Frequently asked questions

Accusation: INC is not a Christian religion because its doctrines differs from the doctrines mainstream Christianity like denying deity of Christ.

Question: Is INC not a Christian religion?

Answer: The meaning of "Christian" in the dictionary is:

adj.

1. Professing belief in Jesus as Christ or following the religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus.

2. Relating to or derived from Jesus or Jesus's teachings.

3. Manifesting the qualities or spirit of Jesus; Christlike.

4. Relating to or characteristic of Christianity or its adherents.

5. Showing a loving concern for others; humane.

n.

1. One who professes belief in Jesus as Christ or follows the religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus.

2. One who lives according to the teachings of Jesus. 

source: thefreedictionary.com

A true Christian is a follower of Christ’s commandments. 

He is one who faithfully upholds the teachings of the Lord (Jn. 8:31). One of these teachings concerns the true nature of the lord jesus Christ himself—that he is a man (Jn. 8:40). The fact that he is a man negates any assertion that he is god. Moreover, Christ declared that the only true god is the father, who is a spirit—having no flesh and no bones or without material form as Christ had (Jn. 17:1,3; Lk. 24:39; Jn. 4:24)

Christ, being a man, cannot be God and God, being god, cannot be man (Ezek. 28:2; Hos. 11:9). Even the apostles taught that Christ is man and is a diff. being from god himself (I tim. 2:5). Apostle Paul declared that “there is only one god, the father” who is definitely is not Christ, the son. (I cor. 8:6). Those who upholds beliefs contrary to these are themselves far from being true Christians.

Accusation: Everybody knows that the only day to attend worship services is every Sunday but the INC members attends worship services 2 times a week, i think that's unbiblical!

Question: Why do INC members attends worship services twice a week?

Answer: Members of the church of Christ believe that worshiping God is every person’s duty to his creator (Eccl. 12:13; Ps. 95:6). This is why they are diligently attending worship services. During such gatherings, they receive spiritual guidance and nourishment. They are edified and made strong in the faith (I cor. 14:26). 

The early Christians worshiped on the first of the week (Sunday). But there were times when they worshiped everyday (Acts 2:46)—as the church deemed it necessary. In our case, we hold worship services twice a week as the church has decided through the authority of the church administration (Mt. 18:19) and in obedience to God’s admonition (Jn. 4:23; Heb. 10:25). It is during such services when we receive religious instruction to guide us in life.

Question: Why during worship services, male and female seats are separated? What is the purpose of this?

A: INC assign separate seats for male and female worshipers during the worship services in keeping with the biblical instruction to “do everything properly and in order” (I cor. 14:40). Such a practice maintains propriety and orderliness of the worship service and contributes to the solemnity of the sacred occasion.

Question: Why dont we have statues of saints, Virgin Mary and Jesus Christ on our chapels?

Answer: INC neither keep such images nor worship them because such practices are prohibited by god. He declared: “Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven images or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them…”. (Exo. 20: 4-5). Furthermore, the bible says, “…those who worship idols and all liars—the place for them is the lake burning with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.” (Rev. 21:8)

Accusation: INC does not baptize babies, this is a sign that this is a false church.

Question: Why is it that the INC does not baptize babies opposite to what the Catholic Church and other religions does?

Answer: The lord Jesus Christ teaches that to qualify for baptism, one must first prove his faith after believing in the gospel preached to them by God’s messengers (Mk. 16:15-16; Rom. 10:15-17). INC do not baptize infants because they do not yet have the faculty and the capability for understanding and believing in gospel.
 
Moreover, since baptism is to be administered for the forgiveness of one’s sins (and to commit a sin is to transgress God’s law of which little children are not capable of doing) infants, therefore, should not be baptized at the age of their lives (Acts. 2:38; I Jn. 3:4). Baptism is not for infants or children who have not reached the age of discretion.

Accusation: INC prohibits its members to marry non INC members and this will point that a non member will join this church for her/his love one, the purpose of this doctrine is for their membership to increase.

Question: Why does INC prohibits brethren to marry nonmembers? Is it written in the bible?

Answer: God, through the apostles, forbids Christians to unite marriage with unbelievers. Apostle Paul explained that just as righteousness has no fellowship with iniquity, a believer also has no accord with an unbeliever. 

True Christians or members of the church of Christ are the temple of god while unbelievers, that of idols or false Gods (II cor. 6: 14-16). Since the earlier times, God has prohibited his people to intermarry with those who do not belong to his nation. One of the reasons for this prohibition is that by marrying those not belonging to his nation, God’s children would be drawn away from following him “to serve other gods” (Deut. 7:3-4)

Accusation: INC discourages its members to love each other. Why? Because they are not celebrating Valentine’s Day!

Question: Why is it that INC members do not celebrate Valentines day?

Answer: To love God and to love one’s neighbor are the two commandments of the Lord Jesus Christ (Mt. 22:36-40). Therefore, loving god and loving our fellowmen are good acts. But, the celebration of Valentines day is not in anyway connected with these great commandments. We do not celebrate it because its practices and customs bear close association with paganism. 

Valentines day is the feast day celebrated on the 14th of February in honor and veneration of two so called martyr saints, both of whom are believed to have the name valentine (The new catholic encyclopedia). 

This feast is closely associated with the ancient roman feast of Lupercalia, observed on the 15th of February (Funk and wagnalls new encyclopedia). According to the catholic dictionary, pagan boys drew the names of girls “in honor of the goddess Februata Juno”. To observe practices connected with Valentines day is to compromise the teachings of the bible which such pagan customs and practices.

Accusation: INC ignores Christ because it does not celebrate Christmas.

Question: Why is that INC does not celebrate Christmas every 25^th of December?

Answer: The popular belief that Christ was born on dec. 25 is nothing but a myth. The holy scriptures does not specify the date of the Lord’s birth. On the contrary, historical events point to dec. 25 as the birth date of the pagan Roman sun-god, Sol invictus, “The unconquered sun” (The new schaff-herzog encyclopedia of religious knowledge). And because the celebration of Christmas has been riddled with pagan ways and practices, we do not take part of it. 

The apostles admonished: “…give up living as pagans do with their futile notions. Their minds are closed, they are alienated from the life that is in god…” (Eph. 4: 17-18) It is not our intention at all to ignore the birthday of the savior when we do not participate in the celebration of Christmas. What we refuse to do is to take part in the pagan practices attached to the celebration.

ACC: INC members do not care on their dead loved one because they do not pray for their souls that ease sufferings in purgatory.

Q: Why is it that INC does not believe in purgatory?

A: The Catholic Church teaches that when a person dies, his soul goes to any of these three destinations: hell, heaven or purgatory. Catholic bishop Louis La Ravoire morrow explains that, “the soul is judged by god, and rewarded with heaven, punished with hell, or sent for a time to be cleansed in purgatory” (My catholic faith). The Catholic Church officially teaches that, “Purgatory is a place where souls are detained for a time and purified if they die guilty of slight sins, or if they have not entirely atoned for grave sins, though these have been forgiven” (A catechism for inquirers). 

The bible however does not mention about purgatory.

So, we do not believe that such place exists. Instead, the bible teaches that man will go either heaven (to receive eternal life) or hell (to suffer eternal punishment). All men will be judges accordingly on judgment day, and not immediately after they die (Mt. 25: 31-34, 41). The term purgatory itself and the teachings and practices surrounding it are unscriptural. The Holy Scriptures teaches that when a person die, he “will never again take part in anything that happens in this world” (Ps. 88:5; Job 14:10, 12; II pet. 3:10, 7). So, offering prayers for the dead is both unbiblical and useless.

 

Accusation: INC is known on their bloc voting, they take away the freedom of their members to vote in their personal choice.

Question: Is voting as bloc biblical?

A: Yes. The INC practice unity for it is a commandment of God and not just an addition to its doctrines, that all things be done in unity (Phil. 2:2-3) and all members must be perfectly joined in one mind and in one judgment (I cor. 1:10). Vote is defined as an expression of JUDGMENT therefore, voting as one is a commandment of God. 

God disapproves division in the church since it is carnal (I Cor. 3:3-4), Being Carnal is not of Christ (Rom. 8:9) but of the devil (Jas. 3:14-15) The Apostles advised us to stay united in whatever we do in order that God may remain with us (II Cor. 13:11; Col. 3:17).

Accusation: The INC ministers discourage its members to bring and read the bible in their churches, we all observe that!

Question: Do INC members not allowed to read the bible?

Answer: No. The INC exhorts its members to own and to read the bible for it contains the words of god—a tool necessary for one to be saved (Jn. 17:17; jn. 20:30-31). The Church does not allow its members to GIVE EACH ONE his own interpretation of the text in the sacred scriptures. This we do since God commissioned men to present his words in its fullness (Col. 1:25). 

They are the ministers or the ambassadors of Christ whom god have entrusted the word of reconciliation (II Cor. 5:18-20). During the Church worship services, INC do everything in a fitting and orderly way (I Cor. 14:40). One way is not having many members as teachers (Jas. 3:1). The bringing of bibles into worship services will just disrupt orderliness. The officiating minister reads appropriate passages and the rest of the congregation listen.

Accusation: The INC use Moffat Translation on Isaiah 43:5 that says "far east" instead of "east" only, they didn't know that it is a wrong translation of the bible.

Question: What is the truth behind the “FAR EAST” in the Moffat translation?

Answer: Biblical scholars prove this version, why? They say that: “East. The Hebrew term KEDEM properly means that which is before or in front of a person, and was applied to the east from a custom of turning in that direction when describing the points of the compass, before, behind, right and left representing respectively East, West, South and North—job 23:8-9. 

The term is generally used refers to the lands lying immediately eastward of Palestine, viz. Arabia, Mesopotamia, and Babylon; on the other hand, MIZRACH is used of the FAR EAST with a less definite signification—Is. 41:2,25;43:5;46:11. “That is why James Moffat renders Isaiah 43:5, thus: ‘From the FAR EAST will I bring your offspring and from the FAR WEST I will gather you.” (Smith’s bible dictionary)

Accusation: INC use Lamsa translation when quoting Acts 20:28 that says “church of Christ” but most of the bible versions and translations says “church of God”, this is another wrong translation of the bible.

Question: Why does the INC uses Lamsa translation in Acts 20:28 that says “church of Christ” and not "church of God"?

Answer: The word church as used in the bible refers to that entity that Christ built (Mt. 16:18). He called it “my church”. That church built by Christ had doctrines that distinguish it from those built by others which, because they were not built have no right to claim that they are of Christ. Such doctrines are written in the bible and the only church whose doctrines are identical with those written in the bible is that one built by Christ. Christ said he is the door and anyone who enters in shall be saved (Jn. 10:9). He also said that he is the door of the sheep (Jn. 10:7). Sheep means God’s people (Ps. 100:3) or the flock wjich is the Church of Christ (Acts 20:28, LAMSA). 

Thus, if you are not in the flock or you do not belong to the church of Christ, you will not be saved. Lamsa’s version is accurate because the one who actually shed HIS BLOOD FOR THE CHURCH IS CHRIST. God, being a spirit (Jn. 4:24), has no flesh and bones (Lk. 24:36-39) and thus HAS NO BLOOD. The other bible versions is not accurate for God has no blood. The Bible list several names for the one church built by Christ. It is called “Church of God” (I thess. 2:14), “Church of the living God” (I tim. 3:15) and more. This Church of God is also of Christ because whatever is of God is also of Christ (Jn. 16:15;17:9-10). 

It is called the Church of the Lord (Acts 20:28, American Standard Version) but the Lord referred to here is the one who shed his blood for the church and this is the Lord Jesus Christ (Acts 2:36) who washed the members of the Church with his own blood (Rev. 1:5).

A jesuit scholar, Rev. Francis B. Cassilly, in his book Religion: Doctrine and practice, states that the Church built by Christ from the earliest times has been called after him, the Christian church or the church of Christ, the only true Church and the one which god orders all men to join. To refuse to join this true church is to disobeys God’s orders.

Accusation: INC is a false religion because it only depends on the bible itself and not using Deuterocanonical/Apocrypha books.

Question: What is the INC’s stand on the books that for others, should be considered as scriptures inspired by God like Apocrypha/ Deuterocanonical books ?

Answer: The Church of Christ upholds that the book and writings that comprise the body of literature termed as either Apocrypha or deuterocanonicals should not be included among the books that comprise the Old testament of the holy scripture because:

First, the apocryphal or deuterocanonical books are not included in the body of writings from which Christ quoted. 

Christ enumerated such writings when he said: “These are the very things I told you about while I was still with you: everything written about me in the Law of Moses, the writings of the prophets, and the Psalms” (Lk. 24:44) The body of writings that consists of the Law of Moses, the writings of the prophets, and the psalms, which Christ was referring to, is the Hebrew canon or the sacred scriptures of the jews. 

The Church of Christ firmly believes that the books that should comprise the old testament should be identical content-wise with the sacred scriptures of the jews because the jews themselves were the ones entrusted with God’s words before the Christian dispensation (Rom. 3:1-2, 9:4). As attested by biblical scholars, none of the Apocryphal or deuterocanonical writings is included in the Hebrew canon of the holy scriptures (“Introduction to the Apocryphal/ Deuterocanonical Books”)

Second, the Apocrypha or Deuterocanonicals mention doctrines that violate God’s teachings contained in those writings of Christ and the apostles recognized and quoted from. For example, what is written in II Maccabees 12:43-45 clearly contains biblical teaching. The passage from the Apocryphal writing of II maccabees speaks of Judas Maccabeus collecting two thousand drachmas of silver and sending it to Jerusalem as “atonement for the dead, so that they might be delivered from their sin.” However, the biblical teaching expressed in Ecclesiastes 9:5-6 that the dead cannot benefit from the deeds done in their behalf by the living because the dead “don’t know anything… and will never again share in the things that happen on earth” is blatantly violated. Let us bear in mind that God’s teachings written in the bible do not contradict one another (I Cor. 2:13). 

Therefore, the Apocrypha or the Deuterocanonicals should not be considered as writings inspired by god, and so they should not be included in the holy scriptures. And as for the Church of Christ, the bible, the scriptures inspired by god, is composed of the old testaments, with the latter consisting of 27 books and the former consisting of 39 books that are the same in content with the sacred scriptures of the Jews.

References: 

 -Pasugo issue April 2003