Dangers3

Dangers of
Denominationalism

The Dangers of Denominationalism ( continued)

(Acts 2:42; 12:5), singing (Eph. 5:19; Col. 3:16), contributing (1 Cor. 16:1-2; 2 Cor. 9), and communing (1 Cor.
11:23-30; Acts 20:7). Anything else is just an innovation of man, and not acceptable unto God.
If the church where you worship does any more or less, then it is a counterfeit.

Mission (Work):
Many denominations have trouble deciding upon what their mission of work is. Is it seeking the lost to save their
souls, along with encouraging their own members to be better? Or, is it counseling people with their particular need?
providing the community with recreational activities? establishing various social programs? pursuing political agendas?
supplying secular educational training? and on and on?
Just what is the work of the church? Well, churches which model themselves after the Bible find it very easy to
know what to do -- they just follow the pattern.
Here are the only areas of work in which we find the N.T. church participating:
Edification (spiritually building up the saints): Eph. 4:12; Acts 20:28-32; Heb. 10:24-25; etc.
Benevolence (providing for needy saints): Acts 6:1-6; Acts 11:27-30; etc.
Evangelism (teaching the lost): 1 Thes. 1:8; Acts 11:22; 1 Cor. 9:14; etc.
Discipline (administering correction): Mt. 18:15-18; Rom. 16:17-18; 2 Thes. 3:6-15; etc.

Goal:
What is the goal of the various denominations of today? Where are they ultimately headed? Is it the
accomplishment of honor and fame? Is it the acquisition of wealth? Is it the achievement of power and influence?
Is it the attainment of some self-proclaimed earthly or ethereal paradise? Or, is it Heaven? Here's what the Bible
says about the goal of every Christian:
1 Pet. 1:3-4 -- "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has
begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 to an inheritance
incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you," (The hope and aim of all
Christians is to go to Heaven).
1 Thes. 4:17 -- "Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the
Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord." (Christians will not come back to live in a fairy-tale land
on earth).
Col. 1:5 -- "because of the hope which is laid up for you in heaven, of which you heard before in the word of the
truth of the gospel," (The truth of the gospel teaches about God's children going to Heaven, not inhabiting the earth
or any other planet).
2 Cor. 5:1-4 -- "For we know that if our earthly house, this tent, is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house
not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. 2 For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed with our
habitation which is from heaven, 3 if indeed, having been clothed, we shall not be found naked. 4 For we who are in
this tent groan, being burdened, not because we want to be unclothed, but further clothed, that mortality may be
swallowed up by life." (Again, the place where we shall go is very plain).

Bases of Unity:
The Gospel stresses the need for unity and one-ness. The idea started with Jesus -- He prayed for unity (Jn.
17:20-21). The apostles continued the thought -- they pled for unity in the church (1 Cor. 1:10). Christians were
taught how to have it (Eph. 4:1-6). Paul taught that there is only:
1. One body -- unity in organization. Rom. 12:4-5; 1 Cor. 12:12; Eph. 1:22-23
2. One spirit -- unity in instruction. 1 Cor. 2:10-13; 12:7-11
3. One hope -- unity in goal. 1 Pet. 1:3-5; Acts 24:15; Col. 1:5
4. One Lord -- unity in authority. 1 Cor. 8:6; Phil. 2:5-11
5. One faith -- unity in message. 1 Cor. 1:10; Jd. 3; Gal. 1:6-9
6. One baptism -- unity in practice. Rom. 6:1-6; Col. 2:12; Acts 2:38; 19:1-5
7. One God -- unity in worship. 1 Cor. 8:5-6; Acts 17:24-31; Rom. 11:36
If 'your church' teaches other than these plain and simple bases of unity, then it is not a N.T. church. Man-made
creeds and articles of faith are simply that: 'man-made', and are therefore worthless.
Many denominations teach differing doctrines because they want to be distinguished from all other groups. They
change with the whims of the members; they divide and split as they choose, in order to go in different directions.
Many view religion as a cafeteria, where you choose what you want to put on your plate. But, God doesn't give us
that right. He expects us to follow His Word. It's obvious that today's denominations don't all accept what the Bible
says, or else they would all teach the same thing -- They would all accept that there is only one body, spirit, hope,
Lord, etc. as the passage teaches; but, they do not. If all religious folks accepted only what the Bible teaches, then
all denominations would disappear, and we would all be united. Sectarianism was condemned in the N.T. (1 Cor.
1:10-17), and it is still wrong today. All of the denominations which had left the One True Church in ages past (1 Jn.
2:19), or have splintered off of those who left the Truth, are neither pleasing nor acceptable to God (Mt. 15:13)!

Sam Csonka-Minister
Aurora church of Christ

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