Jesus said in John 17:20-22, “Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word; That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me. And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one:…”
As you can tell from the above verses, Jesus wants His people to be unified. But people today have found that command a difficult one to follow. Within the ecumenical movement, denominationalists claim unity among all of “God’s people.” It may sound good on the surface, but this “unity” is a farce and it can be readily demonstrated.
Let’s say that one preacher in town is preaching different methods of salvation. He preaches that one must hear, believe, repent, confess, and be baptized. At another congregation, he preaches that faith alone will save. At the next, he preaches that one has to pray at the altar for salvation. At a Pentecostal gathering, he preaches that Holy Spirit baptism saves. Finally, he preaches at yet another congregation, he says that grace alone will save. What would you think of him? Hypocrite? Insane? Then how come people allow preachers to say all of these all over town while claiming “unity”? It makes no sense!
Yes, the Lord’s church has a lot in common with denominations. We all practice baptism, but we are not a “Baptist” church. We all have elders, but we are not a Presbyterian church. We want to follow the Lord’s prayer for unity, not men’s strained attempts at unity. Renounce denominational concepts and embrace the true church!
Kyle Campbell
