The Church of Christ and its close cousin, the independent Christian Church (as well as the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), which is just a super-liberal version of the others) come out of the 19th-century “Restoration Movement”. Their stated goal was to "restore the New Testament church." That’s a noble goal but the problem is, they restored the wrong one! They went back to Pentecost instead of going forward to Paul. They built their theology on the gospel of the kingdom rather than the gospel of the grace of God. In so doing, they confused the program God had for Israel with the mystery He revealed to the apostle of the Gentiles.
If you want a real-time example of what happens when you fail to rightly divide the word of truth, these churches are as good an example as any.
What you end up with is a sincere but confused theology. One that constantly pulls from James and Hebrews and First John. One that mixes grace and works, law and liberty, Israel and the Body of Christ. One that sounds biblical but teaches doctrine that only makes sense if you erase the distinction between prophecy and mystery.
Here are ten doctrines commonly taught in the Church of Christ or independent Christian Churches, along with the scriptures they lean on, and how Paul's gospel exposes the confusion.
1. Faith without works is dead
James 2:17–24
This is the go-to passage for denying salvation by faith alone. They quote it with confidence, not realizing that James was writing to “the twelve tribes” and not the Body of Christ. He was dealing with Israelite believers under the kingdom program, who were required to demonstrate living faith through obedience. Paul, on the other hand, makes it crystal clear:
“But to him who does not work but believes on Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness.” (Romans 4:5)
That is the gospel of grace.
2. You can lose your salvation
Hebrews 6:4–6, 2 Peter 2:20–22
These are the verses they run to when they want to scare people into staying faithful. And yes, if you are in Israel’s kingdom program, walking away from Christ is a terrifying prospect. Hebrews is addressed to Jews on the brink of the tribulation. It is not written to sealed members of the Body of Christ. Paul says:
“In Him you also trusted… you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is the guarantee of our inheritance.” (Ephesians 1:13–14)
He also says:
“For I am persuaded that neither death nor life… nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:38–39)
That is security.
3. Ongoing confession is required to stay forgiven
1 John 1:9
This one gets quoted constantly, as if the believer's standing with God rises and falls based on how thoroughly they confess. That is not grace. That is certainly not the gospel Paul preached. Paul says:
“And you, being dead in your trespasses… He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses.” (Colossians 2:13)
Forgiveness in the Body of Christ is not conditional or periodic. It is complete and settled.
4. You must endure to the end to be saved
Matthew 24:13, Hebrews 3:14
These verses are aimed squarely at tribulation saints. Jesus is speaking of those who will face the horrors of the seventieth week of Daniel. The writer of Hebrews is calling Jewish believers to hold fast and not draw back. Paul says:
“Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us.” (Titus 3:5)
And again:
“[He] has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace.” (2 Timothy 1:9)
5. Water baptism is for the remission of sins
Acts 2:38, Mark 16:16
Peter was preaching to Israel. He had just accused them of crucifying their Messiah. The call to repent and be baptized was national and prophetic. It was in fulfillment of Joel, not revelation of the mystery. Paul, by contrast, says:
“For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel.” (1 Corinthians 1:17)
He separates baptism from the gospel itself. For the Body of Christ, salvation is by grace through faith. Not of works, not of rituals and not of water.
6. Those who are truly saved will not live in sin
1 John 3:9
They love to quote this verse to argue that true Christians never persist in sin. Which is odd, since John also says in chapter one:
“If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves.” (1 John 1:8)
Paul's explanation is far clearer. In Romans 7, he says:
“For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells… O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?” (Romans 7:18, 24)
That is not license. It is reality. And it is one they absolutely refuse to teach.
7. Christians today must obey all of Jesus’ earthly commands
Matthew 5–7, John 15:10
The Sermon on the Mount is not church doctrine. It was given to Israel, to describe the righteousness required of those entering the kingdom. Paul says:
“For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace.” (Romans 6:14)
“Indeed I, Paul, say to you that if you become circumcised, Christ will profit you nothing.” (Galatians 5:2)
“But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.” (Galatians 5:18)
8. Apostasy results in damnation
Hebrews 10:26–29
These are terrifying verses, and rightly so. They speak of a fiery judgment that will devour the adversaries. But the context is Jewish believers contemplating a return to the temple and to the sacrifices. Paul tells Timothy:
“If we are faithless, He remains faithful; He cannot deny Himself.” (2 Timothy 2:13)
That’s grace. That’s security and that’s the gospel revealed to Paul.
9. Worldly behavior proves you were never saved
James 4:4, 1 John 2:15
This is the fruit inspector mentality. If you are friends with the world, you must not be saved. If you lack zeal, you must never have been born again. But Paul says:
“If anyone’s work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire.” (1 Corinthians 3:15)
That does not mean sin is no big deal. It means salvation is not fruit-based except in the sense that our salvation is the fruit of Christ’s righteousness and not our own.
Paul states plainly:
“I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.” (Galatians 2:20)
10. The church today is a continuation of the church at Pentecost
Acts 2–4
They go back to Pentecost for their pattern. They treat Acts like a blueprint. They call it the birthday of the church. Yet the church at Pentecost was built on prophecy. It was a Jewish assembly expecting the restoration of the kingdom. Peter preached what the prophets had foretold. Paul says:
“To me… this grace was given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ… the mystery which from the beginning of the ages has been hidden in God.” (Ephesians 3:8–9)
And again:
“The mystery which has been hidden from ages and from generations, but now has been revealed to His saints.” (Colossians 1:26)
That is not Acts 2. That is not prophecy fulfilled. That is mystery revealed.
So, in closing, this is what happens when you do not rightly divide. You end up with a hybrid gospel that borrows from Peter and Paul, from James and John, from law and grace, from prophecy and mystery. It sounds biblical, but it does not hold together. It cannot because God never intended for it to be mixed.
You cannot follow Paul and the Twelve at the same time. You cannot build on the foundation of grace while pulling bricks from the house of law. You cannot take verses written to Israel and apply them blindly to the Body of Christ without creating contradiction and confusion.
The Church of Christ is not alone in this, but they are a textbook case. And to be fair, they are just one of basically two flavors of churches that make the same basic error. Baptists exemplify the other. I won’t go through the trouble of making a similar list of Baptist doctrines but will simply say that, instead of focusing on the Gospels, Acts and the General Epistles as the Church of Christ believers do, the Baptists focus on the Pauline epistles. As a result, they get more of their specific doctrines correct but do so in spite of themselves. Their bibles are still swimming with contradictions that they have no means to resolve other than to explain how offending passages don’t mean what they say.
In short, right division is not optional. It is the only way to make sense of Scripture without cutting out verses or twisting them into theological knots. It is the only way to keep grace as grace, and law as law. It is the only way to understand the Bible without turning it into a contradiction machine.
If you want a real-time example of what happens when you fail to rightly divide the word of truth, these churches are as good an example as any.
What you end up with is a sincere but confused theology. One that constantly pulls from James and Hebrews and First John. One that mixes grace and works, law and liberty, Israel and the Body of Christ. One that sounds biblical but teaches doctrine that only makes sense if you erase the distinction between prophecy and mystery.
Here are ten doctrines commonly taught in the Church of Christ or independent Christian Churches, along with the scriptures they lean on, and how Paul's gospel exposes the confusion.
1. Faith without works is dead
James 2:17–24
This is the go-to passage for denying salvation by faith alone. They quote it with confidence, not realizing that James was writing to “the twelve tribes” and not the Body of Christ. He was dealing with Israelite believers under the kingdom program, who were required to demonstrate living faith through obedience. Paul, on the other hand, makes it crystal clear:
“But to him who does not work but believes on Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness.” (Romans 4:5)
That is the gospel of grace.
2. You can lose your salvation
Hebrews 6:4–6, 2 Peter 2:20–22
These are the verses they run to when they want to scare people into staying faithful. And yes, if you are in Israel’s kingdom program, walking away from Christ is a terrifying prospect. Hebrews is addressed to Jews on the brink of the tribulation. It is not written to sealed members of the Body of Christ. Paul says:
“In Him you also trusted… you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is the guarantee of our inheritance.” (Ephesians 1:13–14)
He also says:
“For I am persuaded that neither death nor life… nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:38–39)
That is security.
3. Ongoing confession is required to stay forgiven
1 John 1:9
This one gets quoted constantly, as if the believer's standing with God rises and falls based on how thoroughly they confess. That is not grace. That is certainly not the gospel Paul preached. Paul says:
“And you, being dead in your trespasses… He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses.” (Colossians 2:13)
Forgiveness in the Body of Christ is not conditional or periodic. It is complete and settled.
4. You must endure to the end to be saved
Matthew 24:13, Hebrews 3:14
These verses are aimed squarely at tribulation saints. Jesus is speaking of those who will face the horrors of the seventieth week of Daniel. The writer of Hebrews is calling Jewish believers to hold fast and not draw back. Paul says:
“Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us.” (Titus 3:5)
And again:
“[He] has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace.” (2 Timothy 1:9)
5. Water baptism is for the remission of sins
Acts 2:38, Mark 16:16
Peter was preaching to Israel. He had just accused them of crucifying their Messiah. The call to repent and be baptized was national and prophetic. It was in fulfillment of Joel, not revelation of the mystery. Paul, by contrast, says:
“For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel.” (1 Corinthians 1:17)
He separates baptism from the gospel itself. For the Body of Christ, salvation is by grace through faith. Not of works, not of rituals and not of water.
6. Those who are truly saved will not live in sin
1 John 3:9
They love to quote this verse to argue that true Christians never persist in sin. Which is odd, since John also says in chapter one:
“If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves.” (1 John 1:8)
Paul's explanation is far clearer. In Romans 7, he says:
“For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells… O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?” (Romans 7:18, 24)
That is not license. It is reality. And it is one they absolutely refuse to teach.
7. Christians today must obey all of Jesus’ earthly commands
Matthew 5–7, John 15:10
The Sermon on the Mount is not church doctrine. It was given to Israel, to describe the righteousness required of those entering the kingdom. Paul says:
“For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace.” (Romans 6:14)
“Indeed I, Paul, say to you that if you become circumcised, Christ will profit you nothing.” (Galatians 5:2)
“But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.” (Galatians 5:18)
8. Apostasy results in damnation
Hebrews 10:26–29
These are terrifying verses, and rightly so. They speak of a fiery judgment that will devour the adversaries. But the context is Jewish believers contemplating a return to the temple and to the sacrifices. Paul tells Timothy:
“If we are faithless, He remains faithful; He cannot deny Himself.” (2 Timothy 2:13)
That’s grace. That’s security and that’s the gospel revealed to Paul.
9. Worldly behavior proves you were never saved
James 4:4, 1 John 2:15
This is the fruit inspector mentality. If you are friends with the world, you must not be saved. If you lack zeal, you must never have been born again. But Paul says:
“If anyone’s work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire.” (1 Corinthians 3:15)
That does not mean sin is no big deal. It means salvation is not fruit-based except in the sense that our salvation is the fruit of Christ’s righteousness and not our own.
Paul states plainly:
“I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.” (Galatians 2:20)
10. The church today is a continuation of the church at Pentecost
Acts 2–4
They go back to Pentecost for their pattern. They treat Acts like a blueprint. They call it the birthday of the church. Yet the church at Pentecost was built on prophecy. It was a Jewish assembly expecting the restoration of the kingdom. Peter preached what the prophets had foretold. Paul says:
“To me… this grace was given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ… the mystery which from the beginning of the ages has been hidden in God.” (Ephesians 3:8–9)
And again:
“The mystery which has been hidden from ages and from generations, but now has been revealed to His saints.” (Colossians 1:26)
That is not Acts 2. That is not prophecy fulfilled. That is mystery revealed.
So, in closing, this is what happens when you do not rightly divide. You end up with a hybrid gospel that borrows from Peter and Paul, from James and John, from law and grace, from prophecy and mystery. It sounds biblical, but it does not hold together. It cannot because God never intended for it to be mixed.
You cannot follow Paul and the Twelve at the same time. You cannot build on the foundation of grace while pulling bricks from the house of law. You cannot take verses written to Israel and apply them blindly to the Body of Christ without creating contradiction and confusion.
The Church of Christ is not alone in this, but they are a textbook case. And to be fair, they are just one of basically two flavors of churches that make the same basic error. Baptists exemplify the other. I won’t go through the trouble of making a similar list of Baptist doctrines but will simply say that, instead of focusing on the Gospels, Acts and the General Epistles as the Church of Christ believers do, the Baptists focus on the Pauline epistles. As a result, they get more of their specific doctrines correct but do so in spite of themselves. Their bibles are still swimming with contradictions that they have no means to resolve other than to explain how offending passages don’t mean what they say.
In short, right division is not optional. It is the only way to make sense of Scripture without cutting out verses or twisting them into theological knots. It is the only way to keep grace as grace, and law as law. It is the only way to understand the Bible without turning it into a contradiction machine.
