Where
In The Bible Will I Find:
Christians
Wearing Denominational Names?
Paul had preached the gospel in Corinth and many
believed and were baptized, some by Paul, some by Apollos, and some by Cephas.
Many of these were wearing the name of the person baptizing them and Paul
rebuked them for this practice. He said, "Now I beseech you, brethren,
by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and
that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together
in the same mind and in the same judgment ... Is Christ divided? Was Paul
crucified for you? Or were ye baptized in the name of Paul?” (I Cor. 1:10-18).
Paul is saying that it makes no difference WHO
baptizes you, that when you were baptized you were baptized in the NAME of
Christ (by His authority, Matt. 28:19), that this act of baptism puts you in
Christ (Gal. 3:27), then you are to wear the name of Christ (Christian). There
is no such thing in the Bible as a hyphenated Christian, such as PaulChristian,
Apollos-Christian, or any other such name. All those who accepted and
obeyed the teaching of the apostles were called "CHRISTIANS" and
Christians only (Acts 11:26).
Denominationalism was rebuked by Paul in the
first century, so now where do we get the authority for wearing denominational
names in the twenty-first century? God's Word does not change, "Heaven
and earth shall pass away; but my words shall not pass away" (Luke
21:33). If wearing denominational names was wrong in the first century, then it
is wrong to do so today. The gospel does not create denominationalism, man's
ideas and opinions crate human religious names.
When man adds to, or takes away from the Word of
God then he and his followers have created a denominational church. This is how
ALL denominations started. There was no denominational doctrine preached
on the day of Pentecost. On this birthday of the Lord's church, only the gospel
of Christ was preached, only those who believed and obeyed it were baptized and
only these were added to the LORD'S CHURCH (Acts 2:37-47). These did not
JOIN a denomination of their choice, they were added, BY THE LORD, TO HIS
CHURCH (v. 47).
Everything that I believe and teach is what was
taught by Jesus and His apostles, I am not a member of any MAN MADE church. I
would not be if I could. When I "obeyed from the heart that form of
doctrine" (Rorn. 6:17), I was added by the Lord to His church. I did
not JOIN any man made church. I became a Christian (a follower of Christ), and
a Christian only. I do not ask anyone to follow me, but I do ask everyone to
follow Christ, and when you follow Christ, we will be walking side by side.
Denominational names must be discarded, and all belief and practice in religion
must be authorized by the Bible, which is our authority in religion, and on
which we will be judged.
