Interesting Questions-73

Iglesia ni Cristo: church of man?

Letter to the Editor:
PASUGO, September 1995, p.3

THE LATE FELIX Y. MANALO preached that Christ is man, a claim upheld by ministers of the   Iglesia ni Cristo.  Preaching that Christ is man is proof that the Iglesia ni Cristo is a church of man and not of God.  How, then, can your church claim to be of God.

Dominciano Astorga
Panay, Philippines

Editor's reply:

     The Iglesia ni Cristo upholds the belief that the Lord Jesus Christ is man because this is what He Himself and His apostles taught as recorded in the Scriptures (cf. Jn. 8:40; I Tim. 2:5; Acts 2:22; Mt. 1:20). This does not imply, however, that the Church Jesus founded or the Church of Christ must necessarily be a church of man and not of God.

     In fact, to be of God, one must first be of Christ. As Jesus Himself attests “…I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” (Jn. 14:6, NKJV) For one to reach God and to be able to partake of Christ’s saving grace, he must be drawn by God to His Son (cf. Jn. 6:44). However, those who have been drawn or given to Christ by the Father are of God as Christ attests:

     “I pray for them. I am not praying for the world, but for those you have given me, for they are yours. All I have is yours, and all you have is mine. And glory has come to me through them.” (Jn. 17:9-10, NIV)

     Furthermore, the teachings that the Lord Jesus Christ preached were not His own but those that been taught to Him by the Father – the only true God (cf. Jn. 8:28; 17:1, 3). Even the works that Christ did were not His own but those of His Father (cf. Jn. 5:36). In the same way, the Church He established is one that belongs to God for what is followed and obeyed therein are not commandments of men but the teachings of the Almighty Father. Hence, the Church of Christ, although founded by the man Jesus Christ, is of God.

 

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Bible Study Suggestion: If you have further questions, please feel free to visit the Iglesia ni Cristo congregation nearest you. A minister or an evangelical worker would be happy to answer any biblical question you have in mind. For the latest Worship Service Directory of Iglesia ni Cristo Locales and Congregations outside the Philippines, please visit www.iglesianicristoworshipservice.com