Why Are We Divided And What Is The Purpose of Denominations?

        It is often asked, why are there denominations and divisions within the church? While no answer is simple, the views which divide us often are. Denominations are often formed along lines of theological beliefs.  These beliefs often form the main tenets of faith or declarations of faith for the church body. Some of the differences that you see are drastically different, while many are not. There are also denominations that seem to have the exact same beliefs, but differ in culture.  Let’s be honest, these differences many times confuse the unsaved and cause further resentment of the church. Anyone who has listened to the reasons why people no longer or never have attended church will find this out really quick. There are occasions when people are just trying to find reasons not to attend a local service, but the last thing the church should do is give them an excuse. Divisions and difference of interpretation is human nature. It is common in just about every major religion found in the world, from Muslims to Hindus. It is our desire that we can explain some differences in the different doctrines of some main stream denominations and clear the air regarding some of the confusion for someone today.  We want you to see through the fog of confusion with clear sight of Jesus. After all, he is the lighthouse!
So what are the significant differences and what I do not want to see? What you don’t want to see is a belief system where the integrity of the Gospel has been compromised.  To compromise the Gospel would be to change major “salvation issues”. The “issues” are essential to our faith and what makes us Christian. If someone differs from these beliefs, they lose the very definition of what it means to be a Christian in the first place, making them what we would consider a cult. There are a couple of essential faith beliefs.
These include:

• Faith in the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.
• Faith in Jesus Christ as the Virgin Born, Fully Human and Divine, Savior of The World Who Was Crucified And Raised In Three Days For Our Sins, He Resides With The Father Where He Will Be Until His Second Coming.
• The Repentance of Our Sins. To Be Saved, We Must First Know That We Have Violated God’s Moral Law and Will. We Were Born Into Sin and In Need of Saving To Receive Eternal Life.

        These are the essentials of the Christian faith and the bare bones of what someone needs to believe in order to call themselves Christian. There are many who do this by family tradition or identity, but they are no more Christian than any other atheist if they have not professed these tenets of faith. These beliefs are shared by most all of the main denominations within the body of Christ. Before we go further, let’s introduce the three members of the trinity to those who don’t know them. Know that the explanation of the Holy Spirit includes some Holiness doctrinal stances. We believe in the gifts of the Spirit as well as “speaking in tongues as the Spirit gives the utterance”. This is reflected in our view of the identity of the Holy Spirit, and while the Father is the giver, the Spirit is the vehicle.
 
 
Who Are The Father, Son, And Holy Spirit Exactly? Here Is a Short Explanation:

• God The Father- The Creator, Giver of The Commandments, God of Abraham and Isaac, Jehovah, Abba Father, God of The Hebrew (Israelites).
• Christ Jesus- Our Savior, “Author and Finisher of Our Faith”, The Only Son of God, Birth by Virgin, Lived a Sinless Life, Died On A Cross For Our Sins and Rose Again In Three Days, After His Brief Interaction With Disciples He Ascended To Heaven To Be At The Right Hand of The Father
• The Holy Spirit- Provides Conviction Of Our Hearts and Path, Acts As a Physical Presence For God on Earth, The Gift Jesus Refers To In Acts 1:4, Provides Us With The Gifts Necessary For Ministering and Discipleship, Helps Build Faith Maturity Within Us, Convicts Us To Obedience,  Constantly Prays With Us and For Us. Provides The Words of Heavenly Language During Prayer and The Gift of Tongues

For An Extensive Explanation of The Trinity…Click Here!

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        It is after we get past these main tenets of faith where things tend to get a little bit controversial. There are some differences in doctrines which you will find within a denomination, church, and even family. There are also differences that cause us to be divided into denominations and different churches. Doctrines involving beliefs such as the gifts of the Spirit, women in active pastorate, “Once Saved, Always Saved” and many more are the type of differences that split believers today in separate groups. While these differences are often the source of much debate within the body of Christ, we can all agree that they worthless without the love of Christ. It is for this reason that we must be willing to lay down our differences and work together to reach out to the lost and dying.

        The Southern Baptist hold on to the belief that salvation can never be lost, while the Holiness believe that any of us can “backslide” back into a sinful life headed for the pits of hell. Catholicism believes in infant Baptism and sprinkling, while many other Evangelicals believe in water submersion. These are just a few of the many differences that these bodies of Christ hold and most of these come from the same scriptures we all use that are only interpreted differently. We could spend all day talking about differences, but our hope is that you will see Christ through all of this confusion. Regardless of your location, denomination, or situation; Jesus is knocking at your heart! If confusion has blinded your ability to find a good home church or place to commune with other believers, reach out to us. If you are restricted in movement and we are your source, we welcome you and pray that you continue to tune in. Regardless of your denomination, we love all of our viewers. While SCM is not affiliated with any denominational governing body, we do hold a Pentecostal-Holiness doctrinal view. We hope and pray that you can find something about this ministry that shines the light of Christ. To find out more about where to find a good church or how to be saved contact us and we will be glad to help. Until next time, Thanks for visiting and God Bless!