DENOMINATIONALISM
(JUDE 19)
Perhaps one of the saddest crimes in the entire world is the kidnapping of a minor.
A child is in what appears to be a secure area. No one sees a problem.
There is no sense of danger.
Even though everything seems to be okay,
A kidnapper lures a child away from safety and takes someone’s son or daughter.
IN THE BOOK OF JUDE WE READ ABOUT SOME PEOPLE WHO MIGHT BE THOUGHT OF AS KIDNAPPERS.
1) Jude’s readers had become Christians.
2) They had been taught the truth (verse 3) and they had obeyed the truth.
3) However, “certain men” (4a) “crept in” and secretly led astray some Christians.
4) God’s people allowed themselves to be deceived and mislead.
5) Just as children are lured away by evil men so Jude’s readers were being led astray.
6) Jesus once said that said that no one can remove His people from His care (Jn.10:28).
7) Thus, the false teachers could not forcibly remove Jude’s readers from the hand of God.
8) The
Lord did not allow that.
However, the false teachers could
tempt Christians to leave the right way.
9) God’s
people could be enticed to leave “the faith” (Jude 3).
This is what was being done and this
is what Jude was trying to stop.
10) One of the techniques used by the false teachers is found in verse 19.
11) Let’s read that verse again. The false teachers made separations.
12) The word translated “separations” is used only here in the New Testament.
13) This word is a rare but very revealing word.
14) This term is made up of two prepositions and a noun.
15) The first preposition (apo) means “from”.
16) The second preposition which makes up this compound word means “through.”
17) The noun (oros) means, “a line.” (Woods, pp. 403-404).
18) Let’s put these three of these ideas together: from; through; a line.
19) Bear in mind that we are applying these three words to the church.
20) Imagine, if you will, a circle which represents the church.
21) A line goes through the circle (church).
A) If a line is drawn through the church what happens?
B) There is a division (separation).
22) People that were once united are now segmented and divided.
23) In Jude’s day this is what had happened to the church.
24) False teachers came to the body of Christ and they divided it.
25) Once a division was made the false teachers were ready to take from the church.
26) A line went through the church and members were taken from Christ’s body.
27) Just as kidnappers will separate a child from his or her surroundings,
28) So these false teachers separated Christians from the Lord’s body.
29) Also, as kidnappers take children “from” a safe environment,
30) So these false teachers tempted Christians to leave a place of spiritual shelter.
31) One of the best reference works ever done on Greek words is Kittle’s Theol. Dict.
32) This sets contains over 9,000 pages of information on New Testament words.
33) This scholarly set says, concerning the word separations in Jude 19,
34) “false teachers who cause splits or divisions by their teachings” (5:455-456).
35) WHEN FALSE TEACHERS TOOK GOOD HEARTED PEOPLE AWAY FROM THE TRUTH AND BROUGHT THEM INTO ANOTHER GROUP, WAS GOD PLEASED?
36) Verse 18 says that these people were ungodly.
37) In verse 19 it is said that they did not have the spirit.
38) At the end of verse 4 we are told that these people even denied Jesus.
39) We must fix in our minds the point that is being made in Jude 19.
40) God has created the church (a singular institution which is like a circle).
41) In the past men have drawn a line through this circle. They have made divisions.
42) Instead of staying with the church built by Christ men have formed other groups.
43) Good people have been led “from” the 1 church.
44) People have been asked to join a religious organization other than the one built by God.
45) When this was done God became very angry.
46) Do we have, in our day and time, anything that is equivalent to what Jude 19 describes?
47) Is there anything that divides the one church built by Christ?
48) Is there a way to spiritually kidnap members of Christ’s church?
49) Yes. There is something called denominationalism.
50) Denominationalism is a nice word for religious differences and disagreements.
51) In our world we have thousands of different denominations.
52) These groups all claim to worship and serve Christ but they are all different.
53) Where did all of the denominations come from?
A) Why is there such a lack of unity between groups that call themselves Christians?
B) Religious division did not come from Christ.
C) In Jn. 17 Jesus prayed for unity.
D) In 1 Cor. 1 Paul condemned division. Division is not from God.
E) In fact, Jesus built one church, Mt. 16:18, not many.
F) When Christianity was presented to the world it was a unified religion.
G) If Christianity did not start out with denominations where did they come from?
H) After the one church was established men began to make “separations” (verse 19).
I) Men came
to the
J) Little by little divisions and different groups were created.
K) Many sources offer a time line for when different denominations were formed.
L) These lines caused members of the church to be drawn away from the body of Christ.
54) If we want to know where denominationalism comes from, read Jude 19.
55) The concept of denominationalism existed in the minds of some first century men.
56) These people introduced an alternative form of New Testament Christianity.
57) They took the body of Christ and drew some lines that resulted in divisions
58) They made “separations” in the church built by Jesus & invited others to join them.
59) These people established a “form” of Christianity.
60) Years after these men others followed in their footsteps.
61) Even now more men and women are forming denominations.
62) Because of “separations” (verse 19), our phone books are lined with denominations.
63) IN OUR DAY AND TIME DENOMINATIONS CONTINUE TO EXIST AND FLOURISH. PEOPLE WHO BELIEVE IN JESUS ESTABLISH MANY RELIGIOUS GROUPS THAT BEAR THE NAME CHRISTIAN.
64) When this is done people are not bothered by it.
65) Those who establish the different groups think that
religious variety is a good thing.
66) Those who worship in these groups are also
comfortable with a form of NT Christianity.
67) Some of us during the past month have had the chance to visit with out of town relatives.
68) Perhaps we heard talk of our relatives “church”.
69) Those we are close to may speak of “their church.”
70) We may hear a polite reference to “our church.”
71) We know that the faith of our religious friends and relatives may not be identical to ours.
72) For the most part this is not too troubling to most of the world.
73) The idea is, “You have your way, we have ours and that’s fine.”
74) Mankind is not God. We do not determine right and wrong on our own.
75) Certainly in the spiritual realm man is not in charge.
76) When we think about acceptable service to God we must determine what God’s will is.
77) We must find out what God thinks about establishing a church other than the one He built.
78) We must inquire about our right to be part of a group that Christ did not establish.
79) We must determine God’s view on separating the church into different groups.
80) I understand that these questions are brand new to some.
81) For some time these questions were matters that I didn’t explore.
82) However, I came to find out that it was my responsibility to ask these questions.
83) The devil had pulled the wool over my eyes for too long.
84) If anyone here has not asked and explored the questions just raised consider, Jude 19.
85) The book of Jude helps us determine God’s will.
86) We known from a single word (separations) that men made divisions in Christ’s church.
87) We know that this activity angered God.
88) God was so upset that He used the word “ungodly” to describe those who made the divisions.
89) I am realistic enough to know that some will not believe Jude.
90) When some look at what is said in this text it will be shrugged off as too hard to accept.
91) Yet, Jude tells us that men made a religious group other than the one built by Christ.
A) People were drawn away from the church of the New Testament.
B) God said that this activity was sinful and those involved with it were wrong.
C) Today this very thing happens too but it is excused.
D) Religious leaders tell us that we do not need to bother with religious rules.
E) We may worship and serve God anyway that we please.
F) We should find the church of our choice.
G) If a church in our community isn’t what we want we should create one.
H) Denominations are good. Just about any church will get us to heaven.
92) Jude had the opportunity to make all of these points.
93) Separations (denominationalism) existed. Jude could have said that this was wonderful.
94) He could have said, “As long as you worship somewhere you are okay.”
95) This isn’t what he said. This man knew his readers were in danger.
96) Jude understood that those who had formed other groups were false teachers.
97) The eternal souls of men and women were on the line.
98) Jude told his readers to stay with “the faith” (verse 3) which the church follows.
99) You can go out that door and find someone who says that any church is okay.
100) You can find another 1,000 people who will agree with that person.
101) Or, you can take God at His word & believe that separations (denominationalisms) are wrong.
102) As for me and my house we have made our choice. What about you?
103) Will you be a part of a “separation” or the church built by Jesus at the end of His life?