Christianity today is divided into many denominations, each interpreting the Bible in their own way.
Is it true that you can go to any church, and that you can be saved as long as you are Christian?
The difficult answer is no. The Bible speaks of one body, one faith, and one baptism. The teachings that divide denominations cannot all come from the same Spirit, who is given to us to lead us into all truth (Eph 4:4-6; John 16:13).
The Bible teaches us that the church is the body of Christ, and Christ is head of the church (Eph 1:22-23, Col 1:18). It matters that the church we belong to submits to Christ and His teachings.
This verse gives us a standard for weighing the many denominations and beliefs today:
“There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.” (Eph 4:4-6)
One baptism: is there one baptism today?
Denominations teach different things about baptism. Some call for infant baptism, while others claim the Bible is against it. Some baptise by sprinkling or pouring, others by immersion in a pool, and others only by immersion in natural water. They also disagree on whether baptism is needed for salvation.
One Spirit: is one Spirit leading every denomination?
It was by the power of the Holy Spirit that the church was established on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2), and that the apostles were guided in their ministry (Acts 15:28, 16:6).
Those who received the Holy Spirit in Acts spoke in tongues (Acts 2:4, 10:45-46, 19:6). Like the apostles, our church believes that speaking in tongues is the evidence of receiving the Holy Spirit. Some churches teach their congregation how to speak in tongues. Others claim that tongues have ceased, and that any tongue speaking is not from the Lord.
The Lord Jesus promised that the Holy Spirit would guide His disciples into all truth: “However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come.” (John 16:13)
It's natural that human beings would interpret the Bible differently on their own. 1 Corinthians 2:11 acknowledges this: “no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God.”
Knowing how precious His salvation is, God has given us the Holy Spirit to help believers understand the things of God accurately: “Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God.” (1 Cor 2:12)
If every denomination were established and led by the one Spirit of truth, how could they teach so many contradicting things?
One faith: isn't believing in Jesus enough?
Many Christians would say that that we share the same faith, because we all believe in the same Lord Jesus who has given us salvation: “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16)
We agree wholeheartedly with this verse. But it is not the only thing the Bible says about salvation, and no verse should be read apart from the rest of the Bible.
For one, Jesus also said that baptism is necessary for salvation: "He who believes and is baptised will be saved." (Mark 16:16) Yet many Christians do not think that baptism is necessary for salvation.
If one person believes baptism is necessary for salvation and another believes it is not, can they be said to hold one faith?
Paul treated the gospel as one faith that was unchangeable. When the Galatians were persuaded that circumcision was needed for salvation, a requirement Christ never gave, he wrote:
“I marvel that you are turning away so soon from Him who called you in the grace of Christ, to a different gospel, which is not another; but there are some who trouble you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ. But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so now I say again, if anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received, let him be accursed.” (Gal 1:6-9)
Paul was so serious about this that he pronounced a curse on anyone, even an angel, who preached a different gospel.
The Lord Jesus gave a warning of His own: “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’” (Matt 7:21-23)
These people called Jesus 'Lord' and did mighty works in His name. They believed in Him, yet He turned them away, because they did not do the will of His Father. Confessing our belief in Christ without doing His teachings is not enough. A church must preach and live out what God intends and teaches.
One body
Some Christians say that “one body” mentioned in Ephesians 4 refers to the invisible spiritual unity of all believers, and that any differences in teachings are secondary. But the same chapter sets our goal as “the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God,” and warns against being “tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine” (Eph 4:13-14). Unity in doctrine matters to God.
Contradicting beliefs cannot all be grouped as one faith under the umbrella of “believing in Jesus Christ”. There is only one gospel, and one complete truth that saves. The church is meant to be “the pillar and ground of the truth” (1 Tim 3:15), upholding it under the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
So does it matter which church you go to?
Ephesians 4 leaves no room for this. There is one body, one faith, one baptism, and one Spirit. The Spirit of truth does not teach one thing in one church and the opposite in another.
The real question, then, is which church teaches what the Bible teaches. When Paul preached in Berea, the listeners “searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so” (Acts 17:11). We invite you to do the same with what we teach from the Bible.
We in the True Jesus Church believe that we are the true church of God that preaches the complete truth, passed down by the apostles through the Bible and the guidance of the Holy Spirit. You can read what we believe and the Bible passages behind each teaching.
To learn more, contact us or visit any one of our True Jesus Church locations in Singapore to worship with us. We're happy to share more about the Bible with you.
