than that which is laid down, which is Jesus Christ."
1Corinthians 3:11
The Old Testament has a verse which complements that
one: "Therefore thus says the Lord GOD, "Behold, I am laying
in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone, of a
sure foundation: He who believes will not be in haste"." IN ABOUT THE YEAR: Martin Luther, the first Protestant, had this to say regarding the Church
founded by Jesus Christ:
"Unless the LORD builds the house, those who build
it labor in vain...."
Psalms 127:1
The Lord's
house is defined in 1Timothy 3:15;
"But if I tarry long,
that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of
God,
which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the
truth."
1Timothy 3:15
Now the Lord speaks of
actually building the house;
"And I say to thee,
thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my Church."
Matthew 16:18
Did you notice the singular
nature of those verses, the house, not houses, and the church, or
My Church, not churches?
Isaiah 28:16
Matthew 7:24-27
Notice that Jesus said the wise man built his
house upon the rock. He did not say his houses upon the
rock.
"And he came and preached peace to you who were far
off and peace to those who were near; for through him we both have access in one
Spirit to the Father. So then you are no longer strangers and sojourners, but
you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God,
built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus
himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure is joined together
and grows into a holy temple in the Lord; in whom you also are built into it
for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit."
Ephesians
2:17-22
Note!
In order to be "built upon the foundation of the
Apostles and Prophets", you must be able to prove that your sect has Apostolic Succession.
In order
to show that your sect belongs "in whom the whole structure is joined
together and grows into a holy temple in the Lord", you must again be able
to prove that your sect has Apostolic Succession.
"But
God's firm foundation stands, bearing this seal: "The Lord knows those who are
his," and, "Let every one who names the name of the Lord depart from
iniquity"."
2Timothy 2:19
30 A.D., The foundation of the Catholic Church was laid down
by Jesus Christ.
See Matthew 16:18,18:15-18,28:20, and Ephesians 5:23, and of
course revisit Psalms 127:1, since it was now fulfilled at that time.
A sermon by Martin Luther:
"Accordingly, we concede to the papacy that they sit in the true
Church, possessing the office instituted by Christ and inherited from the
apostles, to teach, baptize, administer the sacrament, absolve, ordain,
etc.,"
Sermon for the Sunday after Christ�s Ascension;
John 15:26-16:4 (2nd sermon), page 265, paragraph 28.
Luther remarked several years later:
"We concede -- as we must -- that so much of what they [the Catholic Church] say is true: that the papacy has God's word and the office of the apostles, and that we have received Holy Scriptures, Baptism, the Sacrament, and the pulpit from them. What would we know of these if it were not for them?"
Sermon on the gospel of St. John, chaps. 14 - 16 (1537), in vol. 24 of LUTHER'S WORKS,
St. Louis, Mo., Concordia, 1961, 304
"For no other foundation can any one lay than that which
is laid down, which is Jesus Christ."
However, almost 1500 years after Jesus Christ founded His
Church, chaos and confusion entered the picture. "For GOD is not the author of confusion, but of
peace..."
"Obey your superiors and be subject
to them, for they keep watch as having to render an account of your souls;
so that they may do this with joy, and not with grief, for that would not
be expedient for you."
1693. The foundation of the Amish was laid down by men in a split from the
Mennonites.
1Corinthians 3:11
1Corinthians
3:11 and several other verses were ignored by many, as mere human men
and women had other ideas.
How can any verses of Holy Scripture be ignored
by those who claim they believe in Sola Scriptura?
Not GOD, but mere human
creatures would begin to lay their own foundations. However, they could not
lay them on rock, since the rock supports only the one Church which Jesus
Christ founded.
1Corinthians 14:33
"But Peter and the Apostles answered and said, "We must obey GOD
rather than men."
Acts 5:29
IN THE
YEAR:
1521. The foundation of the Lutherans, the beginning of
Protestantism, was laid down by Martin Luther.
1522. The foundation of the
Anabaptists was laid down by Conrad Grebel, Menno Simons, Thomas Munzer and
others.
1525. The foundation of the Mennonites was laid down by Menno Simons
in a split from Anabaptists.
1534. The foundation of the Anglican Church of
England, was laid down by King Henry VIII.
1536. The foundation of the
Calvinists was laid down by John Calvin, as he taught predestination.
1560.
The foundation of the Presbyterians was laid down by John Knox, who studied
under Luther.
1582. The foundation of the Congregationalists was laid down by
Robert Brown, a branch from Puritanism.
1609. The foundation of the Baptists
in Holland was laid down by John Smyth.
1639. The foundation of the Baptists
in America was laid down by Roger Williams.
1647. The foundation of the
Quakers was laid down by George Fox in England.
Hebrews 13:17
How many of the
above "foundation layers" obeyed the clear command of Hebrews 13:17?
How many
simply ignored yet another Bible verse?
1708. The foundation of the Church of the Brethren was laid down
by five men and three women.
1739. The foundation of the Methodists was laid
down by John and Charles Wesley.
1770. The foundation of the Universalists
was laid down by John Murray in New Jersey.
1774. The foundation of the
Unitarians was laid down by Theophilus Lindley.
1789. The foundation of the
Episcopalians was laid down by Samuel Seabury. It is the American branch of
Anglicans.
1792. The foundation of the Reformed Church in America was laid
down by many who broke from the Dutch Reformed Church.
1802. The foundation
of the Seventh Day Baptist General Conference was laid down by Stephen and Ann
Mumford.
1803. The foundation of the Evangelicals was laid down by Jacob
Albright.
1820. The foundation of the Fundamentalist-Bible was laid down by
John Darby, Cyrus Scofield, and others.
"For the time has come for the judgment to begin with
the household of GOD;
but if it begin first with us, what will be the end of
those who do not obey the Gospel of GOD?"
1Peter
4:17
1827. The foundation of the Christian Church (Stone-Campbell) was laid down by Alexander Campbell.
1827. The foundation of the Primitive Baptist was laid down by men. It is considered the strictest of all Baptists.
1830. The foundation of the Mormons was laid down by Joseph Smith in Palmyra New York. (Galatians 1:6-10)
1832. The foundation of the Disciples of Christ was laid down by a presbyterian schism called "The Stone-Campbell Movement".
1840. The foundation of the Primitive Methodist Church was laid down by Hugh Borne and William Clowes.
1843. The foundation of the Wesleyan Church was laid down by Orange Scott.
1844. The foundation of the Christadelphians was laid down by John Thomas from Stone-Campbell movement.
1845. The foundation of the American Baptist Churches was laid down by several men.
1845. The foundation of the Religious Society of Friends was laid down by Joseph Gurney, and John Wilbur.
1845. The foundation of the Southern Baptist Convention, the largest non-Catholic denomination, was laid down by several men.
"Amen, amen, I
say to you, he who enters not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbs up by
another way, is a thief and a robber. But he who enters by the door is shepherd
of the sheep." 1847. The foundation of the Apostolic Christian Church of
America was laid down by Benedict Weyeneth.
"Unless the LORD
builds the house, those who build it labor in vain." "But there were also false prophets among the
people,
The 100 or so foundations laid down by men or women which I have listed here
can be printed on just 2 pages. The plan put forth by Jesus Christ is just the opposite, for He called for
unity:
John 10:1-2
1852. The foundation of the
Baptist General Conference was laid down by Gustaf Palmquist.
1858. The
foundation of the Bible Fellowship Church was laid down by Mennonite
leaders.
1860. The foundation of the Adventists was laid down by William
Miller.
1860. The foundation of the Advent Christian Church was laid down by
George Storrs and Charles Hudsen.
1863. The foundation of the Seventh-Day
Adventists was laid down by Ellen Gould White.
1863. The foundation of the
Church of GOD (7th Day) was laid down by Gilbert Cranner.
1865. The
foundation of the Salvation Army was laid down by William Booth.
1865.
The foundation of the North American Baptist Conference, was laid down by German
immigrants.
1867. The foundation of the Church of Christ Temple was laid down
by Granville Hedrick in a split from Mormonism.
"Any one who goes ahead and does not abide in the
doctrine of Christ does not have God; he who abides in the doctrine has both the
Father and the Son."
2John 1:9
1870. The foundation of the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church was laid
down by many members.
1873. The foundation of the Reformed Episcopal Church
was laid down by George Cummins.
1874. The foundation of the Jehovah's
Witnesses was laid down by Charles Taze Russell.
1875. The foundation of the
New Age movement was laid down by Helena Blavatsky. (Colossians 2:8)
1879.
The foundation of the Christian Scientists was laid down by Mary Baker
Eddy.
1882. The foundation of the Brethren Church was laid down by expelled
Church of the Brethren members.
1886. The foundation of the Church of GOD was
laid down by former Methodists.
1894. The foundation of the Church of Christ
Holiness was laid down by C.P. Jones.
1895. The foundation of the Modernism
movement was laid down by Alfred Loisy, and George Tyrrell.
1895. The
foundation of the National Baptist Convention U.S.A., was laid down by many
black Baptists.
"For GOD is not the author of confusion, but of
peace..."
1Corinthians 14:33
1896. The foundation of the Christian Catholic Church was laid down by
Alexander Dowie.
1897. The foundation of the Church of GOD in Christ was laid
down by Charles Mason and Charles Jones.
1901. The foundation of the
Pentecostalism was laid down by Charles Fox Parham and William Seymour.
1903.
The foundation of the Church of GOD was laid down by AJ Tomlinson.
1903. The
foundation of the House of GOD was laid down by Mary Magdalena Tate.
1906.
The foundation of the Church of Christ was laid down by men out of the
Stone-Campbell movement of 1832.
1907. The foundation of the Apostolic Faith
Church was laid down by Florence Crawford.
1908. The foundation of the Church
of the Nazarine was laid down by Phineas F. Bresee.
1909. The foundation of
the Church of Christ in Christian Union was laid down by several union
members.
1914. The foundation of the Iglesia ni Cristo was laid down by Felix
Manalo.
"For no other foundation can any one lay than that which
is laid down, which is Jesus Christ."
1Corinthians
3:11
1914. The foundation of the General Council of the Assemblies of GOD was
laid down by former pastors.
1917. The foundation of the Four Square Gospel
was laid down by Aimee Semple McPherson.
1918. The foundation of the
Evangelical Lutheran Synod was laid down by immigrants.
1920. The foundation
of the Churches of Christ was laid down as one of several split from Church of
Christ.
1923. The foundation of the Church of GOD of Prophecy was laid down
by AJ Tomlinson.
1926. The foundation of the Protestant Reformed Churches was
laid down by Herman Hoeksema and others.
1930. The foundation of the Branch
Davidians was laid down by Victor Houteff in a split from Seventh-Day
Adventists.
1930. The foundation of the Independent Churches of America
(IFCA), was laid down by a consortium of churches.
1932. The foundation of
the General Association of General Baptists was laid down by Benoni Stinson,
when he broke from the American Baptist Convention.
Psalms 127:1
1934. The foundation of the Evangelical Reformed was laid down by a union at
a General Assembly.
1935. The foundation of the National Association of Free
Will Baptists was laid down by those united from former splits.
1935. The
foundation of the Open Bible Standard Churches was laid down by Fred Hornshuh
and John Richey.
1938. The foundation of the Bible Presbyterian Church was
laid down by Gresham Machen.
1939. The foundation of the Fellowship of Grace
Brethren Churches was laid down by many split from the Brethren Church.
1939.
The foundation of the Southern Methodist Church was laid down by those who split
from Methodist Episcopal.
1946. The foundation of the Evangelical Methodist
Conference was laid down by W.W. Breckbill.
1947. The foundation of the
Berean Fundamental Church was laid down by Dr. Ivan E. Olsen.
1952. The
foundation of the Church of Scientology was laid down by L. Ron
Hubbard.
1957. The foundation of the United Church of Christ was laid down by
an ecumenical union of Congregationalists, Evangelicals, Reformed, Calvinists,
and Lutherans.
"For the time has come for the judgment to begin
with the household of GOD;
but if it begin first with us, what will be the
end of those who do not obey the Gospel of GOD?"
1Peter 4:17
1961. The foundation of the Progressive National Baptist Convention was laid
down by Martin Luther King Jr.
1962. The foundation of the Southern Episcopal
Church was laid down by B. H. Webster in a split from Episcopalians.
1964.
The foundation of the Lutheran Churches of Reformation was laid down by many in
a split from the Lutheran Missouri synod.
1965. The foundation of the Calvary
Chapel was laid down by Chuck Smith.
1966. The foundation of the Assemblies
of Yahweh was laid down by Jacob Meyer.
1968. The foundation of the Disciples
of Christ was laid down by those who separated from Churches of Christ.
1968.
The foundation of the United Methodist Church was laid down by a merger of parts
of other sects.
1970. The foundation of the Church of GOD International was
laid down by Garner Armstrond.
1972. The foundation of the Harvest Christian
was laid down by Greg Laurie.
1973. The foundation of the Presbyterian Church
in America was laid down in a split from Presbyterian liberals.
even as there shall be among you lying teachers who shall bring in
sects of perdition
and deny the Lord who bought them: bringing upon
themselves swift destruction."
2Peter 2:1
1974. The foundation of the Vineyard Christian Fellowship was laid down by
Ken Gullickson.
1977. The foundation of the Anglican Catholic was laid down
by several persons who broke away from Episcopalians.
1978. The foundation of
the Association of Vineyard Churches was laid down by John Wimber.
1981. The
foundation of the Evangelical Presbyterian Church was laid down by Presbyterian
Elders.
1982. The foundation of the Full Gospel Evangelistic Association was
laid down by Clarence Robinson.
1982. The foundation of the Saddleback Church
was laid down by Risk Warren.
1987. The foundation of the Alliance of Baptist
Churches was laid down by many, separated from Southern Baptists.
1991. The
foundation of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship was laid down by a group that
broke from Southern Baptists.
1992. The foundation of the Charismatic
Episcopal Church was laid down by the Chicago Hall.
1992. The foundation of
the Traditional Episcopal was laid down by Richard Melli who split from
Episcopalians.
2000. The foundation of the Lords Witnesses was laid down by
Gordon Ritchie as he split off from Jehovah Witnesses.
"He who is not with me is against me, and he who does
not gather with me scatters."
Luke 11:23
Isn't
it obvious that those who founded all those sects are violating Holy Scripture
by scattering instead of gathering?
In that verse, Jesus did say "gather
with me", did He not?
Also, since He gathers, those who scatter are against
Him, are they not?
I have listed only 100 or so of the 39,000* non-Catholic sects which
existed as of 2007. At the present rate of growth there will be 63,000* sects by
2025, an increase of 26,000 from the 39,000 of 2007. That amounts to 1238 new
foundations projected to be laid down by mere human men and women every year, or
slightly more than an average of 3 each and every day.
That means in 100
years there will be at least 123,800 additional sects at the present rate of
growth. There will no doubt be many more than that figure since the rate of
growth of the sects has been accelerating every year.
*World Christian
Database, a Protestant publication.
"For no other
foundation can any one lay than that which is laid down, which is Jesus
Christ."
1Corinthians 3:11
For a
very good listing of many hundreds more of existing Christian sects than I have
included in this writing, take a look here:
The
Conglomination
However, if I were to list all 39,000 of them
it would require a rather hefty book of more than 750 pages.
Every time
another new foundation is laid down by mere men and women, the Body of Christ is
split yet again.
Apparently, none of those other 'foundation layers' had even
read Psalms 127:1, or 1Corinthians 3:11, or 1Peter 4:17, or if they did, they
certainly ignored them.
Isn't ignoring those verses tantamount to raising
their egocentric opinions to be above the word of GOD?
"For the time has come for the judgment to begin with the household
of GOD;
but if it begin first with us, what will be the end of those who do
not obey the Gospel of GOD?"
1Peter
4:17
"Is Christ divided?" 1Corinthians
1:13
"If a house is divided against itself, that
house cannot stand."
Mark 3:25
Divide and
conquer, it is Satan's plan.
"And there shall be one fold and one shepherd
John 10:16
The House of GOD is mentioned 78 times in
all of Holy Scripture (RSV).
The houses of GOD are not mentioned even
once.
GOD's House is mention 5 times in all of Holy Scripture. (RSV)
GOD's
houses are not mentioned even once.
The House of the Lord is mentioned 222
times in all of Holy Scripture (RSV).
The houses of the Lord are not
mentioned even once.
The Lord's House is mentioned 10 times in all of Holy
Scripture (RSV).
The Lord's houses are not mentioned even once.
"I
therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of the calling
to which you have been called, with all lowliness and meekness, with patience,
forbearing one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the
bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the
one hope that belongs to your call, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, God
and Father of us all, who is above all and through all and in all."
Ephesians
4:1-6
How many 'one(s)' did you count in those few
verses?
Elucidation:
Saint Paul admonished us to have only one faith.
Having one faith means being of one mind as we are admonished to be by St.
Paul in Philippians 1:27, and 2:2.
Having one mind requires that there
be only one authority.
Doesn't it stand to reason that by having only one
faith, everyone would be teaching and hearing the same truth and therefore there
could not be any other but the one Church which Jesus Christ founded? Also, by
having only the one Church, would not the commands of Psalms 127:1, 1Corinthians
3:11, and 1Peter 4:17 be obeyed?
Saint Paul continued in his letter to
the Ephesians:
"And his gifts were that some should be apostles, some
prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, to equip the saints for
the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain
to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to
mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ; so
that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with
every wind of doctrine, by the cunning of men, by their craftiness in deceitful
wiles."
Ephesians 4:11-15
Even in the Old Testament it was GOD's will that we may all be
one.
"The word of the Lord came to me: �Son of man, take a stick
and write on it, �For Judah, and the children of Israel associated with him�;
then take another stick and write upon it, �For Joseph (the stick of Ephraim)
and all the house of Israel associated with him�; and join them together into
one stick, that they may become one in your hand. And when your people say to
you, �Will you not show us what you mean by these?� say to them, Thus says the
Lord GOD: Behold, I am about to take the stick of Joseph (which is in the hand
of Ephraim) and the tribes of Israel associated with him; and I will join with
it the stick of Judah, and make them one stick, that they may be one in my hand.
When the sticks on which you write are in your hand before their eyes, then say
to them, Thus says the Lord GOD: Behold, I will take the people of Israel from
the nations among which they have gone, and will gather them from all sides, and
bring them to their own land; and I will make them one nation in the land, upon
the mountains of Israel; and one king shall be king over them all; and they
shall be no longer two nations, and no longer divided into two
kingdoms."
Ezekiel 37:15-22
There is only one GOD, one Father, one
Jesus Christ, one Savior, one Shepherd, one Lord, one High Priest, one Holy
Spirit to guide the one Church that Jesus Christ founded, which is the one Body
of Christ. There is only one cornerstone and one foundation. There is only one
visible head of Christ's Church on earth, and there is only one authority which
was given to that one Church. There is only one Word, one truth, one Scripture,
one infallible interpretation of that one Scripture, one hope, one faith, and
one Baptism. We are to be of one mind, be one in spirit, and speak with one
mouth in unity. We are all to say the same things, have one intent, are to have
no dissensions between us, and are to render only one judgment.
How many
'one(s)' did you count in that paragraph?
I sometimes wonder, what part
of 'one' is simply not understood by so
many?
"Unless the LORD builds the house, those who
build it labor in vain."
Psalms
127:1
"For no other foundation can any
one lay than that which is laid down, which is Jesus Christ."
1Corinthians 3:11
"Obey your
superiors and be subject to them, for they keep watch as having to render
an account of your souls;
so that they may do this with joy, and not
with grief, for that would not be expedient for you."
Hebrews 13:17
"Amen, amen, I say
to you, he who enters not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbs up by
another way,
is a thief and a robber. But he who enters by the door is
shepherd of the sheep."
John 10:1-2
"And there shall be one fold and one shepherd."
John 10:16
"For the time has come for the judgment to begin with the household
of GOD;
but if it begin first with us, what will be the end of those who do
not obey the Gospel of GOD?"
1Peter
4:17
"But there were also false prophets among
the people,
even as there shall be among you lying teachers who shall bring
in sects of perdition
and deny the Lord who bought them: bringing upon
themselves swift destruction."
2Peter 2:1
"For GOD is not the author of
confusion, but of peace..."
1Corinthians
14:33
"He who is not with me is against me, and he
who does not gather with me scatters."
Luke
11:23
"But Peter and the Apostles answered and said,
"We must obey GOD rather than men."
Acts
5:29
"Any one who goes ahead and does not abide in
the doctrine of Christ does not have God;
he who abides in the doctrine has
both the Father and the Son."
2John 1:9
"How shall they preach unless they be sent"?
Romans 10:15.
Sent? Who sent all of those listed above who
founded their own multitude of ecclesial communities?
Would GOD, who is truth
personified (John 14:6), send out persons with opposing opinions of what truth is?
It certainly was
not GOD who sent them. Jesus Christ gave His
authority only to His Apostles when He
said,
"As the Father has
sent me, I also send you."
John 20:21
"Neither does any man take the honour to himself, but he that is
called by God, as Aaron was."
Hebrews
5:4
Compiled by Bob
Stanley
September 11, 2004
Updated January 17, 2008
