Mike Willis

In recent years, the charge has been more and more frequently made that the churches) of Christ are just as denominational as any of the other religious groups in America. During the Memphis meeting with the Herald of Truth representatives, the charge was made that Lynn Anderson, preacher for the Highland Church of Christ in Abilene, had said, “You know, the church of Christ is a big, sick denomination, and I meant exactly every one of those three words, big and sick and denomination” (Memphis Meeting With The Representatives of the Herald of Truth, September 10, 1973, p. 36). The writings of men like Carl Ketcherside, Leroy Garrett, and the contributors to Voices of Concern repeatedly make similar charges that the church of Christ is just another denomination among the many which presently exist. Hence, I raise the question, “Is the church of Christ a denomination?”
What Is a Denomination?
Although the New Testament knows nothing of a denomination, twentieth century religions have accepted the situation of a multitude of churches as if they were approved of God. Several years ago, the different denominations used to fight among themselves over their distinctive doctrines; now, the denominations, being filled with the spirit of ecumenism, have agreed to quit fighting among themselves. Any denomination which continues the warfare with the other denominations is considered a disrespectable sect whereas those who have quit fighting with the other denominations is considered a respectable denomination.
Because modern man accepts denominationalism, many have concluded that God also accepts denominationalism. However, there are two charges against denominationalism which prove beyond shadow of reasonable doubt that God disapproves of it. (1) God disapproves of modern denominationalism because He disapproves of religious division (cf. 1 Cor. 1:10-15; Eph. 4:1-6; Jn. 17:20-21). (2) God disapproves of modern denominationalism because He disapproves of the false doctrines taught by the various religious organizations (cf. Gal. 1:8-9; 2 Jn. 9-11). These two charges make it clear that God disapproves of modern denominationalism.
Recognizing that God disapproves of denominationalism, we all must be concerned with avoiding becoming a part of it simply because it is sinful. Hence, we need to know exactly what denominationalism is that we can avoid it. I know of no better way to describe what denominationalism is than to use as an example the religious organization instituted by Jeroboam. God had revealed the pattern of worship which He desired; when Jeroboam broke away from Israel and started an independent kingdom, he instituted a system of worship in Bethel and Dan which was in competition with the God ordained worship in Jerusalem. He tried to make the system of worship which he instituted as nearly like that which existed in Jerusalem as he could. Yet, his system of worship was one which was not divinely ordained worship. Just as God had revealed a pattern for Israel to follow in her worship, so also He has revealed a pattern for us today. Denominationalism is the rejection of God’s revealed pattern in order to establish a system of worship which one personally approves; it is the rejection of divinely ordained worship in order to establish a human system of worship.
How does one recognize a denomination? One must know the characteristics of a denomination before one can positively identify any religious group as a denomination. Hence, before we can answer whether or not the church of Christ is a denomination, we must know the characteristics of a denomination. The situation is the same as if I asked you, “Is the church of Christ a snark?” Before you could answer that question, you would have to know what a snark was. Until you knew the characteristics of a snark, you could not tell whether to classify the church of Christ as a snark or not to so classify it. Hence, one needs to know the characteristics of a denomination before he can tell whether or not to classify the church of Christ as one.
Here are some of the characteristics of a denomination: (1) It does not teach the divine plan of salvation; (2) Usually wears a sectarian name; (3) Has a creed in addition to the Bible; (4) Has organizational arrangements not characteristic of the New Testament church; (5) Practices items of worship not authorized in the New Testament; (6) Engages in unauthorized programs of work. Perhaps there are other characteristics of a denomination which might be cited but these should prove sufficient to test whether or not the church of Christ is a denomination.
Is The Church of Christ a Denomination?
1. The church of Christ is not a denomination because it teaches the Bible plan of salvation. Unlike the denominations which teach salvation through faith only and pervert the action, subject and purpose of baptism, the church of Christ conscientiously strives to teach the plan of salvation exactly as it is revealed in the Bible. Hence, in obedience to the Great Commission, we teach that faith, repentance, and baptism are all essential to salvation. Those who obeyed this gospel plan of salvation in New Testament days were added to the Lord’s church; since God is no respector of persons, I conclude that those who do the same thing today are made members of the same church-the Lord’s church and not a denomination in competition with that church.
2. The church of Christ is not a denomination because it wears only a Bible name. The names by which the church of the New Testament was called include the following: church of God (1 Cor. 1:2); body of Christ (Eph. 1:22-23); Kingdom of God (Col. 1:13-14); churches of Christ (Rom. 16:16); etc. The church of Christ is called by any or all of these names. Not only is that so, but the churches of Christ persistently refuse to wear any name not found in the Bible. Hence, the church of Christ will not wear a name which glorifies a man, honors a religious ordinance, or exalts a type of church government. Hence, the church of Christ cannot be considered denominational because of the names which it wears.
3. The church of Christ is not a denomination because it has no sectarian creed. Whereas the various denominations have confessions of faith, church manuals, creed books, and disciplines, the church of Christ recognizes only the Bible as its statement of doctrine. One is expected to believe only what the Bible teaches in its direct statements, approved examples and necessary inferences; he is not expected to give allegiance to some human creed.
4. The church of Christ is not a denomination because it has no organizational arrangements other than those authorized in the Scriptures. The Bible reveals that the only permanent officers in the New Testament church are elders and deacons. You cannot read of arch-bishops, popes, brotherhood elders, etc. as officers in the New Testament church. (I must add that the liberal churches’ acceptance of organizational arrangements other than those revealed in the New Testament indicts them as denominational.) Hence, the church of Christ cannot be considered a denomination because of our organizational arrangements.
5. The items of worship of the churches of Christ are not denominational. Most denominations have perverted the worship of the New Testament church in more aspects than Jeroboam perverted the worship of ancient Israel. They have perverted the frequency of the observance of the Lord’s Supper, its elements, and its purpose. They have added instrumental music to the singing, organized choirs, and brought in special singing groups to entertain themselves. They have demanded that their members tithe; they pray in Mary’s name or in no one’s name at all. Their sermons are not the public proclamation of the word of God. In contradistinction to these, the churches of Christ are careful to practice New Testament worship. We give as we have been prospered on the first day of every week, we partake of the Lord’s Supper weekly, we sing making melody in our hearts instead of on some mechanical instrument of music, we pray fervently to the Lord through Jesus Christ, and our lessons are taken directly from the New Testament revelation. Hence, if the churches of Christ are denominational, it is not because of their worship!
6. The church of Christ is not denominational because of its program of work. The works in which the New Testament churches were involved included the following: evangelism, edification, and benevolence (relieving the needs of the poor among the saints). Whereas denominations are involved in building hospitals and colleges, establishing programs of recreatic becoming involved in social reforms and political matte the churches of Christ are careful to engage in only tho programs of work which are authorized in the Bible. (The liberal churches of Christ are indicted as denominations on the basis of their involvement in programs of work not authorized in the Scriptures.) Hence, if the church Christ is a denomination, it is a denomination because something other than its program of work.
Conclusion
If the church of Christ does not have any of the characteristics of a snark, how can I say that it is a snark Similarly, if the church of Christ does not have any of the characteristics of a denomination, what right does anyone have to charge that it is a denomination? So long as the church of Christ adheres to the Bible in its worship, work and doctrine, it will be the church which is revealed in the Bible. When and if it ever becomes involved in program of work, items of worship, or doctrines that are not revealed in the Bible, it will then be a denomination. Hence, I demand that those who classify the church as denomination point out the place wherein we are violating the Scriptures. Until a person can demonstrate that the churches of Christ fit the characteristics of denomination, he has no more right to classify them as denomination than he does to classify them as a snark. (By the way, the word “snark” is a fabricated word; you will not find it in your dictionary.)

Henry S. Ficklin
Mt. Sterling, Kentucky
(INTRODUCTION: Henry S. Ficklin (1883-1974) delivered this lesson over the radio in Athens, Ala., on April 1, 1962. It is still needed in Athens, Nashville, and everywhere else-though it is what some call “legalistic” and “dogmatic.” Ron Halbrook, 3536 Dickerson Rd., Nashville, TN. 37207.)
After the lapse of almost a year, I am again able to speak to you of the radio audience. Through the goodness of God I am permitted to preach here “The Unsearchable Riches of Christ.” The speakers on this radio program, which has been conducted for a number of years, for the glory of God, for the up-building of the true church, and for your edification, would like to know how much good you, their invisible audience, are obtaining from these sermons. It is a bit different to speak to a radio audience from speaking with your audience at the church building. For on the radio we cannot be rewarded by seeing the lively expressions on your faces as you listen, and we cannot hear you say “Amen.” But there are other ways by which these radio speakers may know how much good you are receiving from these sermons. You may write and say that you were helped, and you can show it by being a more faithful Christian. And your speakers over the radio hope that there are some secret changes that you are making, that you are changed within, that you love the truth more, that burdens have been lifted from your hearts, and that you have a joy and peace in your soul that you have never known before. And if you some of you – should write in and tell them that you have learned the way of salvation from these lessons and that you want someone to come to you, that you might obey the Gospel, your speakers will rejoice to hear this from you.
During this broadcast, and after it is over, too, I want us to be thinking about “Counterfeit Religion.” My text is Exodus the 7th chapter, verses 10, 11 and 12; “And Moses and Aaron went in unto Pharaoh, and they did as Jehovah had commanded; and Aaron cast down his rod before Pharaoh and before his servants, and it became a serpent. Then Pharaoh also called for the wise-men and the sorcerers; and they also, the magicians of Egypt, did in like manner with their enchantments. For they cast down every man his rod, and they became serpents; but Aaron’s rod swallowed up their rods.” From this text, I have derived my subject; “Counterfeit Religion.” There is great danger for us in Counterfeit Religion, as there always has been.
I. Our Age Abounds in Counterfeits. We have false faces. We sometimes buy boxes of stationery, thinking we have bought a bargain, but find that, half-way down, there is a false bottom, and see that we have only about half as much as we think we have. Some years ago I went to preach at a new congregation in the mountains of Kentucky. On the outside there was a siding that was an imitation of brick. It was not brick, but it looked like brick. I hate for a congregation to pretend that it has something which it does not have. Let us not have any pretense on the inside and let us not begin pretending before we get into the building. And, some years ago, in Paris, Kentucky, officers discovered a factory for counterfeit money. This started me to studying about the counterfeit in religion.
II. The Devil has Been In The Counterfeit Business From The Beginning.
1. He started it in Egypt, when God’s people were in bondage.
God knew that Pharaoh would resist the will of God to bring his people out of Egypt, because of the hardness of his heart. So, the Lord empowered Aaron and Moses to work miracles before him when Pharaoh should say: “Show a wonder for you.” (Exodus 7:8) This came to pass when they went in before Pharaoh. And Aaron did as the Lord commanded-he cast down his rod and it became a serpent. Then Pharaoh called for the sorcerers, the magicians, and they cast down every man his rod and it became a serpent. But Aaron’s rod swallowed up their rods, just as every counterfeit will finally be exposed.
2. The devil produced a big counterfeit when Israel vis divided.
The account of this substitute religion is found in 1 Kings 12:25-32. The Northern ten tribes had pulled away from Judah and Benjamin, and had made Jereboam king. Jereboam was a shrewd religious politician, one of the first that the people of God ever had to deal with. He saw that he had to institute a false religion to keep Israel divided. This is the account given in 1 Kings 12:26-32: “And Jereboam said in his heart: Now will the kingdom return to the house of David; if this people go up to offer sacrifices in the house of Jehovah in Jerusalem, then will the heart of this people return unto their Lord, even unto Rehoboam, king of Judah; and they will kill me, and return unto Rehoboam king of Judah. Whereupon the king took counsel and made two calves of gold; and he said unto them it is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem, behold thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt. And he set the one at Bethel, and the other put he at Dan. And this thing became a sin; for the people went to worship before the one, even at Dan. And he made houses of the high places and he made priests from among all the people, that were not of the sons of Levi. And Jereboam ordained a feast in the eighth month, on the fifteenth day of the month, like unto the feast that is in Judah, and he went up unto the altar; so did he in Bethel, sacrificing unto the calves that he had made; and he placed at Bethel the priests of the high places that he had made.”
III. Here we have a complete system of substitute, counterfeit religion. Here are false places of worship, Bethel and Dan, instead of Jerusalem; idols, calves of gold, instead of the invisible God; false priests, instead of those from Levi; false feasts on the eighth month, instead of on the seventh month, as the Lord had directed. (Lev. 23:39) Jereboam imitates the true worship, but he perverts it. He gives them gods that they can see. He makes it easier, for he tells them “It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem.” Now, how far was it? It was just about twelve miles farther to Jerusalem from Bethel. But that was “too much,” too far for a backslider to go. We ourselves have heard that argument of the devil. You may live ten miles from where a faithful congregation worships. Satan will say to you: “That is too far for you to go. There is a denomination meeting just a mile from you; that is more convenient, stop there.” That argument, I am sorry to say, has often been the cause of many weak Christians going to places of worship that were not Scriptural. But mere convenience has no weight at all with Christians who have convictions. A sincere Christian would rather walk, or crawl, to the right place of worship, than to go in style to one that is wrong. And you who uphold the truth, let me urge that we never use an argument like that to get some one to come to the right .place of worship. Let us never use low motives. King Jereboam knew, too, that people want some kind of religion, even if it is the wrong kind. He knew, besides this, that people, many of them, want to see some form. This accounts for the many images of the saints and of Mary. They worshiped Jehovah under the form of the golden calves. The devil wants us to have a worship that resembles the true worship, some, if only slightly-one that seems right. But all false religion will bring heartache in the end. “There is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.” (Proverbs 14:12)
IV. The Devil, It Seems, Has a Substitute For Almost Everything That God Does.
Some time back it came as a distinct shock to me that there would be false Christs, even, for our Lord says “For there shall arise false Christs and false prophets, and shall show great signs and wonders; so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect.” (Matt. 24:24) And the closer we get to the end, the more the false in religion will come out.
The devil, of course, knows that the Christian religion is true and divine. That is why he imitates it and not a pagan religion. You never saw a counterfeit infidel, and no one today is counterfeiting Confederate (worthless) money.
V. Let Us Notice Some of the Many Substitutes that the Devil is Putting Into Circulation: First, let us notice the living beings (persons) which he puts forward.
1. There are false angels. “Even Satan fashioneth himself into an, angel of light. It is no great thing, therefore if his ministers fashion themselves as ministers of righteousness.” (2 Cor. 11:14, 15) Besides this, the devil has angels, for Hell is prepared for the “Devil and his angels.” (Matthew 25:41)
2. There are the false spirits. So real and so dangerous are these false spirits that the apostle John warns us against them: “Beloved, believe not every spirit, but prove the spirits whether they are of God; because many false prophets are gone out into the world. Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God: and every spirit that confesseth not Jesus is not of God: and this is the spirit of the anti-christ, whereof ye have heard that it cometh; and now is in the world already.” (1 John 4:1-3) The Thessalonians were warned by the apostle not to be misled about the immediate second coming of Christ, for he writes to them, “to the end that ye be not shaken from your mind, nor yet be troubled, either by spirit, or by word, or by epistle, as from us, as that the day of the Lord is just at hand.” (2 Thess. 2:2)
3. There are false prophets. Our Lord said that “false prophets” would arise (Matthew 24:24), and he told. his disciples to “beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing.” (Matt. 7:15) And the apostle John in 1 Jno. 4:1 said that they had already appeared.
4. There are false shepherds, or preachers or teachers.
The apostle Peter in his second epistle writes that, as there were false prophets of old “among you, also there shall be false teachers.” (2 Peter 2:1) Christ gives the marks of such teachers, shepherds: such a one is a “hireling and careth not for the sheep.” (John 10:13) Such preachers are man-pleasers. They follow: they do not lead. They go with the tide of worldliness that is engulfing us today.
5. There are false apostles. They were in Paul’s day, for he writes: “For such men are false apostles, deceitful workers, fashioning themselves into apostles of Christ.” (2 Corinthians 11:13) And we have them today. Any church that claims to have apostles today is either itself misled, or is trying to mislead you and me, for an apostle must have seen Christ. When an apostle was to be chosen “to take the place in this ministry and apostleship from which Judas fell,” the apostle Peter said that he must be chosen “of the men therefore that have companied with us all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and went out among us, beginning from the baptism of John, unto the day that he was received up from us, of these must one become a witness with us of his resurrection.” (Acts 1:21, 22) When Paul was asserting his undoubted claims to be an apostle, he writes to the Corinthians, “. . . am I not an apostle? Have I not seen Jesus my Lord?” (1 Cor. 9:1) Any man who claims to be an apostle today is a “false apostle,” to use Paul’s own inspired words.
6. There are false Christs – counterfeit Christs. It is a shocking thing that anyone could claim to be Christ. But our Savior foretold that men would do that, “. . . for there shall arise false Christs.” (Matt. 24:24) Nothing will stop ungodly men from their false claims. But we must not accept them.
7. Then, there is the most familiar counterfeit of all-the false Christian-the hypocrite. He wants to have the name of being a Christian, without bearing his cross, and without living the Christian life.
8. The Devil Can Give Us, Too, The false church the false institution. The Lord has pictured for us the true church, made up of saved people, a divine holy institution, “. . . a holy temple in the Lord.” (Ephesians 2:21) But Satan has many substitutes to offer. He can give you a proud church, like Laodicea. He can give you a worldly church, with profane elders and deacons. He can give you a denomination that sprinkles babies and has a human creed and a human name. He can give you Babylon itself with its images, its worship of Mary, its “. . golden cup full of abominations.” (Revelation 17:4) Satan will offer you even a Christless church-the Unitarian church that denies the divinity of Christ.
9. There Are Counterfeit Ordinances, Too.
a. There is the true Lord’s Supper, with its impressive simplicity, a spiritual feast, But Satan takes it and turns it into “The Mass,” with its unscriptural ritual, withholding the cup from the congregation, and having the priest drink that, of which Jesus plainly said: “Drink ye all of it.” (Matthew 26:27)
b. The Lord gave us the One Baptism. It is the burial of a repentant believer. He is buried in the water, as Jesus was. He is baptized for remission of sins. But a paedo-baptist preacher, will take a little baby and will sprinkle water, or even rose petals on it. What a mockery!
10. There Is The Counterfeit Conversion. To be converted is something very deep, very sincere, my friends. It means that you and I have been born again. The apostle writes: “Wherefore, if any man is in Christ he is a New Creature; the old things are passed away; behold they have become new.” (2 Cor. 5:17) But you can do it a much easier way, if you accept the devil’s counterfeit. You can merely go through the form, and not really be changed; you can let it be all outward. Or, you can sit in the seat, and just hold up your hand. A President of the United States, not wishing to come as any other sinner, was enrolled without formality.
11. There is the counterfeit worship-It is simple, heart-searching, and soul-feeding, if done as God directs, with nothing material or carnal, such as a mechanical instrument, and no choir. But Satan can make it more attractive for you, if you are without spirituality. He can make it stiff, cold, proud, with no kneeling, and no note of victory.
12. There is the counterfeit Sanctification. True sanctification is deeply sincere and spiritual. But Satan can induce you to have the kind that merely has the groans, and the pious phrases. You can have a bragging religion, like the Pharisee in the temple. Even Love, the purest and most heavenly of all our affections, can be made counterfeit. The apostle Paul urges: “Let love be without hypocrisy.” (Rom. 12:9) And the apostle John urges, too: “My little children, let us not love, the purest and most heavenly of all our affections, can be made counterfeit. The apostle Paul urges: “Let love be without hypocrisy.” (Rom. 12:9) And the apostle John urges, too: “My little children, let us not love in word, neither with the tongue but in deed and in truth.” (1 John 3:18) We can just say that we love Christ, while not keeping his commandments. That is counterfeit.
13. There are the counterfeit sacred books. God gave us the Bible. It is inspired, holy, complete, infallible, altogether heavenly. But Satan has seen to it that we have counterfeit sacred books. Mrs. Eddy’s Science and Health, and Joseph Smith’s Book of Mormon. Do not accept these, my friends.
And, if we do not watch, Satan will take even our virtues and turn them into something wrong-something counterfeit. I may think that I have firmness-surely a noble trait of Christian character-and my firmness may become stubbornness. I may think I have patience. That is good, but patience ceases to be a virtue when I tolerate evil or false doctrine, or perverted and vain worship. God wants me to be zealous and earnest. But Satan can get me to be fanatical, instead and destroy my influence. So my love may get to be just soft. An English author warns against extremes by saying: “What goodness can there be in the world without moderation, whether in the use of God’s gifts or in our own disposition and courage? Without this justice is no other than cruel rigor, mercy unjust remissness, pleasure brutish sensuality, love frenzy, anger fury, sorrow desperate mopishness, joy distempered wildness, knowledge saucy curiosity, piety superstition, care wracking distraction, courage mad rashness.” (Synonyms Discriminated, page 23) So, let us watch our virtues, and not allow Satan to pervert even them.
14. There Is the False Unity. Scriptural unity is found in (Jn. 17:21, but the devil offers the World Council of Churches; Communism; Buddhism-all forms of error.
15. The False Centralization. Israel had it (i.e., divinely approved central authority, RH) under the Judges, Apostolic congregations were under Christ. My friends and brethren, let this be one of our mottoes: “Nothing but the truth.” God has given us the true religion-it is Christianity. Its doctrine is pure, sound. It is not human, but divine. Its worship is simple and divinely given; such will feed the soul. We can know that we are right, if we follow God’s way, given us in the New Testament. Human substitutes are vain, showy, carnal, attractive to the flesh, and give you an easy religion. But, if you follow them you will be bitterly disappointed in the end.
Conclusion
The true Church is still in the world today. For the prophet Daniel prophesied, “And in the days of those kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom that shall never be destroyed, nor shall the sovereignty thereof be left to another people but it shall break in pieces and consume all those kingdoms and it shall stand forever.” (Dan. 2:44) Our Lord himself promised: “Upon this rock I will build my church and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.” (Matt. 16:18) So, there has always since then been a true church and there is today, and always will be. If you are not in it, any of you who are my listeners, let me urge you with all the strength I have to find it and belong to it, and give up all false doctrine and false and vain worship and be sure about your salvation.
You that are members of the one body, I urge you to keep the church pure. You cannot watch too closely; you just can not stand too firmly for the faith. We are in great danger. The spirit of the age is modernism, luxury, ease, compromise. The apostle wrote the Corinthians: “But I fear lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve in his craftiness, your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity and purity that is toward Christ.” (2 Cor. 11:3) From almost every college in existence young preachers are coming out with worldly ideas, and they mislead the churches very often.
The true church is a glorious church. You could gild a lily or a rose far more easily than you could improve on the true church. The true doctrine is God’s thoughts. The gospel teaching will really save you, it will give you blessed assurance. You can know that you are right. As the apostle wrote to Timothy: “Hold the pattern of sound words.” (2 Tim. 1:13)
“How firm a foundation, ye saints of the Lord
Is laid for your faith in his excellent word
What more can he say than to you he has said
You who unto Jesus for refuge have fled?
“Fear not, I am with thee, O be not dismayed
I, I am thy God and will still give thee aid
I’ll strengthen thee, help thee, and cause thee to stand
Upheld by my righteous, Omnipotent, hand.
“The soul that on Jesus hath leaned for repose
I’ll never, no never desert to its foes
That soul, tho’ all Hell shall endeavor to shake
I’ll never, no never, no never forsake.”

Most members of the Lord’s church, along with most members of denominations who have ridiculed the idea of the importance of baptism, would probably be surprised and shocked to read the comments of some of the greatest scholars and theologians in those various religious bodies as those scholars emphasized the importance of baptism. Of course, all the comments of all scholars are worth nothing if they deny the plain teaching of the scriptures, but when they affirm it, as they so often have, it might be an eye opener to any person who would read their comments with care. I confess that I was astounded as I checked through all the writings of religious leaders and of the so called “church fathers” all the way back to Polycarp, who was a student of the Apostle John, and found no one who wrote in any derogatory way against baptism, or denying its importance in the plan of salvation.
It seems apparent that a large part of the eventual opposition to it came as a result of the fact that those “church fathers” and their followers in the Roman Catholic tradition taught its importance so strongly that they made it a sacramental act which had the power to forgive sins in an almost miraculous way, so that even a dying drunkard who was unconscious, or an infidel who did not even believe in Jesus could receive baptism and be saved by it. The doctrine became so entrenched in the minds of most religious persons that even among Protestants who had presumably rebelled against the Roman Catholic doctrines it was still taught. For example, the Methodist Discipline up to 1891 which was called “The Ritual, the General Rules and Articles of Religion of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South” states on page 708, Section 2 concerning The Ministration of Baptism to Infants, that the minister shall say this as a suitable exhortation, “Dearly beloved, forasmuch as all men are conceived and born in sin, and that our Saviour Christ saith, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God: I beseech you to call upon God the Father, through our Lord Jesus Christ, that of his bounteous mercy he will grant to this child that which by nature he cannot have: that he may be baptized with water and the Holy Ghost, and be received into Christ’s holy Church, and be made a lively member of the same.” Then after a prayer which asked that this little child to be baptized would receive the fullness of his grace, the minister is to address those who brought the child for baptism thus: “In causing this child to be brought by baptism into the Church of Christ, it is your duty to teach him to renounce the devil and his works, etc.” Then his instructions are: “And then, he shall sprinkle or pour water upon it, or if desired, immerse it in water, saying, I baptize thee in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.”
Then in section 3, page 711, the ritual for baptizing “such as are of Riper years” the minister is to say, “Dearly beloved, forasmuch as all men are conceived and born in sin (and that which is born of the flesh is flesh, and they that are in the flesh cannot please God, but live in sin, committing many actual transgressions), and that our Saviour Christ said, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God: I beseech you to call upon God the Father, through our Lord Jesus Christ, that of his bounteous goodness he will grant to these persons that which by nature they cannot have: that they may be baptized with water and the Holy Ghost , and be received into Christ’s holy Church, and be made a lively member of the same.”
One may note with astonishment the following things: First, that both the little child and the adult are thought to be in sin, with the adult being charged with actual transgressions, whereas the child was lost simply because he was born that way (which of course is not taught in scripture). Second, you may note that they understood that being born of water and of the Spirit involved water baptism. Third, it is specifically stated that without this baptism one cannot enter the kingdom of God. Fourth, when they were baptized in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Ghost they would receive a new nature instead of the sinful one, and by that act be made a lively member of the Church of Christ. It was never made clear exactly how they got into the Methodist church.
When one reads the words of Calvin, Luther and other Protestant leaders, it is not hard to see that although they rejected the idea that baptism saves as a sacramental regenerating act that automatically conferred the grace of God on the recipient, they mentioned many times that it was for the remission of sins. Calvin, for example says, “For he commands all who believe, to be baptized for the remission of their sins. Therefore, those who have imagined that baptism is nothing more than a mark or sign by which we profess our religion before men — have not considered that which was the principal thing in baptism; which is, that we ought to receive it with this promise, ‘He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved.’ Mark 16:16.”
When one reads what looks like contradictory statements from some of them indicating that they believed in salvation by faith only, we need to realize that many of those older and greater scholars did not mean by the expression “saved by faith” that a person was saved either by faith alone, or at the point of faith. They distinguished between “salvation only by faith,” which meant that it was gained only as one had and acted upon his faith (Hebrews 11:6), and “salvation by faith only,” which meant that a person could be saved simply by having faith. Many of their followers assumed that they believed a person was saved by faith alone when what they really taught was that it was only by faith that one could accept the salvation offered by the blood of Christ, and not by works of merit. Remember that they were very close to the Roman Catholic doctrine that salvation could come by doing penance, doing good works which would gain merit for a person, even dropping money in the box for a donation to build St. Peter’s cathedral would release a soul from purgatory. They opposed this. Then some of them, while teaching the importance of being baptized, for all of them knew it was a command of Christ, tried to reconcile the idea of being saved by faith and yet having to be baptized for the remission of sins by trying to split theological hairs. They said, “We were really pardoned when we believed, yet had no pledge of it, or formal acquittal until we were baptized.” As they continued to study, many of the more honest and thoughtful ones discovered that they could find no scriptural basis for that theology, and it created more problems than it solved, so they eventually came to the Bible doctrine that God did not promise to grant remission of sins until a person acted on his faith and demonstrated it by being baptized.
But my primary point in this article is to show that we can find statements all the way from the early “church fathers” who lived directly after the death of the Apostles, all the way through the Protestant Reformation that shows that they taught at various times that baptism was necessary for us to receive the promise of salvation. We have already given an example of it from the Methodist Discipline, and could give similar quotations from Timothy Dwight, President of Yale who said, “It is to be observed that he who understands the authority of this institution and refuses to obey it, will never enter into either the visible or invisible kingdom.” One can find the same kind of sentiments in the Episcopalian Church Catechism, the Westminister Catechism and Confession of Faith, Doctrinal Tracts by John Wesley, published by order of the Methodist General Conference and practically all of the “church fathers” who mentioned the subject.
It might be of value to read the specific remarks of Wesley on page 248, 249 of “Doctrinal Tracts.” “By baptism, we who were by nature children of wrath are made the children of God; and this regeneration which our church in so many places ascribes to baptism is more than barely being admitted into the church, though commonly connected therewith; being grafted into the body of Christ’s church, we are made the children of God by adoption and grace. This is grounded on the plain words of our Lord, ‘Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he can not enter into the kingdom of God’ John 3:5. By water, then, as a means, the water of baptism, we are regenerated or born again; whence it is also called by the apostle ‘the washing of regeneration.'”
We have not quoted these men to prove that baptism is indeed for the remission of sins, for the Bible itself makes that plain enough, but to indicate that most of the greatest religious leaders whose primary concern was to expound on the meaning of scripture and to glorify God did not customarily make the kind of slurring remarks about the design, purpose and importance of baptism as their modern followers do, who seem more concerned with following some denominational tradition than they are with what God actually taught.
T. Pierce Brown

For most of the religious world individuals are satisfied with wearing a name not found in the Bible, because they belong to some church not found in the Bible. I suppose most have found that the building they worship in is not the church, but they identify themselves with a church that doesn’t relate to Christ or biblical teaching.
It is rare when asked: “What are you religiously?” that they will say: “I am a Christian”. For the most part they will answer with a denominational name that corresponds to their church name. The name “Christian” becomes a secondary name to their religion, their first choice is a name related to their Church. Of course, it does no good to call yourself “Christian” if you are not.
If you are in Christ and follow his teaching then you wear that name proudly and accurately.  In prophesy the prophet Isaiah said “The Gentiles shall be called by a new name which the Lord shall name”.  Isaiah 62:2
Let’s notice a few scriptures that describe the name we should wear. In the New Testament, we find these; “The disciples were called Christians at Antioch”.  Acts 11:26  “Let none of you suffer as a murderer or as a thief, or as an evil doer, or as a busybody in other men’s matters.  Yet if any man suffer as a Christian let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God on this behalf”.  I Peter 4:15, 16
As the apostle Paul spoke to King Agrippa, he asked; “Agrippa believeth thou the prophets?” I know that thou believeth. And Agrippa said to Paul: “Almost thou persuadeth me to be a Christian”.  Act 26-28  Agrippa knew that if he obeyed Paul’s words that he would be a Christian.
Does it not seem logical that Christ would want you to wear his name?  Christ gave his life for mankind and wants us to glorify him by wearing his name. What man would not be insulted if his wife refused to wear his name? Note also: Christians are married to Christ. “Wherefore my beloved brethren ye also are become dead to the law by the body of Christ that you should be married to another even to him who is raised from the dead that we should bring forth fruit to God”.   Romans 7:4 
Christian is the only name that glorifies Christ.  So, that you may be consistent in wearing that name, you must be in Christ, you are joined to Christ by obedience to his commands and putting Him on. Everything begins with faith, but that faith has to be an active and obedient faith.  “Without faith it is impossible to please him for he that cometh to God must believe that he is and that he is rewarder of them that diligently seeks him.” Hebrews 11:6
That faith is produced by hearing God’s word: “Faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the word of God”.  Romans 10:17
Faith produces works of obedience:  “Even so faith if it has not works is dead being alone”.  James 2:17
“Was not our father Abraham justified by works when he had offered Isaac upon the alter?  See how faith wrought with his works and by works was faith made perfect”.   James 2:21, 22
When Peter preached that great sermon on the day of Pentecost, many were reminded about everything that Jesus was and is and the sins they had committed in crucifying Jesus. The evidence that Peter presented produced faith in Jesus and it also produced guilt that brought about repentance: Note: Act 2: 37, 38  “And when they heard this they were pricked (convicted) in the heart and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles: “Men and brethren what shall we do?” then Peter said unto them “Repent and be Baptized everyone of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins and ye shall receive the gift of the holy spirit”.  Still further, that same day: “And they that gladly received his word were baptized and the same day there was added unto them about three thousand souls”.  Acts 2:41  “They continued with gladness and singleness of heart, praising God and having favor with all the people and the lord added unto the church daily such as should be saved”.  Acts 2: 46, 47  The ones Jesus added was the saved, Acts 2:47, the saved were those that obeyed the gospel and were baptized for the remission of sins.  Acts 2:38
To give praise to God when wearing his name one must be in Christ. Some clear scriptures that explain being in Christ are: “Know ye not that so many of you who were baptized into Christ were baptized into his death.”  Romans 6:3  “For as many of you as have been Baptized into Christ have put on Christ”.  Galatians 3:27 “Buried with him in Baptism wherein ye are risen with him through faith of the operation of God who has raised him from the dead”.  Colossians 2:12  That New Man in Christ is a new creation so that the Old Man is dead. See, II Corinthians 5:17
For an in-depth study of the new life, see Romans 6:4-23, these verses detail the new life that started through baptism into Jesus. Baptism puts you into Christ, baptism saves.
I Peter 3:21  Baptism adds you to the lord’s church – Acts 2:47
Baptism puts you into the Body of Christ – I Corinthians 12:13
The body is the Church – Col. 1:18
The church is his body – Eph 1:22, 23
There is one body – Ephesians 4:4
All spiritual blessing are in Christ – Ephesians 1:3
So to be pleasing to God and to be saved is to be baptized and be added to his church.  Jesus himself said “Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature (the whole creation) He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved – he that believeth not shall be condemned”  Mark 16:16
In addition to Mark 16:16, Jesus told the apostles, “Go ye therefore and teach (make disciples) of all nations baptizing them in the name of the father and of the son and the Holy Spirit”  –
Mathew 28: 19, 20   If Jesus says it, surely you would not want to argue against Jesus, be aware of the penalty placed upon false doctrine on this subject.
The apostle Paul said “I marvel that you are so soon remove from him that called you unto the grace of Christ unto another gospel, which is not another but there be some that trouble you and would pervert the gospel of Christ”, “But though we or an angel from heaven preach any other gospel unto you then that which we have preached unto you let               him be accursed”. “As we said before: so say I now again, if any man preach any other gospel unto you than that which ye received let him be accursed”.  Galatians 1:6-9
Cliff  Chandler

​

Recently we again heard the argument that since our society is so diverse, with so many different kinds of persons with so many different needs, we need a variety of denominations to meet those needs.
We admit that there are multitudes with various needs, attitudes and feelings. However, we raise the following questions: First, did not Jesus know that was true when He built His church? There were twelve Apostles, each about as different from the other as one can imagine. Why did He not tell each one of them to start a different denomination? Second, what need does anyone have that could not be met in the Lord’s church?
Let us admit that there may be congregations that are so fossilized in their traditional way of thinking and doing that they might oppose having only one song and a prayer before the lesson. It is not improper for us to examine our traditional way of doing things and strive to find a more effective way of presenting the gospel.
Those of us who have been in other nations or cultures recognize that we may do things in various ways without the necessity of forming a denomination. If we were in a society in which there were those who were accustomed to taking their shoes off and sitting on the bare floor with crossed legs, there would be nothing unscriptural about starting a new congregation in which they did that. That is far different than advocating different denominations, or different doctrines or practices in worship that are not authorized by God. There is as much authority for sitting on the bare floor as there is for sitting on a padded pew.
If we can find that kind of authority for women elders, instrumental music or any of the other innovations that are being pushed by some, then we could properly fellowship another congregation that was doing those things, even if we did not feel comfortable with them.
We can properly worship with a congregation that does not have a Sunday morning Bible study as we normally have. We can worship with one where all the members drink the fruit of the vine from one container. We do not have a right to split the church about those things, or start a denomination that teaches falsehood about doing them. We need to make a distinction between the right of a person to conclude that it is best for all in the congregation to drink the fruit of the vine out of the same container, and the right of that person to make that conclusion a part of the plan of salvation, or teach that one will be lost if he does not believe that.
We do not need to form another church just because we do things in a different way, as long as both are scriptural. If a thing is wrong to practice, we certainly do not need to form another church to practice that.
T. Pierce Brown