Why Are There So Many Churches?

 

Recently I was asked, "Why are there so many churches? Doesn't 1 Corinthians 1:13 pose the question, 'Is Christ divided?' And if Christ is not divided as suggested in 1 Corinthians 1:13, then why are there so many different denominations?"

Has anyone else wondered that? These questions have been pondered by many people including me at one time. 

Christ prayed for his disciples in John 17:20-23. He said, "Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word; (that would include you and me) That they all may be one; as You, Father, art in me, and I in You, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that You have sent me. And the glory which You gave me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one: I in them, and You in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that You hast sent me, and have loved them, as You have loved me." Jesus prayed for the unity and oneness of those who believe on Him. If this was His great concern and plea, then why do we have so many “churches?” Let me touch on a few points.

The first reason we have so many “churches” is because of something that John wrote. He said in 1 John 4:1 “Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.” Indeed there are many false prophets that have gone out into the world and some of these false prophets have created “churches” of their own. This is part of Satan’s plan to divide the followers of Christ. The Bible teaches that if it is to his benefit Satan can and will transform himself into an angel of light (2 Corinthians 11:14). The next verse reads, “Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also are transformed as the ministers of righteousness.” In other words, there are people in the world today who appear to be "ministers of righteousness" but who are actually working for Satan even if they are unaware of it. How do you know the difference between the two? John gave us the answer: “Try (test) the spirits whether they are of God.” Therefore, this the only available avenue to know whether one is teaching truth or falsehood–to test the teaching of the false teacher! But how does one do this? Compare what they are saying to what the Bible says and then ONLY believe what the Bible ACTUALLY teaches. However, you must read the Bible to have this discernment. If the Bible does not actually teach it, then reject it. Many false prophets mean many false “churches.” This is one reason why there are so many churches.

Another reason we have so many “churches” is because there are many who are not content to be just Christians. Many want to be “Christians” of a particular sort. This was the problem with the church at Corinth. Paul had to rebuke them because they were calling themselves after something other than Christ. We read in 1 Corinthians 1:11- 12 “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. Now, this I say, that every one of you says, I am of Paul; and I of Apollos; and I of Cephas; and I of Christ.” Just like today, many want to say that they are Baptist-Christians, Methodist-Christians, Presbyterian-Christians, Pentecostal-Christians, Lutheran-Christians, etc. What was Paul’s response to this type of thinking? Exactly what was asked of me! He said, “Is Christ divided? was Paul crucified for you? or were ye baptized in the name of Paul?” Instead of being content to be followers of the one who was crucified for them, instead of being content to be followers of the one in whose name they were baptized, they wanted to be known as Paul-Christians or Peter-Christians, or Apollos-Christians. They were not content with just being mere Christians. Todayou will hear many Christians say, "I follow Kenneth Copeland; I follow Joyce Meyer; I follow Joel Olsteen, etc. but they never pick up a Bible to see if what they are being spoon-fed is true. JESUS WAS THE WORD (made flesh). To follow Jesus today, you must read and rely on the truth of the Word itself. In Paul's day, they wanted their own personalized, monogrammed “Christian club.” This lack of wanting to be merely Christians causes many “churches” to come into existence today. Are you a part of a "Christian club" or do you actually read and learn from the Bible on your own? And if not, how are you able to discern what you are hearing and believing has any truth to it? Is it because your preacher is on TV? Because they look truthful? Because they have hundreds of thousands of followers? Because they prompt you to believe me.

One final point of why we have so many “churches” is because there are many who simply want their own way. And they want it enough that they are willing to allow a church to be divided over their own opinions. So they break out and away from their base to form the "revised" church of ____. As some examples, some Baptists have reformed to Freewill Baptists; some United Methodists to Wesleyan Methodists; some American Presbyterian to Orthodox Presbyterian, on and on. They confuse their opinion with what the scriptures teach and when a segment of parishioners disagree, they leave to form a new denomination. To avoid such division within Christianity requires that we study and know what the Bible teaches so that we do not pawn off our own opinions as Biblical teaching and so that we do not pawn off Biblical teaching as our own opinions! Either mistake is disastrous when it comes to the unity of the church. The Christians in Acts 17:11 practiced this as we read, “These were nobler than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.” They did not merely accept the preacher’s opinion regarding what the Bible taught. They checked things out; they made absolutely sure that what Paul was saying was the truth. They were not content to accept Paul’s opinion. Accepting the opinions of men as “gospel truth” causes division and is a large part of the reason there are so many “churches” today. How often will individuals themselves leave a Bible teaching "church" that disavows the individual's personal opinion? I can give you one of my own examples. I had a Christian lady with a gay son complain to me she was going to, "dump my church because they preach against homosexuality!" 

What is your desire? Do you long for the kind of unity for which Jesus prayed? Do you desire to test the things that you believe against what the scriptures say? Do you want more than anything to be “just a Christian?” Then I offer you this challenge: Find a “church.” Question them regarding what they believe and practice. If the scriptures do not teach it, then reject it. If they are doing what the scriptures teach and ONLY what the scriptures teach, then accept it and become part of that church. Christ is not divided. Read the Bible and learn how to discern truth from lies.

Until He Comes,

-Pat-