In Acts the second chapter, we read of the first gospel sermon ever preached. Being filled with the Holy Spirit, along with the other eleven apostles (Acts 2:1-15), Peter addressed the audience. After speaking of the resurrection of Christ, he told his Jewish listeners that they were guilty of crucifying the one that God has made both Lord and Christ (2:36). Some in the crowd were stunned to hear this truth and their hearts were pricked. Asking Peter and the other apostles what they had to do to rectify this severe sin, they were told by Peter to repent and be baptized (2:38). Those who gladly received the word were baptized (2:41), and the church Jesus promised to build began to be established (2:47). The wonderful church of Christ was now in existence. The mystery of how God would restore sinful man back to Himself was now uncovered, and the church is seen as a major part of that plan. From the first century on, anyone entering into a right relationship with God through obedience to the gospel of Christ (Romans 1:16) would become a member of the New Testament church.
The time under consideration in Acts 2 is the early first century. It was a time when there was literally only one church. No denomination existed at that time; in fact, it would be several hundred years before the first denomination came into existence. An important point must be seen here. Since denominations were not in existence in the first century, no denomination can be the first century church. For example, if you are a member of the Baptist church, you should know that there was no Baptist church until around 1607 A.D. Thus, the Baptist church is a product of man and not God. If you say, “Well, I am not a Baptist, I’m a Lutheran,” you should know that the Lutheran church started less than a hundred years before the Baptist church, somewhere around 1520 A.D. My point is this: people were being saved and added to the church that Christ built years before there was a Baptist, Lutheran, or any other denominational church. Our goal should be to get back to the place where there is once again only one church. If people were being saved before denominational churches came into existence, that means that if every denominational church closed its doors and shut down tomorrow, salvation could still be attained in Christ.
The church should wear the name of Christ so that Jesus is gloried and not man, and individual members of the church should be called Christians only. Most denominations wear names that are unscriptural in nature and only serve to glorify man. When Paul made reference to local churches, he simply called them churches of Christ (Romans 16:16). Remember, the church is the bride of Christ, and she should thus wear His name. Denominational designations only serve to divide people and leaves the world thinking that Christianity is nothing but a chaotic mess. Remember the prayer of Jesus? In John 17: 20-23, Jesus prayed for His disciples to be one. I want you to notice the impact that Jesus said this oneness would have on the world. He said the following:
“…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.”
Jesus indicates that the unity of His disciples would produce belief in the hearts of those in the world. But, if faith is the end result of unity, then disunity will cause unbelief. Unity is the constant plea of New Testament writers. Paul passionately pleaded with the saints at Corinth to speak the same thing and be of the same mind (1 Corinthians 1:10). This should still be our goal today. Denominationalism is the enemy of unity. It encourages division and is therefore not only unscriptural in nature, but also anti-scriptural. The only way to put an end to denominationalism is for honest people to determine to leave denominational churches behind and to become members of the New Testament church, that is, the church that was started at the right time and place and wears the name of Christ.
Does the New Testament church still exist today? The answer is yes. In fact, God promised that once the church was established that no one would be able to destroy it. The kingdom of God would never be destroyed (Daniel 2:44). Take note that the terms kingdom and church are sometimes used interchangeable—Matthew 16:18-19. The church you read of in the Bible will be here as long as the world stands for it is a part of the eternal purpose of God (Ephesians 3:10-11). As long as there are Christians in the world, the church will be in the world because the church is made up of Christians. But Christians are produced by the Word (seed) of God, not by man made doctrines and dogmas. Denominational churches not only started at the wrong time and wear the wrong name, they also teach the wrong plan of salvation. Faith only is the cry that sounds out from most denominational pulpits, but faith alone is not able to add one soul to the New Testament church (James 2:17-26). The Bible says that one must repent and be baptized (Acts 2:38; Mark 16:16).
Next week I will close this series of articles by emphasizing what the truth about the church teaches us about denominationalism.