Christianity Stack Exchange is a question and answer site for committed Christians, experts in Christianity and those interested in learning more. It only takes a minute to sign up.
Sign up to join this community
Does the Bible guide us to break into denominations? There are plenty of verses about unity and the church but then there's the 12 tribes of Israel.
From a biblical standpoint, are denominations our way of making Christianity fit our needs or are they options that are meant to attract more people to different parts of Christianity? Does the Bible approve of denominations?
The 12 tribes of Israel were separate but still part of God's one people, and part of the family of God. I would consider them more analogous to different traditions in a church (different cultural practices under the same theology), but not denominations (which remain separate because of theological differences, primarily).
Jesus prayed that we may be one (John 17:20-23). The analogy of the Body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12) and being one, as well as the analogy of the vine and the branches (John 15:5) also indicate that we are to be together, and not separated.
Denominations have split off because of human sin in general (with culpability on all sides), and not because it was Biblically appropriate. There was one church in the first centuries. It is because of human sin that people broke away. That is why we pray for unity and encourage interdenominational dialogue and reconciliation.
To answer your question we must agree on (a) what "Christianity" is; (b) what we mean by "denominations"; and (c) whose intent we are referring to when we ask, "Was Christianity intended to have denominations?"
The Concise Oxford English Dictionary defines "Christianity" as "the religion based on the person and teachings of Christ." If we hold this particular definition, then we would say that one who holds beliefs contrary to the teaching of Christ would not be considered a true Christian - at least in the dictionary sense of the word.
Following the COED once more, a "denomination" is defined as "a recognized autonomous branch of a church or religion". Here, we could classify such denominations as:
(a) Denominations which hold no beliefs contrary to the teachings of Christ
(b) Denominations which hold some beliefs contrary to the teachings of Christ
We would say here that those denominations which hold no beliefs contrary to the teachings of Christ (a) are truly Christian denominations; whereas those who hold some beliefs contrary to the teachings of Christ (b) are not truly Christian denominations.
We recall from the Acts of the Apostles that those first called Christians were the disciples and they were first so-called in Antioch (Acts 11:26). Except for Acts 11:26, the word "Christian" appears only on two other occasions in the Bible (Acts 26:28 and 1 Peter 4:16). Other than that, everywhere that we might use the word "Christian" today, the word "disciple" (Greek mathētēs) is used. Occasionally we find reference to something called the Way (e.g. Acts 9:2), where we might use the word Christianity.
We know from the Acts of the Apostles that those disciples who were of the Way did, in fact, branch into "denominations" in the above dictionary sense - recognized autonomous branches. We read in Acts 2:47 that those such as should be saved were added to the Church daily (the Greek uses the definite pronoun), but we also know that there were local branches: the church that was at Antioch (Acts 13:1), the churches that were confirmed in Syria and Cilicia (Acts 15:41), the church at Caesarea (Acts 16:5), etc. Paul, in writing to the Romans, writes, the churches of Christ salute you (Romans 16:16).
As far as we know from the New Testament Scriptures, these churches held beliefs that were entirely consistent with the teachings of Christ. We know that when they could not agree on some point of doctrine, the Church leaders met in council to resolve their understandings (e.g. the council in Jerusalem, Acts 15:2-35). The Church, being the pillar and foundation of truth (1 Timothy 3:15), cannot abide in untruth.
The second class of denomination - those that hold beliefs contrary to the teachings of Christ - had, however, no place whatsoever in the early Church. The inevitability of such denominations arising was well anticipated: Paul wrote, I hear that there be divisions among you; and I partly believe it. For there must be also heresies among you, that they which are approved may be manifest (1 Corinthians 11:19). But this in no way implies that the Apostles sanctioned their existence. Adherents to these divisions would not have been considered true disciples of the Way (i.e. "Christians").
