Frequently Asked Questions

1950

We have no creeds, manuals or earthly headquarters.  We strive to preach, teach and practice only what the Bible states.  See “What We Believe” for more details. https://www.ridgewayarchurchofchrist.org/beliefs/

You shouldn’t.  You should be a member of the Lord’s church.  Jesus Christ purchased His church with His own blood – Acts 20: 28.  He built His church - Matthew 16: 16-18.  One must be added to the Lord’s church – Acts 2: 37-42. However, we would love for you to be a part of our congregation that meets here to worship, study and serve God.

Yes. We believe that the entire Bible is essential to our understanding of what God wants us to know about living our lives and our salvation. Paul wrote to the Romans in chapter 15, verse 4, that whatever things were written before (in the Old Testament) were written for our learning and we can have hope through the patience and comfort written in those scriptures.  However, we understand that Jesus Christ brought a new and perfect Covenant that is outlined in the writings of the New Testament.   See Hebrews 8: 7-9; Ephesians 2: 14-15 and Colossians 2: 14.

Many people feel that the Bible is a difficult book and that it is too hard for humans to understand.  It truly is not.  God’s Word can be understood but many people do struggle with it.  There are three common reasons for this.  First, people do not understand the Bible because they simple do not read it.  It must be read and studied to be understood.  Second, they misunderstand the Bible because they have been misled by their teachers.  One must never solely believe what a person says.  They must study for themselves.  Third, one must approach the Bible with a sincere heart, willing to change the ways they think and act.  This is maybe the hardest part. Remember: the Bible spans a timeframe of several 1,000 years.  From the beginning of the world, to Christ’s birth, death and resurrection, and ultimately to the end of the world.  One must not take a narrow view of one single verse.  Read before and after a verse to see its context.  Who is speaking (writing) and to whom and on what subject.  Know to whom a book was written to and why.  Cross reference a verse to other verses.  One can use several reliable versions of the Bible to compare a section.

Matthew, Mark, Luke and John – the Gospels.  Writings of Jesus’s life, teachings, death, burial and resurrection. Acts – The beginning of the church. Romans through Jude – the Epistles.  Letters to congregations of the Lord’s church and individuals concerning Christian beliefs, how to live and how to worship. Revelation - A book of prophecy.

The Sinner’s Prayer is a formula of words created by man.  You will find no scriptures in the Bible with the Sinner’s Prayer.  None.  Being a Christian is much more than repeating a prayer.  It involves total obedience to God’s Word – John 14:15; being His child – 1 John 3:1; and a lifetime of service to God – John 12:26.

Please read “The Path to Salvation as given by the Scriptures” on our What We Believe page:  https://www.ridgewayarchurchofchrist.org/beliefs/

Reflect upon the Sinner’s Prayer you repeated and ask if it includes:  (1) Believing – Acts 4:4; (2) Repenting of Sins – Acts 2:38; (3) Confessing Jesus as the Son of God (our Savior) – Matthew 16:15-16, Romans 10:9-10, Matthew 10:32; (4) Being baptized for the remission of sins – Acts 2:37-41, Acts 22:16, Romans 6:3-4; Mark 16:16; (5) the Lord adding you to His church – Acts 2:40-47, Matthew 28:18-20; and (6) living faithfully, imitating Christ – Matthew 28:20, Philippians chapter 2, the book of James, 1 Peter 2:11-17

One must ask first, what is a denomination?  A denomination is a separate subgroup or “branch”, with their own beliefs and practices, operating within a major religion (distinct system of faith and worship).  They have their own man-made labels, doctrines and formal divisions.

Jesus said in John 15:5 “I am the vine, you are the branches.”  Notice the branches are people… individual people... and not separate limbs growing with smaller branches dependent on that limb.  The vine is Jesus.  Each branch (person) must be in Jesus to be alive and each branch (person) is a part of one plant (Jesus) producing only one kind of fruit – Christians.

We believe there is only one church, it is the body of Christ, made up of all those who have been saved by His grace – Ephesians 1:22-23.  Although there are many local congregations, the one church speaks the same thing – not different doctrines.  Those making up the church are only known as Christians, nothing else.  The Bible only speaks of one church and it belongs to Jesus Christ.  Jesus said He would build His church – Matthew 16:18. Paul speaks of one body, one Lord, one faith – Ephesians 4:4-5.  The Lord adds people to His church – Acts 2.  There are to be no divisions among you, perfectly united – 1 Corinthians 1:10.