If Jesus Built One Church, Can We Choose Any Church We Want?
Bill Myers
There is a question that every sincere follower of Jesus Christ ought to consider carefully: “If Jesus Christ built one church, do we have the right to choose a church simply because it suits our personal preference?” We live in a religious culture where people commonly say, “Go to the church of your choice.” The idea sounds harmless. We are told to find a church that makes us comfortable, agrees with our preferences, has the music we enjoy, teaches what we believe, has programs that meet our needs, or fits our personality. Church selection can become much like selecting a restaurant, a school, or a store. We look at our options and choose the one we like best. But there is a serious biblical question behind that approach: “Did Jesus give us the authority to choose His church, or did He already establish His church for us?”
Jesus said in Matthew 16:18, “I will build my church.” Notice what Jesus did not say. He did not say, “I will give everyone the freedom to build the church of his or her choice.” He said, “I will build my church.” The church belongs to Christ. If Jesus built the church, then it is His church. If it is His church, then He has the right to determine what it is, what it teaches, how it functions, how people enter it, and how its members are to live. That changes the entire conversation. We may choose where we shop. We may choose where we work. We may choose what kind of vehicle we drive. We may choose where we live. But when it comes to the church, the question should not be, “What church do I prefer?” The question should be, “What church did Jesus establish, and am I willing to submit to it?” That is a completely different way of thinking.
Imagine that someone built a house and then invited you to live in it. Would you have the authority to walk in and say, “I have decided that I do not like this room, so I am going to remove it. I do not like the color, so I will change it. I do not like the owner's rules, so I will create my own”? Of course not. The house belongs to the owner. In the same way, the church belongs to Christ. Paul said in Ephesians 5:23, “Christ is the head of the church.” Colossians 1:18 calls Christ “the head of the body, the church.” The church is not ours to redesign according to our preferences. We may choose many things in life according to personal preference, but when it comes to the church, personal preference cannot become the final authority.
Jesus said, “I will build my church.” The New Testament repeatedly speaks of the church as one body. Ephesians 4:4 says, “There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling.” First Corinthians 12:12 says, “For as the body is one, and hath many members... so also is Christ.” Colossians 1:18 identifies the body as the church and declares Christ to be its head. The biblical picture is not of Jesus establishing numerous independent churches teaching different doctrines and allowing each person to select whichever one he prefers. The picture is of “one Lord, one faith, one body, and one church belonging to Christ.”
This should cause us to pause before casually saying, “Just go to the church of your choice.” Which church did Jesus build? That is the question. One of the greatest problems with the statement “go to the church of your choice” is that it can make human preference the final authority. If I choose a church because I like its music, am I allowing Jesus to determine my worship, or am I determining it? If I choose a church because it teaches what I already believe, am I submitting myself to Scripture, or am I looking for a church that submits to me? If I leave one congregation because it teaches something I do not want to hear and find another congregation that tells me what I want to hear, have I really submitted to Christ? The Christian life is not supposed to be built around the question, “What do I like?” It is built around the question, “What does my Lord command?”
Jesus asked in Luke 6:46, “And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?” That question strikes at the heart of religious consumerism. If Jesus is Lord, then His will must take priority over my preferences. We must therefore distinguish between choosing a local congregation in which to worship and serve and choosing or inventing a church according to our personal desires. The New Testament shows Christians assembling with one another, and circumstances can require Christians to worship with different local congregations. Finding a faithful local congregation in which to worship and serve is not the same thing as inventing one's own church. The real problem arises when people treat the church as though it were something humans are free to redesign.
A person might say, “I do not care what the Bible teaches about the church. I will attend whichever religious organization makes me happiest.” That attitude puts the individual above Christ. The issue is not whether we have preferences. Of course we do. The issue is whether our preferences have authority over God's Word. They do not.
Think about what happens when everyone becomes his own authority. One person says, “I believe baptism is necessary.” Another says, “I do not believe baptism has anything to do with salvation.” One says, “We must follow the biblical pattern of worship.” Another says, “Worship can be whatever makes us feel close to God.” One says, “The church should follow the teachings of the apostles.” Another says, “The Bible is only a guide, and we can adapt Christianity to modern culture.” One person says one thing, another person says something different, and eventually we have thousands of religious bodies teaching different doctrines. Then someone says, “It does not matter. Just go to the church of your choice.” But if Jesus built one church, how can thousands of contradictory teachings all represent the church He built?
Truth does not become truth simply because someone sincerely believes it. Sincerity matters, but sincerity does not make error correct. Paul warned in Galatians 1:8 that even if an angel preached a gospel different from the one delivered by the apostles, that message was not to be accepted. The standard is not personal preference. The standard is the Word of God.
Jesus has authority over His church. Jesus declared in Matthew 28:18, “All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.” If Jesus has all authority, then He has authority over His church. He determines the terms of discipleship. He determines what His followers are to believe. He determines how His people are to live. He determines how His church is to function. He determines what constitutes faithfulness. We do not have the authority to say, “Jesus, I appreciate what You established, but I prefer something different.” That is not submission. That is self-rule. The very meaning of Christianity is that Jesus is Lord.
Modern religion can easily become centered on the individual. We ask, “What can the church do for me?” “Does the preacher make me feel good?” “Does the worship service entertain me?” “Does the church agree with my opinions?” “Does the congregation have enough activities for my family?” “Does it make me comfortable?” But Christianity begins with a different question: “What does Christ require of me?” Jesus said in Luke 9:23, “If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.” Notice the language: “deny himself.” Jesus did not say, “Choose the religious environment that best satisfies yourself.” He said, “Follow me.” Discipleship means that Christ becomes Lord over our preferences.
The church does matter. Some people react to this discussion by saying, “It does not matter what church you attend as long as you love Jesus.” But if Jesus built the church, then we cannot say the church does not matter. The church matters because “Jesus cares about His church”. He purchased it with His blood, according to Acts 20:28. He is its Head. He is its Savior. He is the One who established it. Therefore, if we love Christ, we should care about what He has taught concerning His church. The question is not whether church membership is a magical formula for salvation. It is whether we respect the authority of the King who established the church.
Perhaps we should even change our language. Instead of constantly saying, “My church,” we should remember that it is “Christ's church”. It is not the preacher's church. It is not the elders' church. It is not the congregation's church. It is not the denomination's church. It is “Christ's church”. Jesus said, “I will build my church.” That means we should approach the church with humility. We should ask, “Lord, what have You established? Lord, what do You teach? Lord, how do You want Your people to worship? Lord, how should Your people live? Lord, what does it mean to be faithful to You?” Those are the questions of discipleship.
Ultimately, this discussion is not about whether one religious group is better than another. It is about “authority”. Who gets to decide what Christianity is? Do I? Does my family? Does my preacher? Does my denomination? Does popular culture? Or does Jesus Christ? If Jesus is truly Lord, then He must have the final authority. Jesus said in John 14:15, “If ye love me, keep my commandments.” Love for Christ cannot be separated from submission to Christ.
There is nothing wrong with desiring a loving congregation, faithful fellowship, good preaching, and biblical teaching. But those things should not be measured primarily by what we personally enjoy. The first question should be whether the congregation is striving to follow Christ faithfully. A congregation may have beautiful music and weak doctrine. It may have exciting programs and little biblical substance. It may have a charismatic preacher and an unfaithful message. It may be comfortable and yet compromise the truth. The Christian must therefore examine everything by Scripture.
The Bereans were commended because they “searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so” (Acts 17:11). That should be our attitude. Do not simply choose a church because you like it. “Search the Scriptures.” Do not choose a church because your friends attend. “Search the Scriptures.” Do not choose a church because it makes you comfortable. “Search the Scriptures.” Do not reject a church because it challenges you. “Search the Scriptures.” Let God's Word be the standard.
If Jesus built one church, then we should not approach Christianity as though we are shopping for the religious organization that best fits our preferences. We should approach Christianity as disciples approaching their King. Jesus has spoken. Jesus has established His church. Jesus is its Head. Jesus is the Savior. Jesus is Lord. Our responsibility is not to redesign His church but to faithfully follow Him.
The question, therefore, is not simply, “Where do I want to go to church?” The better question is, “Where can I faithfully follow the church that Jesus built?” There is a world of difference between those two questions. One places “me” at the center. The other places “Christ” at the center. And if Jesus truly is Lord, then He deserves to be at the center.
Let us therefore stop treating the church as though it were merely another consumer choice. Let us stop asking only what church makes us comfortable and start asking what church is faithful to the Word of God. Let us search the Scriptures, examine our traditions, test our assumptions, and submit our preferences to the authority of Christ.
Jesus did not say, “I will build whatever church you choose.” He said, “I will build my church.” And if it is “His church”, then our responsibility is not to choose whatever church we want. Our responsibility is to “seek, know, enter, and faithfully serve in the church that belongs to Him”.
One Lord. One faith. One body. One church. And one King whose authority must stand above every human preference.