About Us
The New Testament Church
Founder: Jesus Christ (Matthew 16:18)
Founded: In Jerusalem, AD 30 (Isaiah 2:3, Acts - chapter 2)
The church described by the New Testament rests upon several cardinal principles. These are:
(3) The ascension of Christ
(4) The sending of the Holy Spirit by Christ
(5) Baptism by His authority
(6) Baptism into the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit
(7) Salvation in the name of Christ
Apart from these foundation stones there could be no New Testament church. There could be no New Testament church until these foundation stones were firmly laid. When and were these first laid? Some six months before the death of our Lord, He said: “Upon this rock I will build My church” (Matthew 16:18).
At that time the building of our Lord’s church was still in the future. But from the first Pentecost following His resurrection the church was always spoken of as something in existence and people were being “added to it” (Acts 2:47). It follows then that the church had its beginning between the time Jesus promised to build it and the close of the next Pentecost day.
In the second chapter of Acts for the first time was made the announcement of all seven cardinal facts upon which the church rests. Speaking by the Holy Spirit the apostle Peter (Acts 2:23-32) publicly declared that Jesus had been “delivered up by the determinate council and foreknowledge of God” and “by the hand of lawless men” He had been crucified. “This Jesus did God raise up, whereof we all are witnesses.” (ASV)
He then explained “Being therefore by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he hath poured forth this, which ye see and hear” (Acts 2:33), this, the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. Those who heard the words of the apostle were “pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and the rest of the apostles, ‘Brethren, what shall we do’? And Peter (said) unto them, ‘Repent ye, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ unto the remission of your sins; and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.’” (Acts 2:37-38)
Acting under the Great Commission (Matthew 28:19-20) which the apostles had received of the Lord they were to go and “make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.”
Thus was announced for the first time baptism by the authority of the Lord Jesus Christ and “into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” Thus baptism was first proclaimed by Christ’s authority on this day. It was administered according to the Great Commission of Christ into the name of God. And salvation, or the remission of sins, was proclaimed in HIS NAME on this day for the first time (Luke 24:46-47).
A few days later Peter explained “And in none other is there salvation: for neither is there any other name under heaven, that is given among men, wherein we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12)
Since all of the foundation stones upon which the church rests were firmly planted upon the first Pentecost following the resurrection of our Lord in the city of Jerusalem, the church was henceforth spoken of as being in existence. Indeed, the apostle Peter actually spoke of this day as the beginning (Acts 11:15). Jesus also spoke of it as the beginning date for the proclamation of the Gospel of Christ.
Thus, the laws governing His church became functional on the very day it was started and all men from then until now enter it the same way. We do not therefore go back before the death of Christ upon the cross to learn the terms of entrance into His church or Kingdom. We do not go back to the Law of Moses to learn how to worship God in the church set forth in the New Testament. Neither do we look forward to Christ’s return for the establishment of His reign upon this earth.
He is our King now! We are His subjects now! We are amenable to all of His laws now! When He comes again it will not be to set up a kingdom but to raise “all that are graves” (KJV), either “to the resurrection of life” or “to the resurrection".