Where are they in the word of God?

[chrisovery]

Where are denominations in the Bible? Please share scripture.

 

[PloverWing]

We see an assortment of conflicts within the church in the New Testament, but the schisms that led to our present collection of denominations post-date the writing of the New Testament.

What point do you want to make?

 

[ViaCrucis]

Where are denominations in the Bible? Please share scripture.

This is going to be long. So bear with me.

Let's talk about what a "denomination" is and what this word signifies.

To denominate is to give something a name. A denomination is "something given a name".

For most of Christian history the concept of a "denomination" simply didn't exist. Instead, people simply regarded their Church as the Church. This continues to be the case for Roman Catholics, Eastern and Oriental Orthodox, etc.

At this point, already, we should take a pause. It sounds like I just named--denominated--several Christian groups. We should probably explore that more.

As we read in the New Testament, the Lord Jesus established His Church, in Greek ekklesia, the called-and-gathered assembly. It designated the people and movement and the life they were to have together and in the world as Christ's own. After the Lord's death, resurrection, and ascension, the very very young Church consisted of about the 120 people who were gathered together on Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit came. Through the proclamation of the Gospel from the Apostle Peter, empowered by the Holy Spirit, we see thousands converted and joined the Church that day. And that Gospel continued to go out, through the mission and work of the Apostles and their co-workers. Wherever the Apostles went, communities of believing Christians were established. What started in Jerusalem spread around Judea, Samaria, then into Roman Syria, and Egypt, and Anatolia, Greece, Italy, North Africa, and so on and so forth.

The Apostles, of course, didn't leave these communities to fend for themselves without any continued guidance. Without the apostles being personally present, they left people in charge to continue to the apostolic ministry of preaching, and teaching, and being shepherds (pastors) to the people. Many of the Apostles lost their lives when Nero began his persecution of Christians in the mid-60's AD, most notably both Paul and Peter lost their lives for the sake of Christ. Stories of what happened to the other Apostles abound, though it isn't always clear what happened to them as they went to various parts of the ancient known world. By the end of the first century, the Church Jesus established had spread far and wide, from Spain in the West, to India in the East, to parts of Britain in the North, and Africa in the South.

So there was just this one Church of Jesus Christ, though there were many communities throughout the known world, and there were diverse pastors serving in all these congregations, they were sharers of the same faith and abiding in the same teaching. For this reason, a word used to describe this Church that was all over the world but held together a common faith was the Greek word katholikos (Anglicized as "catholic") which literally means "according to the whole" or "the entire"; the Whole Church, the Entire Church in other words. And this continued well after the Apostles were no longer with us. We have the testimony of early Christians, such as St. Igantius or St. Justin or St. Irenaeus all living in the century after the Apostles; and this continued to be the case in those early centuries even as the Church was attacked by persecution by civil authorities, and had to deal with heresy from within.

The first great split in the Christian Church didn't happen until the 5th century. It would take too long to provide all the historical context of what happened, but the short of it is that a theological controversy erupted, based upon what the bishop (pastor) of Constantinople was saying, his name was Nestorius. Like the Church had done many times before, going all the way back to the first Church council in Jerusalem (as recorded in Acts 15), the leaders of the Church came together to figure it out. In the end, Nestorius was condemned, but not just Nestorius, but others as well--others who were deeply respected teachers by those Christians living in what was then the Persian Empire. This led to a split, a divide, the very first schism of the Church, between those who agreed with the Church Council held at Ephesus in 431 which condemned Nestorius as a heretic; and with those who rejected the Council of Ephesus in Persia.

Today we know the Christians who rejected the Council of Ephesus as "The Church of the East" or "The Assyrian Church". They're still around, though in far fewer numbers than in the past.

A second schism, or split, happened several decades later, at the Council held at the city of Chalcedon (451 AD). Again, a rift appeared, between those who affirmed Chalcedon, and those who didn't. Those who did not affirm Chalcedon are, today, often grouped together as "The Oriental Orthodox", these are the ancient churches of Egypt (the Coptic Orthodox Church) and consequently also Ethiopia (The Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church), as well as the Syriac Church (Syriac Orthodox Church) and the Church in Armenia (the Armenian Apostolic Church).

So we are starting to see some early rifting among Christians here.

But the next big split was the biggest split of them all. In the 11th century a growing rift had already began between Christians in the West (largely Western Europe and the British Isles) and the Christians in the East (Greece, parts of Eastern Europe, and Anatolia). But it all came to a head when the bishops of Rome and Constantinople effectively declared one another excommunicated (much more complicated than that). However, it's not as though Christians in Greece or Italy suddenly thought of themselves as members of different Churches; it took a long time for this split to really cement and become obvious. But by the 14th-15th century, it was not pretty clear that there was the Western Church, under the Pope in Rome on the one hand, and the Eastern Church, made up of the surviving Eastern major bishops of the East on the other. Each claiming the other to be in a state of schism and apostasy, and each claiming itself as the real Church. We, for convenience, refer to the Western Church as the Roman Catholic Church (which simply calls itself the Catholic Church) and refer to the Eastern Church as the Eastern Orthodox Church (which simply calls itself the Orthodox Church).

At this point, however, we don't talk about "denominations". That's not a thing yet. Instead, we have these groups of Christians who, from their perspective, are doing nothing more than being Christians. They view themselves simply as Christians, and their Church as simply the Church--that same Church which Jesus established, the same Church in the New Testament, because they don't see themselves as having changed anything, added anything, or being anything other than Christian, the same as had always been before.

So a Christian living in Greece, an Orthodox Christian, seven hundred years ago simply views themselves as a Christian in Greece, and their Church is simply the Church, as it always had been. And to any degree that they would have even been aware of the schisms with Rome, or with the Assyrians or Egyptians or Armenians etc; well all of them were simply schismatics and heretics, not part of the Church, because their Church was the Church.

Then in the 1500's, in Western Europe, big things happened. There had been some growing unrest for sometime about a lot of problems with how the Church was doing things or how many priests, bishops, and monks were doing things--abuses, problems, corruption. But this all really came to a head when, in 1517, a German monk, pastor, and university professor who taught theology, Martin Luther, decided to nail a list of debate points on the controversial problem of the sales of indulgences which had begun in Saxony where he lived. This sparked a fire that quickly grew, and as Luther himself began to look at the underlining issues of the time, he became increasingly convinced that the real problems weren't the external abuses themselves but that these were rather symptoms of a deeper sickness and rot infecting the Western Church (and, keep in mind, he viewed his Church, the Catholic Church in the West, as simply the Church, it was Jesus' Church).

Luther's writings became best sellers not just in Saxony, but throughout the Holy Roman Empire, and were translated and became popular elsewhere. Others were inspired by what Luther was saying, and they started to write and share their views. One example of that is John Calvin, a French lawyer and theologian who would eventually be forced to leave France and went to Geneva in Switzerland. Calvin's ideas were, in some ways, a lot like Luther's and they shared common ground; but on some other issues they were in sharp disagreement. Leading these early reform movements (reform of the Catholic Church) to diverge; eventually these two movements would be given names, Lutheran after Luther (originally as an insult) and on the other the Reformed, as it wasn't just Calvin, just as important were people like Ulrich Zwingli who was Swiss, and John Knox, from Scotland.

Not only these, but others started to seek either reform or, in some cases, extreme break away from Christian norms of the time. Some of these groups actually went so far as to re-baptize themselves, and so a term was given to them, Anabaptist ("Re-baptizers"). These different and various and more radical groups were highly diverse, some advocated total pacifism like the followers of Menno Simons (i.e. the Mennonites); while some advocated a violent revolution against both ecclesiastical and civil authorities, in some cases creating short-lived theocratic city-states, like the Zwickau Prophets. Some of these groups retained basic Christian beliefs, like the Trinity and Deity of Jesus; but some didn't, such as Michael Servetus, or the Socinians (forerunners of the Unitarians) who rejected the Trinity and other basic Christian beliefs.

On top of this, there was a political situation brewing in England. King Henry VIII's wife wasn't giving him any male heirs, so he wanted the Pope to annul his marriage so he could hook up with another woman. However, the Pope said no, and Henry decided that if the Pope wouldn't let him marry someone else, then he could just make himself the head of the Church in England and annul his own marriage. King Henry was certainly no friend of the newly dubbed "Protestants" across the English Channel on mainland Europe, but he really wanted to have a son--even if it meant killing a few wives along the way. However, English theologians and churchmen did, in some cases, take a more favorable view of those odd Protestants, and the now independent English Church started to have a bit of a flirtation with Protestantism (mainly of the Reformed variety). Which is moreorless how Anglicanism came about, not the best start but they made it work in the long run.

So now there are all these different groups of Christians in Britain and Europe who had problems with Rome, but also didn't all agree with one another. And since, generally, kings and princes decide how you worship, the various kingdoms and monarchies of Europe began to come down on different sides. France? Catholic all the way. England? Church of England. Holy Roman Empire? Err complicated.

Then everyone went to war on again and off again for a long time, including one of the worst conflicts, the Thirty Years War.

At the same time, the European powers were gobbling up the Americas, that "New World" as they called it. In Britain not everyone wanted to be Anglican, or some wanted to be Anglican but they wanted it to be more Reformed than it was (the Puritans). And these people were often discriminated against, and sometimes imprisoned or even killed. And, well, hey there's that whole continent across the Atlantic Ocean, maybe they'll leave us alone if we go over there. So Puritans, Baptists, Quakers and many other non-conformist groups of Christians decided to try living in a brand new world, creating colonies where they could practice their religion--though not always being charitable to others. Those colonies, by the 18th century, were doing pretty good. And a series of events eventually led to thirteen of those colonies to say they weren't going to be ruled by Britain anymore, and they were going to be a brand new country, a country which would declare the right to worship as you want a right of every person in that new nation.

So now, boom, religious freedom. And over time, well the European monarchies started to lax a bit on religion, but also there were the Napoleonic Wars, and then monarchies started to fall anyway. Religious freedom, started to become more of a thing in Europe.

So now we have all these different groups of Christians. Some, like the Lutherans, never wanted to leave the Catholic Church but simply wanted to reform it. But others, oh they wanted nothing to do with it. More movements started, more groups split. Methodists splitting from the Anglicans in the 18th century. New religious movements, such as the Adventists who came out of the Millerites (led by a Baptist named William Miller at first) in the 19th century. Revival movements led to new religious movements and groups, such as the Holiness and Pentecostal groups of the late 19th and early 20th century.

So here's the thing, who is right? Who is THE Church Jesus founded? And now we are dealing with this situation where we have to be like, well, these Christians here believe X, Y, and Z; and these Christians over here believe A, B, and C. So we have the XYZers and the ABCers--we've just given them names. We've denominated them. They are, we might say, denominations.

That's what denominations are.

You won't find the idea in the Bible; because what we are talking about is a situation unique to rather recent history.

But aren't you glad that we aren't fighting wars over it anymore?

-CryptoLutheran

 

[The Liturgist]

A second schism, or split, happened several decades later, at the Council held at the city of Chalcedon (451 AD). Again, a rift appeared, between those who affirmed Chalcedon, and those who didn't. Those who did not affirm Chalcedon are, today, often grouped together as "The Oriental Orthodox", these are the ancient churches of Egypt (the Coptic Orthodox Church) and consequently also Ethiopia (The Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church), as well as the Syriac Church (Syriac Orthodox Church) and the Church in Armenia (the Armenian Apostolic Church).

Also those among the St. Thomas Christians in India who resisted being forced into communion with Rome are now mostly a part of the Oriental Orthodox in the Wesr Syriac Church.

Interestingly there is a historical connection between Oriental Orthodoxy and Lutheranism, and indeed Calvinists even accused Lutherans of believing in the same heresy, Monophysitism or Eutychianism, that the Orthodox are accused of.

 

[Pioneer3mm]

. Thomas Christians in India

Interesting history..in India.
---
Wikipedia has an informative article on..
- 'Saint Thomas Christians'

 

[The Liturgist]

Interesting history..in India.
---
Wikipedia has an informative article on..
- 'Saint Thomas Christians'

Indeed. Sadly most Western Christians are unaware of what St. Thomas the Apostle did in terms of evangelism, and of his martyrdom in Kerala in 53 AD, and of the ancient Indian church which predates even the Armenian, Ethiopian and Georgian churches by a few centuries.

 

[Maria Billingsley]

Where are denominations in the Bible? Please share scripture.

We forget that there is only" One Branch " in Christianity Jesus Christ of Nazareth.

Isaiah 4:2
In that day shall the branch of the LORD be beautiful and glorious, and the fruit of the earth shall be excellent and comely for them that are escaped of Israel.

What we have done is prioritize " other things" over Him. It appears very early in church history and can be found all over the New Testament. The Apostles continually fought against schisms and their fight is also written in scripture.
But alas ! His Kingdom is not of this world ! And unity will once again be known in it!
Blessings.

 

[chrisovery]

We forget that there is only" One Branch " in Christianity Jesus Christ of Nazareth.

Isaiah 4:2
In that day shall the branch of the LORD be beautiful and glorious, and the fruit of the earth shall be excellent and comely for them that are escaped of Israel.

What we have done is prioritize " other things" over Him. It appears very early in church history and can be found all over the New Testament. The Apostles continually fought against schisms and their fight is also written in scripture.
But alas ! His Kingdom is not of this world ! And unity will once again be known in it!
Blessings.

We didn't only forget that, we have over 100 denominations and they all teach something different and then claim to be the only true church.

I am not any denomination, I am a Christian and saved by grace through Jesus Christ. I am not baptist, catholic, presbyterian, lutheran, or any other. The Roman catholic church was the first church of division period. There is also not one verse in the Bible that discusses denominations. If there is please someone share it.

 

[PloverWing]

claim to be the only true church.

This isn't strictly true. I agree that a few branches of Christianity claim to be the only true church. But many others see the other churches and denominations as very much our fellow Christians. I don't, for example, see the Episcopal Church (or the Anglican Communion) as the only true church.

 

[ViaCrucis]

We didn't only forget that, we have over 100 denominations and they all teach something different and then claim to be the only true church.

I am not any denomination, I am a Christian and saved by grace through Jesus Christ. I am not baptist, catholic, presbyterian, lutheran, or any other. The Roman catholic church was the first church of division period. There is also not one verse in the Bible that discusses denominations. If there is please someone share it.

Did you read my post explaining the history? I know it was long, but I tried to offer a sketch of the history.

When you say "I am a Christian" and not a part of any denomination that isn't particularly helpful.

Roman Catholics can say that, as Roman Catholics don't consider their Church to be a denomination, they believe it is the Church. Period. The same is true of the Orthodox. You take issue with that way of thinking, however.

The term "denomination" can mean different things. For example, when we read of there being over 30,000 denominations that is a very loose and unhelpful use of the word "denomination" because it's simply not how most people use the word "denomination" nor what it has tended to mean in a more historically grounded context.

As such the most useful use of the word "denomination" is, I'd argue is as follows: A denomination is an organizational structure that connects a larger network or communion of local assemblies or churches; and it only works within the context of Protestantism.

So, for example, in the United States there are a number of Lutheran denominations: The ELCA, the LCMS, the WELS, the AALC, to name just a few. Each of those is a denomination, specifically they are Lutheran denominations.

In a bigger tent sense, an even more helpful term we can use are "tradition" and "communion". A tradition, in this context, refers to a theological tradition, and represents the theological glue that gives a specific expression of Christian belief and practice; and "communion" speaks of active fellowship and participatory life. So Roman Catholicism can be spoken of as a tradition and a communion, but it wouldn't be a denomination. Lutheranism is a tradition, with many denominations, and with different expressions of communion (for example, the LCMS and the AALC are in full communion together, so they form what we might call a single communion within the Lutheran tradition, but each is a distinct denomination). The Anglican Communion is another example, Anglicanism is a tradition, and the Anglican Communion is an international communion of national and regional jurisdictions: the Church of England or the Episcopal Church (USA) are both Anglican, in communion together, and are really just two different structures on the national level (England and the USA respectively).

It is, "technically" possible to not have a denomination. But only in a technical sense. In a practical sense there's simply no avoiding the fact that we are Christians within a specific context. That context involves how we first came to the Christian faith, the ways we were taught to read and understand the Bible, our ideas about our specific relationship to the wider Christian community as well as our relation to historical standards and norms of Christianity spanning the last two thousand years.

So, for example, if you believe that infants should be baptized, or if you believe infants shouldn't be baptized are both ideas that depend on one's understanding of certain things: the meaning and significance of baptism, who should receive baptism, what emphasis we place on individual religiosity or communal religiosity (what is the dynamic of individual and community in Christianity supposed to look like?)

I can say, of course "I'm just a Christian", but how helpful is that when I come across someone else who says "I'm just a Christian" who has very different ideas than I do?

Even certain basic assumptions we might make are tied to our theological religious formation. Do you believe that Scripture alone is the infallible source of Christian belief and practice? Or is Church Tradition (capital 'T') also a source of divinely inspired authority? If we believe in Scripture alone, what does that mean? Is Scripture alone in that we must reject anything not explicitly said in Scripture--if that is so, how do we even get to a belief in Scripture at all, let alone a belief in Scripture alone since neither is explicitly mentioned in Scripture.

So certain baseline assumptions play a huge role here.

What are your baseline assumptions?
What do you mean when you say you are a Christian without a denomination?
Do you participate in Christian gathering? Do you believe in the Bible as the inspired word of God? How many books do you believe should be in the Bible? Is the Bible the only infallible source of Christian belief and practice, is the Bible just one source? Is the Bible the only infallible source, but there are historic standards and norms which affirm Scripture and thus still present an authoritative structure for Christians and Christian communities? Are you baptized? If so, what is the significance of baptism to you? Do you receive the Lord's Supper? What do you believe the meaning, significance, and importance of the Lord's Supper is? Is the Lord's Supper just a symbolic ritual involving ordinary bread and wine to remember Jesus and what He did? Or is the Lord's Supper the body and blood of Jesus given to us through or as this bread and wine? If it is the body and blood of Jesus, in what way is it? Is it substantially, that is materially, His body and blood; or is it His body and blood in less physical or material sense?

Those are all meaningful questions, and believe it or not how you answer them and what you think about them speaks to the way you have come to, and learned to be a Christian.

And further: Can someone disagree with you on any of these (or on another point of doctrine or practice) and still be just as much a Christian as you are? And how should we describe or categorize the relationships between Christians who disagree on certain, even major, ideas of Christian belief and practice?

-CryptoLutheran

 

[chrisovery]

Did you read my post explaining the history? I know it was long, but I tried to offer a sketch of the history.

When you say "I am a Christian" and not a part of any denomination that isn't particularly helpful.

Roman Catholics can say that, as Roman Catholics don't consider their Church to be a denomination, they believe it is the Church. Period. The same is true of the Orthodox. You take issue with that way of thinking, however.

The term "denomination" can mean different things. For example, when we read of there being over 30,000 denominations that is a very loose and unhelpful use of the word "denomination" because it's simply not how most people use the word "denomination" nor what it has tended to mean in a more historically grounded context.

As such the most useful use of the word "denomination" is, I'd argue is as follows: A denomination is an organizational structure that connects a larger network or communion of local assemblies or churches; and it only works within the context of Protestantism.

So, for example, in the United States there are a number of Lutheran denominations: The ELCA, the LCMS, the WELS, the AALC, to name just a few. Each of those is a denomination, specifically they are Lutheran denominations.

In a bigger tent sense, an even more helpful term we can use are "tradition" and "communion". A tradition, in this context, refers to a theological tradition, and represents the theological glue that gives a specific expression of Christian belief and practice; and "communion" speaks of active fellowship and participatory life. So Roman Catholicism can be spoken of as a tradition and a communion, but it wouldn't be a denomination. Lutheranism is a tradition, with many denominations, and with different expressions of communion (for example, the LCMS and the AALC are in full communion together, so they form what we might call a single communion within the Lutheran tradition, but each is a distinct denomination). The Anglican Communion is another example, Anglicanism is a tradition, and the Anglican Communion is an international communion of national and regional jurisdictions: the Church of England or the Episcopal Church (USA) are both Anglican, in communion together, and are really just two different structures on the national level (England and the USA respectively).

It is, "technically" possible to not have a denomination. But only in a technical sense. In a practical sense there's simply no avoiding the fact that we are Christians within a specific context. That context involves how we first came to the Christian faith, the ways we were taught to read and understand the Bible, our ideas about our specific relationship to the wider Christian community as well as our relation to historical standards and norms of Christianity spanning the last two thousand years.

So, for example, if you believe that infants should be baptized, or if you believe infants shouldn't be baptized are both ideas that depend on one's understanding of certain things: the meaning and significance of baptism, who should receive baptism, what emphasis we place on individual religiosity or communal religiosity (what is the dynamic of individual and community in Christianity supposed to look like?)

I can say, of course "I'm just a Christian", but how helpful is that when I come across someone else who says "I'm just a Christian" who has very different ideas than I do?

Even certain basic assumptions we might make are tied to our theological religious formation. Do you believe that Scripture alone is the infallible source of Christian belief and practice? Or is Church Tradition (capital 'T') also a source of divinely inspired authority? If we believe in Scripture alone, what does that mean? Is Scripture alone in that we must reject anything not explicitly said in Scripture--if that is so, how do we even get to a belief in Scripture at all, let alone a belief in Scripture alone since neither is explicitly mentioned in Scripture.

So certain baseline assumptions play a huge role here.

What are your baseline assumptions?
What do you mean when you say you are a Christian without a denomination?
Do you participate in Christian gathering? Do you believe in the Bible as the inspired word of God? How many books do you believe should be in the Bible? Is the Bible the only infallible source of Christian belief and practice, is the Bible just one source? Is the Bible the only infallible source, but there are historic standards and norms which affirm Scripture and thus still present an authoritative structure for Christians and Christian communities? Are you baptized? If so, what is the significance of baptism to you? Do you receive the Lord's Supper? What do you believe the meaning, significance, and importance of the Lord's Supper is? Is the Lord's Supper just a symbolic ritual involving ordinary bread and wine to remember Jesus and what He did? Or is the Lord's Supper the body and blood of Jesus given to us through or as this bread and wine? If it is the body and blood of Jesus, in what way is it? Is it substantially, that is materially, His body and blood; or is it His body and blood in less physical or material sense?

Those are all meaningful questions, and believe it or not how you answer them and what you think about them speaks to the way you have come to, and learned to be a Christian.

And further: Can someone disagree with you on any of these (or on another point of doctrine or practice) and still be just as much a Christian as you are? And how should we describe or categorize the relationships between Christians who disagree on certain, even major, ideas of Christian belief and practice?

-CryptoLutheran

Yes I did read it. I am not interested in the false teachings that have been brought forth by the miss use of the Greek word that means one thing but shown in a different thing. There are churches now that do not teach the resurrection or that Jesus died. Many don't teach hell or even believe in hell. I am not coherent to man teachings because people don't have faith in God to ask for wisdom or his revelation of his word.

 

[chrisovery]

This isn't strictly true. I agree that a few branches of Christianity claim to be the only true church. But many others see the other churches and denominations as very much our fellow Christians. I don't, for example, see the Episcopal Church (or the Anglican Communion) as the only true church.

That's good because the only true church are those that have truly put faith in Christ and Christ alone. We are not Baptist, Pentecost, catholic, or anything else. We are not members of those. We are members of the church that Christ set up. That is the only true church. And man made anything is nothing close in comparison.

 

[DragonFox91]

It's not accurate to say the "hundreds" of denominations believe they're the one true church. Many teach the one true church is an invisible body of believers & only God really knows who's part of it. It is not a building & can't be narrowed down to an organizational chart or membership.

Many of the denominational differences are very minor, like individual church autonomy or the precise meaning of Revelation. Most denominations won't hesitate to tell you some things they disagree on really aren't worth arguing over (I think that's why they split sometimes, it's small & isn't worth arguing over). Some differences are bigger, like baptism, but they'll still confess "yeah, we think we're doing it right, but that doesn't mean the other denomination isn't Christian"

 

[ViaCrucis]

That's good because the only true church are those that have truly put faith in Christ and Christ alone. We are not Baptist, Pentecost, catholic, or anything else. We are not members of those. We are members of the church that Christ set up. That is the only true church. And man made anything is nothing close in comparison.

You are simply being dishonest with yourself here.

I can easily demonstrate that you follow traditions and that your view of Christianity is shaped by ideas of other men.

Jesus took bread at His last supper and said, "This is My body". What did He mean?

-CryptoLutheran

 

[chrisovery]

You are simply being dishonest with yourself here.

I can easily demonstrate that you follow traditions and that your view of Christianity is shaped by ideas of other men.

Jesus took bread at His last supper and said, "This is My body". What did He mean?

-CryptoLutheran

So you're claiming that you have to be a part of a denomination?

 

[ViaCrucis]

So you're claiming that you have to be a part of a denomination?

I'm saying that saying you're not part of a denomination is a meaningless statement.

Every Christian, each and every single one of us, is part of some tradition, some movement, some form and expression of Christianity.

Just because you don't identify as Baptist, or Catholic, or Lutheran, or [insert anything else here] doesn't make you less influenced by various traditions.

You aren't a blank slate.

-CryptoLutheran

 

[chrisovery]

I'm saying that saying you're not part of a denomination is a meaningless statement.

Every Christian, each and every single one of us, is part of some tradition, some movement, some form and expression of Christianity.

Just because you don't identify as Baptist, or Catholic, or Lutheran, or [insert anything else here] doesn't make you less influenced by various traditions.

You aren't a blank slate.

-CryptoLutheran

You kill me. I am a Christian saved by grace. I do not fallow man traditions. I am a movement of Christ not a movement of come to my church and sit in my pews. My church is not in a building with a name. If my faith is an issue with you than pray about it.

 

[Jimmy It]

Well, here are names/titles used in scripture. I simply copied from this site. Church names

• Assembly of the saints.
  Psalm 89:7 God is greatly to be feared in the assembly of the saints, and to be had in reverence of all them that are about him.
• Assembly of the upright.
  Psalm 111:1 Praise ye the LORD. I will praise the LORD with my whole heart, in the assembly of the upright, and in the congregation.
• Body of Christ.
  Ephesians 1:22-23 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.
• Branch of God's planting.
  Isaiah 60:21 Thy people also shall be all righteous: they shall inherit the land for ever, the branch of my planting, the work of my hands, that I may be glorified.
• Bride of Christ.
  Revelation 21:9 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.
• Church of God.
  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.
• Church of the Living God.
  1 Timothy 3:15 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.
• Church of the first-born.
  Hebrews 12:23 To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect,
• City of the Living God.
  Hebrews 12:22 But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels,
• Congregation of saints.
  Psalm 149:1 Praise ye the LORD. Sing unto the LORD a new song, and his praise in the congregation of saints.
• Congregation of the Lord's poor.
  Psalm 74:19 O deliver not the soul of thy turtledove unto the multitude of the wicked: forget not the congregation of thy poor for ever.
• Dove.
  Song of Solomon 2:14 O my dove, that art in the clefts of the rock, in the secret places of the stairs, let me see thy countenance, let me hear thy voice; for sweet is thy voice, and thy countenance is comely.
  Song of Solomon 5:2 I sleep, but my heart waketh: it is the voice of my beloved that knocketh, saying, Open to me, my sister, my love, my dove, my undefiled: for my head is filled with dew, and my locks with the drops of the night.
• Family in heaven and earth.
  Ephesians 3:15 Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named,
• Flock of God.
  Ezekiel 34:15 I will feed my flock, and I will cause them to lie down, saith the Lord GOD.
  1 Peter 5:2 Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind;
• Fold of Christ.
  John 10:16 And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd.
• General assembly of the first-born.
  Hebrews 12:23 To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect,
• Golden candlestick.
  Revelation 1:20 The mystery of the seven stars which thou sawest in my right hand, and the seven golden candlesticks. The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches: and the seven candlesticks which thou sawest are the seven churches.
• God's building.
  1 Corinthians 3:9 For we are labourers together with God: ye are God's husbandry, ye are God's building.
• God's husbandry.
  1 Corinthians 3:9 For we are labourers together with God: ye are God's husbandry, ye are God's building.
• God's heritage.
  Joel 3:2 I will also gather all nations, and will bring them down into the valley of Jehoshaphat, and will plead with them there for my people and for my heritage Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations, and parted my land.
  1 Peter 5:3 Neither as being lords over God's heritage, but being ensamples to the flock.
• Habitation of God.
  Ephesians 2:22 In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.
• Heavenly of Jerusalem.
  Galatians 4:26 But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all.
  Hebrews 12:22 But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels,
• Holy city.
  Revelation 21:2 And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
• Holy mountain.
  Zechariah 8:3 Thus saith the LORD; I am returned unto Zion, and will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem: and Jerusalem shall be called a city of truth; and the mountain of the LORD of hosts the holy mountain.
• Holy hill.
  Psalm 15:1 LORD, who shall abide in thy tabernacle? who shall dwell in thy holy hill?
• House of God.
  1 Timothy 3:15 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.
  Hebrews 10:21 And having an high priest over the house of God;
• House of the God of Jacob.
  Isaiah 2:3 And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.
• House of Christ.
  Hebrews 3:6 But Christ as a son over his own house; whose house are we, if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end.
• Household of God.
  Ephesians 2:19 Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God;
• Inheritance.
  Psalm 28:9 Save thy people, and bless thine inheritance: feed them also, and lift them up for ever.
  Isaiah 19:25 Whom the LORD of hosts shall bless, saying, Blessed be Egypt my people, and Assyria the work of my hands, and Israel mine inheritance.
• Israel of God.
  Galatians 6:16 And as many as walk according to this rule, peace be on them, and mercy, and upon the Israel of God.
• King's daughter.
  Psalm 45:13 The king's daughter is all glorious within: her clothing is of wrought gold.
• Lamb's wife.
  Revelation 19:7 Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready.
  Revelation 21:9 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.
• Lot of God's inheritance.
  Deuteronomy 32:9 For the LORD'S portion is his people; Jacob is the lot of his inheritance.
• Mount Zion.
  Psalm 2:6 Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion.
  Hebrews 12:22 But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels,
• Mountain of the Lord's house.
  Isaiah 2:2 And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the LORD'S house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it.
• New Jerusalem.
  Revelation 21:2 And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
• Pillar and ground of the truth.
  1 Timothy 3:15 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.
• Sanctuary of God.
  Psalm 114:2 Judah was his sanctuary, and Israel his dominion.
• Spiritual house.
  1 Peter 2:5 Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.
• 
  
• Sought out, a city not forsaken.
  Isaiah 62:12 And they shall call them, The holy people, The redeemed of the LORD: and thou shalt be called, Sought out, A city not forsaken.
• Temple of God.
  1 Corinthians 3:16-17 Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? 17 If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.
• Temple of the Living God.
  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.
• Vineyard.
  Jeremiah 12:10 Many pastors have destroyed my vineyard, they have trodden my portion under foot, they have made my pleasant portion a desolate wilderness.
  Matthew 21:41 They say unto him, He will miserably destroy those wicked men, and will let out his vineyard unto other husbandmen, which shall render him the fruits in their seasons.

Not sure if this is what you had in mind.

 

[ViaCrucis]

You kill me. I am a Christian saved by grace. I do not fallow man traditions. I am a movement of Christ not a movement of come to my church and sit in my pews. My church is not in a building with a name. If my faith is an issue with you than pray about it.

Alright, then what did Jesus mean when He said "This is My body"? You don't follow any "man traditions", so what does Jesus mean?

-CryptoLutheran

 

[Jimmy It]

I am not any denomination, I am a Christian and saved by grace through Jesus Christ. I am not baptist, catholic, presbyterian, lutheran, or any other. The Roman catholic church was the first church of division period. There is also not one verse in the Bible that discusses denominations. If there is please someone share it.

They were referred to as, "The church at/in this place." We are the body of Christ. I was brought up in the Christ of Christ, have been to others and learned a few things, different perspectives. Met people who were well versed in scriptures and those still nursing.
I've learned and understood better with prayer and study while alone. God does not leave us when we are alone. He is here when it is 2, 3 or a congregation.
2 Tim, 2:14 Remind them of these things, charging them before the Lord not to strive about words to no profit, to the ruin of the hearers. Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

1 John, 2:26 These things I have written to you concerning those who try to deceive you. But the anointing which you have received from Him abides in you, and you do not need that anyone teach you; but as the same anointing teaches you concerning all things, and is true, and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you will abide in Him.