Does Denomination Matter?

There are many different churches that have variations of understanding. There is Lutheran, Baptist, Presbyterian, Catholic, Assemblies of God, etc. Within each of those classifications are a series of different teaching. When God speaks of the church, He speaks of one faith, one baptism, one God. So, why don’t they just all get along and form one Christian church. Well, for centuries, that was the case. The Catholic church was that universal church. Unfortunately, over time, any organization run by people, will falter. At times they too will stray from the truth. At one point in history, a man named Martin Luther who was taught that God was a demanding God and that unless we were perfect, confessed every sin we have committed, did all the right things, fulfilled what the church wanted, we had no hope. As he trained to be a priest, He ran from presiding over the Eucharist (communion) because he felt he was so unworthy. One day he discovered that God tells us we are saved by grace through faith in Christ, not by works lest any man boast. He found such a hope and peace from this knowledge that he tried to share it in the existing church but was rejected. Since there were many that believed what Luther was teaching, and so it didn’t get confused with the current church, they called it Lutheran... Christianity as explained by Luther. Now there were two groups. Other teachers began to share slightly different interpretations of God’s word and so was born, more and more denominations. Is this ok since God speaks of there being one church? It is not ideal. We are to serve God and not a specific church or teaching. The problem is that many of these churches are trying to be faithful to God’s word, but topics such as communion, baptism, works, the function of the Holy Spirit, the end times, are understood differently. The truth is, what we were first taught will often influences how we interpret God’s word. No matter how much we say we follow what God’s word says, we still interpret it through our experiences. We need to study God’s word for ourselves so we can rightly, with the help of the Holy Spirit, determine what is good and true. As much as I want one church with all the same teachings, there are too many variations in teaching. Father, I am ashamed of how many different denominations there are, but each is seeking to be faithful. Reveal Yourself to us today. Amen