To Answer The Question

of Different Church Denominations

     GOD’S greatest Glory is His Love found in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Therefore, correctly educating ourselves in His character, government and purposes means everything to live a true Christian life. But the atheist is always looking for fodder against the Christian. The heart of their hatred lies in the fact that to acknowledge the existence of GOD calls for an accountability to Him. And the humility needed has no place in their hearts. If you go to various YouTube videos where Christians address Creation science you will always (and without exception) find the hecklers who have nothing better to do than to blog their ridicule of the Christians’ assertions against evolution and the multi-billion year age of the Earth. While not one theory of the atheist has been proven, from the “Big Bang” to mutation from the amoeba to man, it is boldly declared as if it is a binding fact. But the fact is that science has no place in their hearts regardless of the irrefutable evidence proving that mutation from one animal to another is a biological impossibility, as well as the vast difference in complexity between life and non-living matter. This is proven in that no matter what arrangement or combination of non-living matter is made it is impossible for the simple building blocks of life to be formed let alone replicated.

     But the Christian doesn’t need the scientific verification to know that there is a GOD who lives to serve the safety and happiness of His children.  The Christian stands on GOD’S Word alone, whether for the earth's young 6000 year history as verified by the 76 generations of mankind from Adam to Christ, found in Luke, chapter 4 to those absolutely precious miraculous moments in life where GOD reveals His wonder working power on behalf of His faithful children.

     On a social level, atheists often accuse Christians of their division within the various denominations and how they are hypocrites for their lack of unity under one banner of faith and doctrine. We will address this arrogant ignorance momentarily, but first let us resolve the atheists’ greatest leverage against Christianity based on the deplorable history of the church wielding her power under the pope’s command for 1,260 years. This sadistic abuse of “Christ and him crucified” became the impetus for atheism’s authority today in our academic, secular society, simply because the common man could rightly declare: “If this is Christianity, I don’t want it.” Nothing has contributed more to the atheist’s argument against the LORD Jesus Christ than the brutal history of the Church professing 'GOD’S love.' But that same abusive history (pawned off as obedience to Christ) also spawned the Reformation. It should be noted that wherever the reformation took hold in a country, the number of crimes in that nation was drastically reduced. Men were simply given a better reason to live. And it was the heart’s cry for liberty to worship GOD in accordance with liberty of conscience that led to the rise of the United States of America whose foundational laws in the Constitution solidified this liberty. While men have always abused GOD’S intent for those liberties, they still stand as the world’s finest legislation to hold sin at bay.

     In each nation where the Reformation took hold GOD raised up individual men to shepherd His flocks. These were men who had discovered “the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free,” and they heeded Paul’s counsel to “be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.” Gal.5:1. As time progressed, more and more light from the Throne of Grace shone upon the hearts of men. The Reformation was as much an exodus from the slavery of Rome as the Hebrews were from the slavery of Egypt! And the people had to unlearn and relearn the principles of Christ’s salvation. This could only be achieved through restoring the Bible into the hands of the common man through translations to his native tongue. In the midst of this, GOD had to limit the amount of light given because of the potential antagonism against it. Every step of the Reformation freedom was blood bought! It is truly as Jesus told His disciples: “I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now.” Jn.16:12. This is evidenced by the disciples refusing to believe Christ’s simple words when He said He had to die at the hands of men (Lu.9:45).

     The first of the great reformers was an Englishman, John Wycliffe (c.1320 – December 31, 1384). He is called “The Morning Star of the Reformation.” John was enlightened by the great Waldensian missionary, Lollard, a Bible Sabbath-keeping Christian whose heritage among the Waldenses extends back to 120 AD according to the great scholar, Beza: John Calvin’s associate. John’s followers were called the “Lollards.” A hundred years later came John Huss (c.1369 – July 6, 1415) of Bohemia (today’s Czech Republic). His followers were called the Hussites. Then after another hundred years came Martin Luther (November, 1483 – February 18, 1546) of Germany and the formation of the Lutheran Church. By this time the Reformation had spread like fire in the stubble and Rome stood helpless to stop it. Luther’s contemporary was John Knox (c. 1514 – November 24, 1572) and the Presbyterian Church was formed. Then came John Smyth (c. 1570 – c. August 28, 1612) effectively founding the Baptist Church. Then last but not least came John Wesley (1703-1791) who founded the Methodist Church.  By the 1800s the American and British Bible societies had made inroads to every part of the Earth.

     In closing, all of the different denominations have legitimate reasons to exist. They each came from different cultures and languages, having different strengths and weaknesses that needed careful harnessing. And then there are the personal tastes within the cultures that GOD freely allows among His children. There is no association with sin by having different tastes. Each of the twelve tribes of Israel had a very different and unique personality but they were all from the same father, Jacob/Israel. And so it is with today’s church denominations. They all answer to the same Father. The World Counsel of Churches exemplifies the overall unity of the Christian faith among the various denominations. But where the real danger occurs in this ecumenical movement is seen in Bible prophecy of how they will retrace their steps back to the days of popery and full-blown belligerence against Christ’s intentions for His Church. This is where our discernment becomes paramount—to see where the ancient sins have not been renounced but rather they are advancing in their authority over the lives of men. This whole war between Satan and GOD rests on the argument of sin’s advance or sin’s decline. GOD’S purpose is to remove the cancer of sin with all of its symptoms, and His Word promises that He will heal His Creation, and restore it, as it was, “In the beginning.”