About the Thayer church of Christ

At the Thayer church of Christ, we believe that the Bible is God's inspired Word and is fully sufficient to guide each person to Heaven if they choose to follow what it teaches (I Timothy 3:16-17). We believe the that the New Testament's authority was founded by Jesus Christ and left in the hands of his Apostles and other inspired writers to record the things that we should know to be found pleasing in the sight of God (John 14:26, II Peter 1:20-21). We do not use any other creed book or man's doctrine. We study the text of the Bible and how it applies to our lives. 

How to be added to the Church:

We believe the Lord adds to the Church those that are obedient to his plan for salvation which is laid out as follows:

- One must hear what the Word of God says (Romans 10:17)

- One must believe what the Word teaches (Mark 16:16)

- One must repent or completely change their lives away from sin (Luke 5:32)

- One must confess publicly their faith in Jesus Christ as the Son of God (Romans 10:9-10)

- One must be baptized (immersed in water) for the remission of sin from their lives (Acts 2:38)

These are not the surmises of a few people. These are the commands found in God's word and we must follow them to be saved. 

After Baptism: 

We do not believe that once a person is baptized they will never sin again, nor that they are in a continually saved state regardless of their actions afterwards. 

Being a part of God's Church is contingent on our continued faith and obedience to his will (I Peter 1:13-16). Jesus warned the Church at Smyrna to remain faithful unto death if they wanted the crown of life (Rev. 2:10). There is no action that permanently seals your salvation with God; rather, it takes continued obedience to his will. 

What about sin?

The Bible teaches that all men will sin (Romans 3:23) and that all Christians have an advocate with God through which they can seek forgiveness, that being Jesus Christ who was offered as a perfect sacrifice for our sin (I John 2:1-2). 

Faith alone?

"But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?" (James 2:20)

Many teach that the New Testament requires only faith in God to be saved and does not require any action or works from his followers. If that is the case, portions of scriptures must be thrown out because that certainly is not what the Bible teaches. 

The gift of salvation that came through Jesus dying on the cross for our sin was certainly a free gift of God that we were totally undeserving of (Ephesians 2:4-9). However, the Bible clearly teaches that the sacrifice of Christ does not free us from the obligation of obedience to his will (I John 5:2-3, Romans 6:17-18). 

Obedience to God is a choice that each person must make every day of their life. It is not something that is forced upon anyone in anyway.