While the Bible clearly affirms that it will completely supply us in every aspect of our work for the Lord (2 Tim. 3:16-17), some do not believe it. While the Bible clearly affirms that it contains everything which pertains to life and godliness (2 Pet. 1:3), some do not believe it. Consider the following.
Several years ago in a Bible study with the Jehovah’s Witnesses I asked them, “If I only had a Bible, what would be the odds of me ever becoming a Jehovah’s Witness?” Their answer, “I do not think it would ever happen—the odds would be one in a million.” Think about the implication of this.
There was no religious group called Jehovah’s Witnesses before 1931! The movement was founded by Charles Russell beginning in about 1880. The very name of the movement and many of the doctrines taught by that religion—the sinfulness of blood transfusion, the teaching that only 144,000 will go to heaven, internal structure of the movement centered around the Watchtower in Brooklyn, etc.—did not exist until Charles Russell spread that teaching. If I only had a Bible, there is no way to express the likelihood of one becoming a Witness. It simply would never happen. It takes more than a Bible to be a Witness.
Now apply that to all the religious movements in the denominational maze of our world. If I only had a Bible, would I wear any denominational name? They are unknown in the Bible as names for God’s people. If I only had a Bible, would I be a Mormon? A Seventh-Day Adventist? A Catholic? A Protestant? A Fundamentalist? Add any name of all the other denominations and ask the question, “If I only had a Bible, what would be the odds of me being a ______?”
It simply could not happen. These names are not found in the Bible, and if I limit myself to using the Bible as the only source revealing God’s way, I would never wear these names.
Now expand this concept and apply it to the church organizations and church hierarchies of our day. Apply it to the very acts of worship. Apply it to the diversity of teaching about morality, homosexuality, marriage and divorce. If you only had a Bible, what would you be religiously? What name would you wear? When and how would you worship? What would be the standard of morality you would embrace?
One more thought. When the church began and the Bible was written, what did the church look like? Remember they only had a Bible, and they became the church Jesus established. The only way denominations can exist is for them to teach more or teach less than the Bible teaches. So, follow only the Bible religiously. That is all you need to find God.