Denominationalism of God ... or ... of Man

John F. Lugger

Description

John F. Lugger explores whether one church or denomination is as good as any other in one’s understanding of how to correctly serve and worship God.

Denominationalism can be defined as religious division caused by false teaching, so the case could be made that its origin traces back to the beginning of creation, with the account of Cain and Abel. Abel followed correct doctrine with his sacrifice, as God ‘respected’ it, whereas Cain chose to alter whatever instructions God had issued on the subject, choosing instead a different doctrine or ‘denomination', and offering a sacrifice which God did not ‘respect’, one in which God had not ordained. (Genesis 4:3-5)

Most denominations today attempt to follow some things taught or practiced by Jesus and His apostles. But these have been added to or modified to fit human ideas. We see this practice exhibited, even in the Old Testament. Israel “feared the Lord” (seemingly giving God some worship), yet they also served other gods, according to the nations around them (2 Kings 17:32-33). Mixing truth with non-truth makes discernment of God’s desired worship much more difficult, and “worshipping in vain” much more of a danger. (Matthew 15:9).

The author explores denominationalism in this series, examining a number of the more popular main-line denominations to simply compare each with the Scriptures and to Christ’s church, as He established in the first century - in areas of Origin, Organization, Authority, Belief, Doctrine, and Worship Protocol. It is hoped that by doing so, some light will be shed on what appears to be a very gray area for many on this subject.

Sujets

• Inspirational
• Philosophie et théologie
• Religion

Informations

• Publié par: AuthorHouse
• Date de parution: 20 février 2023
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781665577731
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 2 Mo

Extrait

DENOMINATIONALISM OF GOD ... OR ... OF MAN
Volume One
JOHN F. LUGGER


AuthorHouse™
1663 Liberty Drive
Bloomington, IN 47403
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© 2023 John F. Lugger. All rights reserved.
 
No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.
 
Published by AuthorHouse  02/20/2023
 
ISBN: 978-1-6655-7772-4 (sc)
ISBN: 978-1-6655-7774-8 (hc)
ISBN: 978-1-6655-7773-1 (e)
 
Library of Congress Control Number: 2022922880
 
 
 
Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.
Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.
 
Scripture quotations marked NKJV are taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
 
Scripture quotations marked NASB are taken from the New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.
 
 
Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.
CONTENTS
Introduction
 
Chapter 1Denominationalism
Introduction
Origins of Denominationalism
Characteristics of Modern Denominations
Arguments Used to Defend Denominationalism
Denominationalism—A Tool of Satan?
Denominationalism—Not of God
Chapter 2The Church of Christ
Introduction
The Establishment of the Church of Christ
Name of the Church
Universal and Local Churches of Christ
One Church
Unity of the Church
Unity of the Church – Why It’s Important
Unity in the Church – Among Brethren
Unity Between the Church and Christ
Organization of the Church
Mission of the Church
Terms of Admission to Membership in Christ’s Church
Authority of the Church—God’s Word, the Bible
Worship Activities of the Church
Apostasy of the Church of Christ
Conclusion
Chapter 3The Roman Catholic Church
Introduction
Origin of the Roman Catholic Church
Organization of the Roman Catholic Church
The Authority of the Roman Catholic Church
Primary Beliefs and Doctrines
Catholic Worship (Mass)
Questions to Consider
Conclusion
Summary
Appendix:Defending the Inspiration of Scripture
The Claim of Inspiration
To What ‘Extent’ Is the Bible Inspired?
The Canon of the Scriptures
Evidence of the Bible’s Inspiration
Topical Index
Bibliography
References
INTRODUCTION
A few years ago, I was asked to give a talk in keeping with our congregation’s yearlong focus on evangelism. The title of my talk was “To Seek and to Save the Lost,” referencing Luke 19:10. In the context of this verse, Jesus extends salvation to Zacchaeus, a penitent tax collector, due to Zacchaeus’s willingness to convert (to stop cheating and even to make restitution to his fellow Jews), for which Jesus makes the broader statement: “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost.”
The first question I asked my audience was this: “Who are the lost to whom Jesus refers, in the broader sense today?” Are these folks only secularists, atheists, or otherwise unbelievers in God? What about believers in a higher authority who is not necessarily identified as the God of the Bible? What about true believers in God but not Jesus Christ as God’s Son? What about true believers in Jesus who are not obedient to the plan of salvation, as clearly laid out in Scripture? What about those who have obeyed that plan and are members of Christ’s body, yet have since chosen a lifestyle that essentially rejects their Lord?
The lines drawn, indicating who among us may be considered lost, are becoming harder to define today—or are they? Do we shy away from identifying these people at times, for fear of being accused of offending or judging? Who truly are the lost, and who truly are the saved, according to Scripture? If we cannot make this distinction, how, then, are we able to fulfill our Lord’s command to seek these people for the purpose of saving them? (Matthew 28:19–20)
The next question I asked my congregation was more to the point: Does God approve of denominations? Is one church or denomination as good as any other in understanding how to correctly serve and worship the God of heaven, according to Scripture? The purpose of this volume is not to insult or otherwise discredit sincere believers of one denomination or another but rather to appeal to Scripture for answers on this subject. Many, if not most, of those who worship in denominations today are sincere individuals who honestly believe their denomination is the true church established by Christ, as spoken of in the New Testament, or at least their denomination is one of several such churches. As such, they are convinced of their security in Christ and that their work and worship is pleasing to God. They further claim the inheritance that God has promised in the end to all His children.
I will make two basic assumptions as we enter this study. The first is that you honestly seek truth, wherever that truth may lead, and the second is that you recognize the Scriptures as the sole standard for authority, the inspired Word of God—or at least you are open to this claim. Truth is not relative to different situations, as is so often portrayed in today’s culture. Truth is objective and singular; there is only one truth. Jesus said, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through me” (John 14:6). Likewise, the Scriptures, as God’s truth, are not relative to culture—we’ll see that many denominations attempt to alter or reinterpret Scripture in such a way as to accommodate their cultural biases—but are indeed our authority, the benchmark by which to judge all of our activities pertaining to God and humans. Paul, speaking to Timothy, said, “All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:16–17).
The importance of these two assumptions becomes obvious, as it is entirely possible that you may not seek a singular truth but instead seek justification for your current situation or beliefs by interpreting Scripture to fit your own belief. As the various denominations will be compared with regard to these Scriptures for validation or condemnation, any reservations concerning what the Scriptures actually say, as being authoritative, will undermine the conclusions drawn. In an attempt to add to the credibility of the Scriptures, should you have doubts in this area, an appendix has been added at the end of this volume, “Defending the Inspiration of Scripture.”
There will be four additional volumes in this series, and with regard to the evidence for the credibility of Scripture, each will include an appendix that, when added to this one, will help to build confidence in the accuracy and authority of God’s Word. Volume 2 will include an appendix titled “The Translation of the Scriptures,” which will address perceived translation issues from the original autographs. Volume 3 includes an appendix titled “Transmission of the Scriptures, dealing with the preservation and transference of the Sacred Text over time. Volume 4 will include an appendix focusing on “Alleged Bible Discrepancies and Contradictions”. Finally, we’ll end the series with Volume 5, and one last appendix titled “Christian Evidences”, addressing yet another hindrance to the faith of many – “evolutionary theory”.
There are several reasons for all of this credibility building for the authority of Scripture, if you are not already convinced. One concerns the alarming rate at which young people are leaving religion and their faith by the time they leave home for college. In a recent article by Apologetics Press, Campus Renewal, out of Austin, Texas estimated that between 60% to 80% of Christian denominational students leaving for college also left their faith behind as well. The main reasons for this exodus were revealed in another study by respected pollster George Barna, involving over 25 surveys with 22,000 adults and over 2,000 teens. This study, titled ‘the Barna Study’, revealed those surveyed did not believe in the accuracy of the Bible for the following reasons: 24% said they were written by men; 18% said the Bible was not translated correctly; 15% said the Bible contradicts itself; 14% said science shows the world is old; 11% said the Bible contains errors; 7% said there’s so much suffering in the world; 4% said Christians do not live by the Bible; and 4% said evolution proves the Bible is wrong.
Another reason for building credibility, is that almost all denominations we’ll look at have adopted additional doctrine as their authority. This doctrine includes man-made books of instruction and worship guides, creeds, constitutions, additional canon or Scripture (e.g., the Apocrypha), and past council and clergy pronouncements. Several have appealed to Old Testament teachings, particularly in the area of worship examples, to justify their current formats, and many (as will be shown in future volumes) supersede the Scriptures with what is called the cultural argument , where it is alleged, for instance, that Paul was speaking to an audience in the first century, which does not ap