This is a historical timeline of church divisions that have resulted in today's many church denominations.

A Brief History Of Church Denominations

The Problem Of Church Denominations

Among Christians, there’s a common belief that one church denomination is just as good as another as long as you love God and love your neighbors. I’ve heard others say that it makes no difference what you believe as long as your heart is right. Let’s compare these popular ideas with God’s Word.

The Solution For Church Denominations

When Jude wrote to early Christians, he said, “Beloved, while I was making every effort to write you about our common salvation, I felt the necessity to write to you, appealing that you contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints” (Jude 3). In context, this “faith” is a broad reference to the gospel of Jesus Christ. This faith was “once for all delivered to the saints.” That is to say, it was delivered once for all time. God did not deliver a subjective, human system of denominationalism or religious pluralism.

Paul affirmed, “there is one body [the church] and one Spirit, even as you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all…” (Ephesians 4:4-6). Please remember this important fact: there is only one faith. By consequence, all other faiths are not from God and therefore false.

A Call To Action

While some say one church denomination is as good as another, the Scriptures teach there is only one true faith, the gospel of Jesus Christ. We encourage you to have this same conviction and strive to follow “the one faith” rather than church denominations. We invite you to just be a Christian. You can do this by reading the Bible for yourself, rejecting man-made religious traditions, and living as a faithful Christian in fellowship with others who are trying to do the same. Does this sound too radical? Maybe. But that’s the point, right? Jesus was also considered a radical.

This image shows a group of diverse people with interlocked hand in demonstration of Christian unity.

Christian Unity Is Possible

Jesus Wants Christian Unity

Jesus prayed for the oneness of belief and practice among all believers. Even on the night before his crucifixion, he was thinking about unity among everyone who would later believe in Him. Here is part of that prayer:

“I do not ask on behalf of these alone (the 12 apostles), but for those also who believe in Me through their word; that they may all be one; even as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be in Us, so that the world may believe that You sent Me. The glory which You have given Me I have given to them, that they may be one, just as We are one; I in them and You in Me, that they may be perfected in unity, so that the world may know that You sent Me, and loved them, even as You have loved Me.” (John 17:20-23)

This prayer shows Jesus’ strong desire for Christian unity. He wants all Christians to share in the same unity that he shares with God.

Christian Unity And Diversity

Christ’s church is not meant to be divided by factors such as language, culture, and skin color. According to the Bible, there is no “white church,” “black church,” “Spanish church”, or “Chinese church.” Local churches ought to reflect the diversity of their communities: a diverse family united by God and his will for us. Differences in language, culture, etc. offer real and natural challenges, but unity among believers is one of the ways others will know that God is among us. The apostle Paul told the church in Ephesus to “preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as also you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all.” (Ephesians 4:3-6)

Christian Unity Means No Denominations

The apostle Paul commanded the church in Corinth to get rid of the divisions that existed among them:

“Now I exhort you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you speak the same thing, that there be no divisions among you but that you be perfected together in the same mind and the same Judgment“ (1 Corinthians 1:10).

Unity and oneness in religion are not only right, but Jesus commands it. Religious division among Christians is sinful because it violates the will of Jesus Christ. In fact, Church denominations are a constant reminder of our rebellion and lack of concern for Christian unity.

A Call For Christian Unity

This kind of spiritual agreement is possible only by reading the Bible and following His revealed truth. Join a local Philly Bible study group and meet others who desire the same thing. Or perhaps you’re ready to be part of a local Philadelphia church striving for true Christian unity.