Books on the International Church of Christ can now be found below in the links section.
The International Church of Christ, also called the Boston Church of Christ, the Boston Movement, or the Disciples of Jesus, is a religious group which claims and appears to follow the Bible, and only the Bible. This Church (which will be referred to as the ICC) began in the 70's when a few people discouraged by the lack of "fire" in the modern Christian church decided to discover for themselves what the Bible really said. Since then, it has grown to around one hundred sixty thousand members worldwide and occupies over one hundred nations. They claim to be the only true Christian Church, believing all who are not part of the "Body of Christ" are going to hell forever. Very little literature on this church exists, which why this paper was written.
--All Biblical quotes have been taken from the New International Version of the Bible.
A perspective convert is invited to Church, and then to a "Bible study" with usually three church members, one being a leader. This potential member is then taught their understanding of the Bible, during about six consecutive "Bible studies." After this, this person is asked if he would like to become a disciple of Jesus. If this person agrees, he will soon be pulled into the life with his new found loved ones, commonly drifting apart from those he once considered friends and family. This group is extremely persuasive and their teachings on the Bible are close to what the Bible actually says, but the differences that do exist are significant.
BAPTISM
The International Church of Christ teaches from the Bible that
one cannot be saved without being baptized, or immersed in water. This
is the verse they use to point to salvation: "Peter replied, 'Repent
and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the
forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy
Spirit.'" Acts 2:38. Upon examination, one could easily come to the
conclusion "It is necessary to be baptized in order to be
saved." However, when the entire Bible is taken into account, we see
that this statement is not so. Peter, while sharing Christs message with a large crowd said "Repent, then, and turn
to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing
may come from the Lord." (Acts 3:19) Here, Peter and John are speaking to a large crowd of Jews, who may never again hear the message of salvation. This is likely to be their only chance to be saved, and the APOSTLES dont even mention baptism. Why did Peter and John not even mention baptism if it is necessary for salvation? Did they just forget to tell them to be baptised? Did they not want the crowd of Jews to be saved? The correct answer is that Peter and John did not mention baptism because baptism is not necessary for salvation. Peter tells us in Acts 3:19 that the lost can be forgiven through
repentance. But what about the "Gift of the Holy Spirit."
To fully
understand the teachings of Jesus, it is necessary to understand that,
Biblically, the word "baptism" does not necessarily mean to be
immersed in water. We see this to be the case in Mark 10:38-39,
"'You don't know what you are asking,' Jesus said. 'Can you drink the
cup I drink and be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with'? 'We
can,' they answered. Jesus said to them, 'you will drink the cup I
drink and be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with,'"
Previously, in Acts 2:38, Peter was referring to a spiritual baptism.
In Matthew 3:11 John the Baptist said "I baptize you with water for
repentance. But after me will come one who is more powerful than I,
whose sandals I am not fit to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy
Spirit and with fire". Here, we see two distinctly separate baptisms,
one in water, one in the Holy Spirit. Only one which saves. John's
baptism of repentance was replaced by the baptism of Jesus. Not an
immersion in water, but an immersion in the Holy Spirit. "and with
fire" will be explained later. Mark 1:7-8, Luke 3:16, John 1:26-27,
33-34 state basically the same thing. As for immersion in the Holy
Spirit, I Corinthians 12:13, on the body of Christ, says: "For we were
all baptized by one Spirit into one body-whether Jews or Greeks, slave
or free-and we were all given the one Spirit to drink." How did they
enter the body of Christ? Through the baptism of the Holy Spirit.
In Acts 10:47-48 Peter says: "'Can anyone keep these people from
being baptized with water? They have received the Holy Spirit just as
we have.' So he ordered that they be baptized in the name of Jesus
Christ. Then they asked Peter to stay with them for a few days." Again we see people in the Bible, saved, who had yet to be baptized. Unless you believe unsaved people can receive the Holy Spirit "just as we have" meaning just as other believers and an APOSTLE, you cannot deny that these disciples were born again BEFORE their baptism.
Even the Apostle Paul was born again BEFORE his water baptism. His water baptism occurred in Acts 9:18. Before this, Paul called Jesus "Lord" in Acts 9:5, and obeyed the commands of Jesus in the following verses - his conversion was instant (Jesus did not require him to complete any studies). Acts 9:17-18 reads: "Then Ananias went to the house and entered it. Placing his hands on Saul, he said, 'Brother Saul, the Lord—Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you were coming here—has sent me so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit.' Immediately, something like scales fell from Saul's eyes, and he could see again. He got up and was baptized,"
In Acts 9:17 Ananias, acting under the direction of the Holy Spirit, called Paul "brother" as in brother in Christ BEFORE his water baptism, Paul received the Holy Spirit BEFORE his water baptism. God would not have given the Holy Spirit to a person who had not been born again- therefore we can conclude that Paul was truly born again BEFORE his water baptism.
The
ICC has confused the physical and spiritual baptisms, believing they
are one. Their basis for this belief can be found in Ephesians 4:4-5,
"There is one body and one Spirit-just as you were called to one hope
when you were called-one Lord, one faith, one baptism;" . Obviously,
there are several "faiths", "lords", and "baptisms" in the known world,
These verses are stating that there is only one Lord who saves, one
faith which saves, and one baptism which saves, that baptism which saves
has already been shown to be an immersion in the Holy Spirit, not water.
So then, what is the purpose of the physical baptism? I Peter 3:21
lays it out clearly, "'and this water symbolizes baptism that now saves
you also-not the removal of dirt from the body but the pledge of a good
conscience toward God. It saves you by the resurrection of Jesus Christ.'"
"'and this water symbolizes baptism that now saves you also-not the removal
of dirt from the body (or water immersion) but the pledge of a good
conscience toward God.'" We are shown here that the water baptism is
symbolic of the spiritual.
When confronted with one of the many accounts in the New Testament of
someone being saved without being baptized in water, (ex. the thief on the
cross next to Jesus, Luke 23:40-43, The woman who anointed Jesus' feet
with oil, Luke 7:48-50) the ICC will point to Matthew 9:6, "'But so that you
may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins,' Then
he said to the paralytic, 'Get up, take your mat and go home.'" The ICC
interprets this to mean Jesus could only forgive sins while He was
physically on earth, and that somehow he lost his authority, or will, to
do so when he went up to heaven. This verse does not say, "only while the
Son of Man is on earth does He have authority to forgive sins." What this
verse means is that any one's sins can be forgiven only while that person is
alive "on earth." Besides, after Jesus left the earth, people were still
saved without being baptized in water. I Timothy 6:12 is part of a
dialogue in which Paul is speaking to Timothy, "Fight the good fight of the
faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made
your good confession in the presence of many witnesses." Here Timothy
received eternal life when he confessed Christ, and the water baptism is not
even mentioned. Acts 10:47-48 and Acts 19:1-6 have already been discussed.
GETTING TO HEAVEN
One area The ICC constantly emphasizes is their (members) goal to "make
it to Heaven." This is their logic, "A Christian is a disciple of Christ.
What is a disciple, a follower. If you are not following the teachings of
Christ, how can you be following Christ? If you are not following Christ,
how can you be a Christian and make it to heaven?" They view salvation as
something which enables one to make it to heaven by works. "I (Jesus) am
the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the father except
through me." (from John 14:6). This statement to them means salvation
through Jesus is necessary to make it to Heaven, but it is not all of that
which is necessary. Believing salvation through Jesus alone is not enough
alters the Biblical definition of salvation, thus undermining the power of
Jesus death and resurrection. This is what the Bible says about salvation:
"And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the
gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a
seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our
inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession--to the
praise of his glory." Ephesians 1:13-14. Notice the word "guaranteeing."
LOVING GOD
The Bible says in I Corinthians 13:1-3 that if our acts are going to
mean anything to God, love must be our motive, not Heaven. "If I speak in
the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding
gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophesy and can fathom
all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains,
but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and
surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing."
I Corinthians 3:12-15 says: "If any man builds on this foundation using gold,
silver, costly stones, wood, hay, or straw, his work will be shown for what
it is, because the day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire,
and the fire will test the quality of each man's work. If what he has built
survives, he will receive his reward. If it is burned up, he will suffer
loss; he himself will be saved, but only as one escaping from the flames."
Here, "each mans work" will be tested. "Good deeds" done with a selfish
motive, ex. Giving to the poor because it makes one feel good, sharing one's
faith in order to look "spiritual" in front of others, or because one
believes he/she must do so in order to get into heaven. The man who's work
was entirely burned up was still saved, even though he had not "earned"
Heaven. Eternity in heaven is a free gift, there is nothing that can be
done to earn it. This is one reason Christianity is
unique among religions.
John 14:23 says if you love God, you will obey God. The ICC believes this verse can be reversed, so that it means "if you obey God, you love him They even use obedience to God to measure an individuals love for God. This "reverse logic" does not work. The Pharisees obeyed Gods laws, did they love God?
REAL LOVE FOR GOD
Christians do not practice Christianity in order to make it to heaven,
that is already guaranteed. Jehovah?s Witnesses, Mormons, and those from
the International Church of Christ believe they must share their faith in
order to make it into heaven. It is no wonder these groups are so
successful, just look at their alternative. When a Christian shares
his/her faith with someone, there is little to be gained personally, it
is done out of love. Members of The International Church of Christ have
stated that their actions are largely done to gain Heaven. If Heaven
is, in any way, attained by works, then attempting to make it to Heaven
is self defeating.
WHAT THE ICC BELIEVES ABOUT ITSELF
The ICC believes itself to be the one and only Kingdom of God, and that ALL other Christians fell away from God after the first
century, replacing their true Christianity with an empty "religion."
ICC members believe themselves to be a restoration of that first century
church, and therefore, the only true Christian Church. Given what has
already been discussed, this is not well supported. Any church that makes membership in itself a requirement for admission into Heaven (not the same as salvation according to the ICC) is not following the Bible. This belief creates logical inconsistencies within the beliefs of that church. For a look at those inconsistencies, go to my other page HERE
The ICC believes that the Scriptural "kingdom of heaven" or "kingdom of God," is synonymous with "the church," or the ICC. Whether stated explicitly by the church members or not, the "inner doctrine" is that the ICC is the Kingdom of God.
The view that the ICC is synonymous with the Kingdom of God produces some theological inconsistencies. Although the New Testament authors occasionally refer to the kingdom in the present tense (Col 1:13, I Cor 4:20), many other passages talk about the kingdom as something to be inherited, presumably after this life (I Cor 6:9, 15:50, Gal 5:21, James 2:5). Acts 14:22 even depicts Paul and Barnabus instructing "disciples" that they must "go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God." If the Kingdom of God had already started on the Day of Pentecost, and if the "disciples" in Acts were part of the Kingdom, as this study teaches, then Acts 14:22 makes no sense. It would have been incongruous to imply that members of the kingdom had not yet entered the kingdom.
The ICC members may not openly disclose "the truth" that the ICC is the Kingdom of God. Instead, similarities may be pointed out between the ICC and the New Testament church portrayed in Acts 2:42-47, indicating that ICC members are "citizens of the Kingdom." "The truth" about the ICC being the Kingdom may be disclosed incrementally -- e.g., later “Bible” Studies such as the Denominationalism and False Doctrines Study will claim that no other church today is part of the kingdom, or the Church Study will "prove" that there can only be one church.
If successful, the ICC will convince the potential convert to put the group (Kingdom) above all other priorities in life. The unstated equation church = kingdom is applied to Matthew 6: 25-33 ("seek first his kingdom"):
Seek the kingdom first of all the things in your life, all your obligations, all your worries. The kingdom of God -- his church -- should come first. It will be your priority or you are disobeying God. (Study notes of ICC member, November 1994).
A spurious "equation" has been manipulated to produce devotion to the group. Of course, word substitution makes for some dicey theology: let's try a few other "substitutions" -- replacing the word "kingdom" with "the church" -- to illustrate how this technique can distort the meaning of Bible passages (substitution underlined):
I Cor 15:50 "I declare to you, brothers, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the church..."
Mt 8:11 "I say to you that many will come from the east and the west, and will take their places at the feast with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the ICC."
Mt 11:11 "I tell you the truth: Among those born of women there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist; yet he who is least in the ICC is greater than he."
Let me know if you can come up with any others.
One scripture the ICC
uses to describe Christian churches is found in Jeremiah 6:13-15: "From
the least to the greatest, all are greedy for gain; prophets and priests
alike, all practice deceit. They dress the wound of my people as though
it were not serious. 'Peace, peace,' they say, when there is no peace.
Are they ashamed of their loathsome conduct? No, they have no shame at
all; they do not even know how to blush. So they will fall among the
fallen; they will be brought down when I punish them." When studying the
Bible, It is necessary to look at who the scripture is written to. This
is a prophesy against ancient Israel. NONE THE LESS, it is used by The
International Church of Christ to show the condition of today's Christian
Church. "All practice deceit. They dress the wound of my people as though it
were not serious. 'Peace, peace,' they say when there is no peace." This is used
in reference to the modern Christian church leaders who do not teach the
Bible as the International Church of Christ does (deceit), and while
teaching this "lie," tell those who listen to their teachings that they
are spiritually in good condition before God when they are far from Him
("Dress the wound of my people as though it were not serious.'Peace,
peace,' They say when there is no peace.") They compare several
descriptions of the early church in the New Testament with themselves
such as Acts 2:42-47, Acts 4:32-37, and I Corinthians 12:12-26. There
are currently over four hundred "versions of Christianity" as the
International Church of Christ puts it, and since I Corinthians 12:25-26
says: "so that there should be no division in the body, but that its
parts should have equal concern for each other. If one part suffers,
every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices
with it." "Mainstream Christianity" must be dead. To be unified in the
body of Christ means to be in complete submission to the head, Jesus,
regardless of denomination. The true Christian Church, or body of
Christ (that being the entire sum of believers in Jesus' death and
resurrection worldwide) is striving toward God. And for the right
reason.
WHY SO AGGRESSIVE?
Although the commitment exhibited by this group is attractive
to many, what is really important is the motive behind their commitment.
After learning of their beliefs, one cannot help but doubt their
sincerity. After all, if they do not take the time to reach out to
you, they may go to hell for not doing so.
Click here for the International Church of Christ vs. Logic
I know of only two books written about the ICC, you can find them below:
Bewitchment: You Foolish Galatians
The Boston Movement: Critical Perspectives on the International Churches of Christ
