as generally understood by the Churches of Christ



A Christian is a person who obeys God's "5 step plan of salvation" of hear, believe, repent, confess and be "water" baptized, and who also lives and worships according to the teachings of the New Testament.


Obedience to "water" baptism is necessary because it is the means by which the believer receives the forgiveness of sin and thus salvation.








A religious movement that as a rule rejects or minimizes the doctrine of the Fall and the teaching that man has an inherent predisposition to sin and to do evil.

Believes that we can receive the redeeming work of Christ through our own positive response to the moral and religious commands given to us in the New Testament.


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The Fall of Man is the story of how sin was first introduced into the world through Adam and Eve.

Note: The Fall of Adam did not adversely affect man's moral abilities to keep and follow commands and laws for salvation.


Jesus Christ died for our sins on the cross. By obeying the gospel and being "water" baptized, we can receive the forgiveness of sins.





To be made righteous.

"Just-as-if-we-had-never-sinned."




A doctrine usually rejected by the cofc and understood to mean 'salvation by simply believing the facts of the Christian faith.'

Sometimes understood or referred to as "easy believe-ism salvation."


Believing or just having faith ( i.e. intellectual assent ) in Jesus Christ is not a sufficient condition for salvation.

A person must also cooperate with the necessary commands of salvation in order to be saved.

Since the Churches of Christ don't believe in the dynamics of the Fall, it's difficult for them to understand the concept of regeneration.

Man only needs to reform himself and cooperate with the necessary N.T. commands for salvation.


To sorrow for doing wrong, to seek forgiveness and to make resolution not to repeat the offence.

"Self reformation."







We are "saved through faith" according to the cofc in that it is our belief in God that causes a person to cooperate with all the necessary moral and religious commands in the NT for salvation. Thus, rather than literally being saved 'by faith,' they believe a person is saved by the moral and religious deeds faith causes them to do.

as generally understood by evangelical Christianity



A Christian is a sinner who is saved by grace through faith and trust in Jesus Christ.





When we come to trust in Jesus Christ, we are baptized by the Holy Spirit into the body of Christ.

As new believers our desire is to be "water" baptized, which bears testimony to our true or actual Holy Spirit baptism.

Thus "water" baptism is viewed as an outward sign of the believer's true or actual Holy Spirit baptism.

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Historically refers to Protestant (Christian) churches that believe:

a) In the supreme authority of Holy Scripture in doctrinal matters of the church and

b) In the doctrine of justification by faith alone.


Because of the Fall of Adam, man is inherently a sinner by nature with a predisposition to sin and to do evil.

As a result, man lacks the moral power and ability to save himself by the principle of keeping commands and laws. Thus salvation is only possible by faith in Jesus Christ.
                                          
God forgives the sinner on the basis that Jesus Christ took all the wrath and punishment for sin we deserved at the cross. So by trusting Jesus Christ as our sin substitute, God forgives our sin because the penalty for sin has been paid in full.


To show or to declare righteous.

Justification is the process of how an unjust person is declared righteous in the sight of a just and holy God.


Being released from the penalty of sin by trusting Jesus Christ as the One who took the penalty for sin we deserved.





Good works are only the practical result of the believer's own new birth that comes by faith in Jesus Christ.

Therefore, we do not perform good works to get saved. Rather good works are a result of new birth and salvation.

To be renewed, reborn or born again.  

Living the Christian life is not a matter of giving our old lives to God. Rather God literally gives new life to the believer through His Spirit that He has caused to live within us.


Repentance may include things like sorrow, regret, seeking forgiveness and resolution.

However it actually carries with it the idea of being converted or "a change of mind."

It is not just turning from something, but to turn and being converted to something else.

When we believe ( persuaded and conviced of ) God's promise that Jesus Christ indeed took upon Himself all of God's wrath, anger and righteous indignation for our sin that we deserved, God forgives our sin because the penalty has already been paid in full. Thus God is no longer angry at us.