What is a Denomination?

== Denomination Defined ==
The word denomination comes from the Latin prefix "de" and the Latin word "nomen". Nomen means name such as in the word "nomenclature". The prefix "de" means: down, down from, from, off of, out of, a division of and the like. Thus, when put together, the word "denomination" means to divide by name.
Other than religion, one of the most familiar "denominations" is that of money. Here in the US, our fiat money system has dollars and there is commonality between all the dollars in that they are money and all (for the most part) equally valid for economic transactions. However, they are divided up by their name based on their differences. A 1$ bill and a 5$ bill have different properties and so they are different denominations. The 1$ bill does not do the same thing in terms of purchasing as a 100$ bill and so on.
The concept of denomination is inherently division. Those who hold to denominationalism in the religious arena believe they are one division of a much larger whole that is the entire body of Christ. They include themselves and all other denominations as part of the one body of Christ despite their many divisions and differences. This is often called "ecumenicalism" where they all just get along because of what they do have in common despite their differences with each other and the scriptures.
== What the Bible Says about Denominations ==
John 17:20-23 - "20 Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word; 21 That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me. 22 And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one: 23 I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me." 
1 Corinthians 1:10-13 - "10 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?"
Ephesians 4:1-16 - "1 I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called, 2 With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love; 3 Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. 4 There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; 5 One Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all. 7 But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ. 8 Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men. 9 (Now that he ascended, what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth? 10 He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things.) 11 And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; 12 For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: 13 Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ: 14 That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; 15 But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ: 16 From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love."
Philippians 2:1-2 - "1If there be therefore any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any bowels and mercies, 2 Fulfil ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind."
Philippians 3:14-19 - "14 I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. 15 Let us therefore, as many as be perfect, be thus minded: and if in any thing ye be otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this unto you. 16 Nevertheless, whereto we have already attained, let us walk by the same rule, let us mind the same thing. 17 Brethren, be followers together of me, and mark them which walk so as ye have us for an ensample. 18 (For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ: 19 Whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things.)"
Romans 16:17 - "17Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them."
Matthew 15:1-13 - "1 Then came to Jesus scribes and Pharisees, which were of Jerusalem, saying, 2 Why do thy disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? for they wash not their hands when they eat bread. 3 But he answered and said unto them, Why do ye also transgress the commandment of God by your tradition? 4 For God commanded, saying, Honour thy father and mother: and, He that curseth father or mother, let him die the death. 5 But ye say, Whosoever shall say to his father or his mother, It is a gift, by whatsoever thou mightest be profited by me; 6 And honour not his father or his mother, he shall be free. Thus have ye made the commandment of God of none effect by your tradition. 7 Ye hypocrites, well did Esaias prophesy of you, saying, 8 This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me. 9 But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. 10 And he called the multitude, and said unto them, Hear, and understand: 11 Not that which goeth into the mouth defileth a man; but that which cometh out of the mouth, this defileth a man. 12 Then came his disciples, and said unto him, Knowest thou that the Pharisees were offended, after they heard this saying? 13 But he answered and said, Every plant, which my heavenly Father hath not planted, shall be rooted up."
Those who go to the Bible to find their particular denomination will be hard pressed as there are no denominations of Christianity in scripture. In fact, if you were to talk to a first century Christian about any particular denomination they would probably give you a confused look not knowing what you were talking about.
Though the verses given above are not exhaustive concerning how Jesus considers division, it is sufficient to make the point well.
1) Denominationalism is inherently division and division is explicitly condemned while unity is prayed for by Jesus (1 Cor 1:10-13; Rom 16:17; John 17:20-23; Eph 4:1-16).
2) Denominationalism is not being of the same mind, thinking and speaking the same thing. (1 Cor 1:10-13; Phil 2:1-2; 3:14-19)
3) Denominationalism came about because the teachings of men were elevated to the level of doctrines of Christ. (Matt 15:9)
When the Bible speaks about denominationalism, therefore, it condemns it. Those who embrace denominationalism, especially saying it is a good and beneficial thing, are promoting that which the Bible condemns. This, in itself, is sinful.
Denominations have divided by name, for certain, but it is far more than just the name. When they call themselves the Lutheran church, they honor Martin Luther, not God, not Jesus Christ. When they call themselves the Presbyterian church, they honor the presbytery (the elders) rather than Christ. But even if they all called themselves by a Biblical name, they would end up having to sub-label themselves by the differences in belief to keep themselves straight. Herein lies the heart of the issue. They aren't just divided by their names. They are divided by significant properties that make them distinct churches, wholly separate entities with unique properties.
When you look at a thing and it has different properties than another thing, then you know they are not the same thing. A number of creatures may be warm-blooded and have four legs and a tail. But it is not the similarities that distinguish them. An animal with a long nose (a trunk), tusks, big floppy ears, a relatively small tail compared to its enormous body mass, and grey color is an elephant and no other animal with different properties is an elephant. In the same manner, the distinct doctrines of the various religious denominations have their distinct properties that make them a distinct church and not the same as another church with different teachings and practices.
== One Church ==
Matthew 16:18 - " And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it."
Ephesians 5:5 - "For this ye know, that no whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God."
Ephesians 5:23-32 - "23 For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body. 24 Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing. 25 Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; 26 That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, 27 That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish. 28 So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself. 29 For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church: 30 For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones. 31 For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh. 32 This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church."
2 Peter 1:11 - "For so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ."
Galatians 4:26 - "But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all."
Revelation 21:2,9 - "And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And there came unto me one of the seven angels which had the seven vials full of the seven last plagues, and talked with me, saying, Come hither, I will shew thee the bride, the Lamb's wife."
1 Corinthians 3:16 - "Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?"
2 Corinthians 6:16 - "And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people."
Ephesians 2:19-22 - "19 Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God; 20 And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone; 21 In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord: 22 In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit."
1 Timothy 3:15 - "15 But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth."
Ephesians 1:22-23 - "22 And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church, 23 Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all."
Ephesians 4:4-5 - "3 Endeavouring to keep the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace. 4 There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; 5 One Lord, one faith, one baptism,"
Acts 20:28 - "Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood."
He is King over one kingdom. He married one bride (and is not a polygamist or an adulterer). He dwells in one temple. Is the Eldest brother of one household (family). Is the Head of one body. Jesus built only one church, purchased only one church with His blood. 
Yet denominations are obviously different churches with their distinct doctrines and practices. Therefore, they cannot logically all be that one church, nor can they be smaller parts of that one church. Jesus' bride would be pictured as having a multiple personality disorder if that were the case. Yet as shown above in Eph 5:27, His bride is without spot or blemish, pure.
Thus, a denomination is not just a division between a bunch of equals. It is a division that has removed that congregation out of and away from the church of the Lord. The division is not just among themselves, but divided asunder those who are part of a denomination and those who are part of the original church that Jesus built, paid for with His blood, and saved.
== Three Primary Divisions ==
There are three primary divisions that one can use to understand whether or not a church is the church Jesus built or some man-made fake.
=== Organization ===
The church of the Bible was designed with a plurality of men to oversee autonomous congregations and a plurality of men to serve the congregation. The terms elder/presbyter (presbuteros), bishop/overseer (episkopos), and shepherd/pastor (poimen) all refer to the same office. They are used interchangeably in passages like Acts 20:17-28; 1 Peter 5:1-4; and Titus 1:5-9. These men have specific qualifications as laid out in 1 Tim 3:1-7 and Titus 1:5-9. The other men that serve the congregation are deacons (diakonos ). They too have specific qualification (1 Tim 3:8-13). A healthy congregation will have both (Phil 1:1).
While it is acknowledged that there were also Apostles in the first century church, this office was for the purpose of establishing the church in the first century (John 14-17) and had very specific qualification that no man can meet today. These men were direct witnesses of Jesus ministry and personally selected out by Him (John 14-17; Acts 1:15-26; Acts 9, 22, 26). They alone had the ability to pass on miracles by the laying on of their hands (Acts 8:12-18). During the establishment period of the church, most of these men suffered martyrdom. John is the only one that we know did not for certain. There are no apostles today because there are none who traveled with Jesus during His earthly ministry or who have the ability to lay their hands on people and pass on the ability to do miracles. Those who claim to be successors to the apostles have made this claim without Biblical support in a bid for power and have led their denominations further and further from the truth with their man-made doctrines.
This departure began, as far as remaining evidence allows us to conclude, with a man named Ignatius who lived in the early 2nd century. He wanted to protect the church from error and thought that a stronger central leadership vested in one man would do that. He began to push for the distinction between bishop and elder with a singular bishop over the plurality of elders. By 170 AD this had become the practice. Constantine, Emperor of Rome (circa 325) further changed the organization of the proto-catholic church entangling it with earthly rulers. By 600, the structure had changed so much that Gregory became the highest monarch as Pope. The Orthodox variations that split off in 1054 rejected the Pope but still kept the clergy laity system that had come about. Then, with the Protestant Reformation, various different councils, synods, and pastoral systems developed on the whims of men. Few bothered to read their Bibles and attempt to structure themselves according to the Biblical pattern.
This alone identifies most denominations as the fake replicas by men rather than the church Christ built.
=== Salvation ===
The Bible teaches a very specific plan of salvation. When the whole of the Bible is used and not just a few verses cherry picked out of context to support a preconceived idea, then it is obvious what this plan is.
# We know the plan must come from the New Covenant not the old. Paul writes in Romans and Galatians especially that the law of Moses cannot save and the Hebrew writer's main purpose was to show the superiority of the New Covenant over the Old, that the Old could not save, but the New can, based on the blood of Jesus Christ.
# We have a logical progression, what is commonly called an "Ordo Salutis", of how salvation is accomplished for mankind. First is grace, God's gift to mankind that is His Son and the New Covenant by which we are saved. It is how God calls us (2 Thess 2:14), draws us to Himself (John 12:32). Having this word, God then demands we respond a certain way and if we do so, then He will save us, redeem us, cleanse us by the blood of His Son. We must hear the gospel (Rom 10:17), believe it (Mark 16:15-16), confess our faith in Christ as the Son of God (Matt 10:32; Romans 10:9-10), repent of our sins - i.e. turn from our sins and towards God (2 Cor 7:10; Acts 2:38), be immersed in water (Acts 8:36-38; 1 Peter 3:21) by the Holy Spirit (1 Cor 12:13; Col 2:11-13) into Christ (Romans 6:3-18; Galatians 3:26-27) to wash away our sins (Acts 22:16; Eph 5:26) wherein God frees us from sin (Romans 6:17-18; Colossians 2:11-13) and adds us to His church (Acts 2:47), and then we must live faithfully (1 John 1:7; James 5:19-20; 2 Timothy 4:7-8).
Most Protestant churches believe in a doctrine of "faith only" - taught by Ulrich Zwingli starting in the early 1500s - wherein they teach that no action beyond belief itself is necessary for our salvation. These churches reject baptism as essential for salvation and in so doing, divide themselves from the teachings of the scriptures. These churches have a different teaching, a different property than the NT church Jesus died for and so are not that church. 
Other churches believe that baptism saves, but they teach that babies are born sinful inheriting Adam's sin and - despite the fact that babies cannot believe anything, confess anything, or repent of anything - must be baptized to wash away Adam's sin. This was made popular in the early 400s when the former Gnostic, Augustine, couldn't give up his sex life and needed to shift blame somewhere. He then jumped on the idea of infant baptism and original/hereditary sin. Without getting into the errors of hereditary sin, the very idea that they teach that babies are saved before and without faith is a contradiction to scripture. Thus, any church that teaches infant baptism has also divided themselves from the teachings of the scriptures and are a different church than the one Jesus died for.
This leaves very few churches to examine.
=== Worship ===
The Old Testament is not authoritative over men today (and never was over Gentiles), but it does teach us things about the nature of sin and about the nature of Jehovah God (Romans 15:4). From the Old Testament we learn that Jehovah is very specific when He commands men to worship. When He commands men to worship in a specific way and they go beyond that, God is displeased. In the Old Testament, this displeasure led to punishment up to and including death (Lev. 10:1-2).
Under the New Testament, Jesus has specified five things He desires for us to do to worship Him. Each of these is a form of communication with our God as well as a method of remembrance of what we have been taught by Christ in order to remain His pure bride. 
# He desires us to partake of the Lord's Supper (communion) to celebrate His death on the cross (1 Cor 11:17-26). It is the reason we assemble as Christians. From 1 Cor 16:1-2 and Acts 20:6-7 we know that they assembled on the first day of each week to do this and so we must follow this pattern.
# He desires for us to give of our income as we have prospered when we assemble to worship (1 Cor 16:1-2), to give cheerfully (2 Cor 9:6-7), and is most importantly an offering of thanksgiving for what Christ gave to us, His very life (2 Cor 8).
# He desires for us to pray (1 Thess 5:17).
# He desires for us to study His word (2 Tim 2:15; 3:16-17).
# He desires for us to sing (Eph 5:19; Col 3:16-17; 1 Cor 14:15).
When man adds his own things to worship or changes what God has specified, then man is demonstrating his arrogance and placing himself in the place of God thinking he knows better than God how to worship God. When the Lord's Supper is taken with a different frequency than we see in the scriptures or for different purposes, that is arrogance. When we add the playing of mechanical instruments to the worship, that is arrogance. By specifying what He wanted us to do, Jesus eliminated automatically all the things He didn't want.
This eliminates the last of the denominations who have not already been eliminated by the other two things.
=== The One Church That is Left ===
If any congregation uses a Biblical description to refer to itself instead of one of the labels of men, teaches what the Bible teaches with regard to salvation, is organized the way the Bible teaches us to be organized, and worships God the way the Bible shows we ought to worship under the New Covenant, then that congregation is a congregation of the Lord's church. While there may be differences between those congregations on meatier issues such as eschatology or inconsequential differences like meeting times on the Lord's Day, or even how they Biblically refer to themselves, then they are individual congregations of that one church.
== Why Does it Matter? ==
That all of the above information is true, those in a denomination are not in the church that Jesus built, paid for with His blood, and saved. They are in a different body. Since there is only one way to be saved (Eph 4:4), in the body of Christ, which is His church (Eph 1:22-23), then those in a denomination are not believers in that one faith and are not part of that one body/church.
In short, those in a denomination are lost.
Many of them won't like hearing this. Some will read this article and respond with dismissal, incredulity, scoffing, or even anger. Others, hopefully, will choose to read this, examine the scriptures to see if what I have said is true, and realize they need to come out of the denomination they are a part of and do what God requires for them to do to be saved by Him and added to His church. That is our plea. Come out of the churches of men and obey the gospel and become part of the church that is of Christ.
In Truth and Love.
Category:Denominationalism