I was left quite amused after reading an article online in which the author attempted to prove that the church of Christ was in fact a denomination by giving several 'reasons' to verify his assertion. While some of the content in a couple of the reasons given was not entirely false within itself, it was the author's conclusion that was humorous; "Is the Church of Christ a denomination? Yes it is, and if you have placed your membership in it, you need to get out." After attempting to prove his theory with mostly assumptive reasoning and accusations, he issues a flat suggestion to get out of what he deems a denomination, but, then what? What else is there? How does one better his situation by getting out of one denomination just to join another? It would seem logical to offer the reader the alternative to placing membership in a denomination, however, none was given, which indicates to me that this is merely another of satan's fiery darts being hurled in desperation.
Having heard this assertion in the past, as no doubt you have as well, that the church of Christ is just another denomination, and, given the multitudes of religious organizations with which we are accustomed, I suggest this is a legitimate question: a question which anyone should be able to turn to the word of God confidently to find the answer without any great difficulty. Is the church of Christ in reality just another denomination and therefore no better or worse than other man-made organizations; or, is the church of Christ not a denomination and therefore unique in its contrast to all other religious bodies? If the scriptures do in fact teach that the church of Christ is non-denominational, are you willing to accept what your Bible says, as the final authority?
In my personal studies, I have considered the thought of which church I would be a member of if I lived 100 years ago: or 200 years ago; or 500 years ago, pondering the fact that as time cascades in reverse, the number of options decrease dramatically regarding my "joining the church of my choice" as we are told so often today. Following that principle, let's look back through the scope of time to when the church we read of in the New Testament could only be found in prophecy.
"Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost," (2 Pet.1:20-21).
Isaiah writes some 750 years prior to the coming of the Messiah, and through inspiration of the Holy Ghost is predicting the establishment of Christ's kingdom, the church. His prophecy specifies the time period for its beginning as well as the exact location, and the universal blessing of which all nations would be granted access and thus the fulfillment of God's promise to Abraham, that through his seed, all nations would be blessed;
"And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed," (Gal.3:8).
It's easily understood that when Isaiah says, "And it shall come to pass in the last days..." that the subject he is prophesying of is yet in his future, however, for us to learn when the church was established, we must first determine what he is speaking of regarding the last days. We find this same phrase when Micah reiterates this prophecy of Isaiah:
"But in the last days it shall come to pass, that the mountain of the house of the LORD shall be established in the top of the mountains, and it shall be exalted above the hills; and people shall flow unto it. And many nations shall come, and say, Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, and to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for the law shall go forth of Zion, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. And he shall judge among many people, and rebuke strong nations afar off; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up a sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more. But they shall sit every man under his vine and under his fig tree; and none shall make them afraid: for the mouth of the LORD of hosts hath spoken it. For all people will walk every one in the name of his god, and we will walk in the name of the LORD our God for ever and ever," (Micah 4:1-5).
We find this same phrase again, used by the apostle Peter on the day of Pentecost. He was applying it as a direct fulfillment of the prophecy of Joel to explain the commotion which occurred earlier that day as the apostles were endowed with the baptism of the Holy Ghost:
"But Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice, and said unto them, Ye men of Judaea, and all ye that dwell at Jerusalem, be this known unto you, and hearken to my words: For these are not drunken, as ye suppose, seeing it is but the third hour of the day. But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel; And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh..." (Acts 2:14-17);
The apostle Peter identifies this period of time the Old Testament prophets referred to as the last days by specifically applying it, in real-time, to the events transpiring on this first Pentecost following the resurrection and ascension of Christ. That this phrase the last days was commonly used to refer to the advent of the Messiah is substantiated by the Hebrew writer:
"God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son..." (Heb.1:1-2).
There is only one event in the history of planet Earth in which God spoke to mankind through His Son, i.e., when Jesus came in the flesh. This time period is also referred to in the New Testament as the end of the age in a number of places. The writer of the Hebrew letter opens his epistle by pointing out that God hath spoken to man though His Son, and later says:
"For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself," (Heb.9:26).
Though it helps, it isn't necessary to look at the original Greek language to understand that the phrase, the end of the world used here cannot mean the end of time, for the writer specifies now, i.e., as he is penning the words, it is now the end of the world; likewise, the fact that you're reading this article proves that the end of the world (time) hasn't happened, and therefore cannot be the meaning in this passage. The end of the world mentioned here was when Jesus appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself, i.e., His crucifixion, which happened during this period of time identified as the end of the world, i.e., the end of the age, the Jewish age, as Christ fulfilled the law and the prophets, every jot and tittle (Mt.5:17-18); furthermore, it is demonstrably inarguable that Jesus did not appear at the end of the Christian age! Since it is irrefutable that Jesus appeared during this time period referred to as the last days, the end of the age, the only conclusion possible is that this was the last days of the Mosaic age which ended with the fall of Jerusalem and the utter decimation of the Jewish temple in AD 70.
"Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come," (1 Cor.10:11).
The English term "world" is defined as, "the earth and all the people and things on it," (Webster); however, the Greek term which is translated "world" in this phrase has quite a different meaning. The Greek term is αἰών aion and is defined as: "properly an age; by extension perpetuity (also past); by implication the world; specifically (Jewish) a Messianic period (present or future): - age, course, eternal, (for) ever (-more), [n-]ever, (beginning of the, while the) world (began, without end). Compare G5550" (Strongs). Also note that in Strong's definition, he says to "compare G5550" which is "chronos" which means "a space of time" and is distinguished from, "'aion' which denotes a particular period." This Greek term aion is the origin of the English term aeon which is defined as, "an immeasurably or indefinitely long period of time: age", (Webster).
"Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you," (1 Pet.1:20).
It seems overwhelmingly obvious from these passages that Isaiah's prophecy regarding the last days was pointing to the time of the coming Messiah which would complete the Jewish dispensation of time, ending the Jewish nation and economy which was figuratively represented as heaven and Earth passing away:
"Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled," (Mt.5:17-18).
Isaiah says that in the last days, "...the mountain of the LORD'S house shall be established..." and he also mentions, "the house of the God of Jacob" in this prophecy. In the scriptures, the house of God referred to the place where God dwealt with man: formerly, it was the tabernacle under the law of Moses; under the law of Christ, it is the church which is God's house and every Christian is a habitation of God through the Spirit.
"But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth," (1 Tim.3:15);
"Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God; And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone; In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord: In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit," (Eph.2:19-22);
"But Christ as a son over his own house; whose house are we, if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end," (Heb.3:6).
The church is the place (God's house) where God and Christ comes to make their abode with man.
"In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also...Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him," (Jn.14:2-3,23).
The Pharisees were fearful that the people would set Jesus up as their king, because of the miracles He was performing, and such an action would precipitate a siege by the Romans in which their temple and nation would be destroyed; thus their reasoning, that if they could destroy Jesus, their nation would be spared:
"When Jesus therefore perceived that they would come and take him by force, to make him a king, he departed again into a mountain himself alone," (Jn.6:15);
"Then gathered the chief priests and the Pharisees a council, and said, What do we? for this man doeth many miracles. If we let him thus alone, all men will believe on him: and the Romans shall come and take away both our place and nation. And one of them, named Caiaphas, being the high priest that same year, said unto them, Ye know nothing at all, Nor consider that it is expedient for us, that one man should die for the people, and that the whole nation perish not," (Jn.11:47-50);
"And set up false witnesses, which said, This man ceaseth not to speak blasphemous words against this holy place, and the law: For we have heard him say, that this Jesus of Nazareth shall destroy this place, and shall change the customs which Moses delivered us," (Acts 6:13-14).
Under Christ's law, the
"And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever," (Dan.2:44);
In the interpretation of Nebuchadnezzar's dream, Daniel reveals that the golden head of the image is the Babylonian kingdom, and that the various materials which comprised this image represented the succeeding kingdoms which were to follow, until the image would eventually be destroyed by the stone cut out of the mountain without hands:
"Thou sawest till that a stone was cut out without hands, which smote the image upon his feet that were of iron and clay, and brake them to pieces. Then was the iron, the clay, the brass, the silver, and the gold, broken to pieces together, and became like the chaff of the summer threshingfloors; and the wind carried them away, that no place was found for them: and the stone that smote the image became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth," (Dan.2:34-35).
Recall that Isaiah said the mountain of the Lord's house would be established and that all nations would flow unto it. Speaking of this kingdom, Isaiah said:
"For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this," (Isa.9:6-7);
As the time drew near for this prophecy regarding the establishment of the everlasting kingdom to be fulfilled, Gabriel, the angel of the Lord, appeared to Mary and announced:
"And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end," (Lk.1:31-33).
When Jesus began His personal ministry, He preached that the time for the approaching kingdom was at hand as John had already been preaching this message as well. At one point, He told His audience very plainly that they would live to see this kingdom come with power.
"For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works. Verily I say unto you, There be some standing here, which shall not taste of death, till they see the Son of man coming in his kingdom," (Mt.16:27-28);
"Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he cometh in the glory of his Father with the holy angels...Verily I say unto you, That there be some of them that stand here, which shall not taste of death, till they have seen the kingdom of God come with power," (Mk.8:38-9:1).
It is clear then from the prophecies of Isaiah, Daniel and Joel, that the kingdom of which they were permitted to foretell would have its beginning during the generation in which Jesus lived. Both Isaiah and Gabriel stated that the Prince of Peace, Jesus, would occupy the throne of David and have an endless reign over the kingdom forever. Consider also that Jesus said on one occasion:
"And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven," (Mt.16:18-19).
A pattern can be observed in that the prophecies regarding the establishment of the kingdom and the house of God, the church, all pointed to this same period of time when Jesus came to sacrifice Himself for the sin of mankind. Notice in the statement of our Lord that He used the church and the kingdom synonymously. After His crucifixion and resurrection, He appeared to His disciples for 40 days.
"To whom also he shewed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God," (Acts 1:3).
Just prior to His ascension, Jesus gave the eleven apostles some specific instructions regarding their future mission:
"Then opened he their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures, And said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day: And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. And ye are witnesses of these things. And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high," (Lk.24:45-49).
"But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth," (Acts 1:8).
From our Lord's statement to His apostles, we see this promise found in Isaiah's prophecy reiterated that all nations would flow unto His kingdom, and His word would proceed out of Jerusalem.
The time has come for the fulfilling of prophecy in the setting up of the everlasting and universal kingdom of God. As Isaiah predicted that the word of the Lord would go forth from Jerusalem, we find Jesus instructing the apostles to remain in the city of Jerusalem and wait for the promised Holy Spirit, and that they would receive this power in a few days. The scriptures reveal that the apostles were in Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost when this promise was fulfilled.
"And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. And there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men, out of every nation under heaven," (Acts 2:1-5).
Isaiah said, "Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David..., and Gabriel told Mary, "the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David; Peter, under the direct inspiration of the Holy Ghost, affirmed this to have taken place when he said, "Men and brethren, let me freely speak unto you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his sepulchre is with us unto this day. Therefore being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him, that of the fruit of his loins, according to the flesh, he would raise up Christ to sit on his throne; He seeing this before spake of the resurrection of Christ, that his soul was not left in hell, neither his flesh did see corruption. This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we all are witnesses. Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, he hath shed forth this, which ye now see and hear," (Acts 2:29-33).
"And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever," (Rev.11:15).
Peter and the apostles pointed out that this outpouring of the Holy Ghost was the direct fulfillment of Joel's prophecy, and they preached the gospel for the first time in the name of a crucified, buried and resurrected Lord.
"Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do? Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call. And with many other words did he testify and exhort, saying, Save yourselves from this untoward generation. Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls," (Acts 2:37-41).
Precisely as Isaiah had predicted that the word of the Lord would go forth from Jerusalem, and exactly as Jesus had instructed the apostles to preach repentance and remission of sins among all nations, this was fulfilled on this first Pentecost following the resurrection of Jesus. The gospel went forth from Jerusalem in the presence of all nations and some 3000 people received the remission of sins for the first time in the history of mankind; for under the law of Moses, sins were merely rolled forward to be remembered each year, (Heb.10:1-3). Then, in fulfillment of what the prophecies pointed to, the scripture says, "And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved," (Acts 2:47).
"Now, a denomination is a group of professed followers of Christ which divides itself from other professed Christians by adopting procedures over and above those found in the Scriptures, thus dividing the church universal," (Nash). The very term denomination suggests division as in differing values of currency, weights, measurements, etc., and though the term denomination is not found in the Bible, the concept is found in the division occurring at Corinth where members were naming (denominating) themselves after Peter, Apollos, Paul, etc., instead of Christ (1 Cor.1:11-13). The New Testament church of Christ is not and cannot be a denomination, for it was the first of its kind, and the first of anything cannot be a division of itself. Jesus said, "Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand," (Mt.12:26). This is why I insist that we return to the pattern of the New Testament church of Christ and follow it in name, practice and doctrine. Prophecy only predicted one church, one kingdom, and this is all we find fulfilled in the scriptures:
"For this ye know, that no whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God," (Eph.5:5);
"Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son," (Col.1:13);
"And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence...Who now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his body's sake, which is the church," (Col.1:18 & 24);
"And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church, Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all," (Eph.1:22-23);
"For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us; Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace; And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby," (Eph.2:14-16);
"There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; One Lord, one faith, one baptism," (Eph.4:4-5);
"For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office: So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another," (Rom.12:4-5);
"And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful," (Col.3:15).
If language means anything at all, then there can be no dispute that Jesus only built one church. Furthermore, the scriptures point out that He is the Savior of only one church:
"For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body," (Eph.5:23).
Another reason which differentiates the church of Christ from denominationalism is it wears the only scriptural name, i.e., the name of Christ, for Paul said, "Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity," (2 Tim.2:19). Since Jesus said, "I will build my church...," and because the scripture says it is, "...the church of God which he hath purchased with his own blood" (Acts 20:28), the church belongs to Him; therefore it wears His name, rather than the name of man. It is Christ's church, the church of Christ. In the scriptures, the church of Christ is identified in various ways:
When this institution is viewed from the standpoint of its relationship to the world, it is called the church, which means the called out, or those who are distinct from the world having been called by the gospel (Jn.15:19; 2 Thess.2:13,14);
When it is viewed from the standpoint of its government, it is properly called the kingdom (Mt.16:18,19; Heb.12:23,28);
When it is considered from the aspect of its organization, it is called the body (Rom.12:4,5; Col.1:18; Eph.1:22,23);
When viewing this institution from the viewpoint of a family, it is called the house of God (1 Tim.3:15; Rom.8:14-17);
If the aspect of its worship is under consideration, it is called the temple of God (1 Cor.3:16,17; 2 Cor.6:16; 1 Pet.2:5);
When we study this organism in reference to its relationship to Christ, it is called the bride of Christ, and individual members wear His name (Eph.5:23-32; Acts 11:26; 26:28; 1 Pet.4:16).
It certainly is no great burden on the mind to comprehend why the same institution is referred to by various designations, for a man can be a brother, a husband, a lawyer, an American, a Christian, and a father, but yet, he is just one man considered from six different relationships. Just because Paul referred to God's institution as the church of God in one passage, and the church of Christ in another does not mean that these were two different denominations! Peter told the Jewish leaders, "Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved," (Acts 4:11-12). Later, Paul would write, "Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow...," (Phil.2:9-10). These statements by the inspired apostles handily refutes the ludicrous notion that there's nothing in a name.
The apostles carried the gospel into all the world, establishing congregations of Christ's body, and though we do read of teachings and situations which arose which were contrary to the apostles' doctrine, the scriptures are deathly silent in regards to the concept of our modern day denominationalism. Paul taught the same thing in all congregations (1 Cor.4:17), and addressed all of the congregations of the body of Christ collectively as the churches of Christ, (Rom.16:16). Jesus said in His prayer that the world would know Him by the unity of His disciples:
"Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word; That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me," (Jn.17:20-21).
The purpose for unity among the disciples of Christ was to be a sign to the world that Christ has come; the reality of denominationalism is it defeats our Lord's prayer and it discourages unbelievers from coming to Christ!
The following passages should be studied carefully, with an unbiased mind, for preconceived doctrines which have been seared into the mind can dramatically inhibit the scriptures from illuminating our hearts.
"And ye shall leave your name for a curse unto my chosen: for the Lord GOD shall slay thee, and call his servants by another name: That he who blesseth himself in the earth shall bless himself in the God of truth; and he that sweareth in the earth shall swear by the God of truth; because the former troubles are forgotten, and because they are hid from mine eyes. For, behold, I create new heavens and a new earth, and the former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind. But be ye glad and rejoice for ever in that which I create: for, behold, I create Jerusalem a rejoicing, and her people a joy. And I will rejoice in Jerusalem, and joy in my people: and the voice of weeping shall be no more heard in her, nor the voice of crying," (Isa.65:15-19);
"For it is written, that Abraham had two sons, the one by a bondmaid, the other by a freewoman. But he who was of the bondwoman was born after the flesh; but he of the freewoman was by promise. Which things are an allegory: for these are the two covenants; the one from the mount Sinai, which gendereth to bondage, which is Agar. For this Agar is mount Sinai in Arabia, and answereth to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children. But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all. For it is written, Rejoice, thou barren that bearest not; break forth and cry, thou that travailest not: for the desolate hath many more children than she which hath an husband. Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of promise. But as then he that was born after the flesh persecuted him that was born after the Spirit, even so it is now. Nevertheless what saith the scripture? Cast out the bondwoman and her son: for the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with the son of the freewoman. So then, brethren, we are not children of the bondwoman, but of the free," (Gal.4:22-31);
"And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a BRIDE adorned for her husband. And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new..." (Rev.21:1-5);
"But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men...But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up. Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness, Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat? Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness., (2 Pet.3:7ff);
"...If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him," (Jn.14:23);
"Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?" (1Cor.3:16);
"And the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch," (Acts 11:26);
"Then Agrippa said unto Paul, Almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian," (Acts 26:28);
"Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf," (1 Pet.4:16);
" Do not they blaspheme that worthy name by the which ye are called?" (Js.2:7).
As Isaiah said that the former name would be discarded, and God's people would be called by a new name, so it is that in the New Testament church of Christ we find the children of God being called by the new name of Christian, and this is the only name found in the Holy Writ by which the disciples of Christ were identified.
During the personal ministry of Jesus, He preached the gospel of the approaching kingdom, and shortly before His crucifixion, He promised the apostles that the Holy Spirit would come to them and remind them of all that Jesus had said (Jn.14:26). The apostles carried our Lord's message into all the world, and that message became what we know as the New Testament. This is the only creed which is authorized from God to be our guide.
"Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls. And they continued stedfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers," (Acts 2:41-42);
"All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works," (2 Tim.3:16-17);
"We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts: Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost," (2 Pet.1:19-21).
The body of Christ has no Earthly headquarters governing its organization on earth. Jesus, as our High Priest, has entered into Heaven and is seated on the throne of David at the right hand of God and is reigning over His kingdom now.
"Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession," (Heb.4:14).
The only organization of the churches of Christ authorized in the scriptures is that of autonomous congregations, governed individually by elders and deacons. Paul gave encouragement to the Ephesian elders (overseers).
"Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood," (Acts 20:28).
There is no precedent in the scriptures for a hierarchy of cardinals, archbishops, bishops and priests organized into groups and sub-groups of congregations; this is entirely a concoction of man.
"For this cause left I thee in Crete, that thou shouldest set in order the things that are wanting, and ordain elders in every city, as I had appointed thee: If any be blameless, the husband of one wife, having faithful children not accused of riot or unruly. For a bishop must be blameless, as the steward of God; not selfwilled, not soon angry, not given to wine, no striker, not given to filthy lucre; But a lover of hospitality, a lover of good men, sober, just, holy, temperate; Holding fast the faithful word as he hath been taught, that he may be able by sound doctrine both to exhort and to convince the gainsayers," (Titus 1:5-9);
"This is a true saying, If a man desire the office of a bishop, he desireth a good work. A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, vigilant, sober, of good behaviour, given to hospitality, apt to teach; Not given to wine, no striker, not greedy of filthy lucre; but patient, not a brawler, not covetous; One that ruleth well his own house, having his children in subjection with all gravity; (For if a man know not how to rule his own house, how shall he take care of the church of God?) Not a novice, lest being lifted up with pride he fall into the condemnation of the devil. Moreover he must have a good report of them which are without; lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil. Likewise must the deacons be grave, not doubletongued, not given to much wine, not greedy of filthy lucre; Holding the mystery of the faith in a pure conscience. And let these also first be proved; then let them use the office of a deacon, being found blameless. Even so must their wives be grave, not slanderers, sober, faithful in all things. Let the deacons be the husbands of one wife, ruling their children and their own houses well. For they that have used the office of a deacon well purchase to themselves a good degree, and great boldness in the faith which is in Christ Jesus," (1 Tim.3:1-13);
"The elders which are among you I exhort, who am also an elder, and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed: Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind; Neither as being lords over God's heritage, but being ensamples to the flock," (1 Pet.5:1-3).
The very concept of denominationalism is condemned in the apostles' doctrine. The scriptures are replete with teachings allied with Jesus' plea for unity among His disciples.
"Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment," (1 Cor.1:10);
"That there should be no schism in the body; but that the members should have the same care one for another," (1 Cor.12:25);
" Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace," (Eph.4:3);
"And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ," (Eph.4:11-13);
"There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus," (Gal.3:28);
"Finally, brethren, farewell. Be perfect, be of good comfort, be of one mind, live in peace; and the God of love and peace shall be with you," (2 Cor.13:11);
"Only let your conversation be as it becometh the gospel of Christ: that whether I come and see you, or else be absent, I may hear of your affairs, that ye stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel," (Phil.1:27);
"I beseech Euodias, and beseech Syntyche, that they be of the same mind in the Lord," (Phil.4:2);
"Finally, be ye all of one mind, having compassion one of another, love as brethren, be pitiful, be courteous," (1 Pet.3:8);
"How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation; [cf. Rom.10:15] that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth! Thy watchmen shall lift up the voice; with the voice together shall they sing: for they shall see eye to eye, when the LORD shall bring again Zion," (Isa.52:7-8);
"And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd," (Jn.10:16);
"For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us; Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace; And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby," (Eph.2:14-16).
Paul encountered the identical situation at Corinth which has overwhelmed us in our current era.
"For it hath been declared unto me of you, my brethren, by them which are of the house of Chloe, that there are contentions among you. Now this I say, that every one of you saith, I am of Paul; and I of Apollos; and I of Cephas; and I of Christ," (1 Cor.1:11-12).
Apparently, from the situation Paul describes here, developing factions were gathering around certain men perhaps of whom they individually were baptized, and this denominating was confuted by Paul's rhetorical question, "Is Christ divided?" (v.13). Denominations begin when men establish a religious organization and apply a human name rather than the scriptural name found in the New Testament, and thus differentiate their institution from others. Additionally, denominationalism is propagated when men adopt, and adhere to humanly devised creeds above that of the Bible, and the results we see are: the Presbyterians, who accept the Westminister Confession of Faith; the Episcopalians, who accept the 39 Articles of Faith; or the Baptists, who accept the Philadelphia Confession of Faith; all of these man-made organizations separate themselves from each other by denominating their groups through these uninspired disciplines and creeds. This division is compounded by adding doctrines and practices which were not taught in the first century church, such as infant baptism, a doctrine born out of the assumptive shadows of imagination; salvation by faith alone; the addition of instrumental music in the assembly; ordaining women, sometimes even lesbians as priests, or Reverends, and many doctrines and practices not taught in the New Testament.
"Protestant denominations saw their beginning when Luther, in an open rebellion to Roman Catholicism, wrote his famous Ninety-five Theses, a bill of charge against the Catholic Church, and nailed it to the doors of the Schlosskirche of Wittenburg on October 13, 1517. These charges were mainly against the doctrines of the primacy of the Pope, indulgences and purgatory. From that beginning came the Lutheran church, later to be followed in 1536 by John Calvin and the Presbyterian church in Switzerland and many others until today," (Nash). Consider the table below for a basic list of the major denominations which evolved from Catholicism, which dominated religion for nearly a thousand years by some of the worst violence known to man.
| DENOMINATION | CITY OF ORIGINATION | FOUNDER | DATE A.D. |
|---|---|---|---|
| CATHOLIC | Rome | Boniface III | 606 |
| LUTHERIAN | Saxony | Martin Luther | 1529 |
| MENNOITES | Switzerland | Menno Simons | 1540? |
| PRESBYTERIAN | Geneva, Switzerland | John Calvin | 1536 |
| BAPTIST | Holland & England | John Smyth | 1600 |
| EPISCOPALIAN | Jamestown, VA | (Church of England) | 1609 |
| QUAKERS | England | George Fox | 1647 |
| AMISH | Switzerland | Jakob Ammann | 1693 |
| CHURCH OF THE BRETHREN | Schwarzenau, Germany | Alexander Mack | 1723 |
| METHODIST | England | John Wesley | 1729 |
| SHAKERS | England | James & Jane Wardley | 1745? |
| UNITARIANISM | Transylvania | Henry Hedworth | 1750? |
| UNIVERSALIST CHURCH OF AMERICA | New Jersey | John Murray | 1793 |
| MORMAN | Fayette, NY | Joseph Smith | 1830 |
| CHRISTIAN | PA & KY | Stone & Campbell | 1832 |
| 7th DAY ADVENTIST | New England | William Miller | 1843 |
| JEHOVAH'S WITNESSES | Pittsburg, PA | Charles Russell | 1872 |
| CHURCH OF CHRIST, SCIENTIST | Boston, MA | Mary Baker Eddy | 1879 |
| CHURCH OF GOD | Los Angles, CA | A.J. Tomlinson | 1903 |
| PENTECOSTAL | Britian | William Olliver Hutchinson | 1909 |
| APOSTOLIC CHURCH | Wales | Daniel Powell Williams | 1916 |
Since we, as members of the church of Christ, can find in the Bible where the congregations of Christ's body were called the churches of Christ, and because we insist on using only the Bible as our creed book, instead of men agreeing that this is the scriptural protocol and forsaking denominationalism, men will go to sensational extremes attempting to diminish these facts in order to defend their man-made organizations. One such extreme is the very subject of this article in which men attempt to demote the church of Christ from its status of being unique, by endeavoring to prove that it too was founded by a man, and thus, the allegation that we are Campbellites, "just another denomination," which was founded by Alexander Campbell. For some information on Mr. Campbell's conversion in his own words, click here and scroll down to question #46.
Alexander Campbell’s desire was to turn people back to the pattern of the church he read about in the New Testament. Anyone can become a member of the New Testament church of Christ, because, the word of God is the seed of the kingdom as Jesus taught in Luke 8:5-15, and every seed brings forth after its own kind. This gospel seed, when planted in the fertile soil of the heart will produce a Christian every time, whom the Lord adds to the church, and a congregation of these Christians belongs to the body of Christ, which is the church of Christ (Col.1:18). I could take a kernal of corn and plant it in any Country and it would, without fail, produce corn and never anything but corn. If I planted a sugar-cane seed and called the plant corn, the similarity of cane would not make it corn, regardless of how loudly I proclaimed that it was corn; no matter how much I berated the actual stalk of corn by saying there's nothing in a name, or that, corn is just another plant; nor would it matter how many people I could convince that this cane plant is corn, a stalk of sugar cane is not corn! Jesus said:
"The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field: But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way. But when the blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also. So the servants of the householder came and said unto him, Sir, didst not thou sow good seed in thy field? from whence then hath it tares? He said unto them, An enemy hath done this. The servants said unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up? But he said, Nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn," (Mt.13:24-30).
The similarity of denominationalism to the church of Christ will never elevate itto the unique status of the church of Christ, nor will it ever demote the church of Christ down to the level of a man-made organization. In specific reference to following man-made doctrines, Jesus also said:
"...Every plant, which my heavenly Father hath not planted, shall be rooted up," (Mt.15:13).
It is obvious and irrefutable from an unbiased, objective, and exegetical consideration of what the Bible says, that the church of Christ is not a denomination, for it is scriptural in name: in fulfilling of prophesy, it originated in the city of Jerusalem, during the appropriate time frame of the last days, the end of the Jewish age; it has as its Head, Jesus Christ, the Messiah, seated upon the throne of David, reigning over His everlasting kingdom, and with the Holy Scriptures as its only source of doctrine. No other religious organization conforms to the pattern found in prophecy, which had its beginning on the day of Pentecost, in Jerusalem, and came in it fullness at the last day of the end of the Jewish age. All other religious institutions are counterfiets; they are unscriptural in name, origin, and practice; and, they cannot and do not offer salvation to the congregants.
Just because a religious entity identifies itself as the church of Christ doesn't mean it is the non-denominational church of the New Testament. It truly is disparaging to have witnessed within the body of Christ, brethren who develop and nurture sectarian attitudes through pride, ignorance of the scriptures, personal conflicts, differences of opinions, lack of temperment, ritulalism, and preacher glorification, who will denominationalize the church of Christ; brethren who have idolized their favorite preacher, and enamored by his chrisma, will revere his teaching regardless of what the Bible says of unity. Paul said:
"For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men? For while one saith, I am of Paul; and another, I am of Apollos; are ye not carnal? Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers by whom ye believed, even as the Lord gave to every man? I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase. So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase. Now he that planteth and he that watereth are one: and every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labour. For we are labourers together with God," (1 Cor.3:3-9).
I have seen the results of this phenomenon lead to the creation of groups (denominations) of congregations who will segregate themselves from other congregations which are/were disdained by their preacher, even to the point of expelling members who dare to speak of a congregation which is not in the approved group. I wonder if these brethren treat their children or their wife this way at the first disagreement! Is it any wonder why we have little appeal to those who are lost, or to those who already belong to a denomination?? Brethren will ordain rules and practices which place more importance on things like Sunday attire and social programs, than the participation of a young convert in the assembly, or personal study and devotion with members who struggle through difficult times. Paul said:
"For though I be free from all men, yet have I made myself servant unto all, that I might gain the more. And unto the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might gain the Jews; to them that are under the law, as under the law, that I might gain them that are under the law; To them that are without law, as without law, (being not without law to God, but under the law to Christ,) that I might gain them that are without law. To the weak became I as weak, that I might gain the weak: I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some," (1 Cor.9:19-22).
We as members of the body of Christ are children in the family of God and as such, we must have love and patience toward our siblings. The logical way to deal with disagreements would be to first eliminate pride, for Solomon says, "Only by pride cometh contention," (Prov.13:10); then study the differences prayerfully with the determination to agree upon what the Bible says, and resolve that we as fellowlaborers in God's kingdom will no longer denominationalize Christ's body.