Frequently Asked Questions

The Bible gives information and examples on how to become a Christian (Acts 11:26). From the scriptures we learn that:

1. Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ comes from hearing the word, and this is hearing the word about Christ (Romans 10:17). Hearing the word about Christ (the Gospel) will enable one to know the saving truth of the Lord. Jesus said “And you shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free” (John 8:32).
2. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this? (John 11:26). One must believe in Jesus and that He is truly the son of God, sent to free man from the prison of Sin. John calls Him the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. Upon hearing the Gospel of Christ, one should believe. Whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life (John 3:16). Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved.
3. The Lord, in His patience wants all men to come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9). This is a step towards becoming a born again child of God, God commands all men everywhere to repent (Acts 17:30). And you will perish too, unless you repent of your sins and turn to God (Luke 13:3,5).
4. It is necessary for you to confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord(Romans 10:9). Jesus says that “Anyone who acknowledges me publicly here on earth, I will also acknowledge him before my Father in heaven. But everyone who denies me here on earth, I will also deny before my Father in heaven (Matthew 10:32-33). This confession is an important step because the scriptures say “For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by confessing with your mouth that you are saved (Romans 10:10, Acts 8:37)
5. Hearing the Gospel is necessary, but not enough. Believing is a good thing, but it is not enough. Repentance is a command that requires obedience. Confessing Christ as Lord is equally an important step but is not all of it. Be baptised in the name of Jesus for the forgiveness of sins and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:38). The Ethiopian Eunuch believed and confessed Jesus Christ as the Son of God and him and Philip went down into the water and Philip baptized him (Acts 8:35-39). They went into the water because correct and biblical baptism is full immersion of the body into water. The Apostle Peter, talking about Noah and the flood in his epistle clarified this water symbolizes baptism that now saves you (1 Peter 3:21) - Baptism is a salvation issue, make no mistake on that one. Upon baptism God adds you into the one body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:13), which is the church (Ephesians 1:22-23). This church is Christ's church, the one He promised to build (Matthew 16:18) and is, therefore, to be called by His name, the church of Christ (Romans 16:16), meaning, the church that belongs to Christ, after all, he purchased it with His own blood (Acts 20:28). It is to this church that one is added by God (Acts 2:47). Thereafter, one must grow spiritually and faithfully follow Jesus Christ in a life of obedience (1 Peter 2:2, 2 Peter 3:18, Revelation 2:10).

Is Baptism necessary for salvation? YES!

The Bible gives information and examples on how to become a Christian (Acts 11:26). From the scriptures we learn that:

We are a family. Different races, different nationalities, different languages, but made one in Christ Jesus. We don’t have it all figured out yet, but we strive daily to be more and more like Christ. We believe in the Bible and the Bible alone as the inspired word of God and as our authority in our congregation and Church at large. We love God and so we love Gods people. When you visit us, expect handshakes, hugs and lots of conversation and fellowship with one another. You are welcome to sit anywhere you feel comfortable and participate in our worship service.

At Weltevreden Park Church of Christ we have elders, deacons and a preacher who according to the scripture are men responsible for work within the Church. Should you require their attention at any time, feel free to ask anyone and you can be taken to them. It is our desire to make you feel at home. Feel free to ask any questions and we will be glad to provide you with information and any clarity you may need.

The Bible gives information and examples on how to become a Christian (Acts 11:26). From the scriptures we learn that:

We are a family. Different races, different nationalities, different languages, but made one in Christ Jesus. We don’t have it all figured out yet, but we strive daily to be more and more like Christ. We believe in the Bible and the Bible alone as the inspired word of God and as our authority in our congregation and Church at large. We love God and so we love Gods people. When you visit us, expect handshakes, hugs and lots of conversation and fellowship with one another. You are welcome to sit anywhere you feel comfortable and participate in our worship service.

At our congregation at Weltevreden Park Church of Christ we have elders, deacons and a preacher who according to the scripture are men responsible for work within the Church. Should you require their attention at any time, feel free to ask anyone and you can be taken to them. It is our desire to make you feel at home. Feel free to ask any questions and we will be glad to provide you with information and clarity you may need.

Good question. Let’s give a good answer too. You should become a Christian because “This is good and pleases God our Saviour, who wants everyone to be saved and to come to the knowledge of truth (1 Timothy 2:3-4). God wants you to be a Christian because He is "not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance" (2 Peter 3:9). For God so loved the whole wide world, and His love is poured out for the salvation of all man. You should become a Christian for Christians have found victory over sin in Christ Jesus. The wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23) but the gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus. Sin consequently will lead to “the lake which burns with fire and brimstone" (Revelation 21:8). This is the place popularly known as…, yes you got it right, Hell.

The reality is that sin separates one from God as it did even to Adam and Eve. Sin defined in the Bible is lawlessness. Everyone who sins is breaking God’s law (1 John 3:4). Now sin does not make you unique “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23). If we claim to have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and the truth is not in us ((1 John 1:8). Sin or rather a life of sin has an impact on your eternity that is whether you will have eternal life in the Kingdom of Heaven or you will suffer eternal condemnation (Matthew 25:46). Right about now, you should know that we shall all stand before Christ to be judged, that each one may receive what they deserve for the deeds done while in the body, whether good or bad (2 Corinthians 5:10)

Now you ask again the question, why I should be a Christian? Well my friend being a Christian means being in Christ, there happens to be no other way to deal with sin and enter into heaven except through Christ. Jesus says I am the way, the truth and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me (John 14:6). You should be a Christian because this is the only way. Your decision for or against Christ is the most important decision you will make. Therefore we urge you to be careful as you exercise your free will, and choose a path for your life. This is because God will bring judgement on those who refuse to obey the Gospel of our Lord Jesus (2 Thessalonians 1:8-9). You should be a Christian because in Christ, we make peace with God. We are reconciled with God. Our sins are forgiven, we are daily being transformed in the renewal of our minds, and we have fellowship with God through His Spirit who is indwelling in us.

(Acts 11:26 – “…It was at Antioch that the believers were first called Christians)

The obvious answer is No, not all churches are the same. As a matter of fact, the Bible speaks of one Church. For understanding, let us put it this way. The Church was:

1. Premeditated in God’s mind (Ephesians 1:3-4)
2. Prophesied by God’s prophets (Isaiah 2: 2-4, Daniel 2:44)
3. Proclaimed by John the Baptist (Matthew 3:2)
4. Promised by Jesus (Matthew 16:18, Mark 9:1)

Jesus Christ promised that He would build His Church, and never indicated anything about denominations or a multiplicity of churches believing in different things and worshipping differently. The scriptures in Ephesians 4:4-5 says “For there is one body, and one Spirit, just as you have been called to one hope for the future. There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism, and one God….” The Scriptures in Ephesians 1:23 help us to understand the one body mentioned in Ephesians 4:4, by explaining that "the Church is His body…” Furthering this argument Ephesians 5:23-24 says “For the husband is the head of his wife as Christ is the head of the Church. He is the Saviour of His body, the Church.” The use of the powerful analogy of the body makes it easy to comprehend the idea of one church, united in one faith in one Lord, in whom we enter through one baptism as sanctioned by the one true God. Christ is the head of His body. One body and not many bodies. The standard for teaching in the church of Christ is the Bible. Doctrine, beliefs and practices have to be authorized and governed by the Bible. The Church distances itself from any attempts to add or subtract from the word of God taking heed of the warning in Revelation 22:18-19. Also to remain as one Church as that which started in Jerusalem as recorded in Acts 2: 38-40, we do not have a separate creed or any other book, least we deviate from the example set before us by the 1st Century Church. There are many Churches of Christ in different locations. These are congregations of the one Church of Christ and can be called churches of Christ as done by the Apostle Paul in Romans 16:16

The Church of Christ does not have an earthly headquarters to govern absolute uniformity across the many local congregations. Each local congregation is independent from another and in most cases has its own Elders to shepherd the flock of God in that locality. This means that if each and every congregation is steadfast in watching and keeping the doctrine of Christ as taught in the Bible, you will see similarities in our teaching, practices, and beliefs regardless of where you are in the world. However it is also worth noting that false teaching and error sometimes finds its way into a congregation. Efforts may be directed towards correcting the error but should these efforts be unsuccessful, that congregation is not be one with us in the one faith of our Lord. Paul admonished Timothy to watch his doctrine closely (1 Timothy 4:6) and so each congregation should also do the same and examine themselves daily to see if they are still in the faith (2 Corinthians 13:5). This means that a congregation may still have their signboard saying Church of Christ, but they have long departed from the truth. Therefore we advise you so be vigilant in your search for the truth and that you identify a true church of Christ by their fruits (Matthew 7:16).

(Ephesians 4:3- Make every effort to keep yourself united in the Spirit, binding yourself together with peace)