Christians Only
Simply Christians, meeting at 2377 Dibble Road, in Warrenville, SC welcomes you to the Aiken area. The church of Christ on Dibble Road is a group of non-denominational Christians who are dedicated to the Holy Scriptures, striving to live in accordance with its precepts (Acts 2:42; 1 Corinthians 4:6; Jude 3).
We Are Not A Denomination
Neither are we inter-denominational. It is our sincere desire to be non-denominational. It is our wish and purpose to wear no other name than Christ’s and to be known simply as Christians, members of the body of Christ – the Church of Christ. Such was clearly true of the Lord’s people in the first century (Acts 11:26; 1 Peter 4:16; Ephesians 1:22-23; Colossians 1:18; Romans 16:16). We refer to ourselves as the Church of Christ, the Lord’s church, or some other scriptural description, not in an attempt to be “sectarian,” but on the contrary, to identify ourselves as the church belonging to Christ.
Our Emphasis is Spiritual, Not Material or Social
While as individual Christians we see each others’ association socially, the church is not a social club or agency and therefore the Lord’s money is not used to promote social functions or works. Our aim is spiritual (1 Peter 2:5; 1 Timothy 3:15).
We Strive To Be The Same Church Described In The New Testament
It is our purpose to be completely identified with the Christians of the first century. We believe this to be possible to all who will learn, believe and be guided by the plain teachings of the word of God. Jesus declared such to be “the seed of the kingdom” (Luke 8:11). A fundamental truth in nature is that a specific kind of seed, when planted, will always produce after its kind. The word of God when planted in the hearts of honest people, and obeyed, will produce Christians – just as it did in the first century – nothing more and nothing less. We are human, and therefore subject to error, so we recognize the possibility that we may be wrong in our application of the Scriptures. But if we can be shown when we are wrong – by the Scriptures – we are willing and are anxious to change.
We Have No Human Authority
There is no man, or group of men who legislate for the church. We have no one to answer to but Christ. He is the head of the church (Ephesians 1:22). As was true in the first century, there is no intra-congregational organization, but rather independent congregations in different locations with Christ as Lord and Master. According to the authority of Christ, when a congregation matures to the point where men meet the qualifications, overseers (also called bishops, elders, or pastors) are appointed to look after the spiritual welfare of the congregation. Such men are appointed only when the congregation determines that they meet all of the qualifications listed by Paul in 1 Timothy 3:1-7 and Titus 1:5-9. They have the responsibility to “feed the flock” with the spiritual food found in the Scriptures, and to be living examples for others to see (1 Peter 5:1-3).
The Bible Is Our Guide In Serving God
Therefore we have no man-written creed books to follow. We are governed in faith and conducted by the Bible alone. While recognizing and heeding the guiding principles of the Old Testament, we seek to conform to the teachings of the New Testament, (1 Corinthians 10:4; Hebrews 1:1-2; 1 Peter 4:11). We accept the Bible as being both verbally inspired and infallible in content (2 Peter 1:20-21; 1 Colossians 2:11-13). Consequently, when the Bible speaks up on any given subject, its pronouncement is accepted as final. By its own testimony, no one may with impunity altar a single word of it (Deuteronomy 4:2; Proverbs 30:6; Revelation 22:18-19).
Our Plea For Unity
We plea for unity among all who obediently respond to the doctrines and commandments given in the New Testament. Such is in harmony with the prayer of Jesus and the pleadings of the apostle (John 17:20-21; 1 Corinthians 1:10; Ephesians 4:1-6). We consider such unity to be possible, or Jesus would not have prayed for it. We also note that unity and love for each other was a mark of discipleship in the early church (John 13:34-35; Acts 2:44-46; Acts 4:32). And since division has always been the result of departure from “the faith which was once delivered unto the saints” (Jude 3), we believe the division can be healed by returned to the revealed word of God.