House Church Talk - What Does God Think About the Existence of Many "Christian" Denominations?

[forwarded]

(Original was a tad too long for the list software. - forwarder)
 
>From "james and loretta friesen"  theway at telus.net

What Does God Think About the Existence of Many "Christian" Denominations?

The gospel of Jesus records that He built one church and that all saved 
people were in that church. He prayed for unity and rebuked division. 
Denominations as we know them did not exist till centuries later. Yet 
today hundreds of denominations exist in the name of Christianity, 
claiming to be Christian. They are divided and contradict one another. 
This study examines the teaching of the Scriptures about the existence of 
denominationalism. Introduction:

To the average person, "Christianity" includes hundreds of different 
denominations that disagree with one another in name, organization, 
doctrine, worship, and plan of salvation. Such a situation clearly 
constitutes division, not unity. Yet all the denominations claim to be 
Christian and to follow Jesus Christ.

If we really want to please God, however, we must forsake what we want 
and practice what He wants.

Ecclesiastes 12:13 - Man's whole duty is to fear God and keep His 
commands. We should be determined to do God's will, not our own.

Mat thew 16:24 - To follow Jesus one must deny himself. True religion does 
not consist of what pleases us. It is entirely a question of what pleases 
God.

In this study we want to consider whether or not God is pleased by the 
existence of denominations. What does He really think about the religious 
division that exists today? Does He want unity instead? The only way to 
know what God thinks is to study His revelation, the Bible. So, what does 
the Bible say about denominationalism.

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I. The Bible Concept of the Church

Ephesians 3:10,11 says the church is part of God's eternal wisdom. This 
shows that the church is important to God, so we should respect His will 
regarding it. What does He say should be our concept of the church, and 
does denominationalism fit that concept?

A. Bible Meanings of the Word "Church" The word "church" is used two ways 
in the Bible:

The church in the "universal" sense The "universal" church refers to the 
body or group of all saved people everywhere. It includes all who have 
been redeemed by Jesus' blood, have been forgiven of their sins, and have 
been born into His spiritual family. Bible examples of this usage are:

Mat thew 16:18 - Jesus promised to build His church. The church is built 
on Jesus and belongs to Him ("my church"). [Cf. 1 Cor. 3:11]

Ephesians 5:23,25 - Jesus is Head of the church, and He is Savior of His 
body. He gave Himself for the church. So the church is the body of all 
people who have been saved by Christ.

Acts 2:47 - The Lord added to the church those who were saved. The 
"universal" church consists of all saved people everywhere because, when 
God saves people, He puts them in the church. In this sense, the church 
is always singular.

[See also Eph. 1:22,23; Col. 1:18,24; 1 Tim. 3:15; cf. 1 Cor. 12:12-14 to 
Acts 2:38; 22:16; Mk 16:16.]

The church in the "local" sense The "local" church refers to a 
congregation of Christians in a region who have united themselves to work 
and worship together. According to the Bible, they have a pattern of 
organization, work that they are to do, and funds they use to do this 
work.

In the Bible, Christians were not just members of the universal body of 
all

saved people, but they also associated themselves into local churches. 
Here are some examples:

Acts 8:1 - The church which was in Jerusalem.

1 Corinthians 1:2 - The church of God which was at Corinth.

1 Thessalonians 2:14 - Churches of God which were in Judea.

Revelation 1:4,11 - The seven churches of Asia.

Galatians 1:2 - The churches of Galatia.

Note that, in this local sense, the word "church" can be used in the 
plural - "churches of Christ" (Rom. 16:16). Congregations existed in 
different localities, but they were not religiously divided. All had the 
same pattern of organization, doctrine, worship, salvation, etc.

[See also Acts 11:22; 2 Cor. 1:1; 8:1; Gal. 1:22; 1 Cor. 16:1; Rom. 
16:1,4; 1 Cor. 14:33.]

B. The Denominational Concept of the Church Modern denominations include 
many local congregations, and they claim there is one universal church 
composed of all "saved" people. But they add something new - the 
denominations. All these "saved" people in all these local churches are 
now divided into denominations.

The concept of a denomination, as commonly believed today, involves all 
the following elements:

* Each denomination is an affiliation or confederation consisting of a 
number of local churches.

* Each denomination has its own peculiar name, doctrine, organization, 
plan of worship, etc., which distinguishes it from other denominations.

* Each denomination claims it is composed of Christians, but it does not 
claim to contain all faithful Christians. Each denomination believes 
there are faithful children of God in other denominations. "There are 
saved people in all the denominations." "We're all going to heaven, just 
by different routes." "One church is as good as another." It's just a 
matter of personal preference, like different kinds of cars, colors of 
clothes, etc. So "join the church of your choice."

Ask any informed denominationalist, and he will confirm what we have 
said. Ask: "Are there saved Christians in your denomination?" He will 
say, "Yes." Ask: "Are there Christians in other denominations, who will 
go to heaven?" He will say, "Yes." Ask: "Does one have to be a member of 
your denomination to go to heaven?" He will say, "No." So each 
denomination claims to consist of some Christians, but not all Christians.

A denominational preacher once said the following in a letter to me:

"There is only one 'holy Christian Church,' of which Christ is the Head, 
but it is now made up of many denominations ... But faith in Christ is 
the first criterion of membership in the holy Christian Church, and we 
feel that such believers can be found in all Christian denominations."

C. Denominationalism Differs from God's Plan. God's plan involves all 
saved people in one universal body, yet associated together in local 
churches. Denominationalism changes God's plan by adding the concept of 
denominational affiliations - associations of local churches that contain 
some of the saved but not all of the saved - organizations that are more 
than just local churches, but less than the universal church. 
Denominations were unknown in the Bible. They constitute an addition, a 
change in God's plan. Most people can easily read their Bibles and see 
that this is so.

What does God think about unauthorized changes in His pattern? What 
difference does it make? Will God be pleased with people who defend the 
denominational concept?

Galatians 1:6-9 - Any man is accursed if he preaches a gospel different 
from what is revealed in the New Testament. But denominationalism is 
different from the gospel. It is nowhere authorized in the gospel.

2 John 9 - Whoever does not abide in Jesus' doctrine does not have God. 
Is denominationalism part of Jesus' teaching? No! It is not revealed in 
His word. Therefore, those who practice this unauthorized change have not 
God! [See also Rev. 22:18,19.]

Is God pleased when people follow man's wisdom instead of His? The church 
is part of God's eternal wisdom in the Bible (Eph. 3:10,11). 
Denominations are not in the Bible, so they must have come from men. If 
we participate in them, we are following man's wisdom, not God's. What 
does God think about this?

Proverbs 3:5,6 - We must not lean on our human wisdom, but must trust in 
God to guide us.

Proverbs 14:12 - There are ways that seem right to men, but their end is 
death.

Mat thew 15:9,13,14 - Human traditions and commands make our service to 
God vain or empty. Everything religiously which God did not plant will be 
rooted up. By whose command do denominations exist? Who planted them? Not 
God, but man. Hence, they make people's worship and service to God vain 
and they will be rooted up.

[See also Isa. 55:8,9; Jer. 10:23; Col.3:17; 1 Cor. 1:18-25; 2:1-5.]