This is a brief introduction to what “Concordant” theology is, and who we “Concordant” believers are, for those who come across this website and might be wondering.
If you’d prefer a video overview, the Ready to Harvest YouTube channel has published a pretty decent video on the topic, which is embedded below. (I should say, the Ready to Harvest channel is not a “Concordant” YouTube channel, but it does have excellent, unbiased videos about the various denominations and other movements within Christendom, among other related topics.)
That said, whether you watch the above video or not, I’d still recommend reading the rest of this page for more details on who we are and what we believe (along with links to more information about why we believe what we do) as well.
Basically, those of us who refer to ourselves as “Concordant” believers are members of the church known as the body of Christ who agree with the core doctrines that are listed a little further down on this page. As for the nickname “‘Concordant’ believers” itself, it came about because a large number — perhaps even the majority — of English-speaking members of the body of Christ tend to prefer using the CLV (the Concordant Literal Version of the Bible) at this point in time. That said, we’re not CLV-Onlyists or anything, and I primarily use the KJV (the King James Version) myself, because I personally believe it to be the most accurate translation of Scripture (and even though it’s a less literal Bible translation, the KJV still teaches all the core doctrines we believe, although if does require more careful study to learn the truth from it).
Beyond the tendency of many “Concordant” believers to prefer to use the CLV, we’re very different from your standard denomination within the Christian religion in many other ways as well. In fact, we’re not even really a part of the Christian religion at all, because we’re actually a religionless church, and also because our beliefs tend to be considered “unorthodox,” and even heretical, to most Christians (and, as such, few of us still use the label “Christian” to refer to ourselves anymore).
While we don’t necessarily all agree with each other on every little detail and minutia of doctrine or theology, there are a number of points that those of us known as “Concordant” believers do agree on, and these particular points make up what could be said to be the core doctrines of “Concordant” theology, as mentioned previously:
- We believe in scriptural inerrancy, and we tend to interpret the Bible as literally as possible (outside of cases where it’s meant to be interpreted figuratively, of course). We’re also very Sola scriptura, rejecting “orthodox” traditions and creeds, and following only what Scripture says when it comes to our doctrines.
- We recognize that Paul’s Gospel is to be divided from the Gospel to Israel as heralded by the terrestrial Jesus, and by Peter and Jesus’ other disciples, since the glorified Christ gave Paul a new message for the nations.
- We understand that the doctrines the body of Christ is meant to follow are all contained within the epistles signed by Paul. While all Scripture is true and useful for all of us, the rest of it was written primarily to and about Israel.
- We believe that God is working out His purpose through a series of time periods known as ages (more often referred to as eons), not to be confused with dispensations, which are simply different spiritual administrations or “economies” that can apply to different groups of people, sometimes even overlapping each other in time.
- We believe in the complete sovereignty of God, and that all things are predetermined.
- We understand that death is non-existence, as far as our consciousness goes. This means that the “hell” mentioned in the KJV and other less literal Bible versions isn’t a place the dead can suffer in, and that heaven isn’t a place the dead can go either, at least not in a conscious state. This also means that Jesus Christ did, in fact, cease to exist as a conscious being when He died for our sins and when He was buried, before He rose again the third day.
- We affirm that, through the cross of Christ, God will save all humanity, and will reconcile all conscious, sapient beings who ever existed, and who need to be reconciled, to Himself. However, while all humanity will experience the general salvation that Paul primarily taught about (which consists of eventually being made immortal and sinless, solely because of Christ’s death for our sins, burial, and resurrection on the third day, and not because of any choice we make), they won’t all experience the special salvation he also taught about — which includes getting to experience immortality and sinlessness earlier than everyone else, and also joining the body of Christ, among other things — or the type of salvation Jesus spoke about to Israel during His earthly ministry either, because there are different types of salvation, and not everybody experiences every type.
If you’d like to learn the reasons we believe these particular doctrines, among various other common doctrines that many of us also hold to as well, please visit the Actual Good News page of this website, or read the (free) Rejecting Rome book-length Bible study. That said, one doesn’t need to be a “Concordant” believer to be a member of the true body of Christ. To be a member of the body of Christ, one simply has to truly believe Paul’s Gospel as recorded in 1 Corinthians 15:3-4 (which does mean actually understanding what his Gospel means, since one can’t truly believe something they don’t actually understand). For a list of the Primary Doctrines of the true body of Christ (not to be confused with the core doctrines of “Concordant” believers, although there is overlap since, while not all members of the body of Christ are necessarily “Concordant” believers, all “Concordant” believers are members of the body of Christ), as well as some of the doctrines that are occasionally debated amongst those of us within the body of Christ, please see the below chart.
If you’d like to learn more, you can do so by checking out the articles, websites, books, and videos by various members of the body of Christ that are linked to on this page.
Because there are relatively few of us, however, at least in most parts of the world, it’s rare that many of us get to gather in person very often, outside of various conferences that are held every now and then.
Oh, and just as a heads up, if the various websites and YouTube channels linked to on the Home Page ever all stop getting updates at the same time, it means The Rapture has likely occurred, and the final seven years of age 3 are about to begin, and Israel’s Gospel of the Kingdom will once again be the only Gospel to concern yourself with for the time being, so please keep that in mind if that happens.