Many denominations exist that differ in origin, authority, doctrine, and organization. Where did they come from and why are they here? How do they compare to the church built by Jesus Christ in the New Testament? What does God's word say about their existence?
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Introduction:
Jesus built His church in the first century as part of God’s eternal purpose (Ephesians 3:10,11). He died for it (Acts 20:28), and He adds all saved people to it (Acts 2:47). Surely this shows how important the church is to Jesus.
But today we have hundreds of denominations differing from one another in name, worship, organization, and plan of salvation. Do you know how they began and why they exist?
This study examines the origin of these churches. Where did they come from and why are they here? Is God pleased by their existence? To answer these questions we will consider the origin, organization, and authority of denominations compared to Jesus’ church in the New Testament.
Characteristics of the New Testament Church
The Origin of the New Testament Church
Promises of the coming of the kingdom/church
Daniel 2:31-45 – Daniel interpreted a dream for the king of Babylon that predicted in the days of the Roman Empire God Himself would set up a kingdom that would never be destroyed. (Zechariah 6:12,13; Isaiah 2:2,3)
Matthew 3:1,2; Mark 1:15; Matthew 10:7 – John the Baptist, Jesus, and Jesus’ disciples all preached “the kingdom of heaven is at hand!” At that time it was near but had not yet arrived.
Matthew 16:18,19 – Jesus promised, “I will build My church.” It did not yet exist, but Jesus would build it and it would belong to Him. He would build only one. It was also called “the kingdom” (verse 19).
Mark 9:1 – Jesus promised His disciples, “Some standing here will not taste death till they see the kingdom of God present with power.” So the kingdom (church) would come “with power” during the lifetime of the disciples.
Acts 1:3-8 – After Jesus’ resurrection but just before He ascended (verses 9-11), the apostles asked about the coming of the kingdom. Jesus promised the Holy Spirit would come with power to enable them to bear witness of Him (verse 8). This would happen beginning in Jerusalem (verses 4,8), not many days after His ascension (verse 5).
These verses give identifying marks to show when the kingdom or church would begin.
The promise fulfilled on the Day of Pentecost – Acts 2
These events occurred in Jerusalem (verses 5,14) on the Jewish holy day of Pentecost. This was during the Roman Empire (Luke 13:1-3) not many days after Jesus’ ascension during the lifetime of the apostles who were present to see it.
Verses 2-4 – The Holy Spirit filled the apostles and gave them power to speak the word of God in languages they had never studied (verses 14-40).
Verses 22-36 – Peter preached that the people had slain Jesus but God raised Him up and placed Him on the throne of David (verse 30) at God’s right hand (verses 33,34): Jesus was now King! His kingdom had begun as had been promised.
Verses 37-41 – Peter taught the people to repent and be baptized for the remission of their sins. Three thousand gladly obeyed.
Verse 47 – From then on the Lord added all saved people to the church. The church/kingdom had begun! (Not all translations use the word “church,” but all identifying marks of the church had been fulfilled.)
Later passages confirm the church/kingdom did exist: Acts 8:1; 11:22,26; 13:1; Acts 20:28.
Colossians 1:13 – Those who are delivered from darkness are translated into the kingdom.
The prophecies of the coming of the kingdom/church were fulfilled. Since Pentecost, all people who want to be saved should obey the gospel and be added by the Lord to His church.
The Standard of Authority of Jesus’ Church
The Scriptures are the inspired guide God requires the church to follow.
John 16:13 – Jesus promised the Holy Spirit would reveal all truth to the apostles. (15:27)
1 Corinthians 14:37 – Inspired men wrote down the commands they received from God.
2 Timothy 3:16,17 – God inspired the Scriptures to instruct us in righteousness and provide us completely to all good works.
(Ephesians 3:3-5; 2 Peter 1:3; Jude 3; James 1:25)
The church must not follow man-made standards of authority.
Matthew 15:9,13,14 – Following man-made rules that differ from God’s word makes our service to God vain.
Galatians 1:8,9 – Anyone who teaches doctrine that differs from what the inspired apostles and prophets taught is accursed.
2 John 9-11 – To have fellowship with God and Jesus, we must abide in Jesus’ teachings.
Jesus’ church must follow only the teaching of Scripture as authority.
(Proverbs 14:12; 3:5,6; Isaiah 55:8,9; Jeremiah 10:23; Colossians 3:17; Revelation 22:18,19)
The Organization of Jesus’ Church
Ephesians 1:22,23 – Christ is head over all things to His spiritual body, the church. He made all the rules, and those rules were recorded in the Bible.
Ephesians 5:22-25 – Jesus’ church has only one head just as a husband has only one wife. No man or group of men have the right to legislate laws for Jesus’ church.
Hebrews 8:1 – Jesus is now in heaven. Since He is head over all things to the church, the headquarters of the church must be in heaven. Jesus’ church has no earthly central headquarters. (Colossians 1:18)
Christians should work and worship together in local churches led by qualified “elders” (also called “bishops,” or “pastors”). But each local church functioned independently subject to Christ through the gospel – Acts 14:23; 20:28; 1 Peter 5:1-3.
So Jesus’ church must not follow human heads, human laws, or human headquarters.
Characteristics of Modern Denominations
The gospel repeatedly warns about the danger of apostasy or departure from Jesus’ teaching:
Acts 20:28-30 – From among elders may come men who teach error and lead people astray.
2 Timothy 4:2-4 – The time would come when people would not want true teaching but would turn aside seeking teachers who would preach to please the desires of the people.
1 Timothy 4:1-3 – The spirit expressly predicted that people would fall away from the truth.
In light of these predictions, consider the origin, authority, and organization of modern denominations. To be fair we will quote the writings of these groups so they speak for themselves.
Note that Jesus and His apostles sometimes named specific groups (Pharisees, Sadducees, Stoics, etc.). We will do likewise in this study; but our goal is not to harm people but to challenge all to learn the truth and obey God instead of human teaching (John 8:32; 17:17).
(Matthew 7:15-23; 1 John 4:1,6; 2 Corinthians 11:13-15)
The Origin of Denominations
“At the end of the fifth century the Roman Church was completely organized...” - “Canon Law,” Catholic Encyclopedia, vol. IX, p61)
(Note that Jesus’ church was completely organized in the first century.)
“… Lutheran churches, can trace [their] roots directly to the Protestant Reformation that took place in Europe in the 16th century. Martin Luther, a German monk, became aware of differences between the Bible and church practices of the day. … By the late 1500s the Reformation had spread throughout Europe. Followers of Martin Luther’s teachings were labeled ‘Lutherans’ by their enemies and adopted the name themselves.” – Website of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, http://www.elca.org/Who-We-Are/History/Lutheran-Roots-in-America.aspx (6/2011)
“…in 1533 [Parliament] declared that the Church of England was free and independent, ... and that, so far as the law of Christ allowed, in England the King was the supreme temporal head of the Church” – The Episcopal Church – Its Teachings and Worship, Latta Griswold; Morehouse-Gorham Co., New York, 1917, pages 8-12.
“The origin of all Presbyterian and Reformed churches can be traced back to [John] Calvin’s Geneva.” – http://www.americanpresbyterianchurch.org/the_church_of_scotland.htm - Website of the American Presbyterian Church (6/2011)
“…there are those who hold that one way or another there has been a continuous line from the days of John the Baptist … But the most widely held view, it would seem, conceded to be supported best by historical research, is that the beginnings were in English Congregationalism in the 17th century … The leader … in Holland was John Smyth … This congregation in Holland in 1609 is widely recognized as the first church formed on basic Baptist principles” – “These Are the Baptists,” Gene Bartlett; Cathedral Publishers, Royal Oak, MI, 1972, p. 3,4.
“This church is a great Protestant body, though it did not come directly out of the Reformation but had its origin within the Church of England. Its founder was John Wesley…” – The Book of Discipline of the United Methodist Church ; United Methodist Pub. House, Nashville, 1972, p. 7.
Our study has shown that Jesus built His church, beginning on Pentecost in Jerusalem in Acts 2. All saved people were added to that church. We have now examined statements from many modern denominations showing that, as organized, functioning denominations, they began at other times or places many centuries after the beginning of Jesus’ church. All were unknown in the first century or in the Scriptures.
The Authority Followed by Denominations
“We must, therefore, conclude that the Scriptures alone cannot be a sufficient guide and rule of faith … because they are not of themselves clear and intelligible even in matters of the highest importance, and because they do not contain all the truths necessary for salvation” - The Faith of Our Fathers , James Cardinal Gibbons, 110th Edition, p. 73.
“Do we get from the Bible alone all our knowledge and certainty about what God has told us? No, there is also Sacred Tradition … Do you have to believe in Tradition? Yes, … we are obliged to accept all the truths contained in the Bible and Tradition…” – A Catechism for Adults, William Cogan, 1975 Edition, pp. 9,10.
“The United Presbyterian Church … is guided by the Nicene and Apostles’ Creed from the time of the early church; the Scots Confession, the Heidelberg Catechism, and the Second Helvetic Confession from the era of the Reformation; the Westminster Confession and Shorter Catechism from the seventeenth century; and the Theological Declaration of Barmen from the twentieth century.” – The Book of Confessions of the United Presbyterian Church, section 9.04
“Traditionally United Methodists have not only been happy to be guided by the Discipline as a book of church law, but they have usually regarded it with a certain degree of reverence… ” – The Book of Discipline , p. v, vi.
“…we, the ministers and lay members of the Church of the Nazarene, in accordance with the principles of constitutional legislation established among us, do hereby ordain, adopt, and set forth as the fundamental law or constitution of the Church of the Nazarene the Articles of Faith, the General Rules, and the Articles of Organization and Government here following…” – Church of the Nazarene Manual , p. 27.
Our study of the New Testament showed that Jesus is the only Head of His church. The Scriptures are the complete and perfect guide to serve as the only authority followed by Jesus’ church in doctrine, worship, and salvation.
The statements we have quoted from modern denominations show they acknowledge that they follow man-made doctrinal standards besides the Bible. The creeds of the various denominations differ from those of other denominations resulting in different religious groups that are divided from one another.
The Organization of Denominations
“The Pope, who is the bishop of Rome and the Vicar of Christ … is the visible head of the whole Catholic Church … Does Jesus require us to follow the Pope in matters of religion? Yes, because obedience and loyalty to the Pope are among the chief requirements of Our Lord’s plan for unity” – A Catechism for Adults , William Cogan, 1975 Edition, pages 55,56.
“…in 1533 [Parliament] declared that the Church of England was free and independent, … and that, so far as the law of Christ allowed, in England the King was the supreme temporal head of the Church” – The Episcopal Church – Its Teachings and Worship , Latta Griswold; Morehouse-Gorham Co., New York, 1917, pages 8-12.
“The General Conference of the Methodist church has “full legislative power” over all denominational matters” –- The Book of Discipline, page 20.
“In 1863 the General Conference was organized …. This set the Advent Movement on a coordinated, organized course.” – Website of the Seventh Day Adventist Church (quoting the church manual): http://www.adventist.org/beliefs/church-manual/index.html (6/2011)
“The General Assembly shall have power to legislate for the Church of the Nazarene, and to make rules and regulations for all the departments related to or associated with it … The General Assembly is the supreme doctrine-formulating and lawmaking and elective authority of the Church of the Nazarene, subject to the provisions of the church constitution” – Church of the Nazarene Manual, pages 43, 141.
Our study of the New Testament showed that Jesus is the Head of His church and He has revealed all laws in the Bible. So no man or group of men have the right to serve as head or headquarters to make rules for His church. But statements from the various denominations acknowledge that they have their own centralized earthly organizations that separate them from other denominations and that differ from the organization of Jesus’ church.
Conclusion
Modern denominations differ from the New Testament church.
Jesus built His church and people began to enter it on Pentecost in Jerusalem in Acts 2. All saved people were in that church, so we too should seek to be part of it. However, God predicted that people would leave His true way and follow error instead.
We have now examined statements from a number of modern denominations showing that they began centuries after Jesus’ church began. They follow man-made creeds or doctrinal standards in addition to the Bible. And each has its own organization that separates it from other denominations and that differs from the organization of Jesus’ church.
So the tragedy of modern denominations is that they differ from the church the Jesus built in doctrinal authority, organization, and origin. Further investigation would reveal other differences such as worship and plan of salvation. Apostasy has resulted in many different churches just as the gospel predicted.
How then can we be members of Jesus’ church?
1 Peter 1:22-25 – God’s word still has the power to save from sin because it will live and abide forever. With humble faith we must obey that gospel without any human changes. Then we will be born again and the Lord will add us to His true church (Acts 2:47). This will always work because the power is in the seed, the word of God. (See also Galatians 6:7,8.)
But what church will we be members of then? Jesus will add us to His one true church today just as He did in the first century (Acts 2:47). It is not a denomination. It is just the church you read about in the gospel: the same church to which Jesus added Peter, Paul, Lydia, Dorcas, and all first-century Christians.
His church today still has no central earthly organization and no doctrinal standard except the Bible. It is simply the universal body of all people who have truly been saved according to the gospel.
Then each disciple needs to become identified with a local church that follows the Bible in authority, organization, name, worship, and plan of salvation. Many such local churches exist around the world.
Have you done this?
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