One, Two Many Denominations!

Christianity is divided into over 200 denominations! That's quite a lot if we are all professing to be followers of Christ and his teachings. Ought it not to be, One God and One faith? This post is inspired by this book I read earlier this year called 'Why So Many Denominations?' by Mark Finley. Two of the reasons he attributes to this issue is that; 1) there is no devotion to Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord and 2) no love for one another.

The Christian religion as we know it and how it should be is centered around the person of Christ (Father, Son and Holy Spirit). Men in the early church knew what this devotion to Christ and love for one another meant. The Christianity accepted by the Roman Catholic church later trickled down to Protestant churches as an adulterated version of what true Christianity is supposed to be. The Roman Catholic was prophesied in the book of Revelation to be the mother of harlots, "And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH" Revelation 17:5. If there is a mother of harlots, there are daughters right? These daughters are the churches that have branched off of the Roman Catholic church.

• If we are devoted to Christ, why do denominations (allegedly professing Christ as the center ) continue to practice the commandments of men and traditions of churches instead of the teachings of Jesus. Christ, knowing all of this and what was to come spoke a prophecy from the prophet Isaiah, "This people honor Me with their lips but their heart is far from Me, and in vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men, for laying aside the commandment of God, you hold the traditions of men..." Mark 7: 6-8 NKJV). One of such commandments of man that we as Christians have held on to is Sunday worship. We do this and continue to defile the Holy Sabbath, "Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy" Exodus 20: 8 NKJV. Sunday worship came into the church as out of the spirit of compromise between the Roman Catholic and the Christians at the time. According to Finley, "sun worship was very popular throughout the Roman Empire. To accommodate the pagans, church and state united to firmly establish Sunday as the day of worship" p. 25. Christ never did honor the observance of Sunday as the Christian sabbath (no biblical evidence) so why are we still doing it? (The Great Controversy p.54). Christ simply puts it, "If you love Me, keep My commandments. John 14:15 NKJV. 

• Christianity is fairly simple, practical and straightforward. According to the apostle Paul, in admonishing the early church and by means to test their faithfulness said, "I am afraid, lest you lest as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, your minds should be led astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ" 2 Corinthians 11:3 NASB. The factions of Christianity is as a result of over emphasizing teachings of the New Testament. We argue over right and wrong ways to worship, forms and rituals etc that for far too long have strayed from the purity of Christianity. What happened to the simple 'worship Him in spirit and truth?' The body of Christ is too scattered and varied on biblical doctrines which has made it very uninviting  and quite confusing to sinners. 

In order to unite as one in Christ, we must unite on biblical doctrines. Too much is at stake for us to compromise the truths of the Bible for doctrines of men. I urge us all to Live and Love the Truth.