Why are there so many churches?

Thank you for your question. You ask why there are so many churches with different ways of worship in the world, who all declare that they are on their way to heaven.

It is surely a heartbreaking fact that there are so many churches. If we read our Bible carefully we learn the following truths about the church:

1. It is Gods intention that there be only one church on earth. Read: John 17:21; John 1:16 and 1 Corinthians 12:21-31. It is quite clear that  God wants His church to be one.

2. Sin came into the world and spoiled everything that God made beautiful. So sin tries to spoil the beautiful creation of God as well. The beautiful human being that God created was made ugly by sin. Even the church, which was intended to be a beautiful body of Christ, is being spoilt by breaking it up in pieces, so we have the different church denominations.

3. Only Christ can bring unity again where there is partition (Ephesians 2:14).

4. But it is also our responsibility, as Christians of all denominations and churches of which you speak, to try and work in the direction of  the unification of the church. We must work towards the unity of the church of Jesus (Ephesians 4:3; 1 Peter 3:8 ). The unity of all believers should become more and more visible, even though people from different cultural backgrounds may prefer to worship God in different ways.