"Recapturing Original Christianity!"

“Thus says the Lord: Stand in the ways and see, and ask for the old paths, where the good way is, and walk in it: then you will find rest for your souls” (Isaiah 6:16).

“Luther, beginning with an apostate Church sought to correct one by one the errors of the ages that were past. The doctrinal iniquity of justification by human merit first arrested his attention. He next denounced indulgences and questioned the papal power. He afterward abandoned the mass, and then renounced the celibacy of the priest, and finally defied openly the authority of Rome. It is true that in vindication of his reforms, which were mainly doctrinal, he appealed to the authority of Scripture, and for his justification placed the Scriptures in the hands of the people, but in these reforms he never fairly reached the apostolic age, nor did he fully restore the Gospel to the world, either in its simple faith, its sacred institutions, its divine promises or its ecclesiastical organization. Luther nobly struggled Backward through the corruption of the ages, but he ended only with St. Augustine in the 5th Century. It was the providential calling of Alexander Campbell and his co-laborers in the Restoration Movement to begin with Jesus and the apostolic church of the 1st Century and carry New Testament Christianity Forward to the current generation.”
(Robert Richardson – Adapted).

Martin Luther and his contemporaries among the Protestants of Europe carried on a Reformation. They were attempting to cut away the errors, man-made traditions, and false teachings from the Roman Catholic Church in order to have a purer form of Christianity. We do not fault them for what great efforts, courage, and accomplishments they achieved and demonstrated. But about as much of human content was left in the Church as was removed.
The Restoration Movement was a 19th Century attempt to recapture the primitive simplicity, original institutions and unity of the Church in the Bible. The idea was to return to the original blueprint and work forward. That is the philosophy, genius, and mission statement of Churches of Christ and Christian Churches. We may not have fully arrived yet, but success is available on a church-by-church, preacher-by-preacher, and member-by-member basis. If we take up our own Bible and work from it, in love, truth, sincerity, and good zeal, we will come a lot closer than one might imagine!
Without criticizing, condemning, or judging others, let us make a positive effort to search out the “Old Paths” and walk in them! The Lord will bless us when we do!

Larry Atkin, Preacher