If you are a member of a church of Christ or even if you have just visited a worship service or two over the years, you have probably heard the guiding phrases: Do not add to or take away from the Bible; Speak where the Scriptures speak and be silent where the Scriptures are silent; or No book but the Bible, No creed but Christ.
These maxims were adopted by people in the 1800’s who wanted to be Christians and worship with churches just like the ones found and approved of in the New Testament. In an era of Enlightenment and common-sense scientific discovery, religious leaders were confident they could restore the church of God to its original factory specifications.
If they saw no church counsels, regional bishops, man-made creeds, special titles, regional or national government in their New Testaments, they refused to add them to the congregations with which they lived and worked.
They also felt like the different names for churches and willingness to be broken into denominational pieces of a church were both scandals. How can we be one if we call our groups by names not found in Scripture. Who will say to Jesus, “The one church you prayed for (John 17:21), we knowingly took that away by division into parties.”?
Why is the church of Christ not one, simple church? Why is the Bible not the only rule of faith and practice among God’s people? Why does a teacher in one congregation teach something different about salvation than those in congregations across the street? Wouldn’t we all be better off and God be glorified if we walked in the same steps and converted the world?
For that to happen, we must agree to have one book. We have to agree to live and work in autonomous congregations who bear biblical names and operate with biblical organization.
That is why we quote Deuteronomy 12:32, “Everything that I command you, you shall be careful to do. You shall not add to it or take from it.” The phrase is not some “church of Christ” motto. It is straight from the word of God. What it does is act as a guardrail to keep us on the straight and narrow path of sound doctrine.
No Bible teacher would knowingly deliver a message with false and misleading information. What happens if a sinner is led down a path that does not end at heaven’s gate?
The only way to make sure those kinds of mistakes don’t work their way into the church is to follow the only inspired book and it’s perfect teaching. All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.”-II Timothy 3:16-17.
Let’s all work toward and pray for the day when we all call ourselves Christians, our churches by names found in the Bible, and our worship is reflective of the perfect image of the church founded on Christ by the apostles and prophets. “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock.”-Matthew 7:24.
Why would we ever add to or take away from the words of our Savior?
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