Jesus says, “Come to me, all you who hunger and thirst, and you shall be filled.” The door is open to everyone, everywhere, no matter their background or previous life. The call is for whoever wishes to be saved and given a new life.
If Christ indeed preached salvation through Himself, where did all these other sects come from? Which religion was Jesus part of, anyway? Was He really in Judaism?
As far as I am concerned, the people He resisted and attacked the most were the Pharisees—the teachers of the law. He even referred to some of them as whitewashed tombs. That is why they felt offended and had Him arrested, eventually leading to His crucifixion. Can you still say Jesus was part of Judaism?
He is the new covenant—one not based on human knowledge, doctrines, or teachings, but given life by the Spirit of the Lord. That is why Paul says the law made death more rampant, even though the law itself is holy. Yet man, being a natural-born sinner, cannot keep even one law unbroken.
Going back to Jesus, He said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” This means that from His time onward, there is only one path to heaven, and that is through Him alone—nothing less.
Christ is the only head of the church, and we are the body. He sits at the right hand of the Father, interceding for us continually.
If He is indeed the head, then He must be joined to a body. And if we are the body, then we must be one unified whole—one person, so to speak—to form the complete body with Christ as its head. If the church according to Christ is one, how is it that we Christians have divisions among ourselves?
Why does each group think it alone is the true faith while viewing other denominations as faulty? Can Christ be divided? Can the Spirit say both yes and no? Can God fight against Himself?
If Christ is present in your sect, then who is present in the other sect? Is it still Christ at work there, or some other entity?
I do not wish to insert doubt or create more division, but rather to expose the truth. For what did Jesus warn before He left?
5 For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many.
At the same time, He said something rather striking to the disciples when they found people outside their group using Jesus’ name:
Now John answered Him, saying, “Teacher, we saw someone who does not follow us casting out demons in Your name, and we forbade him because he does not follow us.”
39 But Jesus said, “Do not forbid him, for no one who works a miracle in My name can soon afterward speak evil of Me.
40 For he who is not against us is on our side.
Read the last line again: “He who is not against us is on our side.” Yet Jesus also warned to watch out for those who are not of Him. Was He contradicting Himself by rebuking the disciples? Moreover, does God make divisions among Christians?
There is something profound in one of His parables:
25 But Jesus knew their thoughts, and said to them: “Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and every city or house divided against itself will not stand.
26 If Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then will his kingdom stand?
27 And if I cast out demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore they shall be your judges.
28 But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, surely the kingdom of God has come upon you.
Let us analyze these two sets of verses. Jesus Himself emphasizes unity within His body. Where, then, do we get the denominations? For a fact, they are not even mentioned in the Bible.
Our only manual and guide as Christians is the Word of God—the Scriptures. That is what determines who will make it to heaven, not doctrines or religions.
In Christ we are one. Why? Because when He opened the door, He opened it for everyone. He did not say “Catholics,” “Protestants,” “Pentecostals,” or “Seventh-day Adventists.”
Jesus said this in Matthew 12:46-50 NKJV:
46 While Jesus was still talking to the crowd, his mother and brothers stood outside, wanting to speak to him.
47 Someone told him, “Your mother and brothers are standing outside, wanting to speak to you.”
48 He replied to him, “Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?”
49 Pointing to his disciples, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers.
50 For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.”
These are the true Christians. If Jesus did not spare even His own blood brothers or His mother, but instead pointed to His disciples and called them His actual brothers and sisters, how much less likely is it for you if you do not do the will of His Father?
We are not saved by sect but by faith in Christ. We are all one in Him. Although as humans we are corrupted, people have penetrated the church and distorted what was right for selfish ambition. This corruption began even before Christ was born. In the old days of the law under Israel, those in the priesthood had become corrupt. Many times God sent prophets to warn them against this perversion, but they paid them a deaf ear and even killed some of them. It is the same even now.
The parable of the unfaithful servants whom the master left in charge of the vineyard—only for them later to kill his son—paints a clear picture of how Israel had become disloyal to God. (See the parable of the Evil Vinedressers in Matthew 21:33-46.)
Even so it is with the church today, and even so it is with the religious sects. We began as one body, yet some people introduced their own ideologies and biases, which led them to start new groups. Can you say these other new sects came from God?
If He said, “I am one,” then there should be no division. But is that the reality? Do you think your sect is right and the other person’s sect is wrong?
If so, then you are mistaken. We are all indeed one in Christ.
How does Jesus eradicate the law and religion?
Just as a general sets up camp for his armies and assigns them different roles, so it is with us. Each group has its own specific mission in advancing the victory of the kingdom. However, if there are carnal people in the war who act with selfish and corrupt ambitions, what does it matter? If through their actions the general is still conquering, will he stop them? Or will he let them finish the work and deal with them personally?
Let me show you what Paul himself said about such men:
15 Some indeed preach Christ even from envy and strife, and some also from goodwill:
16 The former preach Christ from selfish ambition, not sincerely, supposing to add affliction to my chains;
17 but the latter out of love, knowing that I am appointed for the defense of the gospel.
18 What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is preached; and in this I rejoice, yes, and will rejoice.
Shall we say God is not being impartial? Do you forget that as many as He (Jesus) called, He called everyone from anywhere?
All are welcome, but not all come for the Groom. Indeed, some come for other reasons. Do you not know that the devil also sends his agents to infiltrate the church?
But can they suppress the hand of God?
No kingdom divided against itself can stand. True faith is shown by acting rightly from the heart, not merely on the outside. Many identify as Christians and perform all sorts of acts of kindness, give offerings, and help those in need, but if their hearts are not pure, what good is it? Does God look at the inside or the outside?
Just as Paul put it in Romans 2:29:
No, a person is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is circumcision of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the written code. Such a person’s praise is not from other people, but from God.
We are not saved by what is on the outside but by what is on the inside. Therefore, it really does not matter which sect you belong to. What sets you apart is the position of your heart. This is the true Christian—one who heeds God’s instruction, obeys His will, and submits to the Holy Spirit.
That is the true faith. It is not one determined by men or corrupted with all sorts of rituals and obscenities.
