IF CHRIST
BUILT ONLY ONE, -- Where Did They All Come From?-- |
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In the
beginning of the gospel age, there was but one church, and now, 2000
years later, according to some reports, there are over 1,200. How did
this happen? People wonder where they all came from. Is this division
and confusion what Christ intended? Let's examine this situation to
see just what the Word of God teaches on this matter. It is a matter
of utmost importance that demands our careful attention.
In
Matthew 16:18, Christ promised: "upon this rock I will build My
church; and the gates of Hades shall not overpower it." Consider
two aspects of this statement. (1) The church would belong to Christ.
It is his church, and he has the right to direct its
affairs. He is its head and king. It is not a democracy governed by
the will of the people. Christ claims "all authority"
(Matt. 28:18), and the apostle Paul said that God "put all
things in subjection under His (Christ's) feet, and gave Him as head
over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him
who fills all in all" (Eph. 1:22-23), He further identified
Christ as "King of kings" (I Tim. 6:15). (2) Christ's claim
is singular--"my church." He did not say he was going to
build "a" church or "the church of your choice"
or "500 churches."
Just
before Christ was arrested and crucified, he spent some hours in
prayer. A part of his prayer is in John 17: 20, 21: "I do not
ask in behalf of these alone, but for those also who believe in Me
through their word; that they may all be one; even as Thou, Father,
art in Me, and I in Thee, that they also may be in Us; that the world
may believe that Thou didst send Me." Christ prayed that all
who believe in him might be one--united, even as he and the
Father were one. The Scriptures teach that the Godhead consists of
three beings--God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit.
Three separate beings, yet complete oneness, as they are united in
purpose, work and divine nature. The Scriptures also teach that
husband and wife are no longer two, but one (Matt. 19:6). Obviously
there are still two people, but in the relationship that God intends,
there is harmony and unity--oneness.
Christ's
promise to build his church was fulfilled on Pentecost in Jerusalem
c. 33 A.D. (by the common reckoning of time). The record is in Acts
2, according to the promises Christ had made. In Mark 9:1, he said
that some then living would not die "until they see the kingdom
of God after it has come with power." In Acts 1:3-8, just before
ascending to heaven, he instructed the disciples to wait in Jerusalem
until the appointed time, and then in Acts 2 it all happened, as the
Holy Spirit's power came on the apostles. Peter's sermon on that
auspicious day cited the fulfillment of the prophecy of Joel 2:28-32
concerning the beginning of the church or kingdom of God. That which
belongs to Christ is a kingdom in the sense of his authority as King,
and is a church in the sense that those who belong to Christ are
"called out" of the world to be a separate people.
Now,
look at the religious world. Do we see the unity for which Christ
prayed? Do we see the harmony that is in heaven? Can we picture the
Father being a Pentecostal, Christ a Lutheran and the Holy Spirit a
Mormon? Or can we imagine the Paul establishing the Methodist Church
while Peter is working to begin the Baptist Church, and at the same
time John is planning to establish the Presbyterian Church across
town? That gives us the picture of one believing that baptism is by
immersion, another believing it is by sprinkling water, and the third
not even practicing baptism at all. That's a far cry from what Christ
prayed for. And that means that what we have in the religious world
is the opposite of what Christ prayed for. Yet we have people
who thank God for all the denominations. Are they thankful for
the division and confusion that denominationalism has brought to the
world? But division is not from God, "for God is not a God of
confusion but of peace, as in all the churches of the saints" (I
Cor. 14:33). Furthermore, in Christ's prayer for unity, we note that
he stated that if his followers are "one," the result will
be "that the world may believe that Thou didst send Me"
(Jn. 17:21). Now, if unity promotes belief, then what does the
division and disunity that is prevalent produce? Multitudes have been
"turned off" by the division that exists, and have turned
away from God in disbelief.
The
point is that in the beginning, there were no denominations. It
didn't matter whether you were in Jerusalem, Rome, Philippi or
Corinth, the church was the same. Oh, there were problems in the
local churches, but when Paul was traveling and went into a town
looking for Christians with whom to worship, he didn't have 75
denominations from which to make a choice. There were not even two
denominations. There was only the one body, which was not a
denomination. Now, a large city might have more than one local
congregation meeting in it (cf. Rom. 16:3-5), but they were of the
same kind. They all followed the same creed, the Word of God, as it
was proclaimed by men inspired of God, and as it was being recorded
for future generations. The foundation of their faith was in this
Word, for "faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of
Christ" (Rom. 10:17).
Faith
stands
upon the
Holy
Bible
For
the first few hundred years, basically, this situation continued. But
problems were rising. One came late in the 4th Century, with the
teaching of a man named Arius. He taught that Christ was not divine,
that he was not God incarnate, i.e., God inhabiting human flesh. This
had serious implications, and it caused quite a stir among
Christians. By this time Constantine was the Roman Emperor, and he
was quite sympathetic towards Christianity, unlike previous rulers.
He called for church leaders to meet in Nice in 325 A.D. to settle
this dispute. The matter was discussed and studied, until there was
agreement as to the Biblical teaching that Christ was indeed God in
the flesh. From this meeting the Nicene Creed was written, which was
bound upon believers of that time. Previously, the believers' faith
rested in the Bible, the Word revealed by God, but now we have a book
written by men put on an equal basis with the Bible. This marked a
major step towards the apostasy, the falling away, that had been
predicted time after time by the New Testament writers. (Cf. I Tim.
4:1-4; II Thess. 2:3; etc.) Thus, the faith of many, though not all,
rested upon the Nicene Creed, rather than the inspired Word of God.
Nicene Creed
Holy
Bible
In 380 the
Roman Emperor Theodosius declared Christianity to be the State
Religion. Whereas in earlier times Christians were compelled by the
sword to deny Christ or die, now the persecution was against
unbelievers, who were compelled by the sword to accept Christ, or
die. As a result the church grew rapidly, but the people were not
truly converted to Christ. They brought many pagan and idolatrous
practices into the church, and diluted the truth. By 607, matters had
digressed to the extent that Boniface III was crowned as the pope of
the church. Some claim that the apostle Peter was the first pope, but
knowledgeable historians admit that Boniface was the first one whom
the church accepted and who himself accepted the title of
"Universal Father." There is no evidence in the Bible or
early church history that will allow Peter to be a pope. (In fact, of
all the apostles, Peter is the only one we know for a fact was
married, although popes are not supposed to be married. Cf. Matt.
8:14) By the time of the crowning of Boniface, the apostasy or
falling away had produced a church which we would recognize today as
the Catholic Church.
This church
grew in power and influence so that in reality it ruled the world,
and the pope had power over kings and emperors. But a division came
in 1054 as a dispute arose over where the seat of power for the
Church would be. Of the five cities under consideration,
Constantinople and Rome were the final choices. The matter was not
resolved, and the church divided. The Western Church, with Rome as
its center, was then known as the Roman Catholic Church. The Eastern
Church chose Constantinople, and has been known as the Greek or
Orthodox Church, with various branches in Russia and other Eastern
European countries. Now we have another church with different
doctrines, so there must be some document that differentiates the
Greek Church from the Roman Church. Thus we have the Greek Liturgy
representing the doctrines and practices of the Greek Church, and a
new book is added to our growing stack. And since the Nicene Creed
was the forerunner of the Catholic Catechism, we add the Catechism to
the name of the Creed.
Greek
Liturgy
Nicene
Creed--Catholic Catechism
Holy
Bible
Most
Protestant church history comes from the Roman Church, so we
will focus our attention there. As we come to the Middle Ages,
history tells us the Roman Church had grown very corrupt and
powerful. For example, in the Spanish Inquisition, thousands were put
to death for simply owning a copy of the Bible or disagreeing with a
Church doctrine. These are well known historical facts. During this
time some began to openly oppose some doctrines and practices of the
church. Among these was Martin Luther, who as a young man studied to
become a priest. He tried to reform the Church, but was opposed at
every turn. He finally wrote his objections and nailed them to the
door of the church in Wittenburg, Germany in 1517. He was
excommunicated from the Church in 1520, and the result of this was
the beginning of the Lutheran Church from around 1530. This was not
Luther's wish, as he begged his followers not to call themselves by
his name, but by Christ's. His followers persisted, and in time his
teachings were formalized in what is called "Luther's
Catechism." So, in addition to the Catholic Catechism and the
Greek Liturgy, we have a document identifying the third
"denomination." This was a definitive moment in the
Protestant Reformation. While Luther did much good, his strong
opposition to the system of salvation by works in the Catholic Church
caused him to go too far the other way, insomuch that he taught we
are saved "by faith only." While faith (and grace)
certainly are a part of our salvation, the Bible teaches that we are
saved by an obedient faith. "You see that a man is justified by
works, and not by faith alone" (James 2:24)
Luther's
Catechism
Greek
Liturgy
Nicene
Creed--Catholic Catechism
Holy
Bible
About
the same time (1534), Henry VIII was king of England. He was married
to Catherine of Aragon, the widow of his older brother and the
daughter of Ferdinand
and Isabella of Spain (who financed Columbus's voyage to the New
World). She produced no male heir to the throne, and Henry wanted out
of the marriage. He petitioned the Pope for an annulment, but
Catherine's nephew, Charles V, was now the Holy Roman Emperor, and he
warned the Pope against such a move. Meanwhile, Henry's eye fell on
Anne Boleyn, a young woman in his court. Henry, tired of waiting,
broke off from the Catholic Church, set up his own church, made
himself head over it, and then could do as he wished. He married six
times, and beheaded four of the women. Thus we have another
denomination, the Church of England, and another creed book--The Book
of Common Prayer. So we can add this book to the stack which is an
addition to the Bible. Well, so much for a church built on "noble
purposes." This church is known in other nations as the
Episcopal Church or the Anglican Church, and has borrowed many of the
errors of Catholicism.
The
Book of Common Prayer
Luther's
Catechism
Greek
Liturgy
Nicene
Creed--Catholic Catechism
Holy
Bible
Meanwhile,
John Calvin and others were leading a reformation in Switzerland.
They, like Luther, tried to reform the Roman Church, but with no
success. Their efforts finally resulted in the formation of the
Presbyterian Church following the publishing of Calvin's Institutes
of the Christian Religion in 1536. "Calvinism" is based
upon the idea of predestination--that before the world God
foreordained certain ones to salvation, and others to damnation,
without any consideration of the lives of these individuals. In a
sense, Calvin said the lives of all of us are
"pre-programmed." Consider a brief response to this doc-
trine. In Jeremiah 7:31, God rebukes Israel for sacrificing their
sons and daughters in the fire, "which I did not command, and it
did not come into My mind." If it did not come into God's mind,
then how did he "predestine" this? This doctrine makes God
a respecter of persons, which is denied in Acts 10:34. Furthermore,
it negates the free will of man, although Christ said that "if
any man is willing" to do God's will, "he shall know of the
teaching whether it is of God...;" (John 7:17). The formal
statement of the basic doctrines of this denomination are outlined in
the Westminster Confession of Faith.
Book
of Common Prayer
luther's
catechism
Greek
Liturgy
Nicene
Creed--Catholic Catechism
Holy
Bible
Unrest
came in the Church of England. While the reformers removed many
Catholic excesses in the Protestant (protesting) churches, they
adopted some practices the Catholic Church had changed from the New
Testament order. In the early 1600s John Smythe and others sought to
bring the church closer to the Bible, but met persecution. They fled
to Holland where Smythe concluded that the Mennonite position
rejecting infant baptism was Biblically correct. In 1608 or 1609 he
baptized himself by pouring. Smythe and many
followers returned to England in 1611, and about 1641
accepted the Biblical teaching of baptism by immersion, rather than
sprinkling or pouring, which the Church of England had borrowed from
the Catholic Church.. The New Testament teaches that baptism is by
immersion in water (John 3:3-5; Rom. 6:3-5, Acts 8:40; etc.), but
through the centuries the Catholics had abandoned this and began
sprinkling or pouring water for baptism. In time Smythe's movement
came to the New World, and the results of their work are Baptist
Churches throughout the world. While there are many Baptist bodies
with their own creeds, they are pretty well represented by Hiscox's
Standard Manual for Baptist Churches. One of the confusing statements
in this Manual is on page 22: "It is most likely that in the
Apostolic Age when there was but 'one Lord, one faith, and one
baptism,' and no differing denominations existed&ldots;'baptism was
the door into the church.' Now, it is different&ldots;The churches
therefore have candidates&ldots; give their 'experience,' and then
their reception is decided by a vote of the members." Who said
it was now "different"? My Bible still reads the same as it
did in the First Century, and voting to receive members is not in it.
(I have been present at a Baptist church and observed this practice first-hand.)
But since
the Baptist Church is not described in the New Testament, perhaps
some feel they do not have to abide by the teachings of the Bible.
The well-known Baptist preacher, Billy Graham, understands the
beginnings of the Baptist Church, for in his syndicated column
"My Answer," he stated: "The Baptists as a distinct
denomination date from the time of the Reformation in the 16th
Century" (1960).
Another
teaching of Baptist churches is the "impossibility of
apostasy," which means that once a person have been saved, he
cannot be lost: "once in grace, always in grace."
Hiscox's Manual states: "We believe the Scriptures teach
that such as are truly regenerate, being born of the Spirit, will not
utterly fall away and perish&ldots;" (p. 67). A rather
definitive expression of this doctrine is seen in a tract by Sam
Morris, who was pastor of First Baptist Church in Stamford, Texas:
"We take the position that a Christian's sins do not damn his
soul! The way a Christian lives, what he says, his character, his
conduct, or his attitude toward other people have nothing to do with
the salvation of his soul&ldots;All the prayers a man may pray, all
the Bibles he may read, all the churches he may belong to,&ldots;all
the sermons he may practice,&ldots;all the benevolent acts he may
perform will not make his soul one whit safer; and all the sins he
may commit from idolatry to murder will not make his soul in any more
danger&ldots;The way a man lives has nothing to do with the salvation
of his soul" ("A Discussion Which Involves a Subject
Pertinent to All Men," pp. 1, 2). Please note just two or three
Bible verses, out of many, which contradict this denominational
error. "Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes it
away&ldots;If anyone does not abide in Me, he is thrown away as a
branch, and dries up; and they gather them, and cast them into the
fire, and they are burned" (John 15:1-6). How can one be
"taken away" from the vine who was not a part of the vine?
The apostle Paul warns in Galatians 5:4 that "You have been
severed from Christ, you who are seeking to be justified by law; you
have fallen from grace." Question: Is one in a saved state who
is "severed from Christ, and who has "fallen from
grace?" Question Two: Can one be "severed from Christ"
who was never a part of Christ, or "fallen from grace" who
was never in grace? Then in Hebrews 3:12, a caution is given to
Christians about "falling away from the living God." If it
is impossible for one to "fall away," then what is the
point of warning against it? There are many such Scriptures that
contradict the teachings of men. We now add another book to our
growing list of books that are in addition to the Bible--God's book.
Standard
Manual for Baptist Churches
Westminster
Confession of Faith
Book
of Common Prayer
luther's
catechism
Greek
Liturgy
Nicene
Creed--Catholic Catechism
Holy
Bible
The
Methodist Discipline
Standard
Manual for Baptist Churches
Westminster
Confession of Faith
Book
of Common Prayer
luther's
catechism
Greek
Liturgy
Nicene
Creed--Catholic Catechism
Holy
Bible
Around 1827,
Joseph Smith claimed an angel revealed golden plates
containing the message of The Book of Mormon, culminating in The
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints in 1830. Various other
books are authoritative, including Doctrine and Covenants and Pearl
of Great Price. Doctrine and Covenants states that unless one
practices polygamy, there is no hope of the highest reward in the
next life (132:3, 4). This church, popularly known as the Mormon
Church, has many doctrines that are quite different, including the
belief that the first man, Adam, is now the God of our world, and
that he has a body of flesh and bones as we have, even though the
D&C (1835 ed., p. 53) taught that the Father is a spirit. The
Bible teaches that God is a spirit (John 4:24), and that a spirit
does not have flesh and bones (Luke 24:39). Consider this quote
concerning the birth of Christ: "He was not begotten by the Holy
Ghost. And who is the father? He is the first of the human family.
Jesus, our elder brother, was begotten in the flesh by the same
character who was in the garden of Eden, and who is our Father in
heaven" (Journal of Discourses, V. 1, pp. 50, 51). Does this not
imply that Adam (who is now God) came to the earth and had a sexual
union with Mary, from which union Christ was conceived? Doesn't that
make her guilty of adultery, since she was betrothed to Joseph?
Another
example of the serious problems that the Mormons' doctrinal books
present is the obvious contradiction between the Book of Mormon and
Doctrine and Covenants. The BoM states: "Behold, David and
Solomon truly had many wives and concubines, which thing was
abominable to me, saith the Lord&ldots;For there shall not be any man
among you have save it be one wife; and concubines he shall have
none" (Jacob 2:24, 27). But D&C states just the opposite:
"David also received many wives and concubines, and also Solomon
and Moses my servants &ldots;and in nothing did they sin save in
those things which they received not from me. David's wives and
concubines were given unto him of me, by the hand of Nathan&ldots;and
in none of these things did he sin against me save in the case of
Uriah and his wife&ldots;" (132: 38-39). (I have asked many
Mormons to explain this contradiction, with no answer.) A Mormon
apostle also taught that Christ was married and had several wives
(Journal of Discourses, Vol. 4. Pp. 259, 260).
The
ultimate test of authenticity has to do with prophecy and
fulfillment. Among the prophecies Joseph made is that Oliver Cowdery
(an early disciple of Smith) "shall continue in bearing my name
before the world," even "to the end" (D&C 24:10).
Yet Cowdery was excommunicated in 1838 (HISTORY OF THE CHURCH, III,
p.16). Smith also prophesied that those ordained to the ministry
would "go forth to prune the vineyard for the last time, or the
coming of the Lord, which was nigh--even fifty-six years should wind
up the scene" (op. cit. II, p. 182).
This was written in February, 1835, which means that the end
was prophesied to come in 1891. (See also D&C 130:13-16).
Obviously this did not happen. Furthermore, Smith made several
fantastic claims. He claimed that the Garden of Eden had been located
in Jackson Country, MO, and that he and others had visited the altar
that Adam had built at Spring Hill, Daviess Country, MO on May 19,
1838 (MORMON DOCTRINE, pp. 20-21). It is evident that Smith also
taught that the moon was inhabited by people who were about six feet
tall, who dressed like Quakers, and who
The
Methodist Discipline
Standard
Manual for Baptist Churches
Westminster
Confession of Faith
Book
of Common Prayer
luther's
catechism
Greek
Liturgy
Nicene
Creed--Catholic Catechism
Holy
Bible
In 1844,
William Miller convinced his followers that Jesus Christ would return
that year. Many disposed of their property, so as to be ready at his
coming. Some assembled on the hills outside their town, and some
climbed trees to be ready at the appointed hour. But Jesus did not
appear. The disciples were discouraged, and many left. But one, Ellen
G. White, rallied the disciples and became the new leader of this
Adventist group. Later she claimed to have had a vision of the Ten
Commandments, with a halo around the fourth--"Remember the
Sabbath Day to keep it holy." She concluded that for most of the
history of Christianity, people were in error for observing the first
day of the week rather than the Jewish Sabbath--the seventh day. But
the New Testament teaches that the Old Testament Law was nailed to
the cross, and that we should not be judged by the laws of the
Sabbath, or feast days, etc. (Col. 2:14-17). II Cor. 3:6-10 also
teaches that the Old Covenant has been supplanted with the New
Covenant, and therefore we no longer observe animal sacrifices, the
Sabbath Day, or plural marriages. Under the guidance of Christ's
apostles, the first Christians met for worship on the first day of
the week, which we call Sunday (Acts 20:7; I Cor. 16:2). We also note
that Christ's resurrection was on the first day of the week (Matt.
28:1-6; Mark 16:1-8), and we know that the day of Pentecost, the
beginning of the church, was on the first day of the week (Acts 2).
Adventists counter by pointing to the number of times Paul and others
went into the synagogues on the Sabbath. That is quite natural. If I
were going among the Jews to preach Christ, I would go where I could
find them--in the synagogues on the Sabbath. White's book, The Great
Controversy, became a definitive document for the Seventh Day
Adventist Church, which name was adopted in 1846.
The
Great Controversy
The
Book of Mormon
The
Methodist Discipline
Standard
Manual for Baptist Churches
Westminster
Confession of Faith
Book
of Common Prayer
luther's
catechism
Greek
Liturgy
Nicene
Creed--Catholic Catechism
Holy
Bible
In the
1860s, William Booth, a Methodist minister, began doing free-lance
work in the slums of London's East End. This led to the establishment
of a mission to the poverty-stricken masses. The name Salvation Army
was adopted in 1878, and the mission stations became corps, with
members organized along military lines. The head is the General, with
a chain of command down the line. The Army is known for its relief
work in disasters, but it is a religious denomination promising
salvation. In Chosen To Be A Soldier (Orders and Regulations for
Soldiers of the Salvation Army), it is stated that "2. The
salvation soldier must clearly understand that the Salvation Army
Articles of Faith follow the main outline of historic Christian
teaching as derived from the Scriptures" (p. 21). If that be
true, it is interesting that the Army does not practice the
observance of baptism or the Lord's Supper, both of which are clearly
taught in the Scriptures. Thus it becomes clear that this
organization follows the teaching of men rather than the teaching of God.
Chosen
To Be A Soldier
The
Great Controversy
The
Book of Mormon
The
Methodist Discipline
Standard
Manual for Baptist Churches
Westminster
Confession of Faith
Book
of Common Prayer
luther's
catechism
Greek
Liturgy
Nicene
Creed--Catholic Catechism
Holy
Bible
Science
and Health with Key to the Scriptures
Chosen
To Be A Soldier
The
Great Controversy
The
Book of Mormon
The
Methodist Discipline
Standard
Manual for Baptist Churches
Westminster
Confession of Faith
Book
of Common Prayer
luther's
catechism
Greek
Liturgy
Nicene
Creed--Catholic Catechism
Holy
Bible
Soon
Charles Taze Russell appeared with many prophecies. His group began
about 1879 as the Millennial Dawn Bible Students Association. Today
it is the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society. This group has its own
version of the Bible, The New World Translation, and has changed
various Biblical doctrines to fit Russell's teachings. For example,
the Jehovah's Witnesses, as they are known, teach that Christ is
neither eternal nor divine, but a created being--Michael, the
arch-angel. Through the years, the organization has claimed to be a
prophet of God, and has made many prophecies which have failed. They
said that the rule of
the Gentile nations would end in 1914, and that various Biblical
personalities would be raised from the dead in 1925 and begin to rule
in the world. Various Bible notables were named. "&ldots;A
resurrection of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and other faithful ones&ldots;we
may expect 1925 to witness the return of these faithful men of
Israel form the condition of death and fully restored to perfect
humanity and made the visible, legal representatives of the new order
of things on the earth" (Millions Now Living Will Never Die, p.
88). They built a house in San Diego, CA for these dignitaries'
residence. The house was finally sold, as for some reason these men
did not take up residence there. (Perhaps they were not raised from
the dead.) The organization publicly declared that the end of the
world would come in 1975. When this did not happen, various
explanations were given to soften the significance of a false
prophecy. The Bible informs us that the prophet who makes a
prediction which does not come to pass is not a prophet of God.
"'How shall we know the word which the Lord has not
spoken?' When a prophet speaks in the name of the Lord, if the thing
does not come about or come true, that is the thing which the Lord
has not spoken. The prophet has spoken it presumptuously&ldots;"
(Deut. 18: 21-22) Thus
the Lord identified a "false prophet." Can we trust the
teachings of the false prophet known as the Watchtower? An example of
their teaching which contradicts the Bible is the following:
"What, then, does Christian baptism signify? It is not a washing
away of one's sins, because cleansing from sin comes only through
faith in Jesus Christ. (Ephesians 1:7)." (The Truth That
Leads to Eternal Life, p. 183) Compare this with what the Bible
says, as Saul of Tarsus was told to "Arise, and be baptized, and
wash away your sins, calling on His name" (Acts 22:16). The
Watchtower's false statement about the purpose of baptism is taken
from one of their many official doctrinal books which we add to our
growing stack.
THE
TRUTH THAT LEADS TO ETERNAL LIFE
Science
and Health with Key to the Scriptures
Chosen
To Be A Soldier
The
Great Controversy
The
Book of Mormon
The
Methodist Discipline
Standard
Manual for Baptist Churches
Westminster
Confession of Faith
Book
of Common Prayer
luther's
catechism
Greek
Liturgy
Nicene
Creed--Catholic Catechism
Holy
Bible
Late in
the 1800s, we have the rise of Pentecostal and Holiness churches.
This grouping includes the Assemblies of God, the Church of God, the
Pentecostal Holiness Church, the Church of God in Christ, etc. For
the most part, they share a belief in miraculous manifestations
today, such as speaking in tongues, miraculous healing, and some
include hand-ling poisonous snakes. (Unfortunately, several snake
handlers have met an untimely death, which leads me to believe that
what they practice today must not be what is mentioned in Mark
16:17-18, for Christ promises no harm to those in that day who drank
poison, handled snakes, etc.) One of the doctrines that is quite
common among these de-nominations is that of salvation by "faith
only." "7. JUSTIFICATION BY FAITH. We believe, teach and
firmly maintain the Scriptural doctrine of justification by faith
alone (Rom. 5:1&ldots;)" (DISCIPLINE OF THE PENTECOSTAL HOLINESS
CHURCH). In fact, that teaching is prominent in most Protestant
denominations. But we contrast that with the statement by the Apostle
James in 2:24: "You see that a man is justified by works, and
not by faith alone" That is as plain a contradiction as one can
find. You will observe that the denomination's creed book cited
Romans 5:1 (along with other Scriptures), but if we turn to that
passage and read it, we learn that something has been added along the
way, for the Apostle Paul says in Romans, "Therefore, having
been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord
Jesus Christ." The problem is, the denominations have added the
word alone to their doctrine. The Scriptures do teach that we are
justified by faith, but never does it teach that we are saved by
faith alone. There is a big difference. In truth, we are saved by an
obedient faith. That's the whole point of James 2. Another similar
denomination that springs from the same source is The Assemblies of
God, which was formed in 1914. In their writings, they state that
"It wasn't until 2 years later that the new fellowship saw the
need to establish a set of doctrinal standards." Thus we have
their STATEMENT OF FUNDAMENTAL TRUTHS. (I thought the Bible had
already been established as "a set of doctrinal standards.")
These two denominations pretty well represent similar groups, and we
add two new creeds to the increasing stack.
Discipline
of the Pentecostal Holiness Church
Statement
of Fundamental Truths
THE
TRUTH THAT LEADS TO ETERNAL LIFE
Science
and Health with Key to the Scriptures
Chosen
To Be A Soldier
The
Great Controversy
The
Book of Mormon
The
Methodist Discipline
Standard
Manual for Baptist Churches
Westminster
Confession of Faith
Book
of Common Prayer
luther's
catechism
Greek
Liturgy
Nicene
Creed--Catholic Catechism
Holy
Bible
We could
go on and cite hundreds of such examples. We could refer to the
Nazarene Church, the Moravians,
the House of David, the Two-Seed-in-the-Spirit Predestinarian
Baptists, the Church of Daniel's Band, the Worldwide Church of God,
the Pillar of Fire, etc., but these should illustrate the point of
how the religious world that claims to follow Christ has become so
divided. And all of these books that are used in addition to the
Bible have one thing in common--they were all written by men who
were not inspired of God. If these men had been inspired of God,
they would not have contradicted what God said, "for God is not
a God of confusion but of peace&ldots;" (I Cor. 14:33). Truth
does not contradict itself, and God's word is truth (John 17:17). Our
Lord had something to say about such doctrines of men. He rebuked the
Pharisees and scribes for adding their own traditions to the Law of
Moses, and said: "But in vain do they worship Me, teaching as
doctrines the precepts of men" (Matt.l5:9). All the books we
have cited are indeed the "precepts of men," and Christ
said that those who follow such doctrines make their worship vain,
worthless. That's something that needs to be taken seriously.
Thankfully,
God has given clear guidelines that can solve the problem. There are
two basic principles that we need to understand that will greatly
help us.
The
Seed Principle
In Luke
8, Christ gives the Parable of the Sower, and tells of a farmer
planting seed in his field. He spoke of different kinds of soil, and
how the seed responded to the type of soil in which it was planted.
He makes a spiritual application of the parable by stating that the
kingdom's "seed is the word of God" (v. 11), and thus
illustrating how different kinds of soil (the heart) react to and
receive the seed--the Word of God. Now consider the first disciples.
What spiritual name would we give them? They were Christians, weren't
they? Well, what kind of Christians were they? Baptist-Christians? Catholic-Christians?
Nazarene-Christians? They were "none of the above." They
were just Christians, for there were no differing denominations then.
And what was it that made them Christians? It was the seed of the
kingdom--the Word of God--"for you have been born again not of
seed which is perishable but imperishable, that is, through the
living and abiding word of God" (I Pet. 1:23). Thus the seed of
the kingdom, the word of God, was planted in the hearts of men and
women, and the fruit it produced was a Christian. In the natural
realm, one cannot plant tomato seeds and grow watermelons. It just
won't work. And a tomato seed that may have been preserved for a
thousand years will still produce only a tomato when it is finally
planted. In the human world, when you see a woman who is pregnant,
you don't have to wonder whether or not she will produce a baby
elephant or a baby iguana. God's natural law dictates that she will
produce a human baby. The same principle applies in the spiritual
realm. If the seed of the kingdom, the word of God, produced only
Christians in the first century, that's all it will produce today--only
Christians and Christians only. One cannot become a Mormon by
following the Bible, the Word of God. It takes the Book of Mormon.
One cannot become a Methodist by simply following the Bible. It takes
the Bible plus the Methodist Discipline. Nor can one become a
Catholic by following Luther's Catechism. That would take the
Catholic Catechism. And the same applies for every human denomination
and every human creed. It takes something in addition to the Bible to
produce something other than just a Christian.
The
Principle of Authority
This
second principle is clearly shown in Colossians 3:17, where the Holy
Spirit instructs us, "And whatever you do in word or deed, do
all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God
the Father." Notice what is commanded: whatever we do in
"word" (teaching), or in "deed" (actions), is to
be "in the name of the Lord Jesus" (by his authority). If a
policeman knocks on your door and says, "Open up, in the name of
the law," that means he is there by authority. When you see him
in his uniform with a badge, that signifies the authority by which he
comes. If he is a plainclothes officer, he will produce some
identification so that you will know by what authority he comes.
In the
spiritual realm, we must demand the "authority" by which
one comes. The Bible warns us: "Beloved, do not believe every
spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God;
because many false prophets have gone out into the world" (I
John 4:1). But how do we "test" the spirits? Many claim
they have a revelation from God, so how do we discern? There are at
least three things in particular that will help us to determine
whether someone's teaching is "from God."
Biblical
Authority
If we
seek to follow the New Testament pattern, then there can be
agreement. If one asks, "What difference does it make?", do
you remember the Scripture that instructs us "not to exceed what
is written" (I Cor. 4:6). We should ask, " Is there
authority for this addition to our worship?" The Bible gives
ample evidence of the practice of the early church. We can read Acts
16:25, I Cor. 14:15; Eph. 5:19 and Col. 3:16, etc. They all mention
singing, and do not include instruments. If some ask, "What did
the early church do under the guidance of divinely inspired apostles
and prophets?" we can be in complete agreement as to the answer.
They sang without instruments. Scripture and history both agree on
this.
Some
argue that the Jews used instruments in the Old Testament. And that's
right. They also offered animal sacrifices and burned incense in
worship. (Should we do this today just because they did it then?) But
the question is, "Why did they use the instruments?" The
answer is in II Chronicles 29:25, as King Hezekiah is restoring the
temple worship after years of idolatry. "He then stationed the
Levites in the house of the Lord with cymbals&ldots;harps,
and&ldots;lyres, according to the command of David and of Gad the
king's seer, and of Nathan the prophet; for the command was from the
Lord through His prophets." Why did the Jews use instruments?
Because God had commanded it! Now all we need is a like command in
the New Testament. If we can do things just because they are in the
Old Testament, then we could also practice polygamy, as David and
others had several wives. But the Old Testament is not our law today.
It has been taken away and nailed to the cross. (II Cor. 3:7; Col.
2:14; Heb. 8:13, 10:9, etc.) When churches today use the instruments,
are they doing this by the authority of men, or by the authority of God?
Consider
the fact that the early church did not use instruments of music in
worship. To this the scholar agree. That early church was under the
guidance of divinely inspired men --the apostles and prophets. Now,
if God had wanted instruments to be used in worship, don't you think
he could have let it be known through the men he inspired?
(e)
Another important part of our assemblies is prayer. All churches
pray, but there are some differences. One obvious difference is that
the New Testament pattern calls for males to lead in the public
prayers, while many denominations allow women to lead in prayer as
well as preach. The Lord's teaching is: "Therefore I want the
men in every place to pray&ldots;" (I Tim. 2:8). The passage
goes on to state: "But I do not allow a woman to teach or
exercise authority over a man&ldots;" (v. 12). Some view this as
a chauvinist attitude, claiming Paul was "anti-woman," but
God has his reasons for this. Such teaching in no way reduces women
to an inferior status, for there is no respect of persons with God,
but it simply means that God has different roles for men and women.
It has been so since creation, not just since Paul, "For it was
Adam who was first created, and then Eve. And it was not Adam who was
deceived, but the woman being quite deceived, fell into
transgression" (vv. 13, 14). I have asked women preachers for
their authority to do the work of preaching. I have never received a
Scriptural answer. So what shall we follow, the teaching of men, or
the teaching of God?
(5)
The work of the church. What
is the church's role in the world? What work has God given it to do?
The Bible teaches that the main function of the church is to help us
go to heaven. There are three areas of work mentioned in Scripture.
(a) Support for preaching the gospel (I Tim. 3:15; Phil. 4:15); (b)
edifying or building up the body (Eph. 4:12); and caring for those in
the church family who are in need (Acts 11:29-30). Beyond this, there
is no authority. That is why churches following the pattern do not
have gymnasiums and fellowship halls, nor do they sponsor Scout
Troops, or build various human organizations to do good works. These
all may be good, but they are not the work of the church. In the same
line of reasoning, a hospital has a certain mission, and we do not
expect hospitals to build and maintain a city fire department, nor
run the city's recreation program. These are good and necessary
operations, but they are not the mission of the hospital.
The many
things that denominations are involved in, from saving the Florida
alligator from extinction to seeking to overthrow civil governments
in some countries, to protesting the high price of milk may, or may
not, be good in and of themselves. But they are not the God-given
mission of the church. The function of the church is the
saving of souls, and we should not be distracted from that by other
causes, however noble they may be.
(6)
The plan of salvation.
There is no more important subject than salvation. The Philippian
jailer asked Paul and Silas, "Sirs, what must I do to be
saved?" (Acts 16:30) In this there is general agreement on some
vital points. We certainly agree on the part the grace of God plays
in our salvation, "for the grace of God has appeared, bringing
salvation to all men&ldots;" (Titus 2:11). Some stop there,
claiming that we are saved by grace alone, but the Scripture goes
further, "instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires
and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in this present
world" (v. 12). Clearly, there are "instructions" God
has given us, even as they were given to the jailer at Philippi. If
it were not so, then all would be saved, since God's grace has
"appeared to all men." But we know that not all will be
saved. Yes, salvation is a gift, the free gift of God, but a gift
must be received as well as given. More than once has a gift been
offered, but not accepted.
(a) Faith
is a fundamental ingredient in our salvation. John 3:16 is probably
one of the best-known Bible verses: "For God so loved the world,
that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes on Him
should not perish, but have eternal life." (See also Heb. 11:6,
etc). But are we saved by "faith only?" The denominations
teach this. "Wherefore, that we are justified by faith only, is
a most wholesome doctrine and very full of comfort" (METHODIST
DISCIPLINE and Episcopal BOOK OF COMMON PRAYER). Similar statements
are made in Baptist and Presbyterian creeds. In fact, nearly every
Protestant denomination has a similar statement in its creed. I had a
conversation with a young Baptist preacher once, and asked if he
believed in salvation by "faith only." He said he did. I
then asked him to read James 2:24: "You see that a man is
justified by works, and not by faith alone." He then replied,
"That's not the kind of God I serve," and closed his Bible
(as he closed his mind). He then admitted that he had never read
James, and did not know that verse was in the Bible, but that made no
difference. The whole point of James 2 is that we are saved by an
obedient faith, not just an intellectual faith. Many Scriptures bear
this out, such as Heb. 11:30: "By faith the walls of Jericho
fell down, after they had been encircled for seven days." When
did the walls fall? It was after their faith moved them to obey. Was
God's grace present? God had told Israel, "See, I have given
Jericho into your hand" (Joshua 6:2). They did not fight for the
city, and thus did not earn it, but it was given to them by the grace
of God. But suppose they had said, "We have faith that God will
give us the city, so we will sit and wait for the walls to fall
flat." Would they have been surprised when the walls didn't go
"boom?" Let's go back to John 3:16 and consider the
context, since so many like to quote this verse. We can fully
understand the meaning of a passage only when we examine the
context--the surrounding verses. "And as Moses lifted up the
serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up;
that whoever believes may in Him have eternal life. "For God so
loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever
believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life" (vv.
14-16). Please notice that Christ being "lifted up" was
likened to the serpent being "lifted up." As a result of
the Israelites grumbling, God sent fiery serpents among them. When
the people repented, God told Moses to make a brass sepent and hang
it on a pole. "Then the LORD said to Moses, 'Make a fiery
serpent, and set it on a standard; and it shall come about, that
everyone who is bitten, when he looks at it, he shall live.' And
Moses made a bronze serpent and set it on the standard; and it came
about, that if a serpent bit any man, when he looked to the bronze
serpent, he lived" (Numbers 21:8-9). Do you see the point? It
was not enough for the people just to believe, for they had to do
something--look upon the serpent! "Faith only" would not
have saved them. I find it interesting that the main verse of many
who claim that "faith only" saves, is the very passage that
teaches that obedience must be coupled with faith.
(b)
Repentance is quite necessary. Christ gave the call to repentance
when he told the people that "unless you repent, you will all
likewise perish" (Luke 13:3). Repentance is a change in heart
and life, as we turn from serving Satan and sin to serving God and
righteousness. Many profess to believe in Christ, but do not bring
about change in their lives.
(c)
Christ teaches us that we should not be ashamed of him, but that we
should confess him before others, and he will then confess us before
his Father (Matt. 10:32).
(d) So
far, there is pretty general agreement on the terms mentioned for
salvation. But when it comes to baptism there is great controversy.
The Bible is very clear on this matter, but for some reason
denominational doctrines take opposite views. Please carefully
consider some pertinent verses:
Mark
16:16: "He who has believed and has been baptized shall be
saved; but he
who has disbelieved shall be condemned."
John
3:3-5: "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he
cannot see the kingdom of God. "Nicodemus said to Him,
"How can a man be born when he is old? He can not enter a second
time into his mother's womb and be born, can he?"
Jesus
answered, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of
water and the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God."
Acts 2:
38: "And Peter said to them, "Repent, and let each of you
be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your
sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit."
Acts 22:
16: "And now why do you delay? Arise, and be baptized, and wash
away your sins, calling on His name.'
Gal.
3:27: "For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed
yourselves with Christ."
I Peter
3:21: "And corresponding to that, baptism now saves you--not the
removal
Other
Scriptures could be cited, but these illustrate the point very well.
In Mark, Jesus coupled baptism with faith before salvation: Belief +
Baptism = Salvation. Most denominational doctrines turn this around,
and make it Belief = Salvation + Baptism. Then Jesus said one cannot
enter the kingdom unless one is born of water and Spirit. (John
3:3-5). I believe the Spirit there has to do with the Word of God
which the Holy Spirit has given to us, "for you have been born
again not of seed which is perishable but imperishable, that is,
through the living and abiding word of God" (I Pet. 1:23). That
"seed" through which we have been born again has been
identified as the seed of the kingdom (Luke 8:11), and it is the Holy
Spirit that has given unto us the Word of God, which we call the
"Bible." But what is the "water" in the passage?
It cannot be the water of our physical birth, as some claim, for
Christ said in John 3 that a man must be born "again" of
water and the Spirit. The only reasonable explanation of this is that
he is referring to water baptism. Then in Acts 2, when Peter had convinced the people at Pentecost that they had crucified the Son of God, they asked what they must do. Peter told them to repent and be baptized for the forgiveness of their sins. Was baptism necessary for them to receive forgiveness? That's what the Bible says. The next Scripture we cited was the instruction given to Saul of Tarsus (whose name was changed to Paul) that he was to be baptized and have his sins washed away (Acts 22:16). Did the water take away his sins? Obviously not. It was Christ that took away his sins, when Saul met the conditions. Since Christ is the giver of salvation, he has the right to put any conditions on it that he wants. Just as Jericho was a gift to Israel, but God had the right to put conditions on the reception of the gift. The next verse we referred to was Galatians 3:27, where reference is made to being "baptized into Christ." We would all agree that salvation is "in Christ," i.e., in a spiritual relationship with him (Eph. 1:3). How does one get into this relationship? God's word says the final step that puts us into Christ is baptism. Since salvation is in Christ, and we are baptized into Christ, can we be saved without baptism? The answer should not be difficult. The final verse quoted is comparing the salvation of Noah and his family, who "were brought safely through the water," to our own salvation, and plainly states that "baptism now saves you" (I Pet. 3:20, 21). Many denominational preachers would read that "baptism saves you not," but the Holy Spirit said otherwise. The passage goes on |