Since the early church even as Christ died, people were disagreeing on what Jesus taught!
1 Corinthinas 11:16 "But if any man seem to be contentious, we have no such custom, neither the churches of God.
17 Now in this that I declare unto you I praise you not, that ye come together not for the better, but for the worse.
18 For first of all, when ye come together in the church, I hear that there be divisions among you; and I partly believe it.
19 For there must be also heresies among you, that they which are approved may be made manifest among you
Let's look at "contentious" first. That's people who provoke arguments. In this case it's on church ordinances (
1 Corinthians 11:2). An ordinance is what is ordained by God and in this case, what's spoken by Paul. Among the ordinances were proper worship, the role of the genders in the church, piety, proper appearance, unity and doctrine. Those feuds, according to Paul, have no place in the church. However, in Corinth there were already divisions. From his admonishment, it's obvious that there were women who assumed dominant roles, women and men who were not pious, improper dress among the women and men who were more androgynous than they should be. Furthermore, because of disagreements there was chaos in the church and heresies abounding even at this early date!
The goal of the church was for people to become followers of Christ! What hindered them is society, customs, pride and independence. It was hard for the women to remain quiet in the church because they were accustomed to being outspoken. It was hard for all to be modest in dress and appearance because outside the church in this Roman era, even public nudity was accepted. Furthermore, even as Jesus spoke, the apostles had disagreements between themselves as to the meaning of what he said! And face it, a dead man arising from the grave was not a common event! They were bound to disagree!
Sure, the early church had scripture, but it was
The Law, the poetry, the history and the prophecies. Jesus was the major topic, but even today Christians fail to see little in what the
Old Testament (OT) said about Jesus. Just as Jesus spoke in parables, "The Word" spoke to the patriarchs symbolically! Yes, the church disagreed, and frankly, that's to be understood!
In the midst of this new knowledge was an endeavor to understand. Paul came to clarify the meaning of the gospel message. Jesus told Paul by divine inspiration what to say to people to open their eyes to truth. It wasn't as if Jesus died, then a miracle happened; and everybody immediately understood! That's obvious in the conversation between Philip and the eunuch. He was reading scripture and asking himself "What's this got to do with Jesus?" Philip clarified that for him!
Early on churches began to blossom all over. Paul preached that Christians weren't to be followers of him or any other apostle, but of Jesus.
1 Corinthians 1:11"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.
12 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.
13 Is Christ divided? was Paul crucified for you? or were ye baptized in the name of Paul?"
This passage says many things, but paramount is that Christianity is not about following people; it's about following Christ! Why were Christians segregating already into factions? Because of their misunderstanding of the gospel. Each apostle emphasized different aspects of Jesus, although all were teaching truth. Christians followed personalities and argued about their meaning! As such "denominations" were already being formed!
"Denominations" are groups of Christians who unite around their own beliefs in doctrine. Some modern churches claim to be non-denominational because they have reverted back to apostolic worship. Well, guess what? Apostolic teaching was denominational, not because lies were being taught, but because people misunderstood! The early church was a primal attempt to understand what Jesus, his death and resurrection were all about. We know that now! Why go back to the days of misunderstanding?
Even with the contentions Christians of the apostolic age were of the "universal church". That church has as it's focus the worship of Jesus Christ! People with various doctrines who were sincere were part of Christ's church because as Paul said, "That's who we follow!"
The Latin word for "universal" is "catholic" which is "the church universal". Yes, we're all catholics, but Catholicism is a name used to describe those churches formed around the apostle, Peter. Scripture says:
Matthew 16:18 "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."
This verse is a classic example of denominationalism! Roman Catholics portend that the church was built upon Peter (the Rock), but non-Catholics say that Christ was speaking to Peter, but "this rock" was a reference to Jesus himself! It is easy to disagree! Jesus knows what he meant, but people don't. Perhaps both are right!
The catholic church was built upon Christ. Paul preached that! (
1 Corinthians 1:13). However, St. Peter's Basilica has Peter buried beneath it! That Roman Catholic church is where Peter is buried. The Roman Catholic Church was built upon "the Rock", Peter!
Before Roman Catholicism became a denomination they too were catholic. However, when the Bishop of Rome claimed dominance over the other bishops, they in effect became a denomination. We are all part of the catholic church, but the Catholic Church, now the "Roman Catholic Church" is a mere denomination. The Popes believe they are all of the line of Peter, as if that had any sacramental necessities! However, denominations, including "The Church of Christ" sprang from Roman Catholicism even as did the Orthodox Church of the eastern world. Therefore, I would agree, the church was built on Peter, but more importantly, Christ is the Cornerstone!
Ephesians 2:19 "Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints, and of the household of God; 20 And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone; 21 In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord:"
Therefore, the church is built upon all the apostles and even the
OT prophets. It's built on Peter too! However, the focus is the Cornerstone. It's the reference point from which all is built! Isaiah confirmed this long before:
Isaiah 28:16 "Therefore thus saith the Lord God, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation: he that believeth shall not make haste."
Isaiah didn't mention the church of believers being built on Peter. It was Christ who was to come to Zion on which the church was to be built!
Now for some credit! The Roman Catholic Church (RCC) is from which all other denominations sprang! Even in early times the RCC developed heresies. Creeds were developed to dispel the worst of them! There is nothing wrong with creeds. Those are merely admonitions to those who stray. The RCC was an early protector of the faith, but as time came and went, many heresies crept into their denomination and still do!
The Mass and The Eucharist were early heresies condemned by the Protestants before and during the Reformation. The doctrine of transubstantiation was abhorrent to those protesting because it makes the bread and wine an idol in that the blood and body of Christ are said to become "real" in the mouth of the Christian partaking of the Mass. There are many, but indulgences are high on the list! Reformers rejected the idea that sins could be paid for by pecuniary means and that the priest could forgive sins! Those, in our eyes are heresies!
Marian devotion is anathema to Christians who know that Jesus is our mediator with God. The veneration of Mary is idol worship although the RCC says it's merely "veneration". Christians don't need anyone to "venerate". We worship Christ and Christ alone!
Over time the catholic church became full of heresies to the extent that Martin Luther posted his 95 Theses on the RCC church door at Wurttemberg, starting the "Reformation". Luther didn't worship Paul, Cephas or Apollos. His desire was to return to the teachings of Christ! However, Luther's teachings were not perfect understanding either and over time, others began to correct bad doctrine, as they understood it to be, and even more churches became
de facto denominations.
The Anglican Church of England was not part of the Reformation. It came about because of doctrine however. It was the RCC's stand on marriage and it's significance. Many historians believe that Joseph of Arimethea and his successors brought Christianity to Britannia at the same time that Paul took it to Rome. This may be! Some say that Paul preached in Britannia himself. That too is possible. However, the Christian church in Britannia is "catholic" as well, even if it came from the apostolic church! However, RCC never arrived there until some time later. The Anglican Church was taken off RCC, not the universal church and most evangelical denominations of today in America were separated from the Church of England. We are children of the Anglican Church and grandchildren of the Roman Catholic Church!
Today, the RCC is still bearing seed. Yearly, more denominations are founded. Most of the time it's over doctrine, but at others, Christians just can't get along! That's the "contentions" of which Paul spoke! Sometimes denominationalism gets silly! "Black Bumper Mennonites" can only drive cars with bumpers painted black. Conservative Churches of Christ believe theirs is the only true church and members of others are not to be included as true Christians. That's very Catholic of them to be sure!
Much good has come out of denominations... and bad as well!
1 Corinthians 1:19 "For there must be also heresies among you, that they which are approved may be made manifest among you."
Paul was in effect saying: "When people question doctrine, that is essential so that it can be refuted and more sound doctrine come of it!"
Today there exists many denominations with sound doctrine although on minor points there may still be disagreements. When writing this I endeavor to understand the different doctrines of the denominations, condemn heresies as I understand them to be, and teach truth.
Part of the Baptist tradition is the concept of grace. Reformers called it "
sola gratia" "by grace alone". Although salvation is a gift of God, "by grace alone" is a heresy. We have to do something to warrant salvation, not because we deserve it, but because we have a will to choose or reject. We must believe and trust!
John 3:16 " For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life."
Ephesians 2:8 "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:"
Believing is what we must do! Faith is what we must have. "Faith" is a work in exercising our belief.
Galatians 5:6b "...faith which worketh by love."
Faith is showing love of Jesus and to others, That's a commandment. We have faith by doing things! Faith is not for a short moment, but for a lifetime. We are to always love Jesus and others. Love is a work because it's a commandment we're called to obey. In effect it's "ye are saved through love of Jesus and others" because if one doesn't love, faith is dead! Faith is dynamic. It never ends!
My point is that even the evolved church where much understanding has been taught, still has errors. None are perfect. Although many churches get closer to the faith, the natural tendency is that most churches will become more heretical, just as was the trend in Paul's day. The RCC is full of heresies. Don't blame me for saying that! Luther said it long before I did!
Many Protestant Churches are heretical. Many liberal denominations are full of false teachings. They distort and reject the word of God and in effect call God a liar! They may deny sanctified living, the inerrancy of scripture or the truth of the gospels. Some denominations are evolved into Truth while others are more deceived. When selecting a denomination be wary! They're not inherently evil, but they may be!
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