KNOWING THE SECTS

Hymns 1264

Scripture Reading:

Matt 5:19-21  Therefore whoever annuls one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called the least in the kingdom of the heavens; but whoever practices and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of the heavens. For I say to you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you shall by no means enter into the kingdom of the heavens. You have heard that it was said to the ancients, “You shall not murder, and whoever murders shall be liable to the judgment.”

CHRIST HAVING NOT BEEN DIVIDED

In those days, in the church in Corinth, there were factions. One party said that they were of Paul, and another said that they were of Apollos. Another party said that they were of Cephas (Peter), and still another party, who considered themselves superior to all the previous parties, said that they were of Christ. Therefore, they were severely rebuked by the Apostle Paul, who had led them to salvation and who had established them as the church. Paul called them to account, asking them whether Christ had been divided (1 Cor. 1:10-13). Obviously Christ has not been and cannot be divided. However, these who had believed and had been baptized into Christ were divided one from another. This offended Christ, divided His Body, and separated the unique church, which He redeemed by shedding His blood, into many different sects.

SECTS BEING OF THE FLESH

In Greek, the word for party or sect (hairesis) is the same as the word for heresy (hairesis anglicized), which means to label something new in order to be different, resulting in a distinctive party—a sect. The verses here tell us clearly that sects come from men’s flesh. They also show us that there are always factions and divisions before the formation of a sect, and envyings after its establishment (Gal. 5:19-21). What a shame!

THE FACTORS CONSTITUTING SECTS—
SPECIAL CREEDS, SPECIAL FELLOWSHIPS, SPECIAL NAME

The common faith of true Christians is unique. It includes the Triune God, the person and work of Christ, that is, the being of Christ and the doings of Christ, and the divine authority of the Bible. Besides these truths of our fundamental faith, to consider other matters to be the Christian faith (such as the method of baptism of the Baptist denomination, the system of church administration of the Presbyterian denomination, the tongue-speaking of the Pentecostal denomination, the head covering and foot washing of other groups, or general doctrines such as the time and number of raptures, the interpretation of prophecies, and the understanding of certain parts of the Scriptures) and to make them special creeds is to label something new in order to be different and will result in sects.

With the existence of special creeds, Christians will be divided into different groups, having special fellowships in their different circles outside of the believers’ common fellowship. Such special fellowships cause those believers who practice them to be constituted as sects separate from the believers in general. Special creeds not only lead to special fellowships, but they also produce special names, such as the name of a certain denomination or a certain church. These special names, in a more tangible way, cause those who so label themselves to be constituted into named sects, resulting in denominations. Therefore, those who know the Body of Christ must never bear such special names. God’s calling is that we would be a member of the Body of Christ. If our walk damages and hurts the oneness of the Body of Christ, it is not worthy of God’s calling. Therefore, we must endeavor to live in the Body of Christ to keep the oneness of the Body, not participating in any divisions, sects, or denominations. (Life Lessons, lsn. 13)

Further Reading: Life Lessons, lsn. 13