Question: Choosing a Name like all the Denominations?
"There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling." (Ephesians 4:4)
"Now I plead with you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment." (1 Corinthians 1:10 )
"For you are still carnal. For where there are envy, strife, and divisions among you, are you not carnal and behaving like mere men?" (1 Corinthians 3:3)
"For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them." (Matthew 18:20)
"In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when you are gathered together, along with my spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ." (1 Corinthians 5:4)
Question: All denominations worldwide give themselves a name. Many people ask for the name of the assemblyThe literal meaning is “called out”: • called out of "the darkness" (1. Pet 2:9)—this refers to the area where there is a lack of light about God Himself, His... More where we gather. Why don't we have a name?
Answer:
There are indeed many denominations of Christianity that have different names. But I think that this is not scriptural. The following four questions may help to understand this:
- Isn't the existence of these groups in itself contradictory to the teachings of the Bible? For the Bible only speaks of one church (assemblyThe literal meaning is “called out”: • called out of "the darkness" (1. Pet 2:9)—this refers to the area where there is a lack of light about God Himself, His... More); any divisions are condemned. (Eph 4:4; 1 Cor 1:10; 3:3; 11:18-19).
- What scripture authorizes us to give churches names, such as "Anglican Church," "Pentecostal Churches," etc., when we are to gather in the name of the Lord Jesus alone? (Mt 18:20; 1 Cor 5:4)
- Why do Christians call their church after the name of well-known men of God (Lutheran Church; Mennonites, etc.) when the apostleApostle (Greek) means "sent one." Today, we are "messengers" for Christ when we pass on the gospel (2 Cor. 5:20). But the highest-ranking messenger is Jesus Christ himself (Heb 3:1;... More Paul expressly does not approve of such things (1 Cor 1:12, 13; 3:3-9)?
- Why are the names of churches associated with a particular nation ("Greek Orthodox Church" etc.)? Doesn't Scripture explicitly say that national differences do not play a role in the true Church of God (Col 3:11)?
From the Bible, we learn that there is only one assemblyThe literal meaning is “called out”: • called out of "the darkness" (1. Pet 2:9)—this refers to the area where there is a lack of light about God Himself, His... More (church) consisting of all believers. God recognizes it. And we, too, should recognize it and gather as Christians in the name of the Lord Jesus alone on this basis. Giving a name only causes more division and is, by nature, exclusive.
A local church cannot be recognized officially. Of course, this does not mean that the believers in these churches are not recognized. That would be quite wrong. The man of God from Judah once turned against the "altar" and not against those who surrounded him (1 Kings 13:1-3). But it is crucial to judge a system in the light of the Holy ScripturesIn the NT, the various parts of the OT are referred to as “the Scriptures”; these are the “sacred letters/writings” (2 Tim. 3:15). “Every Scripture is divinely inspired and profitable... More. And once again, the assemblyThe literal meaning is “called out”: • called out of "the darkness" (1. Pet 2:9)—this refers to the area where there is a lack of light about God Himself, His... More (church) in the Bible consists of all true believers, wherever they may be. That is the church of God!
