If you consider yourself to be Baptist or Methodist, how comfortable would you be to go to a Presbyterian church now and again? If you are Protestant, how comfortable would you be in attending a Catholic church where there is a heavy emphasis on confession and rituals? How would you feel if you consider yourself a “modern-style” worshiper but had to attend a church that only worships with the traditional organ and piano?
Really, take time to think about it. Would you be comfortable? Would you be upset at the other church’s practices or doctrine?
Why do denominations exist? At the surface level, one would argue that they exist because each denomination holds its own school of thought that its members deem to be God’s truth in what He says in His Word. Different interpretations of scripture lead certain people that believe a certain way to fall into one denomination and other people who believe in another way to fall into another denomination. They exist because each denomination believes that they hold the real “truth”. They believe whole heartedly that their interpretation of scripture is the “true” interpretation that God wants us to believe.
Did not Jesus say, “I AM the way, the Truth, and the Life” (John 14:6)?
If Jesus is in fact THE truth, there is then no such thing as “the absolutely correct” denomination as long as each denomination believes the foundational principles of Christianity. God’s not interested in your purpose. He is interested in your identity. God doesn’t care whether or not we believe in a pre-tribulation or post-tribulation rapture, or if infant baptism is acceptable or not. He cares about a relationship more than he does a worship style or how we dress. He wants us to pursue Him for ourselves regardless of what we believe in the minor areas. We subconsciously equate selecting a denomination with selecting salvation, as if we think the two are somehow interrelated. Baptist, Reformed, Methodist, Wesleyan, Lutheran, Presbyterian, Catholic, you name it, if we all follow Jesus and acknowledge that is IS the Way, Truth, and the Life, and that he did die on the cross and rose again in atonement for our sins, and that He is living and powerful, denominations are simply pointless. We are the Church of Christ. That’s it.
Christians here in Latin American countries understand that concept extremely well. There are no denominations and certainly no political correctness, just a raw faith in Christ. Here, Catholics and Protestants join hands in worship and service. Here, their voices and hands act as one. How is it that people living in mud huts and broken down buildings have a better concept of what it means to be a Christian than those who live in comfort in the states? How can people here set aside their preconceived “truths” for the sake of the Church, and churches in the states become divided over a intricate detail in a minor topic of study
We tend to make Christianity more complicated than it has to be. Romans 10:9 points to salvation as a simple process. “If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” Never once does it mention that you have to be Catholic, Baptist, Wesleyan, etc.
I challenge you to step out of your comfort zone this weekend. Instead of attending your home church and sitting there in comfort as you absorb the same interactions with those who view doctrine the same as you, try attending a church with a different denomination as yours. See how quickly your walls go up and how many times you think that their doctrines are wrong. See how many times you fall into your selfish thoughts in thinking that your view of doctrine is the “absolute truth”. Only then will you realize that you are only contributing to the separation of the body of Christ. If Jesus is in fact the Way, THE TRUTH, and the Life, then it should not matter what your or what other people’s denominations say. Stop separating yourselves through denominations and join hands with one another as brothers and sisters in Christ.
