"Church of Christ" and Roman Catholicism

The so called "Church of Christ" (Campbellites) is an off shoot of Roman Catholicism. They are nearly identical twins. Here are just a few of the similarities that I can think of right away.

1.) Both the Roman Catholic church and the "Church of Christ" teach that THEY ALONE are the "true" church that follows the "true" teaching of Jesus Christ in His earthly ministry and that of the 12 apostles. They believe that anyone outside of their organization is damned to hell. Of course they both use the tactic that "you are just some denomination/sect" while THEY are the real "church" that is not a denomination.

That alone is enough to prove that they are both a cult. If you come across anyone who professes to be the "true church" that started with Jesus and the 12 apostles, mark them down as a professional heretic. Nobody is infallible--only the Bible is.

The Church of Christ evangelist Aaron Erhardt told me that I could not find one error with his church.

The highly esteemed Church of Christ "evangelist" A.C. Grider says on page 61 of the book Contend,
"Can you name one thing I did in becoming a member of the church of Christ that was not done at Pentecost? On the other hand, can you name one thing that they did that I did not do? Can you cite one single place where I go beyond the word of God in my preaching and  in my practice? Can you cite a single place where I stop short of the word of God in my preaching and in my practice? Now my friends, the answer to all of these thus propounded questions must be answered in the negative."

This puts the so called "Church of Christ" in a tight wad with the Roman Catholic Church.

2.) Both the Roman Catholic Church and the "Church of Christ" both believe that there is MORE THAN one mediator between God man contrary to 1 Timothy 2:3-6.

Both the Catholics and the Church of Christ teach that you must come to God through their church and through their sacraments in order to be saved. They do not believe that you can call upon the name of the Lord and be saved. You must first call upon their organization for help. They do not believe that salvation is between you and God. They believe that you must come to them first and let them put you into Christ granting you salvation (but then you must maintain that salvation by keeping good works).

The old timer COC evangelist  A.C. Grider says on page 82 of Contend A.C. Grider states that he baptized a man into Jesus Christ, referring to water baptizing the man! Grider believed that he put people into Jesus Christ, joining them together as "one spirit"! That is blasphemy, Grider was professing to be GOD.....

1 Corinthians 6:
[15] Know ye not that your bodies are the members of Christ? shall I then take the members of Christ, and make them the members of an harlot? God forbid.
[16] What? know ye not that he which is joined to an harlot is one body? for two, saith he, shall be one flesh.
[17] But he that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit.

1 Corinthians 12:
[12] For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ.
[13] For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.
[14] For the body is not one member, but many.
[15] If the foot shall say, Because I am not the hand, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body?
[16] And if the ear shall say, Because I am not the eye, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body?
[17] If the whole body were an eye, where were the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where were the smelling?
[18] But now hath God set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased him.

Colossians 2:
[10] And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power:
[11] In whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ:
[12] Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead.
[13] And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses;
[14] Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross;

The COC and the Catholic church both mix baptism into Christ with baptism into water, but Christ ain't water and THEY aren't God!

We are saved by Christ, not by man. We do not come to God by any church organization, we simply call upon Him ourselves. We do not have to call upon the false priests and gods of the Church of Christ in order for them to save us. They couldn't save a rat from drowning in a five gallon bucket.

1 Timothy 2:
[3] For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour;
[4] Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.
[5] For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;
[6] Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.

Romans 10:
[12] For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him.
[13] For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.


3.) Both the "Church of Christ" and the Roman Catholic Church teach that physical elements such as water, bread, and juice can be transformed into the body and blood of Jesus Christ. Both observe the Lord's supper every week. 

Church of Christ preachers Aaron Erhardt (Erhardt Publications) and Jesse Bartley both say that when a COC elder baptizes someone in water that it washes away their sins and puts them into Christ's body. As Mr. Bartley put it, we are "washed by His blood through baptism".  Too bad Peter said that water baptism was "not the putting away of the filth of the flesh" (1 Pet. 3:21).

But if the COC position was correct, than they should practice water baptism by sprinkling (as those in the Bible did) because the blood of Christ is said to be SPRINKLED on us.....

Isaiah 52:14-15 As many were astonied at thee; his visage was so marred more than any man, and his form more than the sons of men: So shall he sprinkle many nations; the kings shall shut their mouths at him: for that which had not been told them shall they see; and that which they had not heard shall they consider.

Revelation 1:5 And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood,

1 Peter 1:2 Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied.

Hebrews 9:13-14 For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh: How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?

Hebrews 10:22 Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.

Hebrews 12:24 And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel. 

 

The Church of Christ is no different than the Roman Catholic Church as far as perverting the gospel is concerned. 

--Eli Caldwell