ARTICLE TWO: The Three Pillars of False Faith

By Savion Rayson

Every denomination that exists today shares the same foundational problem: when tested against

the Scripture, they crumble. Though their teachings differ and their histories vary, all have

departed from the truth. The New Testament gives multiple warnings, three of them directly at

the core issues we see today. (1) When men step away from God’s pattern, they do not do so

accidentally (2 Thess. 2:7). (2) They do so because something else, human authority, altered

salvation and reorganized structure, taking the place of what Christ established (2 Tim. 4:3-4).

(3) Christ gave one gospel, one faith, and one church (Eph. 4:4–5), yet people chose lies that

suites them, over the saving truth; not obeying God (John 3:19). Following these patterns, man

has created religious systems that look solid, but are polluted grounds. Denominationalism rests

essentially on human authority, corrupted worship, and altered terms of salvation. The three

most influential in the United States of the departure are Catholicism, Baptist churches, and

Pentecostalism, each illustrates these pillars in different ways.

The first pillar of false faith is human authority instead of the divine pattern. “I pick myself

over what Christ has said,” this, while not the statement one might make. However, it is the truth

on which it is founded. Think about it this way, when asked, “why” to certain acts performed, the

response is typically, “because I or we,” and never “because God…” If Jesus has all authority in

heaven and on earth (Matt. 28:18), should not the response to any religious act be because Jesus

commanded? He rules through His word, not through shifting opinions or church councils. In the

New Testament, local congregations were led by a plurality of elders and served by deacons,

with no earthly head over all the churches (Phil. 1:1; Titus 1:5; 1 Pet. 5:1–3). That is not the case

in many denominational groups. With them, we find human structures more than the simple

pattern of God. Catholicism developed a hierarchy with priests, bishops, archbishops, cardinals,

and finally a pope, claiming universal jurisdiction over the church. Baptists, reacting against that,

replaced the pope with local church autonomy but often tied themselves to confessions,

associations, and conventions that still function as human gatekeepers. Pentecostal groups added

“anointed” leaders and self-proclaimed prophets who claim direct revelation beyond Scripture.

Different shapes. Same pillar. Human authority sits where only Christ belongs.

The second pillar of false faith is seen because every denomination modifies the terms of

salvation that God revealed in the New Testament. The gospel preached at Pentecost required

hearing the word (Rom. 10:17), believing in Christ (Mark 16:16), repenting of sins (Acts 17:30),

confessing Christ (Rom. 10:9–10), and being baptized for the remission of sins (Acts 2:38; Acts

22:16). Catholicism replaced this pattern with infant baptism, sacramental grace, penance, and

purgatory. The Baptist tradition replaced biblical obedience with the “sinner’s prayer,” teaching

salvation by faith alone, even though Scripture plainly denies it (James 2:24). Pentecostalism tied

salvation to emotional manifestations, such as speaking in tongues or receiving “the anointing.”

When salvation is redefined by human invention. The real question we must ask ourselves is

why? All these groups advocate that the gospel is perfect, but then proceed to change it, making

it something God never revealed. How can a corrupt plan save anyone, and why advocate that it

can?

The third pillar of false faith thrives when the structure of Christ’s church worship is

reorganized to fit human preference. The New Testament pattern gives us five acts of worship,

when studied carefully, each act that we have was all done with the church gathered. (1) Singing

(Eph. 5:19). The church sang together as commanded, offering their voices as praise to God

when they assembled on the first day of the week (Heb. 2:12). (2) Prayer (Acts 2:42). The church

prayed together as part of their regular assemblies (Acts 12:5). Preaching (2 Tim. 4:2). Preaching

was and still central to Chirstian worship delivered when meeting on the first day of the week

(Acts 20:7). The Lord’s Supper (Lk. 22:19) The church observed this every Lord’s day, not when

they felt like it (Acts 20:7). (5) Giving (2 Cor. 9:7) God commanded giving only on the first day

of the week, when the church gathered (1 Cor. 16:2). These congregational acts were to be

upheld, supervised, and maintained by qualified elders (Acts 14:23), served by deacons (Phil.

1:1), and taught by evangelists (2 Tim. 4:2). Until the Lord comes again. With this pattern, there

is NO earthly headquarters. NO denominational boards. NO universal leaders. Catholicism

replaced this pattern with the most complex hierarchy the world has ever seen. Baptists replaced

the biblical structure with modern pastoral systems and cooperative bodies. Pentecostalism

placed authority in a single “pastor” or charismatic figures, ignoring the biblical plurality of

elders. When church structure changes, doctrine follows. A church built on man’s authority

cannot preserve the doctrine built on God’s authority.

These three pillars, human authority, altered salvation, and corrupted worship, support every

denomination that exists today. Remove these pillars, and the system collapses. Leave them

standing, and division multiplies endlessly. The tragedy is that many sincere people trust these

foundations without knowing they stand on shifting sand. They follow traditions handed to them,

not the truth revealed by God. But sincerity cannot transform error into truth (Matt. 7:21–23).

Every soul must measure its faith against Scripture not creeds, councils, or experiences.

The only remedy is returning to the foundation Christ laid. Jesus built one church (Matt. 16:18),

preached one gospel (Gal. 1:8), and established one pattern for salvation and worship. When we

remove human authority, reject corrupted worship, and restore the plan of salvation, we return

not to a denomination but to the church described in Scripture, the church that belongs to Christ.

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