In October last year (2022), the congregation had a series of meetings promoting religious unity. Here is the first of those lessons:
Welcome to this series of 3 topics in which we explore the concept of plain simply Christianity – non-denominational Christianity, or as some would call it, pre-denominational Christianity: ie. Christianity as it was before we were inundated by denominations. The term denomination denotes the concept of dividing Christianity into multiple groups, in much the same way we divide our currency into different notes of different values. This is the elephant in the room when talk gets round to Christianity. Bob Hope used to quip I make donations to all the denominations; I wouldn’t want to miss out on the hereafter on a technicality. That got him a few laughs, but it does highlight a serious problem.
My name is Ian Coker. My background is growing up in a C.of E. family inherited by tradition from forbears, living next to a R.C. family in West Rocky. It was an unwritten law we didn’t discuss religion. I had a mother who sent us children to Sunday School, but my father didn’t go to worship as she did. After some time he visited every church in Rocky trying to determine the truth, and getting confused because everywhere he went he was told something different.
But this is the model of Christianity we have grown up with. Perhaps many prefer it this way because of choice (as we expect in the supermarket and smorgasbords etc.), or perhaps to challenge the status quo would be like tilting at windmills. Well, let’s do some tilting. In this first lesson I want to define the problem, and in the next two lessons I want to present a solution. This lesson focusses on what denominationalism does to the Christ it purports to serve. I want us to understand that it is not the model as found in the New Testament, and we need to pay attention to this problem. It is vital because it has to do with our pleasing God and going to Heaven.
First, denominationalism mocks Jesus’ prayer which He prayed on the night He was betrayed. This is found in John 17, and the particular section I want us to focus on is in vs 20,21. Here He prays that all those who believe in Him might be one, as he and the Father were one. Of all the things He would have been concerned about at such an hour, this was obviously important to Him. He had taught on this during His ministry in such passages as John 10:11-17. Note v. 16 where He says there will be other sheep in the sheep fold under the one shepherd. He was speaking to Jewish disciples at the time, and the others he spoke of were Gentiles (cf. Eph. 2:11-16). He continued to speak about this after His resurrection and ascension through His apostles and prophets and Eph. 4:4 states plainly there is but one body. Whether Jew or Gentile His followers were to be united.
Denominationalism promotes unbelief in Christ and Jesus anticipated this in John 17:20,21. He wanted His followers to be one so that the world would believe that God sent Him. This is essential since a house divided against itself cannot stand. How can the world be expected to believe in Christ when those who profess to believe in Him can’t agree about Him or His church? About 60 years ago King Sobhuza 11 of Swaziland called all the Western missionaries in the country together and told them he was tired of denominationalism. He challenged them: If smart men like you from England and America with college degrees can’t figure out what Christ’s church is, how can you expect an ignorant old black man like me to know? Agree on what Christ’s church is and I’ll become a member of it, but if I joined a denomination it would offend all the rest.
Abraham Lincoln never embraced a formal religion for the same reason. He said, on being asked why he wouldn’t join the church he attended with his wife, I cannot bend to any of the creeds. If I can find a church whose creed is to love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, mind, soul, and strength, and thy neighbour as thyself, then I will join.
Denominationalism makes Christ a contradictory Lord. This is an inescapable fact since if denominationalism is correct, Christ calls one man to deny what He calls another to affirm! This kind of confusion has destroyed many a search for truth. My father almost gave up on his search because of this. John 17:17 declares that God’s word is truth, and truth isn’t contradictory. This is how the laws of evidence work in a court house. Ps. 119:160 tells us that the sum of God’s word is truth. We understand that truth is unique. 2+2=4 and no other answer is right. Yet denominationalism asks one man to believe that the Pope is the head of the church, another that the King of England is, and yet another that Christ is. It asks one man to believe that salvation is by praying the sinners’ prayer and another by faith, repentance, confession and immersion. What does 1 Cor. 14:33 tell us? That God is not the author of confusion! Our present dilemma is not new. The earliest form of denominationalism was in Corinth 2000 years ago. Read 1 Cor. 1:10-13 and you will see how some were claiming to be followers of Paul, or Peter, or Apollos, or Christ. It is readily apparent we have the same problem today except the names have been changed and the problem has grown to mammoth proportions.
Denominationalism makes Christ an hypocritical Lord. This is an inescapable fact since it asks us to believe that Christ endorses contradictory doctrines. He has supposedly given us a book, deliberately written in such a fashion that we cannot come to the common understanding. Christ says His word will judge us (John 12:48), and God wants all to come to the knowledge of the truth (1 Tim. 2:4).
Denominationalism makes Him an incompetent Lord. Further to the previous point, if He is not hypocritical, He is incompetent, not being able to give us a book we can understand alike. Now I say “understand alike”, which is really a nonsense. We cannot understand something “differently”. We can misunderstand something differently, but we cannot understand something differently: either one understands something and another does not, or both misunderstand something, but two people can’t claim to understand something, but differently. Did you try this at school when the teacher marked you “wrong”? – “I understand it differently so you don’t have to mark me “wrong””. That didn’t work, did it.
Jesus was not some mystical oriental guru speaking in clouded and fanciful terms. When He had finished speaking the sermon on the mount the people were astonished at His doctrine for he didn’t speak as the Scribes, but with authority (Matt.7:28,29). Mark 12:37 says that the common people heard Him gladly, and people noted that His disciples like Peter and John were unlearned and ignorant men (Acts 4:13). The ordering of our life is based on understanding, call it “common understanding” if you like. School exams are based upon a common understanding of the syllabus. Drill commands are the same, as are traffic rules. Also, God expects understanding. He expected Adam and Eve to understand the original mandate (Gen. 2:15-17) and they did (cf. 3:2,3). In Acts 2:37-41 some three thousand understood ‘alike’ when they heard the first Gospel sermon after the ascension of Christ. Paul expected his readers to understand his writings (Eph. 3:3,4), and James likewise expected the same, encouraging his readers to receive with meekness the engrafted word which is able to save your soul (Jas. 1:21).
Denominationalism makes Him a polygamous Lord. I mean by this He is guilty of having many brides, for the church is referred to as His bride (Eph. 5:27). In Matt. 16:18 He refers to the church as “my church”. It would be inconsistent for Christ to condemn polygamy in men (cf. Matt. 19:1-9) and yet follow that pattern as a figure to describe His situation.
To see the error and contradictory nature of denominationalism, imagine this if you can: Peter a Roman Catholic: Paul a Methodist: John a Mormon: Matthew a Baptist: James a Presbyterian: Jude a Pentecostal: Andrew a Jehovah’s Witness: Thomas was Jewish: Philip a Quaker: James the Less a Seventh Day Adventist: Simon a Unitarian; Bartholomew a Lutheran, and Judas Iscariot was a swinger and thought one church was as good as another! Now remember these were the apostles of the Lord who received the baptism of the Holy spirit and were guided into all truth! This sounds foolish because it is foolish. Of course, all these denominational churches we are familiar with appeared over a thousand years after the apostles lived and thus for them to be divided this way was an impossibility. This multitude of churches was the product of mere men, not the apostles. But, more seriously, if denominationalism is true, what a reflection it is on Christ and His word. To repeat Paul’s embarrassing questions in 1 Cor. 1:13: Is Christ divided? – then why His disciples? Was Paul crucified for you? Why follow Paul? Were you baptised in the name of Paul? Why give your allegiance to men? It needs to be to Christ. He expected them to be perfectly united in the same mind and same judgement.
In the next in this series we shall address the question of the Restoration Plea.