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Biblical references in Gahanna-Jefferson Church of Christ's nondenominational sermon outlines are linked directly to text of the King James version of the Bible. Bible quotes you hear in the streaming audio may be from the New King James version of the Bible.
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Introduction.
1. In this series we have surveyed the following basic doctrines
2. A final basic doctrine I would like to examine in this series is the nature of the Lord's church
3. In this study, we shall examine the following questions
a. What do the scriptures say?
b. What is denominationalism?
c. What is wrong with denominationalism?
Body.
I. What do the scriptures say?
A. The term church is primarily used in two ways.
1. In the UNIVERSAL sense
2. In the LOCAL sense
B. What are the differences?
1. In the UNIVERSAL sense:
b. Christ is the HEAD; individual Christians are members of His body - 1 Corinthians 12:27
c. There is NO EARTHLY ORGANIZATION
d. The universal church never meets as such; it has no officers except Jesus Christ and the original apostles and prophets
2. In the LOCAL sense:
a. There are MANY churches - Galatians 1:2
b. There is to be EARTHLY ORGANIZATION within each local church
1) Ideally, each church has elders (also known as bishops, pastors) and deacons -
Philippians 1:1
2) Although churches may exist temporarily until such men can be appointed - Acts 14:21-23
c. Local churches were independent and autonomous.
1) Each congregation was to submit to the oversight of its own elders only Hebrews 13:17
2) Elders had oversight only over the flock of God which was among them: - 1 Peter
5:2, Acts 20:28
3. Such was the nature and pattern of the Lord's church as found in the New Testament. With such simplicity the gospel spread and curches were planted all over the Mediterranean world and beyond. But not long after the apostles died, the nature of the Lord's church began to change.
II. What is denominationalism?
A. First what is it?
1. What does the dictionary say a denomination is?
a. According to The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language: "A large group of religious congregations united under a common faith and name and organized under a single administrative and legal hierarchy."
b. From Webster's: "A religious organization uniting in a single legal and administrative body a number of local congregations."
c. In simple terms, a denomination is a group of congregations that are joined together under some governing body.
d. Some examples:
1) The Roman Catholic Church is a denomination made up of those churches that submit to the pope in Rome
2) The Lutheran Church (Missouri Synod) is made up of those churches that submit to the synod in Missouri
e. These are just a few of the thousands of different denominations that now exist!
2. Now let's define denominationalism
a. According to The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, it is:
1) "The tendency to separate into religious denominations"
2) "Advocacy of separation into religious denominations"
b. Again, Webster's dictionary defines it as:
1) "Devotion to denominational principles or interests"
2) "Narrow emphasizing of denominational differences: SECTARIANISM"
B. How did they begin?
1. It did not happen overnight, but through small, subtle changes in the organization of the Lord's church
2. The first step was a change from a two-tier system to a three-tier system
a. The early churches had elders also known as bishops, pastors and deacons
b. But then the title "bishop" came to be reserved for just one of the elders, creating a three-tier hierarchy of bishop-elders-deacons within a local congregation
3. The next change involved one bishop over many congregations
a. In the NT, there were a plurality of bishops over just one congregation
b. But now, there was one bishop over a plurality of congregations
4. Eventually this pattern of change led to the formation of various denominations
a. Roman Catholic, Greek and Russian Orthodox, Coptic, etc.
b. All depending upon which religious leader was recognized by a group of churches
III. What is wrong with denominationalism?
A. First denominationalism is un-scriptural.
1. That is, it is without Scriptural support
2. We have seen that in the New Testament that.
a. Local congregations were independent, self-governing
b. Church organization was limited to within the local congregation, with elders (also known as pastors, bishops, overseers, presbyters) appointed to oversee only the congregation of which they were members -
Acts 20:17,28
1 Peter 5:1-2
3. The only authority above the local church was Christ and His apostles.
a. Once the church began, apostles were not replaced after they died
b. But through the Word of God, the authority of Christ and His apostles continues
B. Second denominationalism is anti-scriptural.
1. Not only is it without scriptural support, it is contrary to what the Bible teaches
2. Denominationalism creates division, and division is:
a. Contrary to the prayer of Jesus - John 17:20-23
C. Third it is harmful to the cause of Christ.
1. Jesus knew that unity was important - John 17:21
2. Many people point to the divided condition of those professing to follow Christ.
a. Atheists and agnostics often use division as an excuse not to believe in God
b. Adherents to non-Christian religions (such as Islam, Judaism, etc.) will often use denominationalism as a reason not to believe in Christ
3. Denominationalism has also given support and encouragement to the cults
a. Mormonism started in reaction to the denominationalism of Joseph Smith's day
b. Those who call themselves "Jehovah's Witnesses" use the religious division to encourage people to follow their strictly-controlled organization
4. It opposes the efforts of Christ on the cross! - Ephesians 2:14-16
Conclusion.
1. The nature of the Lord's church may not seem to be a significant doctrine
a. Many would consider church organization to be a matter of indifference
b. They would certainly not put it on the same level as the identity of God or the identity of Jesus of Nazareth
2. Whether or not it belongs on the same level, I do believe it is worthy of our prayerful consideration.
a. History reveals that the departure from the New Testament pattern began with small changes in the organization of the church
b. History continues to reveal that this is often the first step toward apostasy time and again
3. For when one disregards the New Testament concerning the nature of the Lord's church, it is not long before they disregard what else the New Testament has to say!
-- Don Treadway, February 2002 --
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