by Larry Ray Hafley<\/p>\n
Religious denominationalism in general and Catholicism and Protestantism, in particular, are unnecessary institutions. First,<\/i><\/em>\u00a0if they were essential, they would be found in the Bible. Christ would have spoken of them and told us how to sustain and support them. That he did none of those things shows they are not required for the salvation of man.\u00a0Second,<\/i><\/em>\u00a0there is not a single spiritual blessing in any human religion or denominational body that cannot be received outside it. There is no eternal benefit claimed by any denomination that cannot be obtained in Christ, whether or not one ever heard of any denomination.<\/p>\n If one lived and died as a faithful Christian, what did he lack if he never became a member of either a Protestant or a Catholic church? If one is saved by the blood of Christ by grace through faith and lives a life dedicated and devoted to the Lord, what insufficiency is in him if he never joins a Baptist church? If one is born of water and of the Spirit, and if he, as a newborn baby, grows up in Christ through the word of God, of what is he deprived if he never becomes a Methodist or a Mormon? If one believes in the Lord with all his heart, confesses that Jesus is Lord, and serves God with a pure heart fervently, what does he miss if he never learns about the existence of a Presbyterian or a Pentecostal church?<\/p>\n In short, if it is possible to be saved and cleansed by the blood of Christ through the washing of water by the word, and if it is possible for one to be baptized by one Spirit into the body of Christ and to serve the Lord therein all the days of his life, and go to heaven when he dies, denominationalism is unnecessary.<\/p>\n One cannot be saved outside the body, or church, of Christ, for Christ “is the Savior of the body,” the church (Ephesians 1:22-23; 5:23). All spiritual blessings in heavenly places (in spiritual realms), are in Christ (Ephesians 1:3). There are no spiritual blessings outside of Christ since “all” are said to be “in” him. For one to be “in Christ,” he must be in his body (for a germ to be in me, it must be in my body; it cannot be in me without being in my body). The body of Christ is the church – “the church…is his body,” “the body, the church” (Ephesians 1:22-23; Colossians 1:18). Thus, to have all spiritual blessings in Christ, one must be in his body, the church.<\/p>\n One may be saved by grace, be faithful unto death, and enter heaven at last whether or not he ever enters a denominational church, thus, denominationalism is not essential to one\u2019s spiritual life or eternal salvation. The same, though, as we have seen above, cannot be said about the body of Christ. One must be in it to be in Christ where all spiritual blessings dwell (Ephesians 1:22-23; 2:16; 5:23, 30-32).<\/p>\n In light of the plain truth of the Scriptures, will any say that any denomination is necessary? Will any declare that the body of Christ is unimportant, insignificant, and not in any way related to the salvation of the soul and every spiritual blessing? If not, why are some of our readers in those unnecessary, non-essential bodies and outside the body of Christ?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" by Larry Ray Hafley Religious denominationalism in general and Catholicism and Protestantism, in particular, are unnecessary institutions. First,\u00a0if they were essential, they would be found in the Bible. Christ would have spoken of them and told us how to sustain and support them. That he did none of those things shows they are not required…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[300],"class_list":["post-17510","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-article","tag-denominations"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":55224,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/three-reasons-i-dont-like-denominations\/","url_meta":{"origin":17510,"position":0},"title":"Three Reasons I Don\u2019t Like Denominations","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"October 18, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"by Wes McAdams Radically Christian Mahatma Gandhi is quoted as saying, \"I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ.\" If you ask me, I'd say, \"I love Christ (and I love you), but I do not like your denominations. Your denominations\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/division-225x300.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":43358,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/should-i-leave-a-denomination-that-accepts-homosexuality\/","url_meta":{"origin":17510,"position":1},"title":"Should I leave a denomination that accepts homosexuality?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"August 14, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Read your article about homosexuality in churches these days. I have tried to explain to people that when you accept Christ he says our old ways are in the past and we are new. But like you said people state I think they are born that way. Our church\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":60141,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/can-we-just-be-christians\/","url_meta":{"origin":17510,"position":2},"title":"Can We Just Be Christians","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"April 1, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"by Craig Thomas In a world filled with religious traditions and denominational churches, the concept of being simply Just a Christian is difficult to communicate. 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Many people proudly call themselves\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":84945,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/the-church-of-christ-is-not-a-denomination-but-it-became-one-again-and-again\/","url_meta":{"origin":17510,"position":4},"title":"The Church of Christ Is Not a Denomination, But It Became One Again and Again!","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"February 23, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"by Floyd Chappelear via Sentry Magazine, Vol. 15, No. 1, March 31, 1989 There are certain axiomatic truths (that is, statements so certainly correct that none will deny them) concerning the church of our Lord. One is that the \"Church of Christ is not a denomination.\" Even the most jaded\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":94503,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/the-anti-denominational-denomination\/","url_meta":{"origin":17510,"position":5},"title":"The Anti-Denominational Denomination","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"March 12, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"by Floyd Chappelear via\u00a0Sentry Magazine, Vol. 20 No. 4, December 1994 Jefferson Davis Tant used to finish articles with the line, \"We are drifting.\" He could see in the thirties and forties what would happen in the fifties and sixties. 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