What The Bible Says

QUESTION - Why are there so many churches?

ANSWER - In Matthew 16:18- Jesus said to Peter- “…upon this rock, I will build my church and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it.” Jesus states here that upon the confession that He was the Christ the Son of the Living God, His church would be built. Jesus has only one church. In Colossians 1:18- we read that “He is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning. The firstborn from the dead, that in everything He might be preeminent. In Ephesians 4:4-6 we read- “there is one body and one Spirit even as you are called to one hope of your calling, one Lord, one Faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all who is above all; over all and in you all.” Christ has one body, that body is the church, He is the head of his body. There are as many churches as there are bodies spiritually. Christ has only one body. The church has only one Head. One Head- One Body- One Church is the only conclusion we can reach from the reading of these passages. In Act 20:28 we read that Jesus purchased His church with His own blood. The same blood of Jesus that purchased our pardon purchased His church. What church someone belongs to matters and the Bible teaches there is only one that is pleasing to God.

So why do we have many different beliefs and groups calling themselves the Lord’s church? Everyone cannot be right, but we could all be wrong in departing from what the bible says. In Gal. 1:6 Paul says, “I marvel that you are so soon removed from Him who called you unto another gospel, which is not another, but some would trouble you and pervert the gospel of Christ.” In Galatians 1:8-10 we read that no one has the right to pervert the gospel, even an angel. If anyone presumes to change God’s message this passage teaches that they do not have God. In Acts 20:28- Paul tells the Ephesians elders that “from among yourselves men will rise up speaking perverse things to lead away disciples after themselves….” We see then that from the first century time, men have been seeking to pervert truth and lead people to them and not to Christ. This has led to multiple hundreds, perhaps thousands of denominations arising that teach and practice things that are not founded in the Bible. This does not follow what the Bible says. Jesus prayed in John 17:2023- “…I pray that they all might be one, even as we are one; I in them, and Thou in me, that they all might be one in Us, that the world might believe that you have sent me.”

All denominations and their erroneous teachings are not from God. They are from men. Men are more interested in pleasing people and drawing crowds than in pleasing God so they lead people away after their own ideas and not Christ’s. The Lord’s church abides in His doctrine and calls people to speak as the Bible speaks and be silent where it is silent. – Stan Adams Please direct all your questions to: What the Bible Says c/o Maple St. Church of Christ, PO Box 2086 Liberty, TX 77575.