Why Are You Called "Church of Christ"?

I'm sure many of us have been asked before, "why do you call yourselves the 'Church of Christ'?" It's a common question as many people ponder religious questions. If you're a member of Christ's church and haven't been asked this question, chances are, you will at some point. When the question arises, how do we answer? What do we say? Do we know what to say?

The quick and easy answer is, because we belong to Christ's church. The one and only church you read about in the pages of the Bible. But most people don't understand this because they see all sorts of denominations in the world.

In Matthew 16:18, Christ talking to Peter says, "And I shall say unto thee, that thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my Church; and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it." Notice, Christ doesn't tell Peter, upon this rock I will build "a" church or "another" church, but "MY" church. By Christ using the word "my" it shows ownership, the church belongs to Christ. Romans 16:16 says, "Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the churches of Christ greet you." Again, showing the church belongs to Christ. In Colossians 1:18 we read, "And he is the head of the body, the church...." and in Ephesians 1:22-23, "And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all." These verses are just a few examples among many others which show, the one true church you read about in the Bible, belongs to Christ.

These are just a few thoughts I wrote down to help answer the question of why we call ourselves the Church of Christ. No where in the pages of the Bible do we read of any other church, just the one church which belongs to Christ. And if we follow God's steps to salvation (hearing the Gospel, believing Christ is the son of God, repenting of our sins, confessing our faith and being baptized) then we can become members of that one body.

Jordan Hopkins

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