The Christadelphians

Introducing a Bible-based community

by Rob J Hyndman.

First Century Patterns

The Christadelphians are a small religious body who have attempted to get back to the faith and character of the early Christian church. We have been in existence for nearly 150 years. The name "Christadelphians" comes from two Greek words and means "brothers in Christ". We are located in many countries throughout the world with large groups of Christadelphians in the United Kingdom and Europe, Australia and New Zealand, North America, South East Asia and Africa. Like the early Christians, we meet in homes, rented rooms and, in some cases, our own halls. We are a lay community patterned after first century Christianity. Each congregation is called an "ecclesia" (the New Testament word for church). We have no paid clergy or church hierarchy. Members of each congregation are addressed as 'brother' or 'sister', and all are involved in organising our activities. All members contribute their time and energy voluntarily in service to God. A strong common belief binds our brotherhood together. We accept the Bible as our only guide and believe it to be the inspired word of God. Membership is extended to those with similar beliefs after being baptised (fully immersed in water).

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A Brief History

Many believers since the apostles have held the same faith as the Christadelphians. There have been countless independent communities around the world who have eagerly studied the Bible and accepted its simple teachings.

The Christadelphians trace their history to the mid-1800s. In 1830, an English physician named John Thomas sailed to America. On the voyage, the ship met some unexpected bad weather and nearly sank. For the first time, Dr Thomas faced the reality of his own mortality and was dismayed to discover that he was not sure what lay beyond death. In the midst of the storm he vowed that, should he survive, he would not rest until he had found a satisfactory answer.

He did survive and kept his vow, beginning a life-long search for the truth. It soon became evident that many of the doctrines that were popularly taught and believed were inconsistent with the Bible. Dissatisfied, Dr Thomas devoted himself to a careful independent study of the Scriptures. He made no claim to any vision or personal revelation.

The work of Dr Thomas attracted the support of others in America and Britain who were convinced of the truth of his conclusions. Together they formed the Christadelphian community. Since then, Christadelphian communities have been established in many countries all over the world.

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Our Beliefs

The Bible
We believe that the Bible is God's only revealed message to mankind, given to bring responsive individuals to the obedience of faith. The Bible is our only authority and we teach that it should be read prayerfully and with care at every opportunity. God
There is only one eternal, immortal God. Jesus Christ is his only begotten son and the Holy Spirit is his power. Man
Man is mortal and a sinner before God. His whole being is prone to sin and the punishment for sin is death the end of all life. Jesus
In his love, God sent his son, the man Jesus into the world to save men from their sins. Those who believe in him will not perish, but have everlasting life. Hope
The only hope of life after death is the resurrection of the body and everlasting life in God's kingdom on earth. Sacrifice of Christ
Jesus was sinless. He died to show God's righteousness and to redeem those who receive this sacrifice by faith. God raised him from the dead, gave him immortality, granted him all authority in heaven and on earth, and set him as the mediator between God and man. Return of Jesus
Jesus will return to the earth soon. Then he will raise many of the dead, judge them with the living, and give his faithful followers everlasting life in the kingdom of God. Kingdom of God
The kingdom of God will be established on earth. Jesus will be king in Jerusalem, his dominion worldwide and his government will bring eternal righteousness and peace. The Promises
The Gospel is inseparable from the promises which God made to Abraham and David in Old Testament times. These promises find their fulfilment in Jesus Christ. The Way of Salvation
The way to enter the kingdom of God is by faith. This involves belief in the Bible and obedience to its requirements that men and women confess their sins, repent, be baptised and follow Jesus faithfully. Back to contents.

Some Important Differences

Often we are asked, "How are you different from other Christian groups"? Apart from our distinctive organisation (with no clergy or hierarchy), some of our doctrines are quite different from most churches.

For example, we reject the doctrine of a 'Trinity'. This doctrine developed in the 300 years after Jesus died as a result of disputes within the orthodox church. The Bible teaches that Jesus was the Son of God but nowhere does it speak of him 'pre-existing' in heaven as "God the Son".

We also reject the idea of an "immortal soul" that goes to heaven at death. The Bible teaches that the only hope for eternal life is through a resurrection when Jesus returns.

Another difference is that we believe that baptism is essential and for mature believers only. We believe that sprinkling of babies is not baptism.

We also believe that the Bible uses the 'devil' as a symbol of sinful human nature, and so we reject the doctrine of a supernatural tempter.

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Our Way of Life

The Bible gives effective direction to our lives. We try to rely fully upon God and develop a faith which is active in prayer and good works. At the same time, however, we recognise that salvation is by grace.

With God's help, we seek to please and obey him every day, striving to imitate Christ who faithfully obeyed his Father. We therefore endeavour to be enthusiastic in work, loyal in marriage, generous in giving, dedicated in preaching and happy in our God.

A widespread custom amongst Christadelphians is to read the Bible every day using a reading plan which enables us to systematically read the Old Testament once and the New Testament twice each year. Of course, many read much more widely than this.

We may also attend one or more evening Bible classes each week. Every Sunday, we attend a service we call the "Memorial Meeting" or "Breaking of Bread". This is similar to the "Communion" of some churches. All members partake of bread and wine and an 'exhortation' is given based on the Bible. Attendance at this service is the focus of our religious life.

We also have Sunday Schools and Youth Groups; a weekend away at a Bible Study camp is always popular with Christadelphian young people.

Some members travel overseas on mission work; others care for the elderly in our nursing homes and hostels. There are several monthly magazines to read (and write).

The Christadelphians are a close-knit community working in God's service in whatever ways we can.

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For More Information

See the Christadelphian page or write to or contact your local Christadelphians.

Hard copies of this booklet are available from:
Bethel Publications, P.O. Box 285, Beechworth, VIC 3747, Australia.

Or email me.

An expanded version of this booklet is published by Printland Publishers in English and Hindi. For the Hindi version, contact Printland Publishers.

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