Often times the appeal is made for men to attend the church of their choice. While we certainly appreciate the noble sentiment behind this appeal, we deny that such is in harmony with the Word of God. What does the Bible say about attending the church of your choice?

The Bible gives us some choices that we can make. We are to choose life over death (Deut. 30:19), choose whether or not we will serve the Lord (Josh. 24:15), choose the fear of the Lord (Prov. 1:29), choose our friends (Prov. 12:26), and choose what pleases the Lord (Is. 56:4). The Bible says nothing about choosing the church we will attend.

For one thing, the Bible states that Jesus only built one church. "And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it" (Matt. 16:18, emphasis mine, HR). Notice that the words "church" and "it" indicate that what Jesus would build would be singular in nature. There was only one church in the first century; thus there was no choice.

Secondly, becoming a member of the church is not a matter of choice. It is something that happens to us when we choose to be saved. "...And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved" (Acts 2:47). The church is the body of saved people. The moment we are saved we are made a part of that body. The religious world teaches that once we have been saved, we should find a church and join it. However, the Bible teaches that the very act that saves us automatically puts us in the church. The Bible says nothing about joining "the church of your choice" because no such choice is offered in the Bible. There was, and is, only one true church.

The appeal to attend the church of our choice is contrary to the Bible's plan for unity among believers. The religious world is full of different churches teaching different and conflicting doctrines. Some churches want to overcome these differences by simply overlooking them. With an attitude of "you believe what you believe, and I'll believe what I believe," we are told to embrace and celebrate our doctrinal differences. We are to recognize one another as brethren, while respecting our differences. This kind of unity is based upon doctrinal compromise, which is not the unity that is prescribed in the New Testament.

Jesus prayed that believers would be united as one upon the word of the apostles (i.e., upon doctrinal matters). "I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me" (John 17:20-21).

Paul urged believers to be one. "Now I plead with you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment" (1 Cor. 1:10). When it comes to matters of doctrine, we are to speak the same thing, and be perfectly joined together in the same mind and judgment. We are not to be divided doctrinally.

In Ephesians 4:3-6, Paul set forth the grounds for the unity of the Spirit: "Endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all." The seven "one's" of this passage are nonnegotiable. There must be agreement in these seven areas in order for believers to have the unity of the Spirit. Unity that is achieved by compromising one or more of these areas is not the kind of unity that pleases the Lord. Among the seven "one's" is the "one body." As we have already pointed out, the church is the body of saved people (Eph. 1:22-23). So again, the Bible shows that in the first century there was only one church.

Another of these "one's" is "one faith." The word "faith" is used in the New Testament as both a verb and a noun. As a verb, it is the act of believing. As a noun, it is that which is believed. It is used in this passage as a noun, signifying the body of doctrine that is to be believed and accepted by Christians. Denominationalism unashamedly admits to having different faiths. There is a Catholic faith (doctrine), a Baptist faith (doctrine), a Methodist faith (doctrine), a Pentecostal faith (doctrine), etc. This was not the case in the first century. Paul said that he preached the same thing in every church (1 Cor. 4:17). Paul could not do that today. Churches in every community have different teachings on significant subjects like baptism, the Lord's Supper, women preachers, speaking in tongues, the Godhead, the authority of traditions, prayer, the rapture and the thousand year reign of Christ. Paul could not speak the same thing in every church today because no one can. In fact, in most churches, Paul would not even be allowed to preach the same message he preached in the first century.

We can not agree with the appeal to "attend the church of your choice." It is our conviction that the church that Jesus built in the first century is the only church that the Lord will recognize as His own today.