Sullivan church of Christ – Sullivan, MO
Date: September 3, 2006
DENOMINATIONALISM
Ben Justice
What is denominationalism? It will be the aim of this article to explore this
question, as well as consider what the Scriptures teach relative to this subject.
DENOMINATIONALISM – GENERALLY SPEAKING
The term “denomination” is “a name, especially one given to a class or category.
One of a series of units in numbers, weights or money. A religious sect,
Protestant denominations (Webster’s). To “denominate” something is, very simply,
to divide it into parts. For example, getting change for a hundred dollar bill is to
denominate. You could get denominations of 1’s, 5’s, 10’s, 20’s, or 50’s. Very
simply, denomination means “part of the whole.” Five 20’s are the parts that
make up the whole one hundred dollars.
DENOMINATIONALISM – THEOLOGICALLY SPEAKING
Denomination
According to “Nelson’s New Christian Dictionary,” is a “Religious group or sect
holding common beliefs or principles, composed of local congregations,
subscribing to common creeds, and acknowledging the authority of a common
body or head” (Pg. 235).
One writer stated,
Theologically speaking, to denominate means to divide into a smaller group.
When one refers to a religious denomination, then, one is referring to a group of
people who have divided themselves from the whole church of the Lord into a
smaller group.
Again, another writer said,
Denomination is “a large group of religious congregations united under a
common faith and name and organized under a single administrative and legal
hierarchy; a name or designation, especially for a class or group.”
A denomination is larger than a single local congregation, but is smaller than the
universal church. The number of local congregations that make up a certain
denomination can be as few as two or more. For example, the Baptist church is
a denomination, and all local congregations of the Baptist church put together
equal less than the universal church. Thus, it is part of the whole.
Also a single denomination is a part of the saved, not all of the saved. Some of
the saved are in the Baptist church, but not all of the saved, as
denominationalism espouses. Common denominations in existence today are
the Baptist denomination, the Methodist denomination, the Lutheran
denomination, the Presbyterian denomination, etc., etc. We are not saying
anything that these religious groups don’t claim for themselves. In other words,
these religious groups readily acknowledge that they are denominations.
In order to distinguish one denomination from another, there are unique names,
unique doctrines, and unique hierarchies.
Denominationalism
Denominationalism is the belief and adherence to the system that make up
denominations. If a person is a member of a certain denomination, then they
subscribe to the concept of denominationalism, which means they subscribe to
the concept of division.
Denominationalism comes about when religious people and groups divide and
segregate themselves on the basis of different designations or church affiliations
and different doctrines.
Denominationalism has the Lord’s body divided into different parts, which each
part having a name different from all the other parts, with each one that has
their own peculiar and different set of teachings, and with each one having their
own different hierarchy.
Denominationalism screams division. It is quite unfortunate that many don’t
even understand this.
DENOMINATIONALISM DEFEATED
Denominationalism is easily defeated by the Word of God by a consideration of
just a few scriptures. I Cor. 1:10-13 straightly condemns the kind of division
that denominationalism is built upon. These scriptures state, “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. (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?”
Note the question Paul asked in v. 13: “Is Christ divided.” Denominationalism
says, “Yes.” The word “divisions” in v. 10 comes from a word literally meaning,
“split, divide, separate, tear apart, tear off.” Here is the picture at Corinth: Some
were following Paul; some were following Apollos; some were following Cephas;
some were following Christ. Because of this, Paul asked, “Is Christ divided?” If
everyone would truly follow the teachings of v. 10, there would be no such thing
as denominationalism. (See also John 17:20-21).
Paul declared in I Cor. 4:17 that what he taught he “taught everywhere in every
church.” This implies that there were not differing doctrines, names, and
hierarchies. Paul could not do this today.
Note the following contrasts between the Lord’s church and denominationalism:
1.) While a denomination is larger than a single local congregation that makes
up that denomination and smaller than the universal church, the Lord’s church,
on the other hand, is neither larger nor smaller than the local congregations that
make it up.
2.) A denomination is made of local congregations. When all of these local
congregations are put together, they make a denomination, which is less than
the universal church. Thus, a denomination is a part of the whole. However,
the Lord’s church (according to the NT) is not made up of different
denominations that are made up of local congregations. The Lord’s church is
made up only of local congregations. When all of these local congregations are
put together, they make up the universal church – the Lord’s church. Thus, the
local congregations are not a part of the whole; they are the whole.
3.) In contrast to denominations, the Lord’s church is compromised of local
churches (not denominations) that equal all the saved – not some of the saved,
as the case with denominations.