Question #2

The church is the eternal purpose of God (Ephesians 3:10-11). That is, before the world began God knew that the
body (church) of his Son would be comprised of those whose sins were forgiven. That plan or purpose was borne
out in promises and prophecies from the fall of man (Genesis 3) to the coming of Christ’s forerunner, John the
Baptist (Matthew 3). The general message, developed more fully as time progressed, was that the salvation of
man was coming in the form of the Christ and his kingdom. Finally, Jesus himself promised, "Upon this rock [Jesus
the Christ (Matt. 16:16)] I will build my church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it" (Matthew
16:18b).

Jesus is the builder and founder of the church. The Godhead purposed and prepared the church, their kingdom
among men, and Christ built it. The church is a kingdom not made by men’s hands, but set up by God himself
(Daniel 2:34, 44). Any attempt to replace or supplement Christ’s body, God’s kingdom, Jesus’ church with another
"church" or variation of a church is to reject God’s eternal purpose and challenge his setup (cf. Psalm 127:1). Paul
would later write, "For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ" (1 Corinthians
3:11). Human beings have played a role in the initial establishment of the church, no doubt. Jesus gave to Peter
and the other apostles "the keys of the kingdom" (Matthew 16:18-19; 18:18); Paul laid the foundation of the
church at Corinth (1 Corinthians 3:10); apostles and prophets were an integral part of the foundational structure of
the church (Ephesians 2:20). The role of men in each of the above cases, however, was not that of founding new
religious movements or organizations. The apostles and prophets did not kick-start new denominations. They
simply planted and watered the seed which Jesus gave them, and which produces his church (Luke 8:11; Matthew
13:19; 1 Corinthians 3:5-11). They were members of the church of Christ (Romans 16:16; 1 Corinthians 12:27).

When we obey from the heart the doctrine which they preached and wrote, we too are added to the church of
which they were members and about which we read in the Bible, the church built by Jesus Christ himself (see
Romans 6:17; Acts 2:37-47). Who founded the church of Christ? If we are talking about the true church of Christ,
then Jesus himself did. Any religious group, movement, or denomination which has been established by men is not
the church of Christ, and we should want no part of it.

BUT, DIDN’T ALEXANDER CAMPBELL START THE CHURCH OF CHRIST?

Alexander Campbell, from all that we can tell, was a member of the body of Christ, was a competent Bible student
and teacher, and had a profound impact on the religious scene in nineteenth-century America. He is the most
well-known of several preachers of that era who were "restorers" of sorts. By "restorers," we mean in their
preaching they attempted to restore or reinstate true New Testament Christianity.

Mr. Campbell and others recognized that the denominationalism which had its roots in the Protestant Reformation
in the fifteenth through eighteenth centuries and which was prevalent in their day was not the Christianity about
which the Bible speaks. Campbell led an effort to dispose of human creeds and catechisms, reject man-made
practices and organizations, and allow the Bible to serve as the sole basis of authority for what people believe and
practice. The Protestant Reformation accomplished some good in combating many of the unscriptural aspects of
the Roman Catholic church, but was mostly an effort to reform the Catholic church, rather than to leave it
altogether and practice primitive Biblical Christianity. Alexander Campbell and others recognized this failure,
recognized that denominationalism was not New Testament Christianity, and preached the gospel as perhaps it
had not been preached by very many for some time. As a result, many left their creeds and denominations with
their unscriptural practices and became simply "Christians." Their creed was the Bible, their pattern the New
Testament church, and their head Jesus Christ. As any faithful Christians would, they recognized the need to give
honor to their Lord rather than to men, and to identify themselves as God would have them to. Hence, "churches of
Christ" sprung up where New Testament Christianity was replicated and reinstated.

Because of Alexander Campbell’s influence in bringing about these changes and redirecting folks back to the Bible
and the true church, he is sometimes erroneously credited with establishing the church of Christ. Christ's church
was in existence for 1700 years before Alexander Campbell was even born. Alexander Campbell was simply a
sower of the seed of the kingdom (cf. Luke 8:5-15; 1 Corinthians 3:5-11). When the seed of the kingdom is
received by good and honest hearts, it produces Christians and the church. Neither the seed (message) nor the
kingdom (church) were original with Alexander Campbell. The same cannot be said for denominations with
reference to their human creeds, practices, and founders. We are thankful for what Alexander Campbell and other
Christians did two centuries ago, but their role is no different than that of Christians today who take the gospel to
lost souls who, after hearing and receiving it, become Christians and are added to the church that Jesus built.