No one likes to be misrepresented. It’s neither honest nor fair. It is the equivalent of lying, and we all know that lying is wrong (Exodus 20:16; Colossians 3:9). Solomon tells us that God hates a lying tongue (Proverbs 6:17). Jesus identified the devil as the father of lies (John 8:44). Anyone who claims to follow Christ must surely speak the truth, and must never intentionally misrepresent his own or another’s positions! In an ideal world, the truth would always be told, but ours is not an ideal world. As a result, we find ourselves frequently misrepresented.
I have heard it said that we in churches of Christ think we are the only ones going to heaven. But that is a misrepresentation of the truth. We are not in the business of determining who will be in heaven and who will not. Judgment is in the hands of Christ (2 Thessalonians 1:7-10). Our focus is not on who is right, but what is right. We believe the Bible to be the inspired Word of God, and we seek to teach and do what is contained therein. The Lord, not us, will make the ultimate determination as to who will and who will not enter heaven. Anyone who tells you otherwise is misrepresenting the facts.
It has been said that we in churches of Christ believe in water salvation. It is another misrepresentation. It stems from the fact that we teach what Christ and his disciples taught regarding baptism (Mark 16:16; Acts 2:38; 1 Peter 3:20-21; etc.). We do not believe that there is any miraculous power in water to wash away sins. This is accomplished by means of the blood of Christ (Ephesians 1:7; 1 Peter 1:18-19; Revelation 1:5). However, the Bible demands baptism. How is it possible to be faithful to Christ and teach anything else?
It is argued that we believe in a salvation of works, and not of grace. Again, we are dealing with a misrepresentation. No one can work his/her way to heaven. None of us can earn our salvation. We are undeserving of the grace of God as manifested through Jesus. We can never earn, achieve or merit salvation on our own. We believe that salvation is by grace through faith (Ephesians 2:8-9). It is a misrepresentation to say that we believe anything else. What sticks in the craw of our critics is the fact that we believe that saving faith must be expressed through humble obedience (Hebrews 5:8-9). This is exactly what the Bible teaches!
