Denominations...Why?

[Waiting2BwithHim]

Since the Holy Bible is truth and Acts 11:26 is when we were first called Christians why is it then there

are different denominations? Why is it that everyone that is Christian does not believe the same way?

What started different denominations in the first place?

[missmuffet]

30 minutes ago, Waiting2BwithHim said:

Since the Holy Bible is truth and Acts 11:26 is when we were first called Christians why is it then there

are different denominations? Why is it that everyone that is Christian does not believe the same way?

What started different denominations in the first place?

There were no denominations in the time of the Apostles. Man has created denominations. A person can get caught up in their denomination and make it more important than God. A denomination is only a label. Born again Christians serve the Lord even if we do not have a denomination. 

[Coemgen]

Shalom ;
Unfortunately, divisions were necessary because of the sound doctrine.
Have a good day.

[Justin Adams]

13 hours ago, Waiting2BwithHim said:

Since the Holy Bible is truth and Acts 11:26 is when we were first called Christians why is it then there

are different denominations? Why is it that everyone that is Christian does not believe the same way?

What started different denominations in the first place?

Everyone thinks they are correct. 'From whence come wars and fighting..?' asks James, tongue-in-cheek.

From the outset, the 'church' has suffered thru much debate and infighting. So they came up with some creeds to try and satisfy everyone (the Israelis were not invited to vote).

They came up with these creeds and decided (arbitrarily) that the canon of scripture was closed.

I am sure the Lord High God was faintly amused as He drummed his fingers on the golden throne...

So mankind began to make God in THEIR IMAGE (again) and have continued to this day. Thus your have denominations, none of which have managed to divorce themselves completely from the RCC (and earlier) pagan flavors and embedded influences. 

I think that most every denomination will fail eventually because the BEGINNING of something, of necessity, will prophesy its eventual crumbling and failure. Faulty beginnings equate to eventual failure.

[simplejeff]

17 hours ago, missmuffet said:

There were no denominations in the time of the Apostles.

In the New Testament,  they are called "sects",  which were already present, yes, in the first and second century.

See also,  "there are many anti-christs AMONG us" at that time too. (already by then!  How much more TODAY!)

 

17 hours ago, Waiting2BwithHim said:

Since the Holy Bible is truth and Acts 11:26 is when we were first called Christians (1) why is it then there

are different denominations? (2) Why is it that everyone that is Christian does not believe the same way?

(3) What started different denominations in the first place?

(1) Why is there a very common false gospel being preached and taught to multitudes of 'Christians' in "churches" ?

(2) What is the value of free will ?    (instead of robots)

(3) The flesh, the devil,  what else ?

 

[Pekoudah]

A denomination is a schism in the body. It is man separating himself from other believers by giving a specific group a name. When men were building Babylon they said...."let us make a name for ourselves".

Gen. 11:4 They said, "Come, let us build for ourselves a city, and a tower whose top will reach into heaven, and let us make for ourselves a name, otherwise we will be scattered abroad over the face of the whole earth."

Mankind has a tendency to want to build things for themselves...a way to immortalize the builders. It gives men a purpose. But this should not be when we are doing things in the Lord. It is HIS name alone that matters.

So it is very human to want to name a sect or division in the body...as a means of preservation the work done by specific people or even what God did at a specific time. But this is ill advised....even if it is very popular.

 

 

[johnthebaptist]

On 7/7/2019 at 2:05 PM, Waiting2BwithHim said:

Since the Holy Bible is truth and Acts 11:26 is when we were first called Christians why is it then there

are different denominations? Why is it that everyone that is Christian does not believe the same way?

What started different denominations in the first place?

One cause of denominations might be when the leadership of a church becomes corrupt, causing some members of that church to feel they need to start their own church.

[Willa]

There was first a division between Paul and Barnabas, and then people started following Paul vs Barnabas and Paul rebuked them for it.  Then there were separations between the Jewish Christians and gentile Christians; and the Coptic and Ethiopian churches with its gnostic influences and the Greek church and the Roman church and the Syrian church.  Sometimes language separated churches.  Sometimes it is different interpretations of Scripture.  The Greek and Latin churches separated over whether the Father and the Son sent the Holy Spirit or just the Father sent Him.  

I know a church that split over the color of the carpet!  So often our disagreements are stupid.  It is when the people are not allowed to read the word of God and they create doctrines to fleece the flocks that we should object and leave.  That happened in the Roman church and happens today.  They would have done well to stick to the precepts of Scripture.  The earliest doctrines and creeds were developed as the churches encountered false teaching that needed to be corrected.  They were always measured against Scripture at that time.  It was when they departed from Scripture that they got into trouble.  It pays to search the Scriptures to see of the teaching is true.  

[Omegaman 3.0]

Well, . . . Why not?

Jude 1:17-19 

17 But you, beloved, ought to remember the words that were spoken beforehand by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ, 18 that they were saying to you, “In the last time there shall be mockers, following after their own ungodly lusts.” 19 These are the ones who cause divisions, worldly-minded, devoid of the Spirit.

1 Cor 11:18-20

18 For, in the first place, when you come together as a church, I hear that divisions exist among you; and in part, I believe it. 19 For there must also be factions among you, in order that those who are approved may have become evident among you.

People are different. People are not perfect. Christians are people, therefore Christians are not perfect. This shows itself, when people read the Bible, they have to decide whether they believe it, or not, or maybe they believe some of it. They also will need to decide, if they will live according to what they believe, or just choose some parts that they will adhere to, while not being so keen on obeying other parts. Then, how should we interpret the Bible? Literally, symbolically, a mixture of the two or something else? Then there will be those who will insist, that one translation of the Bible is so superior to others, that they can make and idol of a version as if the church was without the legitimate word of God until some mere human came along to declare one version to be created, specifically for a certain denomination, how ironic is that? (I just alienated a bunch of people with that last comment, oh well!)

The answers to these questions are differences that Christians have. If there was a Christian who believed one thing, then you came along and decided he was wrong on one point, then you are one of those, who created differences and divisions, since you decided to depart from uniform belief with another. Until we come to a place, where we have perfection in thought, and willingness to submit completely to what we know, we will have divisions, it is just part of being human. 

I believe the Bible. The Bible tells me that you (just like me) are a sinner and rebellious against God. Why then, would I want to look to you as someone I should believe? That would be crazy!

Now, suppose I wanted to have a way to distinguish myself from you, so people can know that I do not agree with you about everything. I might give myself a name, a word that represents something I believe. For example, if I believed in full immersion water baptism, I might call myself a baptist. Some other person might identify with that and say: "You know, I am a baptist also!" Now, we have formed a denomination. Is there something wrong with having a name that I go by, that sums up some things I believe and practice? I don't think there is. 

As a Baptist, I might know of other Christians, who do not call themselves Baptists. However, I find that they believe a lot of things that I do. Perhaps they believe that Jesus pre-existed His birth, as the Word of God, who was with God in the beginning, and was also God at the same time, and that nothing was created without Him. Maybe I would find out, that this other person believed that Jesus was born of a virgin, lived a sinless life, died on the cross vicariously, to pay for the sins I committed, to ransom me out of Hell to live eternally in the presence of God. Maybe we both believe the Jesus will return again visibly, to gather His church to be with Him forever.

With the discovery of these things we have in common, I do not find that I am divided, but that I have unity in the faith with this other person, and with all persons who believe these things no matter what denominational name they use to describe themselves.

You may choose to see denominations as divisions, I see them as a way for like minded people to find and identify with others like themselves, so that they can have fellowship, and work together in service to the Lord. There is a local church that I go to. As it happens, it is a Baptist church. I did not choose to hang out with them, because they are Baptists, I hang out with them, because they believe and preach the gospel, they live by the tenets of the faith that I also do. There serve each other, and the serve the community. The admonish each other, and hold each other accountable, and the help others in need, both in the congregation and outside of it, including those who are not even of the faith.

Previously I attended a Four Square denomination, for all the same reasons. For me, denominations are not a hindrance, they are a way for people to get together with some sort of structure in order to have unity and avoid chaos, and confusion. 

Denominations are often full of Christians, and that means they are not perfect. If you ever find a perfect local church, I suggest that you do not join it, because once you join it, it will no longer be perfect. I think it is better, to join others that have the same flaws that we have, and we can work together to work on moving toward the perfection that is in Christ.

See also: https://www.worthychristianforums.com/blogs/entry/53-division-and-denominations/
 

[ReneeIW]

Willa pointed out the history of the divisions in the Christisn Church and someone else mentioned the Jewish sects that existed before the Church started. So there have always been factions. Obviously it seems worse now because there are more professing Christians than there were 2000 years ago or even 1000 years ago. So naturally you will have more divisions. 

I think the problem arises when you have one or two churches claiming to have apostolic succession and then using that claim to hold people in bondage or manipulate them. 

When someone tells me they are a Christian and they are living out what they believe, I never care what denomination they belong to. 

Edited July 17, 2019 by ReneeIW