International Church of Christ

“The number one reason people don’t share their faith is that their walk doesn’t match their talk.”

Mark Cahill

Kirk Cameron’s Comment

I find it confusing and frustrating when trying to unravel the lies of some cults. An honest study of this particular cult will be beneficial. As always, remember to use the Word of God as your standard of truth when you speak to a cult member.

Questions & Objections

Lesson

Witnessing to Disciples of the International Churches of Christ

By Joanne Ruhland

Initially, members of the International Churches of Christ (ICC; also known as the Boston movement, the Boston Church of Christ, etc.) might resemble Christians who are excited about serving the Lord. They sound evangelical and they claim the Bible is their only source for doctrine. Such similarities are superficial. ICC disciples (their terminology) are members of one of the fastest growing heretical movements in the world.

Why classify this seemingly Bible-based organization as heretical? To warrant this designation, a sect must deny one or more of the cardinal tenets of the historic Christian faith. Among ICC’s doctrinal deviations are a works-oriented plan of salvation that is related to a faulty understanding of grace and the rejection of the doctrine of original sin.

While purporting to believe in salvation by grace through faith (Eph. 2:8, 9) in Jesus Christ, in actuality, certain sequential acts have been added as prerequisites for salvation. One must become a disciple, which by ICC definition includes changing one’s lifestyle to conform with the movement’s standards for Christians, and be baptized. With these additions ICC departs from the gospel of grace, which is the sufficiency of Christ’s redemptive work for all who believe (1 Cor. 15:1–4; John 3:16; Eph. 2:8, 9), and enters the realm of the cults.

Kip McKean, the leader of the movement, explains ICC’s beliefs regarding salvation: “When you preach who is really saved—that you gotta have faith, you gotta repent, you gotta become a true disciple of Jesus, and then you gotta be water immersed for the forgiveness of sins received through the Holy Spirit—that excludes all other denominations ... everybody else that’s out there.” The first two requirements are orthodox. The latter two, as conditions of salvation rather than as results of it, are works.

ICC’s aberration from orthodoxy in its distinctive doctrine of salvation is emphasized by Nick Young, lead evangelist for the ICC congregation in Dallas-Ft. Worth:

Once you become a disciple, then you can be baptized, but you cannot be baptized until you become a disciple. And that’s where, as far as I know, the rest of the entire religious world got it all messed up. I don’t know of any religious group in this world that teaches you gotta be a disciple to be baptized, and yet that is what Jesus said two thousand years ago. And it’s as clear as any verse in the Bible. That’s as clear as John 3:16. That’s as clear as Acts 2:38. That’s as clear as any verse you’re gonna read, and yet I don’t know of any other religious group that teaches you gotta be a totally committed disciple of Jesus to get baptized into Christ (emphasis added).

To become a disciple, the prospective convert must complete some or all of a series of studies with one or more ICC members, agree to attend all services, promise to read the Bible daily, begin recruiting others, agree to obey the church leaders, and give tithes weekly. Also, the individual must list all the sins he or she has ever committed, confess these sins to one or more members, and be “cut to the heart” by the severity of Christ’s death on the cross as atonement for our sins.

After meeting all prerequisites, the prospective member’s eligibility for salvation then depends on the leadership determining if the candidate is ready for baptism. Ultimately, then, receiving God’s grace in ICC depends on faith plus the completion of works, the presumptuousness of the leaders judging another’s heart, and water baptism.

Other problematic areas in ICC include inadequate views of the perfection of God and Christ, exclusivity, an unbiblical form of authority, and elevation of certain historical biblical occurrences to the level of normative doctrine (e.g., “one church to one city,” based on universalizing Rev. 2—3).

Preparing to Witness. In principle, preparation for witnessing to disciples is similar to the preparation necessary for reaching members of other cults. Besides knowing their doctrinal errors, it is valuable to understand their worldview, methodology, terminology, and the degree to which the individual understands and follows the movement’s teachings.

Inherent in disciples’ thinking is the belief that theirs is the only true church and the movement of God. Any criticism of ICC is viewed as persecution. As do members of other cults, ICC disciples interpret this so-called “persecution” as proving theirs is God’s true church. Most members fervently believe there is no valid reason to leave their church. Leaving it would be tantamount to forsaking God. They readily dismiss doctrinal and leadership errors with this rationale: “We don’t say we can’t make mistakes. If we make one, we admit it and correct it.” Obviously, then, trust in ICC as the movement of God becomes a powerful obstacle to the disciples’ believing anyone who would present material contrary to the group’s teachings.

Beginning the Dialogue. Fortunately, the desire to know and serve God and a commitment to the Bible as the Word of God provide a foundation for dialogue. An effective witnessing approach incorporates affirming the disciple’s zeal for God with proving that ICC is not the true church by demonstrating that it promotes a false gospel—salvation based on works. Establishing an agreement on the criteria for evaluating the gospel ICC promotes is the next step in exposing the works-based gospel of this movement. A conversation might begin something like this:

Christian: I understand your church teaches that it alone is the movement of God. Disciple: We believe we’re following God. We only teach what the Bible teaches. There may be others out there who have come to the truth that only baptized disciples are saved. If they are really goodhearted, they will want to be with true disciples. Christian: Do you believe a Christian church must present the gospel without adding or subtracting anything? Disciple: Yes. That’s what we do! Christian: Would you examine the gospel with me? Disciple: Sure. I’d be glad to study the Bible with you. Why don’t we meet tonight at your house? I’d like to bring a friend too. Christian: That sounds fine, except I prefer not to meet with anyone else yet. Maybe another time. Disciple: I’ll see you tonight!

Certain comments made by the disciple should be noted. “Study the Bible” is another way of saying “We’ll use our ‘Bible’ studies.” The disciple might attempt to introduce a segment from their proselytizing studies, First Principles. The “Discipleship” segment is skillfully designed to lead the potential convert to one conclusion—he is not a Christian! Unless the Christian is careful, he could lose control of the conversation. “I’d like to bring a friend,” is an attempt to establish a numerical advantage.

The Second Meeting: How Can You Baptize a Nation? Essential to this movement’s existence is its teaching concerning discipleship and making disciples. Matthew 28:18–20 is the primary passage cited as proof that Jesus established an unchangeable order of steps required for salvation: “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you...” The ICC teaches that the first step indicated in this passage is to become a disciple (according to their definition); the second is baptism. Only baptized disciples are saved.

To demonstrate the untenableness of this interpretation, it is important to have several reference works available: an NIV Bible (ICC’s preferred version), an exhaustive concordance, and an expository dictionary of New Testament words (e.g., Vine’s). Spatial constraints limit this discussion to the disciple aspect of their salvation formula.

The following conversation demonstrates an approach to refuting one of their departures from this gospel of grace—becoming a disciple as a prerequisite to salvation.

Christian: Christian appears three times in the New Testament, and disciple occurs more than 250 times. To whom does disciple refer? Disciple: Christians. Disciples were first called Christians in Antioch (Acts 11:26, 27). Christian: Doesn’t your church teach “disciple=Christian=saved”? Disciple: That’s what the Bible teaches. Christian: If disciple, Christian, and saved are synonymous, they can be used interchangeably for disciples in Matthew 28:19, 20: “Therefore go and make Christians of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you...”(or) “Therefore go and make saved of all nations, baptizing them...” With these substitutions applied, is Jesus actually commanding a person to be a baptized disciple to be saved? Disciple: Well, maybe not, but Jesus commanded us to be disciples to be saved. Christian: Let’s study this further. Who’s speaking in this passage? Disciple: Jesus. Christian: Do you believe Jesus, God the Son, could make a mistake when He spoke? Disciple: No. Christian: Can we agree that Matthew was inspired by the Holy Spirit, and that the Bible is inerrant? Disciple: Yes. Christian: Then, if Jesus wanted to convey a different meaning, this passage would be worded differently. In verse 19, He says to baptize “them.” Them is a pronoun. In Greek and English, a pronoun must refer to a noun, not a verb. In Greek, make disciples is a verb. (Have the member look this up in an expository dictionary.) Thus, the pronoun them must refer to the noun nations. According to this grammatical rule, we must conclude Jesus cannot be teaching that a person must be a disciple before he is baptized or saved. Disciple: But if them refers to nations, how can you baptize a nation? Christian: Baptizing a whole nation would be tough. However, baptizing and teaching are participles. As participles, they must refer to the verb, make disciples. They describe how a disciple is made, by being baptized and taught. They are not commands that you must do certain things to be a disciple, and then be baptized to be saved. To make disciples, and then baptize them, is not what Jesus commanded. Disciple: What about the nations? Christian: The Greek word for nations is ethnos. (Have the disciple locate nation in an expository dictionary.) To whom is Jesus speaking? Disciple: The disciples. Christian: Right. Of what race were they? Disciple: They were Hebrews. Christian: Exactly. Did they believe the Messiah was to come for the Jews, or for the whole world? Disciple: They believed Jesus came for the Jews. Christian: What new teaching was Jesus conveying to the disciples? Disciple: Oh, I see. They were to begin preaching to all people, not just to the Jews. Christian: Yes. Before Christ’s crucifixion and resurrection, His followers did not preach the gospel to other ethnic groups. Afterward, Jesus commanded them to go to all nations. Did you need to know Greek to study as we just did? Disciple: No. Christian: Could there be any reason your leaders, some of whom have seminary training, or anyone else, could not study this passage just as you have? Disciple: No. Christian: Your leaders assert they have “rediscovered” a so-called lost biblical doctrine that actually never existed. Instead, they added to the passage, and included the work of being a disciple as a requirement for salvation. Would you read Proverbs 30:5, 6 with me? (“Every word of God is flawless; ... Do not add to his words, or he will rebuke you and prove you a liar.”) Now, let’s read what Paul wrote in Galatians 1:8, 9. (“But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let him be eternally condemned!”) Would these warnings apply to ICC’s misinterpretation of Matthew 28:18–20? Disciple: Well, uh, I don’t know. Christian: If ICC were really God’s true church, it would not promote this false gospel. Disciple: Maybe we made a mistake here. We don’t claim to be perfect. But Jesus still said we have to be His disciples, so what difference does it make? Christian: You are right. We are to be His disciples. Disciple is another word for follower, and all people who know Christ as Savior are His followers. But to live as a disciple before being saved is not something we can do, nor would Jesus require us to do so. In fact, we cannot live the regenerate life of a disciple until after salvation, when the Holy Spirit indwells and empowers us, and changes us from within. To expect people to change and live a godly life by themselves, instead of by the power of God, is expecting the impossible. Adding requirements to the gospel of salvation makes a mockery of His grace. Disciple: Okay, I understand. This may be wrong. But can you show me any other examples of where we’re not following the Bible?

Next, the discussion should explore ICC’s other works-oriented teachings on salvation contrasted with salvation by grace, as well as the movement’s denial of man’s sin nature, its unscriptural views on authority, and the belief that Revelation 2—3 commands only one church to each city. Above all, do these things in love, with patience, gentleness, and respect.

Joanne Ruhland is in countercult ministry, specializing in the International Churches of Christ. She can be reached c/o Here’s Life, San Antonio, P.O. Box 12472, San Antonio, TX, 78212.

Feathers for Arrows

The BBC once broadcast a documentary about a man who played castanets to his tomatoes. The gentleman placed earphones on his tomatoes and played classical music for them—in stereo, of course. This man was obviously a nut. However, the program then revealed that the man’s name was in The Guinness Book of World Records for having the world’s largest tomato: four-and-a-half pounds. The valuable lesson learned is that we should never knock something until we see its results.

The next time you see a caterpillar on a leaf, study it for a while. You will notice that it twists and turns until it has wound itself into a web, finally encasing itself into a cocoon. We don’t knock what it’s doing because we know that a metamorphosis is taking place within the cocoon. A miracle of nature is happening. In time, a beautiful butterfly will appear.

To those who don’t understand, Christians are doing no more than wrapping themselves with rules and regulations, hiding from the real world in the cocoon of Christianity. But wait. Don’t knock it until you see the results. When you look at the Church today, you’re looking at the grub. Granted, we do seem to lack in so many areas. But the One who created the process of metamorphosis is at work in the hearts of those who love Him, and the day will come when the butterfly will emerge.

Questions

1. What does the International Church of Christ (ICC) teach about salvation?
2. What do they require before an individual can be baptized?
3. What is the prerequisite for baptism according to Acts 8:36, 37?
4. What new teaching was Jesus trying to convey to the disciples in Matthew 28:18–20?
5. What is the primary reason that one need not be a committed disciple before being saved?

Answers to these review questions are provided in the back of the printed book / source PDF.

Memory Verse

“Every word of God is pure: he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him. Add not unto his words, lest he reprove you, and you be found a liar.”

Proverbs 30:5-6

Last Words

May the Lord my God not separate between my soul and body until He has made a final separation between my soul and sin, for the sake of my Redeemer.

David M. Moir, Scottish physician and poet who died in 1851, was a sincere believer and said on his deathbed