Go back to Bible Interpretation
There is a church which is discussed in the Bible. The Lord purchased this church with His blood (Acts 20:28). Christ is "the head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fullness of him that filleth all in all" (Eph. 1:22,23). This quotation from the Bible clearly states that the church is His body and this same Bible says that "There is one body" (Eph. 4:4). What does this mean? This is important! How many churches are named and described in the New Testament? Christ prayed earnestly, "That they may all be one; as thou, Father, are in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me. And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one: I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou has sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me" (John 17:21-23). These verses are from the Bible. They should make us walk very carefully. We must not let money, pleasure, family loyalty, prejudice, social friendships, a beautiful church building, or anything else hide the truth of the church that Christ built. In those early days "the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved" (Acts 2:47).
To which church did the Lord add the saved? Is there one church described in the New Testament, or does it describe many different churches with different terms of entrance, forms of worship, types of government, standards of morals, and names? The truth is that the Lord has had His plan from all eternity, and many men have come up with their own plans which differ very much from the one described in the New Testament. In speaking of his own mission, Paul the apostle said: "Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ; and to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ: to the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God, according to the eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Eph.3:8-11).
The church that we learn about in the Bible was planned by God. It was a manifestation of the many-sided (manifold) wisdom of God. The present confused, conflicting, and divided state of religion with its emotionalism, modernism, false prophecies, emphasis on recreation and social life, and disregard for the words of Christ, is a manifest token of the work of the devil. We must not allow ourselves to be among those who prefer the present religious confusion to the beauty, wisdom, and remarkable simplicity of the church as described in the New Testament. There were problems in the churches in the first century, but it was not plagued and hindered by the denominationalism that reigns supreme today. The teaching contained in the New Testament served to correct the errors of the churches of the first century and for all churches that would follow until the end of time. The epistles did not praise the churches for their different doctrines and practices. The churches were rebuked for perverting the gospel, and they were warned that more rebukes would come. Please read 2 Peter 2:1-3, and Acts 20:29-31, and observe how directly and plainly the apostles discussed these destructive and false teachings.
The Bible does NOT teach that doctrine does not matter. Denominationalism and church division such as we know today was foretold, and that was what the apostles were fighting. They were not saying that sincerity was enough or that doctrine did not matter. "I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel; which is not another; but there are some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ. But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. As we said before, so say I now again, if any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed. For do I now persuade men, or God? or do I seek to please men? For if I yet pleased men I should not be the servant of Christ. But I certify you brethren, that the gospel which was preached of me is not after man. For I neither received it of man, neither was I taught it, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ" (Gal. 1:6-12). These verses teach that doctrine does matter. No other sin is condemned in the New Testament as many times as the sin of teaching the wrong doctrine. Check this carefully. In earlier generations in America, religious people had more conviction and were not so inclined to think that everyone was right. There were divisions, but each group thought the teachings that it followed were directly from the Bible.
"Brethren, be followers together of me, and mark them which walk so as ye have us for an ensample. (For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ: whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things.)" (Phil. 3:17-19). This parallels our modern religious situation and is why approval of all religious movements conflicts with scripture. We find it unpleasant to disagree with the religion of neighbors, relatives, and friends; however, we must allow the scriptures to lead us. We must speak as the oracles of God (1 Peter 4:11). Eternity lasts too long for us to approach the day of judgment unprepared (Matt. 7:21-23).
The clearest explanation of the origin and cause of denominationalism is found in the first three verses of the tenth chapter of Romans: "Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved. For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge. For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God." Can we not see that the righteousness of the Jews (Israel) would not save them? They were spiritually lost through their ignorance of God's righteousness. One way to make worship absolutely vain or useless is to teach the commandments of men as doctrine (Matt. 15:9). That is the very basis of human denominations whose names, government, worship, and terms of entrance are not even mentioned in the Bible. We need to arouse the fear and trembling that would cause us to search the scriptures and take heed lest we fall (1 Cor. 10:12; Phil. 2:12; Acts 17:11,12). If people will open their eyes they will see that many dangerous doctrines are abroad.