Sects

Sects

A sect is a portion (part) of something. When divisions began to arise in the church in Corinth, Paul asked, “Is Christ divided?” 1 Cor. 1:13. Wanting to divide Christ is madness.

Spiritually speaking, Paul calls the church of the living God the body of Christ, and Christ Himself is the head of this body. In other words, taken together, Christ and the church are one person.

Dividing the church of the living God into several parts—sects—is then synonymous with dividing the body of Christ.

Large, recognized sects are almost worse than small, insignificant sects. However, they actually commit the same error. They are, in a manner of speaking, dividing the body of Christ— if they really have a concern for it at all.

If you truly think that you are a member of the body of Christ, then dividing Christ is very bad! It is an outrageous idea, and an even worse act, to lead someone to something like that or even to agree to something like that.

The definition of “sects” in the Dictionary of Foreign Words covers the usual understanding of what people mean by a sect: a religious association that has separated from the ruling religious denomination. However, in a biblical sense, this is ambiguous and thereby misleading.

In Acts 24:14 Paul says about himself and his fellow Christians: “According to the Way which they call a sect . . . .” Thus the real Christians were called a sect. The unbelieving Jews shone their imagined searchlight on them, a light that was darkness.

The Christians had separated from reigning Judaism and the predominant idol worship. In that, the definition in the Dictionary of Foreign Words is correct, except it is noteworthy that it was the actual church of the living God that others called a sect. The very ones who were right were called a sect. As far as that goes, the usual understanding fails completely because people imply that something is wrong when they use the word “sect.”

According to the dictionary’s definition, Martin Luther and his followers were a sect, a large sect, when they separated from the Catholic Church. Seeing that so many people have left the Lutheran State Church and have founded other churches or have joined them, these churches—in relation to the State Church, have become new sects; for example the Methodist church or the Baptist church. Then again, some people have left these and have founded or joined the Pentecostal churches. Again a new formation of sects. In these days there are diverse numbers of various sects; some are extremely large, some are large, some are not so large, and some are small.

The Lutheran State Church, which calls the other churches sects, is itself a large, strange sect with an assortment of highly intermingled content.

In Catholic countries, the Lutheran church is considered to be a sect. But in this country the Lutheran Church is the “predominant religion” and all the others are sects. This entire matter is confusing; it is a Babylonian confusion.

When sects are mentioned in the biblical sense, it always concerns the division of the church of the living God, of a biblical or apostolic church in which Jesus’ and the apostles’ life and doctrine and preaching rule. In this church, people believe in victory over all sin, such as the Scriptures testify in the strongest terms, where people believe in God’s transforming work and not in any work of man. The church, in the new covenant, is identical to the bride of Christ who is faithful to Him in all areas.

The Catholic church is a flagrant distortion of the church of God—the bride of Christ. She represents the opposite—namely, the harlot. Rev. 17:1, 5. Indeed, she is the great harlot, the mother of the other harlots who all have this very thing in common that they are not faithful to Christ. They even dare to teach that they cannot be faithful to Him, that it is a deception to believe this and teach people to be faithful to Him. They teach that you must of necessity be unfaithful, that you must sin every day.

In contrast to dividing Christ or dividing the Bride, one could also speak about dividing the harlot. The scandalous harlot in these days is divided into many church fellowships or denominations, into many parts, into many sects.

These are not even sects, in the true sense of the Word. They are harlot sects, various parts of a divided harlot.

It is not so strange that harlots cannot stay together. It would be worse by far if the church of the living God were divided. Then we could ask as Paul did, “Is Christ divided?”

If a person finds himself in such a recognized sect or in a lesser sect, and his eyes are opened to follow the Word, “Come out of her, My people” (Rev. 18:4), I wonder if he would then be sectarian? Not at all; it is the exact opposite, because he is finished with being sectarian. He is not doing anything wrong; he is doing exactly what is correct, according to the word in 2 Corinthians 6:17: “‘Come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord. Do not touch what is unclean, and I will receive you.’”

In Paul’s days it was said to him, “But we desire to hear from you what you think; for concerning this sect [the living Christians], we know that it is spoken against everywhere.” Acts 28:22. It is just the same in these days.

As we can see, it is ironic that the church of the living God, which is not at all any kind of sect or work of man, is considered to be a sect by those who belong to sects!

The right thing is to leave all these humanly organized sects without founding or organizing a new sect.

On the basis of long experience, we can testify and affirm that this can be done, and that it is going blessedly well. All these church sects are completely superfluous.

Different camps—different sects.

You, who are among them, follow the Word: “Therefore let us go forth to Him, outside the camp, bearing His reproach.” Heb. 13:13.

This is very significant! But where is He?