Schism: When Churches Split

Today many brothers and sisters in Christ are dismayed at the factionalism, sectarianism, and schismatic nature of denominations. Friends of mine in high churches cry that the Protestants went afoul by their Reformation, creating schism. But the truth is schisms and sects are very old, in fact the Roman Catholic Church schism with the Eastern Orthodox Church in 1054 A.D. The truth however, is that splintering into sects is nothing new and is found in Scripture.The denominational splits actually occurred early as recorded in the Scriptures. There was Jewish Christians who believed you had to keep the Law (Acts 15:2) but were refuted by the Council of Jerusalem (Acts 15:4-21). Then there was Circumcision Christians who believed only the law of circumsion should be added to the Gospel, which Paul refutes in his letters to Galatians (specifically Galatians 5:1-9) and the rest of His epistles. Then there were Christians getting into mystical practices of seeing angels and strange visions (Colossians 2:1-23) that Paul addresses. Then there was Hellenisic Christians who had Greek heritage added to Christianity (see Acts 6), just as Jews were doing to their Church (Acts 15). The point is the Apostles had to address major differences in Church and their words debunk false Christianities (2 Corinthians 11:3-17, Galatians 1:8-9) and corrected Churches that had errors, even Jesus Christ himself confronted wrongful Christianities and interpretations in Revelation, Chapters 1 to 3, where Christ confronts Christians who think sexual immortality and idolatry is ok, others who lukewarm, some who are into deep mysteries and many more.

What has happened even now is that people keep doing what churches did then in time of Apostles, getting weird interpretations. In fact, the plethora (most) of New Testament is Apostles Paul, James, John, and Peter confronting wrongful views and practices in the Church (examples 1 and 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Colossians, Romans, James, Jude, 1 and 2 Peter, 1 John, 2 John, 3 John and etc.). Indeed, most of New Testament is correcting, rebuking, and trying to teach people what is the true Gospel (John 6:40, John 3:16, Romans 10:9-10) and to keep people from false christs and gospels (Galatians 1:8-9, 2 Corinthians 11:3-4, 13-18).

This schisming is actually in Scriptures, "Some of you are saying, "I am a follower of Paul." Others are saying, "I follow Apollos," or "I follow Peter," or "I follow only Christ." (1 Corinthians 1:12), "For when one of you says, "I follow Paul," and another, "I follow Apollos," are you not mere men?," (1 Corinthians 3:4), "I planted the seed and Apollos watered it, but God made it grow," (1 Corinthians 3:6), "Brothers, I have applied these things to myself and Apollos for your benefit, so that you may learn from us not to go beyond what is written. Then you will not take pride in one man over another," (1 Corinthians 4:6), "It’s true that some are preaching out of jealousy and rivalry. But others preach about Christ with pure motives. ¹⁶ They preach because they love me, for they know I have been appointed to defend the Good News. ¹⁷ Those others do not have pure motives as they preach about Christ. They preach with selfish ambition, not sincerely, intending to make my chains more painful to me. ¹⁸ But that doesn’t matter. Whether their motives are false or genuine, the message about Christ is being preached either way, so I rejoice. And I will continue to rejoice," (Philippians 1:15-18), and "Master,” said John, “we saw someone driving out demons in Your name, and we tried to stop him, because he does not accompany us But Jesus said, "Don't stop him! Anyone who is not against you is for you." (Luke 9:49-50).

In many ways, our denominations are same fights the Corinthians were in you were saying, "I follow Paul," "I follow Apollos", "I follow Peter," and others "I follow Christ." Or it is the same fights that were resolved by Council of Jerusalem (Acts 15:1-28). We also must not forget there were Jewish Sects that Jesus encountered which were schisms known Pharisees (Matthew 23:1-36), Sadduccees (Matthew 22:23-46), Essenes, Sons of Light, Zealots and many others. So sects do happen. The point is there have always been divisions, but we must base our Christian faith on what the Scriptures say, ""Brothers, I have applied these things to myself and Apollos for your benefit, so that you may learn from us not to go beyond what is written. Then you will not take pride in one man over another," (1 Corinthians 4:6), and " All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work." (2 Timothy 3:16-17). Because contained in Scriptures are answers to schisms, and the differences and paths people took that caused divisions. The Bible has answers for what to believe and to beware of, especially in New Testament.

The truth is the divisions, schisms, and splits in the church date to Church of the New Testament and Acts. Groups like Colossians had become strange mystical Christians, Galatian Christinas had gotten into the Law to save them, and so on. The point is the Protestant Reformation did not originate schisms and denominations, it actually is there in epistles and letters from James, Peter, Paul, and John. They are confronting the different splits and this is why Paul said, "¹² For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. ¹³ For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit. ¹⁴ For the body does not consist of one member but of many. ¹⁵ If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. ¹⁶ And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. ¹⁷ If the whole body were an eye, where would be the sense of hearing? If the whole body were an ear, where would be the sense of smell? ¹⁸ But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose. ¹⁹ If all were a single member, where would the body be? ²⁰ As it is, there are many parts,^[b] yet one body.
²¹ The eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you,” nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.” ²² On the contrary, the parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, ²³ and on those parts of the body that we think less honorable we bestow the greater honor, and our unpresentable parts are treated with greater modesty, ²⁴ which our more presentable parts do not require. But God has so composed the body, giving greater honor to the part that lacked it, ²⁵ that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another. ²⁶ If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together.
²⁷ Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it." (1 Corinthians 12:12-27).
The Roman Catholic Church itself is a Schism, they created Roman rites and Latin as their language for liturgy, litany, and mass, which made them break from the Eastern Orthodox Church of Constantine in 1054 A.D. 

What I want my brothers and sisters to know is that denominations and schisming is actually nothing new, and is not the guilt of Protestants, but has been happening since the time of Apostles. We must take comfort that most of New Testament is a response to schisming, errors in doctrine, and desire to get people back to the authentic Gospel as laid out in Four Gospels and by the Epistles and letters themselves. As long is there are human beings, and Christ has not yet returned, there will be disagreements and divisions. 

The One who will truly unify the Church is Jesus Christ when He returns. Until then we can be united in His Spirit, but we will have differences of opinion, views, and denominational lines. Only Christ can bring the all members together into One Body again (John 17:20-23).