Church and Denominations
Church and Denominations
By: Irnawan Silitonga
I am moved to briefly write about this topic because in the Christian world, ‘Church’ and ‘Denomination’ have long been considered the same thing. In fact, almost no denominational leaders ever question the difference between the Church and a denomination. Perhaps it is seen as unimportant to make an issue of it—especially since almost every theological school in the Christian world teaches the concept of the ‘visible’ and ‘invisible church’. It is said that denominations represent the visible church because they are physically seen—the buildings, the streams, the organizations, the worship services, and so on. Meanwhile, the invisible church refers to all people in the world who have been born again or who have truly believed in Jesus Christ.
Let us begin by seeing in Scripture how important and precious the Church is in the eyes of the Lord Jesus.
First, Jesus obtained His Church with His own blood (Acts 20:28). If someone buys something by paying even half of their possessions, we can imagine how valuable that thing must be. How much more valuable then is the Church that Jesus purchased with His own blood! How precious the Church must be in His sight.
Second, when Saul persecuted the Church, Jesus said to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?” (Acts 9:4). Here we see that Jesus does not separate Himself from the Church, because the Church is His very Body. Whoever persecutes the Church persecutes Jesus Himself. Whoever corrupts the Church through false teachings and deceitful motives is in fact wounding Jesus deeply.
Third, Jesus said, “I will build My Church” (Matthew 16:18). One of the reasons Jesus came into the world was to build His Church. In Matthew 23, Jesus said, “Do not let anyone among you be called Rabbi, Leader, or Father, for you have only one Leader.” We see here that Jesus refuses to be “interfered with” in His work of building the Church. He alone will build it. He alone will be its Head. He never has and never will delegate His authority over His Church. All members of the Church are brothers and sisters. This shows how important the matter of building the Church is in His eyes. Truly, only Jesus is able to build His own Church. Remember, my brother, building the Church is the business of Jesus, and He does not wish to be disturbed by those who call themselves rabbi, leader, or father. Why does Jesus refuse interference in building His Church? Because the Church is precious and dear to Him.
Fourth, the Bible speaks of Jesus and His Church from Genesis to Revelation. In Genesis, Jesus and His Church appear in symbolic form: Adam as a symbol of Christ Jesus, and Eve as a symbol of the Church. In Revelation, Jesus is depicted as the Lamb, and His Bride is the New Jerusalem. This shows us how central the Church is in the Father’s plan—and therefore, how deeply important the Church is to Jesus. If, by His grace, we can see how important the Church is, can we still take the matter lightly? Can we still casually say that the Church and denominational institutions are the same thing?
We have seen how precious the Church is in the eyes of Jesus Christ. But how is it that the Church—so valuable to Him—has now become divided into thousands of denominations? Was this truly Jesus’ plan when He said, ‘I will build My Church’? If we look at dictionary definitions, a ‘denomination’ is described as a ‘branch’ of the Christian Church. By that definition, it seems as though nothing is wrong—denominations simply appear to be the natural development of the Church, resulting from differences of opinion among leaders that give rise to various streams. However, if we examine John 10 and Acts 20:29–30, we will see that the matter is not that simple. Let us look at these two portions of God’s Word. John 10:10 says, “The thief comes only to steal, kill, and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it abundantly.” Who is this “thief”? Many pastors who misunderstand the context will say that the thief refers to the devil or evil spirits. But if we read the entire chapter—and even the one before it—we see clearly that Jesus was speaking to some Pharisees who were present there (John 9:40 and John 10:1).
In His conversation, Jesus used the parable of the good shepherd, but the Pharisees did not understand (John 10:6). In this parable, Jesus clearly defines who the thieves and robbers are: they are those who enter the sheepfold not through the door. Since the Pharisees did not grasp this parable, Jesus explained that ‘He’ is the door of the sheep.
The Pharisees and teachers of the Law sat “in Moses’ seat” and had authority over the people of Israel (Matthew 23:2–7). Jesus even told the crowds to obey what they taught, but not to imitate their deeds, for they taught without practicing what they preached. Their task should have been to shepherd God’s people. Yet, because they rejected Jesus—the door of the sheep—they were not shepherds, but thieves and robbers. Therefore, in context, the thieves and robbers are the Pharisees and teachers of the Law, not the devil or evil spirits. But what—or whom—did these Pharisees and teachers of the Law steal? They stole and robbed the sheep, of course.
Now let us compare this passage (John 10) with Acts 20:30 to understand more clearly. Acts 20:30 says, “Even from among your own selves men will arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after them.” Here Paul warns the elders in Ephesus that some leaders will draw disciples away from the truth to follow themselves—using false teachings to do so. Disciples who once followed the leading of the Spirit will be pulled away to become followers of those leaders. These leaders have “stolen” disciples through false doctrine. Why did these leaders steal disciples? Verse 29 explains that savage wolves had attacked them.
With this understanding, we begin to see why the Church has become fragmented into thousands of denominations. The “thieves and robbers” revealed in these two passages (John 10 and Acts 20:28–30) were originally people appointed by the Holy Spirit as overseers to shepherd the Church of Jesus Christ. But later, being attacked by savage wolves, they became thieves and robbers—teaching false doctrines and drawing disciples to follow them instead of the Holy Spirit.
So, the thieves and robbers are not outsiders; they are church leaders who have fallen, corrupted by the attack of the wolves. These thieves and robbers also neglected to watch over themselves (Acts 20:28). Before one can care for the flock, he must first guard himself so as not to be overcome by the wolves. That is why Paul urged Timothy to watch his life and his teaching—to avoid false doctrine.
By contrast, the good shepherd—the opposite of the thief and robber—knows his sheep and is willing to lay down his life for them. I once shared about the difference between a father and a manager. Both are leaders. A father leads his family, while a manager leads a community—whether a business organization or a religious community. A father knows his children and, under normal circumstances, would gladly give his life for them. A manager, on the other hand, does not need to know his subordinates personally. His main duties are planning, organizing, leading, motivating, and controlling to ensure everything runs according to plan. Such management does not require personal knowledge of or relationship with the people under him. A manager can lead 100, 1,000, 10,000, or even hundreds of thousands of people, because his relationship with them is a working relationship—aimed at profit. But a father’s relationship with his children is one of blood—its purpose is love and relationship.
Church leaders have a “blood relationship” with the congregation—the “blood of Jesus” or the Life of Christ. Church leaders are fathers. Peter, Paul, and John were fathers. They were not managers. In fact, there should be no managers in the Church. The only true “manager” of the Church is the Holy Spirit—the Life-giving Spirit. All members of the Church are servants of the Spirit, as Paul called himself a prisoner of the Spirit. The book of Acts mentions the Spirit about seventy times—in phrases like ‘the Spirit led’, ‘the Spirit forbade’, ‘the Spirit spoke’, and so on. Why? Because every member of the Church follows the guidance of the Holy Spirit, including its leaders. From this we see that thieves and robbers resemble “religious managers” more than fathers who love and care for their flock. Hopefully, through this explanation, we can more clearly identify these thieves and robbers, and we can better understand why the church has split into thousands of denominations as we see today.
We are still trying to clarify the identity of the thieves and robbers revealed in two passages of God’s Word—John 10 and Acts 20:28–30. Let us look more closely at several things concerning these thieves and robbers. First, these thieves and robbers were once people appointed by the Holy Spirit to be overseers to shepherd the church of Jesus Christ. However, after being attacked by fierce wolves, they became thieves and robbers by teaching false doctrines and drawing the disciples away from the right path to follow them instead of the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Therefore, these thieves and robbers are not people outside the church. They are, in fact, church leaders who have turned into thieves and robbers after being attacked by fierce wolves. However, the sheep of Jesus do not listen to the voice of the thieves, and they cannot be deceived. On the contrary, the sheep of Jesus will flee from false teachers and from those who steal the sheep.
Second, the sheep of Jesus follow Jesus (verse 27). The stolen sheep are unaware that they are merely following their leaders—perhaps following their programs, attending services with their rituals and creeds. But the sheep of Jesus follow Jesus, because they hear His voice and walk wherever the Lord Jesus leads them. In Revelation 14:4 it is written, “They follow the Lamb wherever He goes.” These are the overcomers—the sheep who are not only called but also chosen by the Father to follow the Lamb (Jesus) wherever He goes. The stolen sheep, of course, cannot follow Jesus wherever He goes, because they have already been “caged” or “confined” within a structured organization with programs determined by their leaders.
Third, the sheep of Jesus know Jesus (verse 14). John 10:10 says, “…I came that they may have life (zoe), and have it abundantly.” The life ‘zoe’ is the kind of life possessed and lived by God Himself. We cannot know Jesus unless we live this ‘zoe’ life. John 17:3 says, “And this is eternal life (zoe), that they may know You… and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.” Living the ‘zoe’ life means living a kind of life that is led by ‘zoe’. The sheep of Jesus live the ‘zoe’ life in their daily living. This is true worship in spirit and in reality, as Jesus told the Samaritan woman (John 4). The worship of the sheep of Jesus follows the leading of ‘zoe’ day by day—not worship “on this mountain or on that mountain” (John 4:21), not worship according to this or that program, nor worship following this or that leader or religious regulation.
The stolen sheep can no longer worship according to the daily leading of ‘zoe’. Though they may have ‘zoe’ within them, they no longer live or worship according to its leading because they are already “confined” by programs, sects, religious rules, and so forth.
Up to this point we have seen that the church’s division into thousands of denominations occurred because of thieves and robbers (John 10). Savage wolves have attacked certain church leaders so that through false teachings they draw disciples to themselves (Acts 20:29–30). We have tried to identify these thieves and robbers, as well as the sheep stolen by them. We have also identified the sheep of Jesus—those who cannot be stolen, for Jesus Himself said, “No one can snatch them out of My Father’s hand” (John 10:29).
Considering the present condition of the church, which has been fragmented into thousands of denominations—where there are thieves and robbers, stolen sheep, and the sheep of Jesus—we might ask: Did Jesus fail when He said, “I will build My church”? If we think that all sheep, both stolen and not, are the sheep of Jesus, then it would appear that Jesus has failed as the Shepherd, since some of His sheep were stolen. But we know that Jesus said, “No one can snatch My sheep out of the Father’s hand,” and “I and the Father are one.” Therefore, clearly Jesus did not fail.
Why did Jesus not fail? Because only the sheep chosen by Him can truly be called the sheep of Jesus. Many are called to be sheep, but few are chosen to be the sheep of Jesus. I have written earlier on the theme ‘Many are called, but few are chosen’. Let me quote my explanation concerning the parable of the wedding feast (Matthew 22:1–14): Begin quote: Let us look deeper into our conclusion, “many are called, but few are chosen.” Who are those who were called but not chosen? We know that those invited and called in the parable of the wedding feast were the Jews. And the Jews were God’s people, who had been adopted as sons, received the glory, the promises, and the Law. But God chose only the remnant of Israel. Therefore, those who were called but not chosen are God’s people. The Jews were God’s people, yet only a remnant was chosen. This agrees with what Jude said, “…the Lord, having saved His people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed those who did not believe” (verse 5). So, even though they were called out of Egypt, Israel still failed to enter the Promised Land—only Joshua and Caleb succeeded. Why? Because most of Israel were called but not chosen.
Thus, those who are called are indeed God’s people. Those who failed to enter the Promised Land were also God’s people. They failed because they were only called but not chosen. This is consistent with many parables in the Gospels—the parable of the talents, the sower, the wise and foolish virgins, the vine, and many others that explain the same truth. We will study these parables one by one later so we can understand more clearly what ‘many are called, but few are chosen’ truly means. End quote.
Therefore, Jesus did not fail to build His church when He said, “I will build My church.” As long as we understand that the sheep stolen by the thieves are indeed God’s people who received the grace to be ‘called’ but not to be ‘chosen’. Meanwhile, the sheep of Jesus are those who have received the grace both to be called and to be chosen. We have seen, then, that Jesus did not fail when He said, “I will build My church.” The sheep of Jesus—those who are called and chosen—cannot be stolen by thieves and robbers. The Christian world may be filled with sheep-stealers and stolen sheep, but the sheep of Jesus continue to follow and listen only to His voice.
Was God “surprised” by the current state of Christianity? Or is the existence of these thieves and robbers actually part of His plan to refine and mature His chosen sheep? Let us reflect on this together. Christian theology generally adopts a dualistic view—an idea that certain situations arise from two opposing forces: God as the source of good and Satan as the source of evil, struggling against each other. According to this view, Jesus as the Good Shepherd was suddenly attacked by savage wolves (the devil), causing some of His sheep to be stolen. Hence, the once-united church became fragmented into thousands of denominations—as if God were “taken by surprise” by this attack. But is that really the case?
This dualistic teaching actually diminishes God’s sovereignty, as though He were not the One who determines all things. The Bible says, “For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever” (Romans 11:36). Likewise, Isaiah 45:6–7 declares, “…I am the LORD, and there is no other, forming light and creating darkness, making peace and creating calamity; I, the LORD, do all these things.” And Amos 3:6 asks, “If disaster comes to a city, has not the LORD done it?” Clearly, it is God who designs all things. It is God who designed even the attack of savage wolves upon the church for His own purposes.
Let us look at the real example of thieves and robbers in the time of Jesus—the Pharisees, the scribes, and all the Jewish religious leaders (the Sanhedrin) who killed Jesus. Was God “surprised” when He Himself was rejected and even killed by these religious leaders? Let us read John 12:37–40: “Even after Jesus had performed so many signs in their presence, they still would not believe in Him. This was to fulfill the word of Isaiah the prophet… For this reason they could not believe, because, as Isaiah says elsewhere: ‘He has blinded their eyes and hardened their hearts, so they can neither see with their eyes, nor understand with their hearts, nor turn—and I would heal them.’”
It is clear from these verses that God Himself blinded and hardened the hearts of the Pharisees and scribes—the thieves and robbers—so that they would not see or understand. Why did God harden them? Because He had His own purposes—to fulfill His Word, to glorify His name. And I am convinced that God also designed the existence of thieves and robbers within Christianity to refine and mature His chosen sheep.
Therefore, Jesus was not “surprised” when savage wolves attacked some church leaders, causing them to draw, steal, and even rob God’s people—those who had received grace only to be called. But Jesus ensures that His chosen sheep will never be stolen by such robbers. From this brief explanation, we can understand several points about the church and denominations:
1. The division of the church into thousands of denominations occurred because of thieves and robbers of the sheep.
2. These thieves and robbers were originally church leaders (elders = presbuteros or episkopos), but after being attacked by savage wolves, through false teachings they drew disciples to themselves. They no longer build the Church but their own denominations, their own sects, their own kingdoms.
3. The thieves and their stolen sheep are still God’s people—those who received the grace to be called, just like the Pharisees, scribes, and the people they misled were God’s people, the nation of Israel under the Mosaic covenant.
4. The sheep of Jesus are those who hear His voice and do not heed the voice of the thieves. They cannot be snatched from His hand. The sheep of Jesus not only received grace to be called but also to be chosen.
Let us close this writing by briefly describing the two women in the Book of Revelation, which represent two communities (the Church and the Denominations) in today’s Christianity. We will look at their leadership and the results thereof:
1. The woman in chapters 17 and 18 “sits upon a beast” (17:3). In Revelation, the beast symbolizes human governmental systems. Thus, this woman is supported by human leadership. Indeed, she becomes great—better described as a great city (Babylon), where the human system of “Nimrod” rules. The result of this human leadership is divine judgment (18:8).
2. The woman in chapter 12 is “crowned with twelve stars” upon her head. Twelve symbolizes divine government; stars represent the sons of God. This means the woman is led by a divine governmental system, in which the sons of God work together forming a crown (a symbol of
authority). The result of this leadership is that she gives birth to “a male child” who will rule and shepherd all nations (12:5). This “male child” will eventually be manifested to all creation to bring liberation to it (Romans 8:19–21). Thus ends this brief exposition on the Church and Denominations. May this writing bring enlightenment to us all, especially to His chosen ones. Amen.