017\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=92017"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=92017"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=92017"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Can the universal church go into apostasy?<\/h2>\n
Can the universal church cease to exist?<\/h2>\n
How powerful are the writings of men?<\/h2>\n
How do people get into the Lord’s church?<\/h2>\n
Why are you a member of “The Church of Christ?”<\/h2>\n