Who are The Christadelphians?

The Christa – who?? The name Christadelphians might sound confusing, but we are simply a group of Bible believers that embrace a straightforward understanding of the Bible. If you’re the kind of person who likes to stop and think about what you’ve heard or read for yourself, then we think you will also find our differences refreshing.

One of the major things that sets us apart from other Christian groups is that we do not have any paid ministry. We are a lay community that work together, sharing and rotating duties. Each Sunday we get to hear from a different person about what they have been thinking about from the Bible. Everyone is encouraged to read and understand the Bible for themselves, to ask questions and discuss different points of view. This is where we have come from.

The first Christadelphian, John Thomas, was an ordinary person who simply read, studied the Bible and considered different points of view for himself. He came to a different understanding of the gospel message to the churches around him and many who heard him speak were also convinced. One of the beliefs which set this group of believers apart was their stance as conscientious objectors to fighting and it was in the process of applying for an exemption during the American Civil war of the 1860’s that the name, Christadelphians was coined.

The word Christadelphian means brothers and sisters in Christ. As the name suggests, Christadelphians see themselves as a spiritual family in Jesus and we try to live and be more like him. Jesus said, “Whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother” (Matthew 12:50). We meet in simple halls or homes, and each local group is called an ecclesia, rather than a church, because the word ecclesia reflects the people who make up the group, rather than the building. Just like many other churches, we meet together on Sunday mornings to remember Jesus with bread and wine, as well as for other studies and activities during the week.

Beliefs

So what do we believe? We believe that the whole Bible, both Old and New Testaments together contain what God wants us to know (2 Tim 3:15). The same message of salvation is taught throughout the Bible and can be summarised by what the apostles taught in the book of Acts: “the things concerning the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ” (Acts 8:12). Here is a summary of the key parts of this message.

We believe there is only one, all powerful God who made all things. God is our heavenly father who loves us and calls us to turn our hearts to him, to love him and follow his ways so we can be part of his coming kingdom that will bring peace to the whole earth (Isaiah 45:22, Ezekiel 18:31-32, Isaiah 2:2-4).

Jesus is who God promised would come as king to setup this kingdom on earth (Acts 2:36, Luke 1:31-33). Jesus was a man just like us but also God’s son, born by miraculous intervention (Matthew 1:20). He demonstrated how God truly wants us to live, with love, kindness and mercy even for our enemies (Luke 6:35). Jesus was rejected and crucified, but he died in faith that God would raise him back to life, knowing that his resurrection would bring many to believe and repent before he returns as king to judge the world (Luke 18:31-33, Acts 2:38, 3:26, 10:42-43, 17:30-31).

This gospel, or good news, message might be in contrast to other beliefs you may have heard. Here are four major differences:

Jesus is God’s son

We believe that Jesus is the son of God. This is why we do not believe that Jesus is God himself, but rather, the Christ, the one that God has anointed to be king and who God has given power and authority to sit at his right hand (John 20:31, Hebrews 1:1-3).

Hope in the resurrection

Jesus was the first to be raised to eternal life, three days after his crucifixion, and our hope is also to be resurrected, when Jesus returns. We believe that eternal life is a gift or reward for the faithful that will be granted in God’s kingdom, here on earth. This is why we do not believe that we already have an eternal soul, or that the unfaithful will suffer eternal torment (John 5: 25-29, Romans 2:7-10, 1 Corinthians 15:20-23, Ecclesiastes 9:5-6, Daniel 12:2, Genesis 3:19).

“For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever should believe on him should not perish, but have eternal life” (John 3:16).

Salvation through forgiveness

We also believe that Jesus saves by bringing us to repentance, so we can be forgiven for our sins. The process of salvation will be completed when Jesus returns to raise the dead and give the faithful eternal life free from temptation and sin in his kingdom. We believe that Jesus died for us, not instead of us and our sins are forgiven, not paid for (Acts 17:30-32, 3:19-21, Romans 5:6-8, 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17).

Sin is from within

Finally, we believe that we are responsible for our own actions and we are called to battle against our own inner desires, not a literal devil. God declares that he alone is the one and only power and this leaves no room for another power that works against him (James 1:14-15, Isaiah 45:5-7, Mark 7:20-23).

Some of these differences in belief might be new or unexpected. God invites you to read the Bible and consider them for yourself, just like the Bereans who “examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.” (Acts 17:11).

If you would like to read and discuss the Bible with us, we’d love to hear from you. As well as in Dunedin, there are Christadelphian Ecclesia’s throughout New Zealand, the Pacific Islands and the rest of the world. You can get in touch on our contact page or check out our other articles and resources to explore any of these Bible topics further.