If we study the reason for the division and scattering of the church, we find one thing: things other than Christ have been brought into the church. We all know that the church is Christ Himself, that Christ and the church are one, and that the church is joined to Christ. The church is divided and confused because of one reason only—something other than Christ has been brought into the church. As soon as something other than Christ is brought into the church, the church becomes divided and confused. All division and confusion are due to bringing something other than Christ into the church.
Today’s Christianity has been divided into many sects and denominations because things other than Christ have been brought into the church. There is only one Christ, and Christ cannot be divided (1 Cor. 1:13); however, divisions and confusion occur when things and matters other than Christ are brought into the church, creating a human mixture. When things and matters other than Christ are brought into the church, the church is divided. If a brother brings his thoughts into the church, the church will have a problem, and if another brother brings his concepts into the church, the church will be in confusion. There are not many reasons for division and confusion in the church; there is one basic reason—things other than Christ are brought into the church.
Having nothing other than Christ is a principle by which we can measure all of Christianity. If we measure according to this principle, we will discover that there are three categories of things that the church should not have and which are outside of Christ. This does not mean that there are only three categories. There are many categories, but we will speak of only these three.
The first category is the matter of special names. Since the church is the Body of Christ, she should not have another name. We can speak of the church as the church of Christ or the church of God (cf. 1 Thes. 1:1; 1 Cor. 1:2), but we cannot add any other name. If we add any other name, we will bring things other than Christ into the church. However, in today’s Christianity many different names have been brought into the church. For example, the Lutheran Church brought in Luther, and the Wesleyan Church brought in Wesley. There are so many examples that we cannot enumerate them all. According to one survey, there are approximately 1,500 different names of groups in Christianity.
We should not overlook the matter of the name. If a woman is married to Brother Huang, according to the Chinese proverb, she is following Brother Huang. Prior to marrying Brother Huang, she was Miss Tsai because her maiden name was Tsai, but now she is Mrs. Huang. Since she is Mrs. Huang, she should not print name cards calling herself Mrs. Chang. This would be terrible! If Brother Huang learned of this, it would be a very serious matter. Hence, we need to see that we should not overlook the matter of a name. Since the church of Christ is the church of Christ, why should we call her the Lutheran Church or the Methodist Church? This can be compared to calling a sister Mrs. Chang when she is really Mrs. Huang. If she wants to be called Mrs. Chang, her husband’s last name must be Chang. Even if a Christian group receives much help from Wesley, they are unconsciously bringing the things of man into the church when they call themselves the Wesleyan Church. When the things of man are brought into the church, the church becomes confused and divided.
The second reason for the confusion and division of Christianity is that they have special beliefs and creeds. Many sects and factions are produced because of these differences. It seems that the Bible is not sufficient for many groups in Christianity, because in addition to the Bible they must have creeds. Every sect has a different creed. We need to realize that these creeds are not according to the Bible. Practices based on special beliefs and creeds result in separation and division from others. For example, the Presbyterian Church emphasizes the elders’ management of the church, and the Baptist Church emphasizes a method of baptism. These things become ordinances or creeds that distinguish Christians from one another. Many of these things are apart from the Bible and cannot be found in the Bible. The Bible says, “He who believes and is baptized shall be saved” (Mark 16:16); the Bible does not regulate how a person should be baptized or what method to use. Insisting on certain methods results in that method becoming a special creed among a group. This separates them from others.
When we study this matter in a serious way, we can see that every sect and group has a special creed. Sometimes people ask, “Even though you say that you have no special name and that you are not a denomination, what are your beliefs?” We do not have any belief apart from the Bible. All our beliefs are in the Bible, and we do not have anything other than the Bible; we do not have special creeds or beliefs. Special creeds and special beliefs come from man’s will and natural concept. When the things of man are brought into the church, the church becomes confused and divided. This is the second thing that the church should not have.