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Question: I am curious why there are so many different churches...(Catholic, Christian, Methodist, Lutheran, Baptist..etc) I was raised in a home without faith...so I have little experience to base my new decisions on as I have decided to find God..... I know that my life will be much more enriched should I follow the word of God....but I am confused at all of the Church choices..why are there so many different versions of belief? I thought there was only one Bible?

Answer: You are right. There is only one Bible. Does not common sense tell us that if God is the author of the Bible, as I believe He is, then He meant for it to be understood?

Jesus said, that if anyone wills to do the will of God, he shall know the truth of the teaching (John 7:17). The Bible can be properly understood by those who have decided that they will obey the truth, once they are shown what it is. God has also sent the Holy Spirit into the world to guide us into all truth (John 16:13).

I would advise you to get alone with God, and ask Him to reveal Himself to you. If you have an honest heart, He will guide you. Since you acknowledge the Bible to be God's Word, read it, beginning with the gospel of John. As you read, ask for understanding.

When we speak of the different denominations, there are a few things that need to be cleared up. The doctrines of all the Protestant churches, at least, are more alike than they are different. They all teach that we are saved through the death of Christ on the cross, that we cannot save ourselves by our good works, and that we must personally put our trust in Jesus Christ as our Savior.

Some denominations sprang up as a result of the ministry of some strong religious leader. Examples of that are Wesley for the Methodists, Luther for the Lutherans, Calvin for the Presbyterians, and Campbell for the Christian churches. Since they founded and organized these churches, they still call themselves by those names.

Some groups sprang up because of some grass-roots religious movements, also having leaders, but no one among them quite as prominent as in the other organizations. Among then we could include the Baptists and Pentecostals. Other groups separated themselves from some of the larger bodies, such as the Nazarenes, because they felt that the main Methodists had become too worldly.

However, I am glad to inform you that doctrinal differences do not have the same importance in the minds of most people, than they used to have. The attitude of most true believers in Jesus Christ is that as long as we believe in having fellowship with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, we are brothers and sisters. We all use the same Bible, and we understand it alike more than we understand it differently. Our faith is in a Person rather than in a doctrine.

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