It is interesting and often discouraging to observe happenings in the religious world. The whole world was tuned in to the recent passing of Pope Francis and the selection of Pope Leo as the new leader of the Catholic Church. During that same time, an article was published by a major news outlet regarding “an ongoing debate” within another large denomination about a belief on the rise in this denomination that doesn’t “align with [their] doctrinal beliefs,” and a strong desire among the leadership to maintain “fidelity to what we believe.”
The intent of this article is not to address either of these religious groups or these specific matters that they have faced. The purpose is to ask a fundamental question: Where did all of these different religious groups come from? Or, to ask it another way, did all of these different religious groups come from the Bible?
The vast differences in beliefs and practices among Christendom as a whole is astonishing. Within this, supposed, global community of people with a, supposed, common “Christian faith,” one would expect unanimity of faith and practice, and yet what one finds is as far from unanimity as possible. Some say that Jesus is God, but others teach that Jesus is “a god.” Some say that man should only pray to God, but others teach to pray to saints also. Some say that baptism is by immersion, but others teach that baptism is by sprinkling. Some say that worship is to be done on Saturday, but others teach that it is on Sunday. Some say that only men are authorized to preach, but others teach that women may preach. And the list of differences could go on and on and on.
What’s the point? The examples used above show that there are doctrines diametrically opposed to each other within this, supposed, common faith of Christendom, emphasizing such incompatibility that the opposing positions cannot both be right. This cannot be because the Bible contradicts the Bible or because the Bible leads to contradicting views. Every word in the Bible is from God (2 Tim. 3:16), and the Bible demands that “all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions” (1 Cor. 1:10). Thus, the only rational conclusion is that such division is the result of man, not God.
What would happen if man laid aside all doctrines and practices and simply went back to the Bible, used only the Bible, and refused to teach anything but the Bible? He would find that Christ has “one body” or “church” (Eph. 4:4; 1:22-23), with Christ as the one “head” (Eph. 5:23), and only “one faith” (Eph. 4:5) that is to be taught without addition or subtraction (Rev. 22:18-19). Following only Scripture would never lead to hundreds, yeah thousands, of different groups with different belief systems. How beautifully simple is God’s Way!