Light Vs. Darkness

by Russell M. Kline

 

Perhaps the oldest metaphor for the contrast between good and evil is the contrast between light and darkness. From the moment that God divided the light from the darkness, in Genesis 1:4, light has been symbolic of all that is good, pure and righteous, while darkness has been symbolic of all that is evil, corrupt, and wicked. Even pagan religions, like the Zoroastrians, understood this concept and employed similar imagery. There are many reasons why these images are ideally suited to represent the things they do, but that is not the focus of this study. The purpose of this monograph is to present a study of the stark contrast between the churches of Christ and the denominations, which is very much like the difference between day and night, in order to answer the question of whether the Lord's church may rightly have fellowship with the denominations, or not.

 

It seems that there is much confusion among our brethren about the issue of fellowship with the denominations. Some are pushing for unity with denominations, like the Christian Church, while others are simply looking for ways to participate jointly with denominational churches, in doing a variety of good deeds. When the world famous denominational preacher, Billy Graham, held a campaign in Nashville, Tennessee, there were a number of our brethren who supported, promoted, and acitively participated in his unbiblical brand of evangelism. There are scores of examples of churches of Christ, in communities all over our nation, that have engaged in joint worship services with denominational churches at Easter and Christmas and at other times of the year. It was not a very long time ago that another church of Christ in our city supported, promoted, and actively participated with an effort put forth by local denominational churches to raise funds for the Red Cross. Does God approve of these kinds of cooperative efforts? Is there Scriptural authority for Christians to ally themselves with purveyors of false religion? Can there be any Biblical basis for fellowship between the churches of Christ and the denominations?

 

Taking into account the evidence provided in the Bible, an honest soul must conclude that the answer to these questions is a resounding "NO!" By deninition, a denomination is a religious institution with its own unique doctrines and practices, which claims to be a part of the whole of Christianity. Advocates of the concept of denominationalism typically cite John 15:5-8 and I Corinthians 12:4-14 as their "proof texts," but these passages may easily be dismissed as evidence of divine approval of the denominational system, when it is pointed out that the contexts of both reveal that they are talking about people in the Lord's body, and not churches. Jesus built and paid for only one church (Mat. 16:18; Acts 20:28). He expects His church to teach and practice the same things in every locality where it exists (John 17:20,21; I Cor. 1:10). The very idea that they body of Christ could ever be divided into hundreds of denominations, each with a different doctrine and practice, is completely unscriptural (I Cor. 1:13a).

 

Since denominationalism is sinful, it necessarily follows that all denominational churches are part of a false system of religion, and must be rejected by faithful Christians, as our ancient brethren rejected paganism. Therefore, there can be no fellowship at all between the churches of Christ and the denominations. In Ephesians 5:11, Paul summed it up effectively: "And have no fellowsh

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