Ever Changing Doctrines of Men

Imagine entering a contract which continually changed. Would you sign it? Imagine two sporting teams, each playing by two different rules. Imagine living in a country with hundreds of contradictory laws. Pure chaos! This is what denominations teach every day. Is it possible God shows favoritism? The scriptures tell us He is not a respecter of person (Acts 10:34 f; Col 3:25)

However, there are literally hundreds of differing denominations, each with its own peculiar man-made doctrine and practice, which contradicts the Bible. Their doctrine changes in variations from person to person, city to city, or country to country. “Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshiped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever” (Rom 1:25). How can any of these differing man-made doctrines be true?  The simple answer is, they can’t be! Anything that contradicts or is different from the Bible is false doctrine.Their divisive human creeds that govern them come from the minds of men and not from God. Their different man-made creed books hold their group together as a false counterfeit denomination. The main reason for the religious division of denominationalism is man will not accept God’s word as final authority.

Denominational churches are tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men in cunning craftiness” (Eph 4:14). From where did all of these different and conflicting teachings come: God or man? 1 Corinthians 14:33 says, “God is not the author of confusion“, but man is. Those in the denominational churches have not done what God requires for one to do to be saved. The rubbish of the denominations’ creeds is a fraud that will cause many, many people to eternally lose their souls in Hell, but please don’t be one of them. The Bible says, “For many deceivers have gone out into the world” (2 Jn 7).  Romans 1:25 says they are those, “Who changed the truth of God into a lie” by their false teaching. Those who promote these counterfeit faiths try to appear as though they are presenting the truth. People do this by “walking in craftiness” and “handling the word of God deceitfully” (2 Cor 4:2). We are warned in Ephesians 5:6, “Let no man deceive you”.  But today there are many, many people who are being deceived with the false doctrines of denominationalism.

The Bible says, “The Devil, who deceived them, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone… and will be tormented day and night forever and ever…And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire” (Rev 20:10, 15). All of those who are in the many counterfeit imitation denominational churches belonging to Satan will be eternally cast into Hell along with Satan. Those in the more than 600 different kinds of denominations don’t realize they are still lost, but they will realize it on Judgment Day when the Lord will “declare to them, ‘I never knew you, depart from Me'” (Mt 7:23), and they “shall be cast out into outer darkness: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth” (Mt 8:12), but it will be too late then.

Jesus says, “Every plant which my heavenly Father has not planted will be uprooted” (Mt 15:13).  At the end of time in eternity all of the many denominational churches will all be uprooted which will end with their eternal destruction, including all of the people who are in them. The scandal of denominationalism is a sinful shame and denominationalism is as foreign to the New Testament as light is to darkness. Jesus says concerning denominationalism, “You have made the commandment of God of no effect by your tradition…And in vain do they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.” (Mt 15:6,8). Jesus warns us that “For laying aside the commandment of God, you hold the tradition of men…All too well you reject the commandment of God, that you may keep your own tradition” (Mk 7:8-9).  The many false vain doctrines and creeds of men with all their man-made conflicting beliefs have become enemies of the Lord and His word in the Bible.

The children of God are charged in 1 Timothy 1:3, “that they teach no other doctrine”, other than the word of God as found in the Bible.  God’s word to us in the Bible says, “It is not in man who walks to direct his own steps” (Jer 10:23), but we must only use the Bible as our only guide in religion if we expect to go to Heaven when this short life here on earth is over. We are commanded not to go beyond that which was written (1 Cor 4:6). We must speak the oracles or very words of God (1 Pet 4:11). We are forbidden to add to or take from the words of this book (Rev 22:18,19). The question is asked in Galatians 3:1, Who has bewitched you that you should not obey the truth?

The Bible says that the Lord only has one body, which is His one church. Ephesians 4:4-6 says, There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.”.  The Bible says there is only one true God even though there are many false gods in this world. The Bible also says there is only one body even though there are many false bodies in this world. But what is this one body?  Ephesians 1:22-23 says that God gave Christ “to be head over all things to the church, which is His body” and Colossians 1:18 says that Christ “is the head of the body, the church”. According to the Bible, Christ only has one body which is His one church, that is, the church of Christ (Rom 16:16). How does one gain entrance to this one church?

Jesus said, He that believes and is baptized shall be saved (Mark 16:16). Jesus placed both believing and being baptized before one is saved and not after it. Just as 1 + 1 = 2, Belief+ Baptism= Salvation. Denominations vary from church to church as to how to be saved, but Jesus was concrete and absolute on how he demanded his apostles to teach the world to be saved. It takes one who has heard the gospel of Christ, which is the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ (Rom 10:17 f; 1 Cor 15:1-4). It takes one to confess their belief that Jesus is the Christ the Son of God (Rom 10:9,10) It takes one to repent and be baptized for the remission of sins (Acts 2:38). It was this gospel which was preached on the day of Pentecost and to every Christian convert during the days of the apostles of Jesus Christ. They continued in the doctrine of Christ and his apostles (Acts 2:42 f; 2 Jn 9). The doctrine of the apostles was the doctrine of Christ, which was the doctrine of God (Gal 1:11,12 f; Jn 7:16,17). Those who obeyed this gospel were added to the Lord’s church by Jesus Christ (Acts 2:47). This doctrine hasn’t changed or varied in any regard in nearly 2000 years. All who do change it shall be accursed (Gal 1:6-9). Jesus said he was the way , the truth, and the life. No man comes to the Father but by him (Jn 14:6) Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever, and so is his doctrine! (Heb 13:8) Instead of trying to change the gospel of Christ, obey it and keep it (Lk 8:21 f; Lk 11:28). It is the only way to inherit eternal life (Tit 1:2)