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When the chief priests and elders of the people—a very religious
group—challenged the authority of Jesus, asking, "By what authority doest
thou these things?", he replied with a question of his own. "The baptism of
John, whence was it? From heaven, or of men?" (Matt. 21:23-25).
That's the same question we pose in this issue of The Gospel Preceptor. Most of our readers are very religious people and members of religious groups. Did you ever wonder where all the different religious groups came from? Are they from heaven or of men? David declared that, "Except the Lord build the house, they labour in vain that build it." (Psa. 127:1). In the same vein, Jesus said, "Every plant, which my heavenly Father hath not planted, shall be rooted up." (Matt. 15:13). It is a fearful thing to plant and build where God has not authorised us to so do. But that has never deterred evil men from exalting themselves above the God of heaven and earth and creating their own religious institutions. Consequently, hundreds of religious groups exist today, all claiming to follow Christ. Did God plant all the denominations that dot the religious landscape across the world? Are they from heaven or of men? Can you find the church of which you are a member named in the Bible? What religious name do you wear? Methodist? Baptist? Presbyterian? Mennonite? Lutheran? Catholic? Pentecostal? Anglican? Mormon? Jehovah's Witness? Can you find any of those names on a single page of the New Testament? If you are honest, you know that you cannot. Whence then are these names and religions that teach conflicting doctrines? Did they come from heaven or from men? That question is easily answered from the Bible—the only standard of religious authority by which man may determine his relationship with God. The denominations of men are foreign to the Bible. They are neither authorized, planted, built, nor recognized by God. "But, there are good people in all denominations," one will object. No one denies the truth of that statement. It goes without saying that there are good people in every religious group. It also goes without saying that there are good people who belong to no religious group. We also believe that there are good, honest people in denominations who would at once renounce denominational error and become simply Christians if they would but learn the truth. We have no quarrel with any honest and good person. Our opposition is directed toward the hireling clergy of the denominational industry who are leeches on the backs of their parishoners. Many of those preachers know their doctrines cannot be found in the Bible, but they continue to preach them. Like the ancient Pharisees, they "compass sea and land to make one proselyte," and in so doing they "make him twofold more a child of hell" than themselves. (Matt. 23:15). From week to week, denominational clergymen line their own pockets at the expense of good people who trust their very souls to them. "Good people" in all denominations. Without a doubt, but "good people" who have been blinded by the devil's ministers in Catholic and Protestant robes This issue isn't about people's morals, but about God's authority. "Good" people can be honestly mistaken or deluded about religion. Saul of Tarsus was a "good" man, but his religion was wrong. (Acts 23:1), and one would be hard pressed to find a better man than Cornelius in Acts 10. The record says he was "a devout man, and one that feared God with all his house, which gave much alms to the people, and prayed to God always." (Acts 10:2). Now can one find a better man than he? Yet the ironic thing about the religious and morally upright Cornelius was that he was lost. That's evident from his statement to Peter, which Peter recounted in Acts 11:13-14. "...and he showed us how he had seen an angel in his house, which stood and said unto him, Send men to Joppa, and call for Simon, whose surname is Peter; who shall tell thee words, whereby thou and all thy house shall be saved." Now if being a "good" man will save, Cornelius was a saved man. If being "devout" will save one, then Cornelius was saved. If contributing to charity (giving alms) means a person is saved, then Cornelius was saved. If seeing an angel in his house makes a man saved, then Cornelius was saved. But, notice the reason he was to send for Peter—to hear "words whereby thou and all thy house shall be saved." Cornelius was lost. If he wasn't, then the angel lied and he was a fool to send for Peter. Yes, there are "good people in all denominations," but being "good people" doesn't mean they are saved. One is not saved because he is good. If that's the case, then God should never have sent his Son to die for our sins. He should have just told all of us to "be good." Those who say, "But there are good people in all denominations" are usually the same people who say one is saved by "grace alone" because we cannot earn salvation. In that position, they contradict themselves. If goodness saves, then the grace of God is nullified and we earn salvation by our "goodness". If we are saved by grace alone, then it makes no difference how "good" people are. They can't have it both ways. The gospel of Christ brought no new moral precept into the world. Every right act today toward our fellow man was a right act when Christ was born in Bethlehem, and every modern sinful act toward our fellow man was sinful then. His coming into the world did not bring new moral guidelines. There were good men in the world when Christ came and there were good men in the world before he came. Goodness is not the divine standard of righteousness. That standard is revealed in the gospel which Christ brought into the world. (Rom. 1:16-17). That's the contention of the Methodist Church which declares itself a branch in the vine of Christ. Jesus is the true vine (John 15:1-6) and he says individuals, not denominations constitute the branches. He said, "If a man abide not in me (not a "denomination") he is cast forth as a branch and withered." (John 15:6). There is not a single modern denomination that can be found in the New Testament. They were all founded by men, upon men, and preach men's doctrines. Christ is neither their founder, foundation, nor guide, and he is certainly not the Saviour of men's churches. (Eph. 5:23). Read and ponder well the articles in this issue of The Gospel Preceptor. They are published for your information, and those who love God and His truth can plainly see that no modern denomination is the church which Jesus established. These articles may anger you, but you cannot refute their truth by God's word. Ask your hireling preacher to be a man and publicly defend his doctrine. Chances are, he won't. Every writer in this issue stands ready to defend the truth of the gospel, but it's been our experience that the hireling clergy hasn't the stomach to publicly defend what it preaches. "Denominations: From heaven or of men?" They are of men and, as such, Jesus says they shall be rooted up and cast into the fire. (Matt. 15:13). |