Is God indifferent about denominations?

[MoreCoffee]

There are a lot of denominations in the world and they have different ideas about how to be church and what a Christian ought to believe as well as what a Christian ought to do in worship so is God indifferent about those things?

 

[Josiah]

.

Is God pretty indifferent about denominations (such as the RCC)?

Yes.



Not once in Scripture was any mentioned, I theorize this is the case not because God was ignorant that for at least 1500 years they would exist, but because He really isn't interested THAT much in them.

God established His Church - the one, holy, catholic, communion of believers. He cares about that! He leads that! He blesses that! And I think you can argue that God calls believers to come together (in time and locale), congregating together for the purposes of corporate worship, mutual accountability, edification and service (these we call "congregations"). Neither God or Jesus founded any congregations but I think God probably likes the idea here. We know that Paul founded a few (we know this entirely and solely from the Book of Acts), we have no clear evidence that any of the other 12 Apostles ever founded a congregation. But there was no denomination until the early 5th Century when the Roman Empire founded the Roman Church for it itself (created in the image of Rome). But I don't know if God had a thing to do with that or even if He approved.

I personally think that denominations are a good thing (generally). But I think they are largely OUR idea and OUR creation.


My parish belongs to The Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod. It joined when the parish was formed and can leave at any time. The denomination loaned us the money we needed to get started and to build our facilities. It trained and supervises our pastor. They supervise the finances of our parish. And we help support the joint work (we extend 10% of our total income to the denomination) to help start and support other parishes of our denomination, support our colleges and seminaries, send and support missionaries, do various social work, operate the largest Christian publishing house in the world, and support it as it supervises the parishes that belong to it. I think this is good. But whether this is high on GOD'S list of concerns.... um...... not so sure. I think God wants good things done, the details of HOW we organize to do it may not be His CHIEF concern.



Pax Christi



- Josiah



.

 

[MoreCoffee]

Yes.

Okay.

 

[NewCreation435]

Col 1:17-19 NIV says
17 He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18 And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. 19 For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him,

Here we see that Jesus is the head of the church. It isn't one of many, but one church. Man splits and divides it, but in heaven there isn't a methodist section and lutheran section and baptist section, we are all together, singing and worshipping and focused on the Lord. Denominations are security blankets formed by man.

 

[MoreCoffee]

Col 1:17-19 NIV says
17 He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18 And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. 19 For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him,

Here we see that Jesus is the head of the church. It isn't one of many, but one church. Man splits and divides it, but in heaven there isn't a methodist section and lutheran section and baptist section, we are all together, singing and worshipping and focused on the Lord. Denominations are security blankets formed by man.

What are you going to do in consequence of what you've written?

 

[NewCreation435]

What are you going to do in consequence of what you've written?

I actually attend a non denominational church and have for months now. God sees people as either having their name in the Lamb's Book of Life or not, saved or not. if they are saved then they are a part of the church. i think we will be surprised in heaven when we see who is there.

 

[MoreCoffee]

I actually attend a non denominational church and have for months now. God sees people as either having their name in the Lamb's Book of Life or not, saved or not. if they are saved then they are a part of the church. i think we will be surprised in heaven when we see who is there.

Okay.

How is a non-denominational church any different from the denominational ones?

 

[MennoSota]

God is the Father. He chooses to adopt rebels to become his children. He cares deeply about his children. The denomination his children go to for fellowship is less important, though I'm sure God has an opinion about every church since he wrote letters to some of them in the book of Revelation.

 

[Imalive]

He doesn't like division, so He's gonna break down the walls, David Wagner said and He's gonna poor out His Spirit on all flesh: catholic flesh, Dutch reformed flesh, Lutheran flesh, evangelical flesh.
On the other hand, Paul had to divide his disciples from the Jews in the synagogue who didn't listen to him and he said:

For first of all, when you come together as a church, I hear that there are divisions among you, and in part I believe it. 19 For there must also be factions among you, that those who are approved may be recognized among you.

In countries where they had revival the different denominations worked and prayed together and exchanged pulpits.

And Smith Wigglesworth prophecied that if tge ppl w the emphasis on the Word and the ppl w emphasis on the Spirit come together we get world wide revival.

I know everyone here highly esteems David Wagner and Smith Wigglesworth, so thats why I put it out here.

 

[MoreCoffee]

...

I know everyone here highly esteems David Wagner and Smith Wigglesworth, so that's why I put it out here.

Uh huh

:smirk:

 

[Albion]

There are a lot of denominations in the world and they have different ideas about how to be church and what a Christian ought to believe as well as what a Christian ought to do in worship so is God indifferent about those things?

Generally speaking, yes. But we can't just word the question the way you did. If there is some fundamental error that undergirds Denomination X, such as denying that Christ is God come in the flesh, then we're not dealing with insignificant differences between one denomination and the next. Indeed, we are inclined to call that particular denomination a cult.

 

[MoreCoffee]

Generally speaking, yes. ...

Okay

 

[Albion]

I know everyone here highly esteems David Wagner and Smith Wigglesworth, so thats why I put it out here.

Uh huh

:smirk:

Maybe it was a joke. (?)

 

[MoreCoffee]

Maybe it was a joke. (?)

I think it was. She's clever.

 

[Lamb]

Scripture tells us to be on guard about doctrine. There are denominations who choose to disregard doctrine and wouldn't God not be happy to have His teachings thrown out the door?

 

[Albion]

Scripture tells us to be on guard about doctrine. There are denominations who choose to disregard doctrine and wouldn't God not be happy to have His teachings thrown out the door?

It probably depends on how one reads the OP's question. If we ask whether all doctrines are equally correct or if it matters in the long run every last thing that we believe...the answer is no. But if the question really is asking if God "cares" about our stands on all the lesser issues that divide us into competing denominations--all of that which is beyond the basics of the Gospel (Christ is Lord, salvation is by faith and trust in Him, we ought to strive to live as he taught in the Sermon on the Mount and in accord with the Commandments, etc.) then it's yes.

He is "indifferent" towards all of that, although I think the word indifferent is too strong. He is not "indifferent" towards the distinction between right and wrong, but he is not going to judge us on how we do Communion, what we think heaven is like, who is running the congregation, what exactly a sacrament is and how many of them there are, and so on.

 

[NewCreation435]

Okay.

How is a non-denominational church any different from the denominational ones?

Several ways. In the church I attend now decision are made locally by church leadership. A main office somewhere is not in charge of who is in the pulpit, not in control of the property and not making decisions for us. We choose as a church what groups to get involved in and there is a great deal of autonomy for us. We don't sign on to agree to a creed, confession or doctrinal statement. Even Southern Baptist though they say they are not a creed or confessional people have the Baptist Faith and Message which in many cases has become a litmus test to be involved in seminary or missions work. You do have to sign a statement that you agree to it if you work on a denominational level.
Also, I think that you would find that since we aren't linked to a creed or confession there is a wide variety of views on minor issues of the faith.

 

[MoreCoffee]

... if the question really is asking if God "cares" about our stands on all the lesser issues that divide us into competing denominations--all of that which is beyond the basics of the Gospel (Christ is Lord, salvation is by faith and trust in Him, we ought to strive to live as he taught in the Sermon on the Mount and in accord with the Commandments, etc.) ...

Is baptism, the Lord's supper, Marriage, holy Orders, confession, and things such as predestination, free will vs bondage of the will, Seventh Day observance and commandment keeping and so forth "the lesser issues that divide"?

 

[MoreCoffee]

Several ways. In the church I attend now decision are made locally by church leadership. A main office somewhere is not in charge of who is in the pulpit, not in control of the property and not making decisions for us. We choose as a church what groups to get involved in and there is a great deal of autonomy for us. We don't sign on to agree to a creed, confession or doctrinal statement. ...

Your church has no statement of principles and no statement of faith?

 

[Albion]

Several ways. In the church I attend now decision are made locally by church leadership. A main office somewhere is not in charge of who is in the pulpit, not in control of the property and not making decisions for us. We choose as a church what groups to get involved in and there is a great deal of autonomy for us. We don't sign on to agree to a creed, confession or doctrinal statement. Even Southern Baptist though they say they are not a creed or confessional people have the Baptist Faith and Message which in many cases has become a litmus test to be involved in seminary or missions work. You do have to sign a statement that you agree to it if you work on a denominational level.
Also, I think that you would find that since we aren't linked to a creed or confession there is a wide variety of views on minor issues of the faith.

That's a solid, impressive answer IMO. Yet, is what you've explained a strength or a weakness?

You have listed several considerations that seem to be strengths, but othr people would ask if the absence of oversight can easily lead to corruption and doctrinal aberrations? Financial hanky-panky and churches in which the pastor and his own family treat the place as a personal possession are not uncommon. Well, yes, that happens often with non-denominational congregations.

I would also point out that almost every non-denominational church has a de facto creed. It's often brief and it may not be one that anyone else has seen anywhere else, but a look at most non-denoms websites or facebook pages will show what amounts to a creed.

If there were none, the inquirer would think that just about any old belief you could think up would be acceptable, and the members of non-denominational congregations certainly do not intend that.