Restorationist views on the Bible’s disputed passages
Every disputed passage in this collection, and how Restorationist readers understand it — in their own terms, beside the full article with every other tradition’s reading.
Peter and the rock
Is Peter the rock on which the church is built, and does the papacy rest on this?
The rock is the Good Confession of Jesus as the Christ, not Peter.
Alexander Campbell and others identified Peter's statement in verse 16 as 'the Good Confession,' the only necessary basis for fellowship. Commentators like J.W. McGarvey stress that the rock is not Peter but the truth Peter confessed. The future tense 'I will build' is used to argue the church did not yet exist in the Old Testament but was established later at Pentecost. The keys are not a hierarchy but the authority of the gospel message.
Read the full article: Peter and the rock →Faith and works
Is a person justified by faith alone, or by works as well?
Justification by faith includes obedience to gospel commands, not faith alone.
Churches of Christ and other Restorationist bodies emphasize that James 2:24 is the only place in the New Testament where the phrase 'faith only' occurs, and it explicitly rejects the concept. Paul's exclusion of 'works of the law' (Romans 3:28) refers specifically to the Law of Moses or meritorious flawless obedience, not to the conditions of grace under the New Covenant, such as repentance and baptism. Romans 3:23 is read as active, personal transgression rather than inherited original guilt; the 'law of faith' (Romans 3:27) is the comprehensive gospel system including obedient faith. Ephesians 2:8-9 excludes human merit, not obedient faith, and good works in verse 10 are the necessary response of a transformed disciple.
Read the full article: Faith and works →This is my body
In what sense are the bread and wine Christ's body and blood?
The bread and fruit of the vine are memorials, with no real presence.
Churches of Christ read Matthew 26 as instituting a weekly memorial supper, using unleavened bread and fruit of the vine exactly as specified. John 6:63 is used to prove that 'eating flesh' is metaphorical for accepting Christ's teaching, not a sacramental reality. The words 'this is my body' are understood figuratively, and the tradition insists on speaking where the Bible speaks, so it avoids terms like transubstantiation. The Lord's Supper is observed every first day of the week as a central act of worship, led by men of the congregation. Its purpose is remembrance and proclamation, not conveyance of grace through the elements.
Read the full article: This is my body →Baptism
Is baptism necessary for salvation, and should infants be baptized?
Baptism by immersion is necessary for remission; no infants.
Restorationist hermeneutic takes John 3:5 as literal water baptism, the exact point of new birth. Acts 2:38's eis means 'unto' remission, making baptism a condition. Infants cannot believe or repent, so only penitent believers are immersed. Baptism is the line into the kingdom; without it one is not saved.
Read the full article: Baptism →Predestination
Does God choose who will be saved, and on what basis?
Corporate election; human free will; God chose the condition of faith.
Born out of rejection of Calvinism. Election of Jacob and Esau pertains to earthly service and lineage of the Messiah (Genesis: two nations). Potter and clay are read through Jeremiah 18: a nation's destiny changes based on repentance. Hardening of Pharaoh is God providing occasion for Pharaoh's own choice. Apologetically used to refute unconditional election; sovereignty does not negate agency, and God chose the condition of salvation (faith in Christ).
Read the full article: Predestination →Can salvation be lost?
Can a true believer fall away and be lost?
Genuine Christians can entirely and eternally fall away.
Within the Restoration Movement, Hebrews 6:4-6 is a primary proof text against the Calvinist doctrine of perseverance of the saints, often called 'once saved, always saved.' The tradition insists that the text describes genuine Christians—those 'made partakers of the Holy Spirit'—who can entirely and eternally fall away. The falling away is not a mere moral lapse but a total repudiation of Christ, leaving no remaining sacrifice for sins. The phrase 'doctrine of baptisms' in verse 2 is explained as distinguishing Jewish ceremonial washings, John's baptism, Holy Spirit baptism, and the singular Christian baptism. In congregational life, the passage is preached as a severe warning against spiritual stagnation, with verse 1's call to press on to maturity seen as essential.
Read the full article: Can salvation be lost? →The thousand years
What is the thousand-year reign, and will believers be caught up before the end?
The thousand years is symbolic of the complete present reign of Christ.
The Churches of Christ, after early postmillennial views like Campbell's, coalesced around amillennialism. The thousand years represents the church age, with Satan bound at the cross. The first resurrection is spiritual. On 1 Thessalonians 4, the tradition rejects a two-stage return or secret rapture; the Lord's descent is singular and public. The text is used for moral instruction and funeral comfort.
Read the full article: The thousand years →Women teaching in the church
May women teach and hold authority in the church?
Conservative congregations restrict public leadership to men; progressive ones allow women.
Mainstream and conservative Churches of Christ, following their hermeneutic of direct command and apostolic example, read 1 Timothy 2:11-12 and 1 Corinthians 14:34-35 as binding, transcultural regulations that restrict public leadership in the assembly—such as preaching, leading prayer, and serving in the Lord's Supper—to baptized men. They emphasize Paul's appeal to the creation order in 1 Timothy 2:13-14 as grounding the rule. However, a progressive wing within the tradition argues that the prohibitions were localized responses to specific disruptions, and some congregations now allow women to lead public worship and preach. The division is visible in the denomination's ongoing debates over women's roles.
Read the full article: Women teaching in the church →Wives and husbands
What does submission between wives and husbands mean?
Husband is head in a loving, ordered home; wives submit in reverence.
Churches of Christ and other Restorationist congregations have historically read Ephesians 5 as teaching an ordered household: the husband is the head, the wife is to subject herself as to the Lord, and the husband is to love her as Christ loved the church. This is part of the apostolic pattern to be restored, alongside baptism and a cappella singing. The tradition is not uniform; some Churches of Christ and most Christian Church/Disciples of Christ congregations now read verse 21 as establishing mutual submission. All, however, reject harsh or abusive headship and place the husband under Christ's authority.
Read the full article: Wives and husbands →Same-sex relationships
What do these texts say about same-sex relations, and do they address orientation as understood today?
Churches of Christ use Leviticus 18 as trans-dispensational moral law and 1 Corinthians 6 as baptismal cleansing.
The tradition holds that the Law of Moses is fulfilled, but Leviticus 18 is binding by necessary inference because Canaan was judged for these acts; J.W. McGarvey linked the Jerusalem Council's prohibition of porneia to Leviticus 18. Romans 1 is read as Paul's warning against idolatry and sexual disorder, and 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 as the pre-baptism life from which verse 11 says believers are washed. Churches of Christ overwhelmingly teach that same-sex sexual activity is sin and incompatible with the kingdom, though some more progressive congregations have emerged. The tradition emphasizes baptism as the point of cleansing from the sins listed.
Read the full article: Same-sex relationships →Male and female
What does "male and female he created them" say about sex and gender?
Literal male and female; complementarian and egalitarian streams
Churches of Christ and the Restoration Movement have historically read Genesis 1 literally, affirming that God created humanity as male and female, two complementary sexes. The tradition emphasizes the authority of Scripture and often uses this text to ground the sanctity of life and human dignity. On gender roles, conservative Churches of Christ typically hold a complementarian position, restricting public leadership roles to men, while more progressive congregations allow women to serve in all ministries. On transgender identity, most conservative congregations maintain a binary understanding, though there is growing diversity in some branches. The movement's restorationist impulse leads to ongoing debate about the original creation order and its application.
Read the full article: Male and female →Psalm 137 and its curse
What is a curse on infants doing in the Psalms?
Old Covenant expression; not model for Christians.
Restoration Movement hermeneutics strictly distinguishes the Old and New Covenants. Alexander Campbell established that the nationalistic warfare and physical vengeance of the Jewish dispensation were superseded by the spiritual nature of the Christian covenant. J.W. McGarvey argued the severe judgments were righteous within God's physical governance of nations at that time, aligning with divine prophetic justice. Later commentators like Coffman read verses 8–9 as inspired prophecy of Babylon's historical destruction, not a model for prayer. The psalm is applied to maintaining purity of worship in a secular world, using verses 1–4 as a metaphor for spiritual exile.
Read the full article: Psalm 137 and its curse →The binding of Isaac
Why does God command Abraham to sacrifice his son?
Obedient faith; justification requires faith cooperating with works.
Restoration Movement churches read Genesis 22 as the definitive demonstration that faith must be coupled with obedience. Rejecting "faith alone," they emphasize that Abraham's faith was not complete until he physically acted on the command. Verse 18 ("because thou hast obeyed my voice") is cited as proof that covenant blessings are conditional on obedience. Alexander Campbell and Guy N. Woods argued that mental assent is insufficient; faith is perfected only in act. Abraham rising early is a model of prompt obedience, applied especially to baptism.
Read the full article: The binding of Isaac →Jephthah's daughter
Did Jephthah sacrifice his daughter, and does the text approve?
Dispensational; divided between literal sacrifice and perpetual dedication.
Churches of Christ read the chapter as historical instruction from the Mosaic era, not a binding pattern. Commentators like James Burton Coffman argue for a literal sacrifice, seeing it as horrific, unauthorized syncretism violating the silence of Scripture. Others emphasize the daughter bewailing her virginity to argue for a non-literal dedication, defending the text against claims that God endorsed human sacrifice. The passage reinforces the principle to speak where the Bible speaks and be silent where it is silent, warning against rash, uncommanded promises.
Read the full article: Jephthah's daughter →Your father the devil
Whom are these sayings addressed to, and how have they been misused?
Truth and obedience determine spiritual parentage, not Jewish lineage.
Churches of Christ emphasize obedience to the truth. John 8:31-32, which precedes the "father the devil" saying, is central: only those who continue in Jesus' word are truly his disciples. The "children of the devil" are those who reject Jesus and seek to kill him, not any ethnic group. For 1 Thessalonians, the tradition's focus is on apostolic example and the word of God, not on the anti-Jewish verses. The Restoration plea is to return to the New Testament pattern, not to condemn Jews.
Read the full article: Your father the devil →Virgin or young woman?
Does Isaiah's almah mean 'virgin' or 'young woman', and is the verse about Jesus?
The prophecy is exclusively messianic, a literal miraculous prediction of Jesus
The Restoration Movement reads the OT as shadow leading to NT reality, using predictive prophecy for apologetics. Commentators like Homer Hailey and James Burton Coffman argue strictly for translating almah as 'virgin,' polemicizing against historical-critical scholars. Conservative Churches of Christ often resist dual fulfillment, seeing it as compromising the uniquely miraculous, predictive nature. They reconcile the context by noting the sign is given to the plural 'house of David' in verse 13, ensuring the preservation of the line. The chapter is heavily used in evangelistic contexts to demonstrate inspiration.
Read the full article: Virgin or young woman? →The longer ending of Mark
Did Mark's Gospel end at 16:8, and what of the verses after it?
v.16 makes baptism a condition of salvation alongside faith; longer ending authoritative.
Restoration Movement churches treat Mark 16:15–16 as a direct command that establishes the plan of salvation: faith, repentance, baptism, and then salvation. Alexander Campbell and Walter Scott argued that baptism is not merely symbolic but a coordinate condition with faith, and that the condemnation clause's omission of baptism does not make it optional but assumes faith as prerequisite. The tradition has historically defended the longer ending's authenticity because it contains this baptismal mandate. This text is central in evangelistic preaching and in refuting both infant baptism and "faith only" theologies.
Read the full article: The longer ending of Mark →The woman caught in adultery
Was this story part of John's Gospel from the start?
The story is authentic Scripture, though textual status is acknowledged.
Leaders in the Restoration Movement historically prioritized accurate translations, and some acknowledge the textual questions surrounding the passage. Commentators like J. W. McGarvey defended its historicity, arguing that Jesus did not set aside the Law of Moses but exposed the hypocrisy of the accusers. The passage is generally received as Scripture for teaching and is preached as a pattern of mercy and truth. Restorationist emphasis on the New Testament pattern includes this story as part of the apostolic witness.
Read the full article: The woman caught in adultery →The Johannine Comma
Is the explicit Trinitarian line in 1 John 5 original?
Churches of Christ follow modern textual criticism and reject the Comma as spurious.
Restoration Movement churches have long used modern translations based on early Greek manuscripts, and their scholars recognize the Comma Johanneum as a later addition not found in the earliest witnesses. The tradition's emphasis on restoring New Testament Christianity includes using the earliest attainable text. Their reading of 1 John 5 focuses on faith working through loving obedience (verse 3) and conditional assurance (verse 13), not on the Trinitarian clause. The Trinity is affirmed from Matthew 28:19, 2 Corinthians 13:14, and the overall biblical witness.
Read the full article: The Johannine Comma →Divorce and the exception clause
When, if ever, may a marriage be ended and another begun?
Verse 9 is universal law: divorce only for fornication; only the innocent party may remarry.
Within the Restoration Movement, Matthew 19:9 is treated as the definitive New Testament legislation on marriage, divorce, and remarriage. Commentators like H. Leo Boles interpret the verse as a universal, binding law: divorce is sinful except for the cause of fornication, and only the innocent party has the scriptural right to remarry. Some in the tradition debate whether this law applies to non-Christians prior to baptism, but the mainstream conservative consensus maintains its universal application from creation. Many Churches of Christ examine marital histories of prospective members and may require separation or celibacy to demonstrate repentance from an 'unscriptural' marriage.
Read the full article: Divorce and the exception clause →Tithing
Must Christians tithe, and does giving bring material blessing?
The tithe is an Old Covenant command; Christians give freewill offerings.
Churches of Christ strictly distinguish the Old and New Covenants, holding that the Law of Moses was abrogated at the cross. Consequently, Malachi 3:8-10 is directed to national Israel and its temple, not to the church. Preachers caution against using this text to pressure tithing, instead teaching that Christian giving is governed by apostolic command: freewill, cheerful, proportional giving on the first day of the week. The material promises are seen as belonging to the old covenant land promises, not to the church.
Read the full article: Tithing →Obeying the government
Must Christians obey every government, and are there limits?
Historically pacifist and separatist; later mainstream civic responsibility.
In the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, David Lipscomb in Civil Government argued from Romans 13 that while God ordains human government to rule over the worldly and punish evil, Christians are citizens of a heavenly kingdom and must avoid participation in the state's coercive machinery—no voting, office-holding, or bearing arms. By the mid-to-late twentieth century, the mainstream Churches of Christ shifted toward teaching direct civic responsibility, with commentators like R.L. Whiteside emphasizing law-abiding citizenship and payment of taxes. Today the tradition is internally divided, with some retaining the pacifist-separatist stance and others embracing active civic engagement. Both streams agree that Christians must be respectful and pay taxes, but they differ over whether believers may wield the sword.
Read the full article: Obeying the government →Creation and the age of the earth
Are the days of Genesis 1 literal, and what do these chapters teach about origins?
Days literal 24-hour; creation defends biblical authority.
The Restoration Movement applies a Baconian, common-sense hermeneutic to read Genesis 1 as literal, factual history. Defending literal six-day creation has been a paramount apologetic focus against naturalism and theistic evolution. The 'seed principle' from 'after his kind' is used to argue that the gospel seed produces New Testament Christians. Genesis 2's prohibition is seen as a positive law requiring exact obedience. The creation order of man before woman is applied to church leadership roles.
Read the full article: Creation and the age of the earth →