by Darrell Hamilton
Guest Contributor
For me, my faith is everything. My relationship with God is an intricate component of my life, and it is important that I grow not only in relationship with Him but also in my understanding of Him. This is why I believe the Word of God to be so important, and it is important for us as Christians to have our faith first and always rooted in the Word. I disagree with denominational affiliation in the Christian Church because so much of the doctrines, practices, and perspectives that begot these schisms have no root in the Word. They have no root in Jesus! They are humankind’s attempt to be God and to dictate that which God already presides over. When we mistake our stewardship of the Word of God with ownership, the standards of our faith devolve from the authority of the Word and begin to concentrate in particular persons and their “interpretations” about how to understand and implement the Word. This inevitably divides Jesus from the very Word which He is. I fervently believe that the Bible when it says Jesus is the Word made flesh. Thus, to know the Word is to know Jesus and to be rooted in the Word is to be rooted in Jesus. And on that fact alone all aspects of our faith should rest. To grasp the concept that the Word of God took on a human form, we grasp, too, that the Word is His own person with particular traits and characteristics. Therefore, it is the Christian’s job to seek out what those are and align our understanding of Jesus according to whom He tells us He is. When our attention to policy, ceremony, and rituals usurps the importance of faith in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, which is the only source of our salvation, our supposed Christian experience becomes meaningless. Not saying we should never debate and discuss the complex principles of our faith, we just should not do so in vain.
I am nondenominational because denominational separation is the equivalent to the eye saying to the hand, “I have no need of you”; or the head saying to the feet, “I have no need of you.” As a result, they end all connection with the other and hurt the overall function of the Body. I am nondenominational because I lack an official affiliation, but more importantly, I am Christian because the blessings and promises of God offer something no other God can offer. Yes, I was raised in a Baptist church, but life has taught me that the Word of God should be every Christian’s only denominational affiliation. And until we grasp that the Word of God is much more than letters on pages and pages within a book the church will continually be in dissention. For the Word is who Jesus is; and He is the Author and Finisher of our faith, and we are not the author and finisher of His. Therefore, I say Christians should spend less time trying to interpret Jesus, which breeds dissension, and more time trying to relate to Him. Once we know who He is, of which only He can tell us, we will then operate as our label dictates: like-Christ.
The Tablet 