09/06/2021
This is worth some valuable time.
Is One Church as Good as Another?
According to the Center for the Study of Global Christianity (CSGC) at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, there are approximately 41,000 Christian denominations and organizations in the world today. Why are there so many? Can they all be right in what they teach and practice? Can they all be acceptable to God? Can they all be THE church of the New Testament?
How many churches had their beginning on the day of Pentecost? By inspiration Luke writes, “Then those who gladly received his (Peter’s) word were baptized; and that day about three thousand souls were added to them” (Acts 2:41). To what were these people added; the church of their choice? Luke continues, “And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved” (Acts 20:28). To what were those being saved added? Were they given a choice between multiple churches? No! They were added to THE CHURCH.
After Peter proclaimed that Jesus was the Christ (Mat. 16:16), our Lord responded by stating, “and on this rock (this proclamation that I am the Christ) I will build my church (singular – Mat. 16:18). The church belongs to Christ. Not only did He build it, but He also purchased it with His own blood (Acts 20:28).
How many bodies are connected to the head of a normal human being? Answer: one. How heads are connected to a normal human body? Answer: one. The apostle Paul taught that there was only one church. He clarified the singularity of this divine institution by using the word “body” synonymously when speaking of the church. The church is the body of Christ of which He is the head (Eph. 1:22-23). Let there be no mistake, there is only one head/Christ and only one body/church (Eph. 4:4). How many different churches exist in your community? Can they all be correct in their claim of being Christ’s church/body? Certainly not, but they can all be wrong!
Many people in the religious world suggest that God accepts a church based upon similarities. Is it permissible for a married man to alternate women as his wife so long as they all have similarities to his real wife? What woman would accept her husband’s excuse for infidelity based upon the claim that, “It was an honest mistake; she looks so much like you”?
Christ also will not accept similarities in identifying His bride/church (Rev. 21:9). Christ knows what His bride looks like. What distinguishes her (the church) from all others (counterfeit churches) is her doctrine, for there is only one faith (Eph. 4:5). The church that belongs to Christ continues steadfastly in the apostles doctrine (Acts 2:42); the one faith.
Those who choose to be a part of a church which claims to be Christ’s bride based upon similarities in doctrine are corrected by the apostle Paul in his instructions to the church at Corinth. He wrote that Christians should “speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment” (1 Cor. 1:10). Do all the churches in your community teach the same thing? If not, then it is possible that they are all in error, but, it is impossible for more than one church/faith to be correct. There is only one church of the New Testament and it teaches but only one faith.
So how does a person know which church today is the one found in the New Testament? God has provided us with a description. He does not merely share with us similarities, but He provides us with a detailed description leaving no room for doubt. Nothing is left up to human conjecture. Instructions have been given on how the church is to worship acceptably (Jn. 4:23-24), when to worship (Acts. 20:7) and who is to lead in worship to God (1 Tim. 2:11-12).
But it is not enough just to attend the worship service of the New Testament church. One must be in the church if they desire to have a home in heaven.
The church consists of those who have been saved and only the saved are added to the church by the Lord (Acts 2:47). Have you followed the instructions of how to be added to “the” church, or merely followed the instructions of “a” church?
According to the Bible; what must a person do in order to fit the description of one who is in the church of the New Testament?
1. They must have faith in Jesus. “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved” (Acts 16:31). There will be no one in heaven who does not believe in Jesus.
2. They must repent of their sins. The Lord is “not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9).
Why are both belief and repentance necessary? They are necessary because God listed them in his description of those who make up the church. An honest student of God’s word understands that while we can never do less than what one particular passage teaches we may have to do more because of what God commands somewhere else in His instructions.
3. They must confess their belief that Jesus is God’s son. The apostle Paul wrote, “that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved” (Romans 10:19).
At this point, many counterfeit churches will claim that the conditions of salvation have been met. But God makes it clear that the bride of Christ (the church) meets every detail of his description.
4. They must also be baptized for the remission of their sins. Before Jesus left this earth He gave this command to His apostles: “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned” (Mark 16:15-16; c.f. Acts 2:38).
5. But a home in heaven for those in the New Testament church is contingent upon remaining faithful to Jesus your whole life. Jesus said, “Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life” (Rev. 2:10).
Is what I have written a matter of interpretation? Most certainly it is. Is one interpretation as good as another? Not if that interpretation is incorrect. If my interpretation of God’s instruction is not according to what God meant, then my interpretation is wrong and I am in violation of God’s will. A correct interpretation is not based upon what a person, thinks, feels, or believes, no matter how sincere they may be. A correct interpretation must be according to the one who created the law; according to the word of God/truth (John 17:17). God’s truth can be known and correctly understood by all people (John 8:32). An honest person accepts this truth.
Let us conclude with where we began. There are approximately 41,000 Christian denominations and organizations in the world today. Can they all be right in what they teach and practice? Can they all be acceptable to God? Can they all be THE church of the New Testament?
A more important question is: Do you fit the description of a person whom the Lord adds to his church?
Timothy Kidwell
Branson, Missouri
