Grafted in Again

Grafted into the church is a better way of looking at the Campbell and Stone movement than starting the church. They were grafted into a theology that already existed going back centuries. Romans 11 says anyone can be grafted in who returns to the truth.

Rom 11:23  And they also, if they abide not still in unbelief, shall be graffed in: for God is able to graff them in again. 

If you consider that Catholics and groups like the Donatists existed side by side from the first century on it becomes clear that people have to make a choice on which was the true body.

To me, it is clear the Donatists were much closer to original Christianity than the Catholic movement. So we should ask people to realign with a similar theology to the early Christians vs Catholic.

There are Churches of Christ in Europe directly related to the Donatists, they were persecuted by Catholics and forced to move into regions Catholics could not directly persecute them.

Rev 12:13 And when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth, he persecuted the woman which brought forth the man child.

Rev 12:14 And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent.

Rev 12:15 And the serpent cast out of his mouth water as a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away of the flood.

Rev 12:16 And the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed up the flood which the dragon cast out of his mouth.

This woman, who gave birth to Christ, would likely not be Catholic, for she has always professed to be visible, she was never carried into distant lands to be hidden and nourished. The Donatists were carried beyond Satan's reach for a time. Catholics have consistently used the argument they were openly visible throughout Europe, Africa, and Asia.

Visibility doesn't prove you were the true church just as not being visible really doesn't disprove you. If grafted in you would be invisible until your conversion in some cases, maybe even most cases.

Also, the woman brought forth the man, whereas Christ brought forth the church. So the woman can't be the Catholic Church. Some taught the woman was the Jewish nation, others say it was Mary.

But how do you describe those not directly or visibly linked to either body that came along in the 18th century and following in the United States?

Alexander Campbell and Barton Stone are often accused of starting the Modern Churches of Christ in America. They had been accused of starting a new church in multiple debates, even among those from the restoration movement.

Neither Campbell or stone started the church, they were simply grafted back into it. They returned to the Apostles doctrine of free will, baptism as described in scripture, and a biblical basis of the church.

Rom 11:23 And they also, if they abide not still in unbelief, shall be graffed in: for God is able to graff them in again.

As Campbell and Stone moved from faith only theology, both coming from a faith only background,  back to New Testament doctrine they were grafted back in again. There were multiple groups moving back to a similar theology in the U.S. and Europe.

Yes, God can graft in any group that returns to his word, and I encourage all denominations to do what Campbell and Stone did.

Of course Catholics argue the church must be rejoined to Apastolic succession churches, but Christ never taught Apostolic succession, as an unbroken line of priests carrying an Apostles authority. That was a human invention.

Clement was supposedly given Peter's See, but there is no verse that says an Apostles See/authority was passed to a successive generation.

Quite the opposite, Paul taught the Apostles office would cease.

Eph 4:11 And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;

Eph 4:12 For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:

Eph 4:13 Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:

Many false Christian religions teach their doctors hold a succession of the apostolic office or the prophets of the early church.

Catholic

Mormon

Assembly of God

and others all claim a succession of these spiritual offices. We know from scripture several spiritual offices were temporary.

Stone and Campbell could be grafted in again after migrating out of dynamic spiritualism where these offices could create dynamic change in doctrine, to one of keeping the doctrines delivered to the early church

They accepted the church was based upon original doctrines, not constantly flowing and changing theology. They tried very hard to identify original Christianity through the study of the scriptures.

Both Stone and Campbell turned from Calvinism to teach free will as taught by early Christian writers. Both refuted the Philadelphia Confession and Calvinism as they converted.

Their beliefs turned back to the earliest of Christian writers.

In Rome teachers originally said baptism was a choice.

And for [water baptism] we have learned from the apostles this reason. Since at our birth we were born without our own knowledge or choice, by our parents coming together, and were brought up in bad habits and wicked training; in order that we may not remain the children of necessity and of ignorance, but may become the children of choice and knowledge, and may obtain in the water the remission of sins formerly committed. (Justin, First Apology 61)

Justin claimed the apostles expressly taught free will. Catholics teach free-will after baptism, Justin taught free-will in baptism.

Tatian, an early Christian writer who learned under Justin, was a proponent of free will also. He was a student of Justin Martyr in Rome.

From Wikipedia

The first-born of the spirits fell and caused others to fall, and thus the demons originated. The fall of the spirits was brought about through their desire to separate man from God, in order that he might serve not God but them. Man, however, was implicated in this fall, lost his blessed abode and his soul was deserted by the divine spirit, and sank into the material sphere, in which only a faint reminiscence of God remained alive.

As by freedom man fell, so by freedom he may turn again to God. The Spirit unites with the souls of those who walk uprightly; through the prophets he reminds men of their lost likeness to God.

Tatian has been accused of being a Gnostic who believed in multiple heresies such as levels of Spirit beings, but the writing quoted against him is lost so we cannot verify. From what I can find is he taught God was spirit, but differs from man's spirit. God is eternal, man as a spirit being is not.

Deu 33:27 The eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms: and he shall thrust out the enemy from before thee; and shall say, Destroy them.

Man's spirit can be destroyed.

Mat 10:28 And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.

Plus, Jesus was different than Adam.

1Co 15:45 And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit.

This could be before or after the resurrection of Christ, but it clearly shows Christ and Adam to be different.

God is eternal and everlasting, man can be destroyed. I have not found where Tatian taught the Aeons of Gnosticism, only that he differentiated between God, Angels, and man as Spirit beings. He seems to be pretty close to right, certainly justified in making a distinction between the Father and man.

As a Spirit being we were made with freedom, freedom being a part of the likeness of God, that God allowed man to retain this freedom after the fall. Catholics and Protestants argued that God left man in total depravity and man had lost free will.

The Philadelphia Confession, a Baptist confession taught man lost all free will after the fall of Adam. Citing

Ecc 7:29 Lo, this only have I found, that God hath made man upright; but they have sought out many inventions.

The Baptist use of Ecc 7:29 is incorrect, This is speaking of man post-Adam, 1 0f 1000, and no man with an evil woman is found among the 1000. Many inventions is not speaking of a single fall.

Plus, man is seen as being free to invent, thus proving free will.

Cassian also believed in free will and opposed Augustine.

Donatists argued Catholic persecution against them was a doctrine removing self-determination.

        "God created man free in his own image. How, then, am I to be deprived of that by human lordship which God has bestowed on me? What a sacrilege, that human arrogance should take away what God has bestowed on me, and idly boast of doing this on God's behalf? "It is a great offence against God, when he is defended by men. "What must he think of God who would defend him with outward force? Is it that God is unable to punish offenses against himself? "Hear what the Lord says: Peace I give unto you; not as the world giveth, give I unto you. "The peace of the world must be introduced among contending nations by arms and the force of war. The peace of Christ invites the willing, with wholesome mildness; it never forces men against their wills." In reply to this eloquent and forcible argument of Gaudentius, in defense of a primordial principal of the Donatists, Augustine, with entire unfairness, reasoned in the following style: According to these most fallacious and most vain reasonings of yours, said he, the reins would be relaxed, and all classes of transgressors might sin with impunity, without restraint, and without correction; and the king would have no power or control over his kingdom, for the correction of any offenses; the general over his army; the judge in his province; the master with his servant; the husband with his wife; the father with his son. In the midst of this controversy, Augustine said to his opponent that he knew not the scriptures nor the power of God, which induced him to contend so strongly for man's free will, and against coercion in religious concerns.

Augustine was arguing incorrectly from a standpoint of statuatory law, vs the "law of faith" described by Paul. Donatists were not against civil government but the misapplied force of civil government in forcing faith and or compliance to the Gospel. In Augustines case forced compliance to a false gospel.

The main point, anyone who returns to the truth can be grafted in again.

Mat 3:9 And think not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham.