The End Time Church: From the Cathedrals to the Catacombs

By Dan L. White

Copyright ©2017 by Dan L. White, all rights reserved.

Scripture quotations are from the World English Bible (WEB) which is in the public domain.

Chapter 31

Where is the One True Denomination?

After the King was crucified, he was un-crucified. The Jews and Romans had killed Yahweh’s Salvation, but Yahweh stepped in to save him. Yeshua rose from the dead and was given a new life, a spirit life instead of a fleshly.

After that, on the Feast of Pentecost about three thousand people were cut to the quick and accepted Yahweh’s Salvation, the Passover Lamb that had been sacrificed. In the following days, more were added to that number.

Acts 2, King James Version
(46) And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart,
(47) Praising God, and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.

That was the beginning of what is commonly called the ‘church.’ “The Lord added daily to the ‘church,” as the King James says.

Earlier Christ had said:

Matt 16, KJV
(18) – I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

So what is the church?

The English word ‘church’ can mean:

1. a building, or a service in such a building;
2. an empire-like denomination;
3. the whole body of believers in Christ, whoever and wherever they are.

To which of these – the ‘church’ – did the Lord add to daily — a building, a denomination, or a crowd?

Which of these is the church that Christ built and that will always exist — a building, a denomination, or a worldwide group of believers?

1. Did ‘church’ mean a building?

Obviously not. When the ‘church’ was added to daily, they hadn’t had time to build a ‘church,’ so church there or anyplace in the New Testament did not mean a building. In fact, in the whole New Testament, there is never a specific mention of Christ’s followers building a church building. Ironically, most churches put great effort into constructing impressive buildings, something the original Christianos, the Greek word rendered as Christian, never did at all. They met in synagogues with the Jews or they met in homes.

Phm 1, KJV
(1) Paul, a prisoner of Jesus Christ, and Timothy our brother, unto Philemon our dearly beloved, and fellow labourer,
(2)  And to our beloved Apphia, and Archippus our fellow soldier, and to the church in thy house:

1Cor 16, KJV
(19) The churches of Asia salute you. Aquila and Priscilla salute you much in the Lord, with the church that is in their house.

Col 4, KJV
(15) Salute the brethren which are in Laodicea, and Nymphas, and the church which is in his house.

So church in the New Testament did not mean ‘a building.’

That sounds like a small thing – ‘Yeah, they didn’t have church buildings’ – but consider that for a moment.

The church did not have churches!

One of the great points of pride for many church members is their church — their building. Can you imagine Christians without cathedrals? Yet the original Christianos had no soaring sanctuaries, other than the temple itself. They listened to the Hebrew scriptures being read and discussed just in homes or synagogues, as James pointed out.

Act 15
(21)  For Moses from generations of old has in every city those who preach him, being read in the synagogues every Sabbath.”

There James was specifically referring to Christianos, who went to the synagogues every Sabbath.

Those early Christianos could not take pride in their church buildings, because they didn’t have church buildings.

2. Did church mean a denomination?

Often Christ’s statement, “I will build my church,” from the King James, is used to declare that Christ built a certain denomination, and that such and such a denominational corporation is the one true church that Christ built. Many people spend great efforts trying to find that one true church, sorting through the many denominations that make that claim.

Here is their thinking.

“Christ said, I will build my church. Where is that church?”

Again, they are applying the word church to mean a denomination with a human hierarchy and corporate structure. In reality such seekers are asking, “Where is the true denomination?”

However, in the New Testament —

There were no denominations.

That thought can be a little surprising, but obviously it’s true. There were no Baptists or Anabaptists, Anglicans or Apostolics, Catholics or Congregationalists. They were all just Christians, or Christianos.

They were also described as part of the way; that is, the way of the Lord.

Acts 18, KJV
(24) And a certain Jew named Apollos, born at Alexandria, an eloquent man, and mighty in the scriptures, came to Ephesus.
(25) This man was instructed in the way of the Lord; and being fervent in the spirit, he spake and taught diligently the things of the Lord, knowing only the baptism of John.

Saul, before he became Paul, persecuted those in the way.

Acts 9, KJV
(1) And Saul, yet breathing out threatenings and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord, went unto the high priest,
(2) And desired of him letters to Damascus to the synagogues, that if he found any of this way, whether they were men or women, he might bring them bound unto Jerusalem.

The way was just one group. It wasn’t the Left-handed way or the Right-handed way or Whichever way. It was just –

The way — the way of the Master.

The way — undivided, non-denominational, uncontrollable by any human government.

The way — not a corporate membership list but a way of life.

When the believers were still just ‘the way,’ they hadn’t had time to split into denominations. So they didn’t have church buildings and they didn’t have church denominations.

What did they have?

Act 2, KJV
(42) And they continued stedfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.
(43) And fear came upon every soul: and many wonders and signs were done by the apostles.
(44) And all that believed were together, and had all things common;
(45) And sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need.
(46) And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart,
(47) Praising God, and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.

“The Lord” Yeshua added such as should be saved.

And with that, who needs denominations?

However, people being people, very quickly those early Christianos began to set up denominations —

Otherwise known as divisions.

Division is a fruit of the flesh.

Gal 5, World English Bible (WEB)
(19) Now the works of the flesh are obvious, which are: adultery, sexual immorality, uncleanness, lustfulness,
(20) idolatry, sorcery, hatred, strife, jealousies, outbursts of anger, rivalries, divisions, heresies,
(21) envyings, murders, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these; of which I forewarn you, even as I also forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the Kingdom of God.

Division is a natural fruit of being human. You don’t have to work at it at all. “Hatred, strife, jealousies, rivalries, divisions, heresies” – all these just come naturally to people. You know how people are!

The Corinthians, who seemed to be a little more fleshly than others, were apparently the first to try setting up denominations.

1 Co 1
(10)  Now I beg you, brothers, through the name of our Lord, Yeshua Christ, that you all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfected together in the same mind and in the same judgment.
(11)  For it has been reported to me concerning you, my brothers, by those who are from Chloe’s household, that there are contentions among you.
(12)  Now I mean this, that each one of you says, “I follow Paul,” “I follow Apollos,” “I follow Cephas [Peter],” and, “I follow Christ.”
(13)  Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized into the name of Paul?

The Corinthians weren’t the Apostolic Church or Church of the Nazarenes yet, but in that same vein some wanted to be the Paulstolic church and others wanted to be the Church of the Peterenes. Why did they do that? Why couldn’t they just be part of the way, just plain Christianos? Why did they suddenly want to be known as Paul’s disciples or Apollos followers or Peter people?

Because their contentious human spirits led them to divide into groups and then each group thought it was better than all the other groups. Even those who said they followed Christ must have done it in a divisive, exalting manner, still breaking into divisions instead of uniting only under Christ.

A little later in that letter to the Corinthians, Paul again spoke of their divisions/denominations.

1 Co 3, WEB
(1)  Brothers, I couldn’t speak to you as to spiritual, but as to fleshly, as to babies in Christ.
(2)  I fed you with milk, not with meat; for you weren’t yet ready. Indeed, not even now are you ready,
(3)  for you are still fleshly. For insofar as there is jealousy, strife, and factions among you, aren’t you fleshly, and don’t you walk in the ways of men?
(4)  For when one says, “I follow Paul,” and another, “I follow Apollos,” aren’t you fleshly?(5)  Who then is Apollos, and who is Paul, but servants through whom you believed; and each as the Lord gave to him?
(6)  I planted. Apollos watered. But God gave the increase.
(7)  So then neither he who plants is anything, nor he who waters, but God who gives the increase.
(8)  Now he who plants and he who waters are the same, but each will receive his own reward according to his own labor.
(9)  For we are God’s fellow workers. You are God’s farming, God’s building.
(10)  According to the grace of God which was given to me, as a wise master builder I laid a foundation, and another builds on it. But let each man be careful how he builds on it.
(11)  For no one can lay any other foundation than that which has been laid, which is Yeshua Christ.

To set up a denomination is to build on a foundation other than Christ himself. To be founded on following Paul or Peter or Apollos or any other man or group of men is to lay another foundation based on people, instead of on Christ.

Setting up denominations is common carnal behavior. As Paul said to them, “don’t you walk in the ways of men?” Denominations — divisions — is to be expected of normal carnal people. But not of Christ’s people.

Denomination is “from Latin dēnōminātiō — a calling by name,”[1] so picking a group name is forming a denomination. To form a denomination is simply to say ‘I am of Paul’ or ‘I am of Peter.’ Today, it comes out as ‘I am a Catholic’ or ‘I am a Presbyterian.’ There are even “nondenominational” corporations with the denominator “The Way,” who with that corporate ‘denominatio,’ have apparently done just what they sought to avoid doing.

If all Christians are truly part of the way, all headed the same way, there is no need to divide up as if going in different ways. All are fellow workers in God’s building, built on the one foundation of Christ.

However, almost no Christians think that denominations are really bad. But notice how seriously Paul took the Corinthian denominations. He said they were “still fleshly” and had “jealousy, strife, and factions” and could only be fed with milk as spiritual babies. Very strong words!

So exactly what did the Corinthians do that Paul disliked so much?

Some said ‘We follow Paul.’ Some said “We follow Peter.” Some said “We follow Apollos.” And some said “We follow Christ.”

That’s all they did.

They did not actually get to the point of setting up a formal Paul or Peter group, with its own distinctive name and its own church government and its own doctrinal statement. They just said, “We follow Paul”, or Peter or Apollos. They did what seems like very little, yet Paul railed against them – spiritual infants!

After the Protestant Reformation, when multitudes broke from the imperatorial control of the Roman Catholic Church, the prevailing denomination, what did those multitudes then do?

They just did what came naturally.

Some said, “We follow Luther.” Lutherans.

Some said, “We follow Calvin.” Presbyterians.

Some said, “We follow John Wesley.” Methodists.

And so on through thousands of Christian denominations worldwide. But they didn’t have Paul to correct them – well, they did have Paul to correct them if they had read it and done it – but they didn’t have Paul to correct them in person, so those multitudes went on to form denominations with governments and creeds and catechisms and who knows what all.

And almost nobody thinks that’s bad!

One article titled “Why We Need Denominations: How the variations of practice show us the beauty of the Gospel,” states, “While some within the Church see them as schismatic and unhelpful, I see them as lovely, imperfect variations on a single, pure theme.” [2]

So who thought of denominations as schismatic and unhelpful?

Paul did!

Think of it. What Paul severely condemned in the spiritually infantile, fleshly Corinthians, almost every Christian today accepts as normal and even as good. And what the Corinthians did is almost nothing compared to what all denominations have done. The Corinthians merely talked about following Paul or Peter or Apollos, but modern Christians have made a whole religion out of following the Roman Catholic Church, or the Baptist Church, or the Anglican Church, etc.

If Paul severely corrected the Corinthians for merely saying “We follow Paul,” what would he say to all the Christian denominations today?

Wow!

No, that’s not what Paul would say. That’s what I said, just thinking of what Paul would say.

Again, the earliest Christianos did not have denominations.

But today we do. And denominations must have names to distinguish themselves from other denominations. Moreover, the one true denomination must have the one correct Bible name for their denomination. If you’re going to find the one true denomination, you have to know the one true name.

What is it?

The most frequently occurring ‘church name’ in the King James Version is ‘church of God’ or ‘churches of God.’

Acts 20, KJV
(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.

Scores of denominations have taken the corporate name ‘Church of God,’ believing that is the correct Bible name for their denomination, because that phrase occurs most often in the King James translation, which until recent times was almost the only English translation used.

However, other New Testament King James Version ‘names’ are “church of the living God, church of the firstborn, churches of Christ, and churches of the saints.” Often groups were ‘named’ by their location, like “church of the Thessalonians” or “church of the Laodiceans.” Excluding place names, there are multiple denominations with each of those ‘names,’ each believing they have a correct Bible name for their denomination, because that name is in the New Testament.

Of all those ‘names’, which name is the one correct Bible name for the one true denomination: Church of God, Church of the Living God, Church of Christ, Churches of the Saints, etc?

However, since all those names are in the New Testament, how could any of them be wrong? If the Bible used a ‘name,’ then it certainly can’t be wrong. But obviously they can’t all be the one correct name of the one true denomination.

What, then, is the one true name of the one true denomination?

But wait —

They didn’t have denominations.

They just had the way of life. And if there were no denominations, or no church splits under different names, then there were no formal denominational names. In fact, there is no one right denominational name of the true church, because the true church cannot be a Corinthian-like denomination.

Names like’ churches of Galatia’ were just descriptions, not formal names, as were all the other ‘church names.’ That’s why there are so many church ‘names’ in the New Testament. They’re not denominational names at all. Churches of God, churches of Christ, church of the firstborn, church of the Thessalonians and all the others just told what they were, and they were not formal, government authorized, 501(c)3 approved corporate titles.

We can scarcely conceive of Christianity without denominations, with their big buildings, formal names, and corporate boards and officers. That’s what we think of as ‘the church!’ Yet the earliest Christianos had none of that. Therefore if you search for the one true denomination, you are doomed to failure because the ‘true church’ did not have denominations. The earliest Christianos were certainly the ‘true church,’ full of the holy spirit and suffering intense persecution and martyrdom. But that original ‘true church’ was above denominational division. They were spiritually above having a corporation with a corporate name and a human hierarchy. There absolutely were no denominations, no such divisions, no denominational governments.

Why not?

What is so wrong with having a denomination instead of just having the way?

Paul explains, in great detail in his first letter to Corinth.

Early in the letter he asserts this.

1 Co 1, WEB
(4)  I always thank my God concerning you, for the grace of God which was given you in Christ Yeshua;
(5)  that in everything you were enriched in him, in all speech and all knowledge;

Don’t pass over that short statement. It can sound like merely a glowing spiritual greeting. No. Paul said that to the Corinthians for a reason. Christ enriches in everything; that is, the Rabbi, Teacher and Master actually teaches his people Himself, “in all knowledge.”

Right after bringing up how the Corinthians wanted to follow men, Paul talks about the wisdom of God versus the wisdom of men. Remember that what he says here is related to dividing up into groups.

1 Co 1, WEB
(18)  For the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are dying, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.
(19)  For it is written, “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, I will bring the discernment of the discerning to nothing.”
(20)  Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the lawyer of this world? Hasn’t God made foolish the wisdom of this world?
(21)  For seeing that in the wisdom of God, the world through its wisdom didn’t know God, it was God’s good pleasure through the foolishness of the preaching to save those who believe.
(22)  For Jews ask for signs, Greeks seek after wisdom,|
(23)  but we preach Christ crucified; a stumbling block to Jews, and foolishness to Greeks,
(24)  but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God.
(25)  Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.
(26)  For you see your calling, brothers, that not many are wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, and not many noble;
(27)  but God chose the foolish things of the world that he might put to shame those who are wise. God chose the weak things of the world, that he might put to shame the things that are strong;
(28)  and God chose the lowly things of the world, and the things that are despised, and the things that don’t exist, that he might bring to nothing the things that exist,|
(29)  that no flesh should boast before God.
(30)  Because of him, you are in Christ Yeshua, who was made to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption:
(31)  that, according as it is written, “He who boasts, let him boast in the Lord.”

Why does Paul discuss the wisdom of God versus the wisdom of men while talking about the Corinthian divisions?

Because setting up denominations is following the wisdom of men instead of directly following the wisdom of God. Those people who wanted to set up denominations were just the foolish of the world, as Paul reminded them: “not many are wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, and not many noble; but God chose the foolish things of the world.” It wasn’t Paul or Peter or Apollos who were setting up denominations, but local Corinthians, those who were not wise, not mighty, not noble, and just plain foolish. And those local guys were the ones the people would have actually been following.

Don’t miss this. Paul points to the wisdom of God versus the wisdom of men, right after bringing up the Corinthian divisions, because that’s what denominations do! They cause people to follow the wisdom of men — the denomination’s leaders — instead of following Christ directly. Christ “was made to us wisdom from God.” Believe it or not, He is quite capable of leading His people, thank you very much.

Paul ends that section by warning against boasting. “He who boasts, let him boast in the Lord.”

Why?

Denominationalism is boasting. “My dog’s better than your dog.”

How about that? God called the foolish of the world so that none could boast, yet those early Christianos quickly began boasting to each other.

Remember at Christ’s last Passover meal, when the disciples went from wondering who the betrayer was to boasting about which of them was the greatest?

The Corinthians did about the same thing, with their denominations of Peter, Paul and Apollos, boasting which little group was the greatest. “My dog’s better than your dog!”

In the next chapter, remembering that this was a letter and not divided into chapters at all, Paul shows how God teaches his people.

1 Co 2, WEB
(9)  But as it is written, Things which an eye didn’t see, and an ear didn’t hear, which didn’t enter into the heart of man, these God has prepared for those who love him.
(10)  But to us, God revealed them through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God.
(11)  For who among men knows the things of a man, except the spirit of the man, which is in him? Even so, no one knows the things of God, except God’s Spirit.
(12)  But we received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit which is from God, that we might know the things that were freely given to us by God.
(13)  Which things also we speak, not in words which man’s wisdom teaches, but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual things.
(14)  Now the natural man doesn’t receive the things of God’s Spirit, for they are foolishness to him, and he can’t know them, because they are spiritually discerned.
(15)  But he who is spiritual discerns all things, and he himself is judged by no one.
(16)  For who has known the mind of the Lord, that he should instruct him? But we have Christ’s mind.

We have Christ’s mind, that we should be instructed by Him. Christ’s people have Christ’s thinking. They receive the spirit that is from God, that they might know the things of God, directly taught by his holy spirit — “not in words which man’s wisdom teaches, but which the Holy Spirit teaches.”

Then in chapter 3, Paul again spoke of following Paul or Apollos, and again warned against the wisdom of the world — which is what denominationalism is — and warned against boasting in men.

1 Co 3, WEB
(18)  Let no one deceive himself. If anyone thinks that he is wise among you in this world, let him become a fool, that he may become wise.
(19)  For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, “He has taken the wise in their craftiness.”
(20)  And again, “The Lord knows the reasoning of the wise, that it is worthless.”
(21)  Therefore let no one boast in men. For all things are yours,
(22)  whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or the world, or life, or death, or things present, or things to come. All are yours,
(23)  and you are Christ’s, and Christ is God’s.

When Paul spoke of the wisdom of the world versus being taught by the wisdom of God, and having the mind of Christ versus boasting in men —

He is still talking about not following Paul, Peter or Apollos — not dividing into denominations. “Let no one boast in men,” — meaning, don’t be part of a human denomination.

And when Paul said If anyone thinks that he is wise among you in this world, let him become a fool, that he may become wise, the apostle was referring to those people who wanted to be the denominational leaders in their new church.

In fact, in the whole first three chapters of this letter Paul talks about not following men, not having the wisdom of the world, and not boasting. Dividing up into groups of Paul or Peter — denominations — is the wisdom of men, that leads to following men instead of following Christ directly.

Remember when Israel wanted a king to stand between them and God?

Before King Saul was appointed, judges taught God’s law, and the people were ruled directly by Yahweh God according to that law. But the people didn’t want that. They wanted to be like all the other nations — because they thought like all the other people. To be ruled by a human king is the wisdom of the world.

Having denominations is the same thinking as Israel wanting King Saul, because it sets up a visible human government between the people and God, a government you can see, hear and boast about. That is the wisdom of the world, being like all the other nations.

Finally, in chapter 4, Paul again warned of denominational boasting.

1 Co 4, WEB
(6)  Now these things, brothers, I have in a figure transferred to myself and Apollos for your sakes, that in us you might learn not to think beyond the things which are written, that none of you be puffed up against one another.
(7)  For who makes you different? And what do you have that you didn’t receive? But if you did receive it, why do you boast as if you had not received it?

In the very same way that Israel wanted a king, people want a visible denomination to stand between them and Christ. And even though it’s done by Christians like the Corinthians, that is boasting — ‘I’m in the true church!’

So the earliest Christianos did not have cathedrals and they did not have denominations. When Christ said, “I will build my church,” and when he added daily to the ‘church,’ he was not talking about a denomination, because they didn’t have denominations. There is no one true denomination because, in just being a denomination, every denomination contradicts the Bible.

Well, then, how in the world did the Christianos get anything done? How can people do the work of God without denominational governments of men controlling them? And if the true church that Christ built is not a denomination, then what is it?

Endnotes:
[1] http://www.thefreedictionary.com/denomination, 7/6/2017
[2] https://relevantmagazine.com/god/church/why-we-need-denominations