The Church of Christ

The Church of Christ

    My intent with this post is to showcase what I believe Christ taught about His church, who is part of it, and the steps that we must take to get there. First, I would like to begin with a statement from Joseph Smith about the relationship between the church of God and the kingdom of God:

“There is a distinction between the church of God and the kingdom of God. The laws of the kingdom are not designed to affect our salvation hereafter. It is an entire, distinct, and separate government. The church is a spiritual matter and a spiritual kingdom; but the kingdom which Daniel saw was not a spiritual kingdom, but was designed to be got up for the safety and salvation of the Saints by protecting them in their religious rights and worship. Anything that would tolerate man in the worship of his God under his own vine and fig tree would be tolerated of God.” (Council of Fifty, vol. 1, pp. [201]-[203])

    This is incredibly significant, and I feel that what Joseph taught matches perfectly with what I have studied in the Book of Mormon and D&C. Christ's church (spiritual) consists of His disciples who learn and follow His doctrine, and the kingdom (physical) simply allows men to worship how they may; it allows for agency and freedom. His church is not limited to any particular organization or corporation. We are taught in the BoM that there are only two churches:

“And he said unto me: Behold there are save two churches only; the one is the church of the Lamb of God, and the other is the church of the devil; wherefore, whoso belongeth not to the church of the Lamb of God belongeth to that great church, which is the mother of abominations; and she is the whore of all the earth.”  (1 Nephi 14:10)

 

    So, what does it mean to be a part of Jesus Christ’s church? His message is consistent before, during, and now after His first mortal ministry. Repent, come unto Him, and be baptized in His name.

 

“Behold, this is my doctrine—whosoever repenteth and cometh unto me, the same is my church. Whosoever declareth more or less than this, the same is not of me, but is against me; therefore he is not of my church.” (D&C 10:67-68)

 

    We are either with Him or against Him, supporting the verse in 1 Nephi about there only being two churches. This same teaching was given by the Savior to the people in 3 Nephi:

 

“Verily, verily, I say unto you, that this is my doctrine, and whoso buildeth upon this buildeth upon my rock, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against them. And whoso shall declare more or less than this, and establish it for my doctrine, the same cometh of evil, and is not built upon my rock; but he buildeth upon a sandy foundation, and the gates of hell stand open to receive such when the floods come and the winds beat upon them.” (3 Nephi 11:39-40)

 

    Teach more or less than what? His doctrine: to repent, believe in Him, and be baptized in His name (see verses 32-33). We must in order to prevail against the adversary (Helaman 5:12). Alma and those with him did just that:

 

“And after this manner he did baptize every one that went forth to the place of Mormon; and they were in number about two hundred and four souls; yea, and they were baptized in the waters of Mormon, and were filled with the grace of God. And they were called the church of God, or the church of Christ, from that time forward. And it came to pass that whosoever was baptized by the power and authority of God was added to his church.” (Mosiah 18:16-17)

 

    In case you missed it, what comes after repentance and baptism in Christ’s name?

 

“And they who were baptized in the name of Jesus were called the church of Christ.” (3 Nephi 26:21)

 

“And after they had been received unto baptism, and were wrought upon and cleansed by the power of the Holy Ghost, they were numbered among the people of the church of Christ; and their names were taken, that they might be remembered and nourished by the good word of God, to keep them in the right way, to keep them continually watchful unto prayer, relying alone upon the merits of Christ, who was the author and the finisher of their faith.” (Moroni 6:4)

 

    Repent and come unto Christ, being baptized in His name, then you are a part of His church.

 

“And he that will hear my voice shall be my sheep; and him shall ye receive into the church, and him will I also receive. For behold, this is my church; whosoever is baptized shall be baptized unto repentance. And whomsoever ye receive shall believe in my name; and him will I freely forgive.” (Mosiah 26:21-22)

 

“And as I have prayed among you even so shall ye pray in my church, among my people who do repent and are baptized in my name. Behold I am the light; I have set an example for you.” (3 Nephi 18:16)

 

    There are several distinct places where Christ states: “this is my doctrine.” Every one of those references is directly tied to having faith, repenting, being baptized in His name, and receiving the HG.

 

“And this is my doctrine, and it is the doctrine which the Father hath given unto me; and I bear record of the Father, and the Father beareth record of me, and the Holy Ghost beareth record of the Father and me; and I bear record that the Father commandeth all men, everywhere, to repent and believe in me. And whoso believeth in me, and is baptized, the same shall be saved; and they are they who shall inherit the kingdom of God.” (3 Nephi 11:32-33)

 

“Wherefore, my beloved brethren, I know that if ye shall follow the Son, with full purpose of heart, acting no hypocrisy and no deception before God, but with real intent, repenting of your sins, witnessing unto the Father that ye are willing to take upon you the name of Christ, by baptism—yea, by following your Lord and your Savior down into the water, according to his word, behold, then shall ye receive the Holy Ghost;... And now, behold, my beloved brethren, this is the way; and there is none other way nor name given under heaven whereby man can be saved in the kingdom of God. And now, behold, this is the doctrine of Christ, and the only and true doctrine of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, which is one God, without end.” (2 Nephi 31:13, 21)

 

    Again, those who repent will be a part of His church:

 

“But if they will repent and hearken unto my words, and harden not their hearts, I will establish my church among them…” (3 Nephi 21:22)

 

“And it came to pass that the Lord did say unto me: Cry unto this people—Repent ye, and come unto me, and be ye baptized, and build up again my church, and ye shall be spared.” (Mormon 3:2)

 

    The gospel of Christ was preached and people were brought into His church:

 

“And it came to pass that thus they did go forth among all the people of Nephi, and did preach the gospel of Christ unto all people upon the face of the land; and they were converted unto the Lord, and were united unto the church of Christ, and thus the people of that generation were blessed, according to the word of Jesus.” (3 Nephi 28:23)

 

“And it came to pass that the thirty and fourth year passed away, and also the thirty and fifth, and behold the disciples of Jesus had formed a church of Christ in all the lands round about. And as many as did come unto them, and did truly repent of their sins, were baptized in the name of Jesus; and they did also receive the Holy Ghost.” (4 Nephi 1:1)

 

    The teachings, doctrine, and gospel of Jesus Christ are amazing and simple. There is consistency in His message; that we must have faith, repent, come unto Him, and be baptized in His name. When we do that we become a part of His church, and anyone who teaches more or less than this is not of Him but is of the devil. I have very much enjoyed studying this topic lately and would love other thoughts, corrections, or insights if you are prompted to share. I will be making a follow-up post about how I feel those who are part of Christ's church should collectively operate.

 

Godbless!