In order to discern, we must know how a division is formed, because once a division is formed, the ground of the church is lost, and it becomes a condemnable sect. Therefore, to discern whether a church is proper, we must know how divisions in the church are formed, which is also how sects are constituted.
There are six conditions involved in the formation of a division. This does not mean that all six conditions must be present in order for a division or sect to be constituted. Any one of these six conditions will result in a division or a sect.
The church is something unique in the universe. The name of the church is the church. Hence, when a church is expressed in a certain locality, it is called the church in that place, such as the church in Jerusalem (Acts 8:1), the church in Antioch (13:1), and the church in Corinth (1 Cor. 1:2). There can be no other name for the church. However, many Protestant groups today have special names. Some are named after people, such as the Lutheran Church and the Wesleyan Church; some are named after nations, such as the Anglican Church and the Chinese Church of Christ; some are named after an item of the truth, such as the Church of Justification by Faith and the Holiness Church; some are named after a system, such as the Presbyterian Church (a system of elders administrating the church) and the Congregational Church (a system advocating rules by a governing body of the congregation); and some are named after a ritual, such as the Baptist Church. There are many other names, such as the Charismatic Church, the Church of the Apostolic Faith, and the Pentecostal Church. Whenever specific names are used, small circles are drawn within the boundary of a locality. These small circles become different grounds. Once a Christian group has this kind of ground, it loses the ground of the church and thus becomes a sect, a denomination. Hence, these Christians are not building up the church in their locality. They are building up their denominations, their sects. When those from the Baptist Church come to Taipei, they do not come to build up the church in Taipei but to build a Baptist Church. When those from the Lutheran Church come to Taipei, they also do not come to build up the church in Taipei but to build a Lutheran Church. This is mainly because they have special names. Their special names are their ground, making them sects or denominations.
We should never think that having a special name is a small matter. This is something that greatly offends the Lord. Names are a serious matter. All that we have is in the Lord’s name. We are saved in the Lord’s name (Acts 4:12), we are baptized into His name and called by His name (19:5; Matt 28:19; Acts 15:17), we meet in His name (Matt. 18:20), and we pray in His name (John 14:14). The apostle beseeched us to be one through the name of the Lord (1 Cor. 1:10). The Lord praised the church in Philadelphia for not denying His name (Rev. 3:8). The matter of a name definitely touches the Lord’s heart. According to church history, the Lord’s word of praise to the church in Philadelphia was practically and richly fulfilled when the Brethren were raised up approximately one hundred years ago. They put away all names other than the Lord’s. This is proper. We should take only the name of Jesus Christ, not any other name. We should be only of Christ, not of Luther, Wesley, or England. We should not take any name other than the name of the Lord. As soon as a Christian group takes a special name other than the Lord’s name, divisions, that is, sects, will be formed.
In the lesson on the oneness of the church, we saw that only the seven ones in Ephesians 4—one Body, one Spirit, one hope, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, and one God—are our basic faith. Apart from this basic faith, we should not have any other special beliefs or creeds. Today, however, every denomination has its own creed. In the Apostles’ Creed of the Episcopalian Church one of the lines reads, “I believe in the Holy Catholic Church.” One may believe in the Holy Catholic Church, but another may not. Believing in the Holy Catholic Church does not add to salvation, and not believing does not take away from salvation. The Seventh-day Adventists’ Church has a statement in their creed that says that they believe the seventh day is the Sabbath. If a person does not believe in that statement, he will not be accepted as their church member. These are examples of special creeds. Once there are special beliefs, there is division, and a sect is formed.
Some people are careless and have misrepresented us, thinking that baptism by immersion is an item of our creed. They tell people that anyone who comes to break the bread with us must be baptized by immersion. However, I am happy to say that some brothers who have been breaking the bread with us have not yet been baptized by immersion. Some sisters who do not have an adequate understanding say that head covering is part of our creed, and that if a sister does not cover her head, she cannot break bread with us. However, we thank the Lord that there are sisters who do not cover their head yet still meet with us. Baptism by immersion is not our creed and neither is head covering. We do not have a creed; we only have the faith. Our faith is the seven ones in Ephesians 4. Whoever holds these seven ones, whether he is baptized by immersion or sprinkling, practices head covering, or has left his denomination or still remains in it, may break the bread with us if he so desires. We are willing to have fellowship with him at the Lord’s table. Besides these seven ones of the fundamental faith, we do not have any creed. If there is a creed, there is division, which results in a sect.
Many denominations have a special fellowship. When I was young, before every Holy Communion in the Baptist Church, the pastor would stand up and announce, “Those who are not our church members, please leave.” This is a special fellowship. Whenever there is a special fellowship, there is division, which results in a sect.
I knew a German brother in Beijing and a British brother in Shanghai who both belonged to the Brethren Assembly, but they did not break the bread or fellowship together. I found out that they did not fellowship with each other because they had different views concerning the truth. Any fellowship that requires the same view concerning different items of the truth is a special fellowship. We should be able to fellowship even though there are different views concerning the truth. Are we not in Christ? Do we not have Christ as life? Are we not redeemed by the precious blood of the Lord? Since we are the same in these matters, we should be able to fellowship. Being the same in these items and still needing to share the same views concerning items of the truth before we can fellowship is to have a special fellowship. Consequently, division and sects will be formed.
Some people say that they do not have any of the above conditions and that they are non-sectarian and non-denominational. They do not have a special name, a set of special beliefs, or a special fellowship. However, we still need to know whether their fellowship is isolated rather than universal. Over the past thirty years, quite a number of people have seen the error of sects and left the denominations. Because they do not have a special name, a set of special beliefs, or a special fellowship, they think that they are non-sectarian and non-denominational. But there may still be a problem. Although they do not have a special name, a set of special beliefs, or a special fellowship, they have an isolated local fellowship, not a universal fellowship. They do not fellowship with all the saints on the earth. As a result, they become a local sect. According to lesson 14, even though the churches are expressed in different localities, they are still the Body of Christ, and their fellowship is universal. Therefore, if a Christian fellowship is limited to its locality and has lost its universality and the nature of the Body of Christ, it will be a local sect and will result in a division in the church.
Acts 14:23 says, “Appointed elders for them in every church,” and Titus 1:5 says, “Appoint elders in every city.” This proves that an elder in a church is an elder in the city. This also proves that the church can have only one administration in a locality because there can be only one church and one group of elders in a locality. If there are separate administrations of the church in the same locality, this constitutes a division. For example, there is a group in Taipei standing on the ground of locality and meeting to serve the Lord. Later another group of believers rises up and claims that they have left the sects and have no special name, special beliefs, or special fellowship; however, they are unwilling to join with the first group. There may be fellowship between groups, but there are separate administrations. In this situation, the second group has produced a division and become a sect. Because there should be only one church in a locality, the ground and administration of the local church should also be one. Since the second group came out of a sect, they should join themselves to the brothers who left the sects earlier so that there will be only one administration. Having a separate administration from the first group proves that they are still a sect. This is very important, because only in this way can the principle of one church in one locality be preserved.
Some groups seemingly do not have a special name, special belief, or special fellowship, and they present themselves as being non-denominational. However, upon further investigation, we find that they are actually still connected to a Christian organization. This can be compared to a kite that is flying freely in the air but still under the control of the person holding the string. The one holding the string may be in the United States or England; hence, if we are not careful, we will be deceived.
Therefore, even though a group may pass the above five points, we still need to examine whether there is an organizational connection behind the scenes. Special fellowship between a certain group in a locality and another group in another locality is not an organizational connection. However, if a group’s connection to another group is organizational, it will eventually become a divisive sect because there is an organization in the background.
These six points are the basis for discerning whether a Christian group will become a sect and result in division. The first three points—having special names, special beliefs, and special fellowships—are obvious and easy to detect. The last three points—having an isolated local fellowship, having separate administrations in the same locality, and having an organizational connection—are rather hidden and not as easy to detect. If a group can pass all these six points without any problem, it is meeting on the local ground and is pure, without any factor of division or element of sectarianism. Only this kind of church, this way of meeting, can be considered proper. Hence, we can participate in the meetings of such a Christian group. Any other groups must be rejected. May the Lord bless us to have a clear understanding concerning this matter.