Don't Let Your Denomination Become An Idol

I recently came across an old sermon preached by C.D. Mallary at the Georgia Baptist Convention in 1859. The title of the message was "Denominational Idolotry Reproved". Though I dearly love my church and the family of churches we have in Sovereign Grace Ministries, I am aware of the dangerous temptation to identify myself more with my church, ministry or denomination than with Christ himself. This message, though preached to Baptists almost 150 years ago, gives insight and thought to this problem no matter what church, denomination or ministry you associate yourself with. There are good reproofs on overconfidence in success, in letting the truths your group focuses on outweight the core truths of the gospel and of worshipping successful leaders. I've included a bunch of quotes that were convicting and brought this issue to light. It's a great reminder that all the glory belongs to God. While I may rightly rejoice at what God might be doing in my church and in Sovereign Grace, I pray that would not produce pride but rather humility, amazement and joy at the undeserved mercy of God.

Regarding the temptation to a few minor issues outshine the whole of God's truth...

Whenever our denominational peculiarities so absorb our affections and our zeal as to crowd from their due position other portions of the divine testimony, they are made to assume in our hearts, as it were, the character of idols; and in this perverted shape, by being forced to break the due proportion and boundaries of divine truth, they invade unwittingly the just rights of God, and are the occasion of dishonor to his cause. All this is wrong.

On the tendency to forget that the truth came from God and not ourselves...

There is another way in which our denominational sentiments may be made the occasion of nourishing the idolatrous tendency of our deceitful hearts. In contending for them, we may be, to a greater or less extent, sinfully forgetful that they are God's truth. We may somewhat lose sight of the precious, golden link, which binds them to the throne of Jehovah. We may fight for them as our truth, our dogmas, rather than as the teachings of the Saviour. We may contend for personal victory. We may become, through the deceitfulness of the heart, intensely sectarian.

Being aware of glorifying our leaders instead of God...

Opposite to narrow-minded complaining jealousy, is another evil which the gospel equally condemns; a glorying in men - a disposition to call men our masters - a blind partisan zeal for bold-spirited leaders - a cringing subserviency to the authority of great names - an idolatrous reverence for those who, from whatever cause, may have risen to some peculiar denominational distinction.

Not becoming prideful when we see success...

In these things it is our privilege, our duty, to rejoice. But, beloved brethren, let our rejoicing be in the Lord. When we listen to the rehearsal of our denominational successes, our carnal pride is perhaps sometimes awakened, and we think to ourselves, what a great people we Baptists are getting to be! All this is wrong; it is grieving to the Spirit of God; it is making an idol of our denominational prosperity. And it may be that God allows many humiliating things to befall us as a people, that our pride may be humbled, and we may learn more profoundly the great lesson of inspiration "Not by might, nor by power; but by my Spirit, saith the Lord."

Being overconfident in future success...

We may hope with strong assurance for the future triumphs of truth; and we may bless God that this bright and holy day shall assuredly come. But it will be God's work, and not ours. We should be humbled to the dust that God should condescend to use us as instruments for hasting on this glorious period. But for his sovereign, almighty grace, which will accomplish its purposes in spite of all our follies and sins, we might well despair.

HT: Nathan Finn