The Bible Condemns Denominationalism (and So-Called Non Denominationalism)
Matthew 12:25 Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and no city or house divided against itself will stand.
Protestantism is a house divided due to its weak foundation, which is Sola Scriptura (a heresy which disregards the authority of Sacred Tradition and the Magisterium, preferring to focus solely on Sacred Scripture) and Private Interpretation (which places the individual as the sole authority in determining the correct interpretation of what the Bible teaches in regards to faith and morals). Since it is built upon two errors, then the house divided can not stand. Sola Scriptura is a blueprint for anarchy, and Private Interpretation is a humanist idea rooted in the pride of man.
This explains why it is a severed and fractured house. By the time Martin Luther died, already several distinct denominations had cropped up which contradicted his interpretations. With the advent of so-called Non Denominationalism, it has exploded into tens of thousands of fractured and competing houses.
Contrast this to the One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church, founded by Our Lord, which alone maintains the unity of the Body of Christ. Our Lord taught in John 10:16, "So there shall be one flock, one shepherd." And so there is. Jesus does not have tens of thousands of flocks. He has one flock, and it is the Church which traces back to Him historically through the succession of Bishops. This is the pillar and foundation of truth, and thus as a firm and unshakeable bulwark, we can humbly trust her perseverance in teaching us the truths of Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition.
John 17:20-23 I do not pray for these only, but also for those who believe in me through their word, that they may all be one; even as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that thou hast sent me. The glory which thou hast given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, I in them and thou in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that thou hast sent me and hast loved them even as thou hast loved me.
Look at this prayer of Our Lord to the Father in the Garden of Gethsemane on the eve of His Passion. He prays that the ones who believe in Him will be one. And indeed, she is one. And He prays that their unity will be the same type of unity shared between the Father and the Son. So let us ask: do the Father and the Son disagree on doctrines of faith and morals? Of course not. They are two Persons and yet one Substance. So too, the Church is comprised of many persons, yet she shares one substance which keeps the flock unified. How does Protestantism answer this prayer of Our Lord? Does Protestantism posit that the Father and the Son are not of one accord in the sacred truths of faith and morality? Their foundation is rooted in error, and thus we call them to repent and to enter the one fold of the Good Shepherd.
Acts 4:32 Now the company of those who believed were of one heart and soul.
This glimpse of the primitive Church shows us the fulfillment of Our Lord's prayer in Gethsemane. They were "company," thus many persons, and yet they were of "one heart and soul," showing that they held one mind in regards to their teaching and worship. Are the tens of thousands of denominations in Protestantism of "one heart and soul?" We implore them again to answer the prayer of Our Lord and to enter the unity of His One Church.
Romans 2:8 But for those who are factious and do not obey the truth, but obey wickedness, there will be wrath and fury.
Luther, Calvin, Zwingli, and all the rest of the revolutionaries involved in the creation of the Protestant sect did not heed this warning of St. Paul. And how many have been led into perdition because of these prideful men who extolled the authority of Man's Interpretation over against the Pillar and Foundation of Truth? They extolled their private understanding of Sacred Scripture alone, assuming that they had the authority to do such an audacious thing, and yet they ripped away Sacred Tradition, in direct contradiction to St. Paul's command to hold to everything he handed down whether by oral proclamation or written epistle (2 Thess 2:14 Douay Rheims). They determined that Man was the pillar and foundation of truth. This is the constant temptation of the devil: "You can be just like God... Do what thou wilt."
Romans 16:17 I appeal to you, brethren, to take note of those who create dissensions and difficulties, in opposition to the doctrine which you have been taught; avoid them.
St. Paul's commands were ignored by the Protestant revolutionaries. Rather, they created dissensions in opposition to the doctrines they were taught. We appeal to all Protestants of good will today to avoid those who propagate this factious platform of Sola Scriptura and Private Interpretation.
1 Corinthians 1:10-13 I appeal to you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree and that there be no dissensions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same judgment. For it has been reported to me by Chloe’s people that there is quarreling among you, my brethren. What I mean is that each one of you says, “I belong to Paul,” or “I belong to Apollos,” or “I belong to Cephas,” or “I belong to Christ.” Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul?
The sin of denominationalism traces back to the pride of fallen man even back in the days of the Apostles. St. Paul had to deal with it, and uproot it at the start, with the Corinthians. We can imagine those today saying, "I am of Luther," "I am of Calvin," "I am of Chuck Smith," "I am of Pastor Bob," or "I do not need any pastor, I have the Holy Spirit so I determine for myself." This is not the template presented to us from the New Testament. Instead, we are told to be of one mind and one judgment, with no divisions among us. The reason for this is because the Protestant model is not in existence in the Apostolic era and the pages of the New Testament. It must be rejected because the Protestant idea of Denominationalism and Non Denominationalism is not from Jesus and the Apostles. The Devil is the author of confusion, and we are commanded to flee from the infernal serpent.
St. Paul labors heavily on these points through his epistles:
1 Corinthians 3:3-4 For while there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not of the flesh, and behaving like ordinary men? For when one says, “I belong to Paul,” and another, “I belong to Apol'los,” are you not merely men?
1 Corinthians 10:17 Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread.
1 Corinthians 11:16-19 If any one is disposed to be contentious, we recognize no other practice, nor do the churches of God. But in the following instructions I do not commend you, because when you come together it is not for the better but for the worse. For, in the first place, when you assemble as a church, I hear that there are divisions among you; and I partly believe it, for there must be factions among you in order that those who are genuine among you may be recognized.
2 Corinthians 12:20 For I fear that perhaps I may come and find you not what I wish, and that you may find me not what you wish; that perhaps there may be quarreling, jealousy, anger, selfishness, slander, gossip, conceit, and disorder.
Galatians 5:19-20 Now the works of the flesh are plain: fornication, impurity, licentiousness, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, anger, selfishness, dissension, party spirit.
Ephesians 4:1-5 I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all lowliness and meekness, with patience, forbearing one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call, one Lord, one faith, one baptism.
Philippians 1:27 Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you that you stand firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel.
Philippians 2:2 Complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind.
1 Timothy 6:3-5 If any one teaches otherwise and does not agree with the sound words of our Lord Jesus Christ and the teaching which accords with godliness, he is puffed up with conceit, he knows nothing; he has a morbid craving for controversy and for disputes about words, which produce envy, dissension, slander, base suspicions, and wrangling among men who are depraved in mind and bereft of the truth, imagining that godliness is a means of gain.
Titus 3:9-11 But avoid stupid controversies, genealogies, dissensions, and quarrels over the law, for they are unprofitable and futile. As for a man who is factious, after admonishing him once or twice, have nothing more to do with him, knowing that such a person is perverted and sinful; he is self-condemned.
We see plainly that the very concept of fragment denominations has no place in the New Testament. It is non existent. Whenever the temptation to divide arose, it was condemned and struck down immediately by the Apostles.
Listen carefully to this admonition from St. Peter.
2 Peter 2:1-2 But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction. And many will follow their licentiousness, and because of them the way of truth will be reviled.
Pope St. Clement of Rome wrote in 98AD, "Why are there strifes, and tumults, and divisions, and schisms, and wars among you? Have we not one God and one Christ? Is there not one Spirit of grace poured out upon us? And have we not one calling in Christ? Why do we divide and tear to pieces the members of Christ, and raise up strife against our own body, and have reached such a height of madness as to forget that 'we are members one of another?' Remember the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, how He said, "Woe to that man [by whom( offences come]! It were better for him that he had never been born, than that he should cast a stumbling-block before one of my elect. Yea, it were better for him that a millstone should be hung about his neck, and he should be sunk in the depths of the sea, than that he should cast a stumbling-block before one of my little ones. Your schism has subverted the faith of many, has discouraged many, has given rise to doubt in many, and has caused grief to us all. And still your sedition continueth. Take up the epistle of the blessed Apostle Paul. What did he write to you at the time when the Gospel first began to be preached? Truly, under the inspiration of the Spirit, he wrote to you concerning himself, and Cephas, and Apollos, because even then parties had been formed among you. But now reflect who those are that have perverted you, and lessened the renown of your far-famed brotherly love. It is disgraceful, beloved, yea, highly disgraceful, and unworthy of your Christian profession, that such a thing should be heard of as that the most stedfast and ancient Church of the Corinthians should, on account of one or two persons, engage in sedition against its presbyters. And this rumour has reached not only us, but those also who are unconnected with us; so that, through your infatuation, the name of the Lord is blasphemed, while danger is also brought upon yourselves."
St. Ignatius of Antioch writes in 110AD, "For as many as are of God and of Jesus Christ are also with the bishop. And as many as shall, in the exercise of repentance, return into the unity of the Church, these, too, shall belong to God, that they may live according to Jesus Christ. Do not err, my brethren. If any man follows him that makes a schism in the Church, he shall not inherit the kingdom of God. If any one walks according to a strange opinion, he agrees not with the passion of Christ."
St. Justin Martyr writes in 155AD, "Such a thing as you may witness in the body: although the members are enumerated as many, all are called one, and are a body. For, indeed, a commonwealth and a church, though many individuals in number, are in fact as one, called and addressed by one appellation."
St. Irenaeus writes in 180AD, "As I have already observed, the Church, having received this preaching and this faith, although scattered throughout the whole world, yet, as if occupying but one house, carefully preserves it. She also believes these points of doctrine just as if she had but one soul, and one and the same heart, and she proclaims them, and teaches them, and hands them down, with perfect harmony, as if she possessed only one mouth. For, although the languages of the world are dissimilar, yet the import of the tradition is one and the same."
St. Cyprian writes in 251AD, "And this unity we ought firmly to hold and assert, especially those of us that are bishops who preside in the Church, that we may also prove the episcopate itself to be one and undivided. Let no one deceive the brotherhood by a falsehood: let no one corrupt the truth of the faith by perfidious prevarication. The episcopate is one, each part of which is held by each one for the whole. The Church also is one, which is spread abroad far and wide into a multitude by an increase of fruitfulness. As there are many rays of the sun, but one light; and many branches of a tree, but one strength based in its tenacious root; and since from one spring flow many streams, although the multiplicity seems diffused in the liberality of an overflowing abundance, yet the unity is still preserved in the source. Separate a ray of the sun from its body of light, its unity does not allow a division of light; break a branch from a tree, when broken, it will not be able to bud; cut off the stream from its fountain, and that which is cut off dries up. Thus also the Church, shone over with the light of the Lord, sheds forth her rays over the whole world, yet it is one light which is everywhere diffused, nor is the unity of the body separated. Her fruitful abundance spreads her branches over the whole world. She broadly expands her rivers, liberally flowing, yet her head is one, her source one; and she is one mother, plentiful in the results of fruitfulness: from her womb we are born, by her milk we are nourished, by her spirit we are animated."
St. Epiphanius writes in 374AD, "Hence the separated heresies have, as branches, been torn off; called indeed after Christ's name, yet not his, but are, some of them, at a very great distance from him; whilst others, on account of some very slight matter, are disinherited and have made themselves and their children aliens unto him; they are not within the boundaries, but have established themselves without, and having nothing of Christ but name. There but remains for us to show forth the truth, and the oneness of that dove which is praised by the bridegroom."
St. Gregory of Nyssa writes in 381AD, "Whoso has learnt that Christ is the head of the Church, let him, before all things, bear this in mind, that the head is ever of the same nature and substance as the body beneath it; and that there is a certain coherence of each of the limbs with the whole. Whence if any part be cut of the body, it is utterly disconnected with the head."
St. Ambrose writes in 390AD, "If you held the Head you would consider that the whole body, by joining together rather than by separating, grows unto the increase of God by the bond of charity and the rescue of a sinner."
St. Cassian writes in 430AD, "For the scheme of the mysteries of the Church and the Catholic faith is such that one who denies one portion of the Sacred Mystery cannot confess the other. For all parts of it are so bound up and united together that one cannot stand without the other and if a man denies one point out of the whole number, it is of no use for him to believe all the others."
We see from the testimony of Sacred Scripture, and from the first 5 centuries of Christian history, that the template set up by Jesus and the Apostles, preserved by the Holy Spirit, to the glory of God, is of a unified Body that is one heart and mind on matters of faith and morals. The Protestant model is non existent, and we see the fruits of it today with tens of thousands of denominations.
