Acts 26:4, 5 ( KJV; 1611 EDITION ) read as follows:
"My maner [ sic ] of life from my youth , which was at the first among mine owne nation at Hierusalem [ sic ], know all the Iewes, which knew me from the beginning , (if they would testifie) that after the most straitest sect of our religion , I liued a Pharisee" ( emphasis mine, R.E.W. ).
Furthermore, 1 Corinthians 1:10 ( KJV; 1611 EDITION ) reads as follows:
"Now I beseech you brethren by the Name of our Lord Iesus Christ , that yee all speake the same thing , and that there be no diuisions among you: but that ye be perfectly ioyned together in the same minde , and in the same iudgement [ sic ]."
The Greek word ( Greek [ 139 ] ) for the word "sect" in Acts 26:5 ( KJV, KJV; 1611 EDITION, and NKJV, for example ) is defined as follows:
"prop. a choice, i.e. (spec.) a party or (abstr.) disunion." [ See ABINGDON'S STRONG'S EXHAUSTIVE CONCORDANCE OF THE BIBLE, STRONG, JAMES, S.T.D., LL.D., ABINGDON PRESS, NASHVILLE, Copyright, 1890, by JAMES STRONG, MADISON, N.J., ( A Concise Dictionary of the Words in the Greek/New Testament with their Renderings in the King James Version, p. 7. ). ]
The word "sect" is also defined as follows:
"n. 1 A body of persons distinguished by peculiarities of faith and practice from other bodies adhering to the same general system; specifically, the adherents collectively of a particular creed or confession; a denomination, or an organized body of dissenters from an established or older form of faith." [ See NEW ILLUSTRATED WEBSTER'S DICTIONARY Including THESAURUS of SYNONYMS & ANTONMYS, PMC Publishing Company, Inc., 118 EAST 28th STREET, NEW YORK, NY 10016, dictionary portion: pages 1-1150, Copyright 1992, by J.G. Ferguson Publishing Company, Chicago, Illinois, p. 873. ]
The word "dissenter" is defined as follows:
"n. 1 One who dissents or disagrees; one who declares his disapproval or disagreement." [ Ibid., p. 284. ]
With all of the above-given information in mind, it is clear that there is no such thing as a denominational Christian.
The word "sect" means "a choice." However, God never gave us a choice of what to believe. Ephesians 4:5 ( KJV; 1611 EDITION ) reads as follows:
"One Lord , [ sic ] one Faith, one Baptism."
Therefore, since there is one faith, there is only one correct way to believe. Furthermore, since the word "sect" also refers to dissenters, and the word "dissenter" means "one who declares his disapproval or disagreement," it is not possible for someone to simultaneously disapprove of, or disagree with, the one faith and still claim to be a Christian ( see Acts 11:26, for example ). Finally, a Christian will fear God and keep all of His commandments; rather than keeping some of them and disapproving of, or disagreeing with, all the rest, for example ( see Ecclesiastes 12:13 and 1 John 5:3, for example ). Thus, there is no such thing as a denominational Christian, and all of us who are Christians are to "speake the same thing" ( recall 1 Corinthians 1:10; KJV; 1611 EDITION ).
If you have any questions about the Holy Bible, you can contact me by e-mail at:
<rewillis1_1@juno.com.
<Russell E. Willis>
