Is Solo Christianity biblical?
Can I just live as a Christian how I want to? Why do I need to be in a church or denomination?
Q: I have always struggled to find my place in religon; I just dont feel as though I have ever fit in with any of the usual denominations. So, is it ok for me to have my own thoughts, values, and beliefs on faith as long as I "just believe in" God and Jesus as the Savior... vs going to a church?
Answer: No, yes and no.
One first question that would need to be addressed is, where do you get your information from as a "believer"? Are you making up your own beliefs (idolatry) or studying Scripture? Well the next question is what Scripture? Who decides what is Scripture- you? What book is the authority on all matters of faith and life for any believer? The Christian Scriptures are the 66 books of the Bible from the Old Testament and New Testament. Ok so what version? How do you know the Bible you bought or that some supposed "Christian" gave you is the true Bible? or one on a table at a bookstore claiming to have "Christian material"...? [Unless you go to small Biblical church] you wouldnt know the true history of how we got the Bible and what books are in it. Or What versions false Christian groups created, edited and added to such as the catholics, orthodox & cults have. Mormons even have a whole additional book [that came from Satan] they get their teaching from. You need to be told from a protestant biblical church what Bible is the true one.
You also wouldnt know the width and depth of Scripture, because Pastors and teachers in our local church have spent their life studying it, its history, the culture, its theology, doctrines, etc ... God specially gave them to the local church. He uses them to spend every week putting a well researched sermon message-study together to present to the Church congregants, [and some churches get 3 sermons a week (2 on Sunday & 1 on Wed)]. You arent in a Bible church to gain that information since you refused to go. You as an individual (at School or with a job and family) couldnt even get through a small part of the Bible in your entire life "solo". Yet God gave the church Pastors, teachers, evangelists and other gifts to be used and for the benefit of everyone in church [every believer has some spiritual gifts] and you are not benefitting since you are refusing to gather with believers, and you arent using your gifts there either. What wicked servant wouldnt obey their master [God]. Church is a community. Our faith is community based.
You cannot "wing" Christianity and hope you get it right, or think You are the authority on all matters about the Christian faith. You have to have the right Scriptures and as a follower of Christ you have to follow according to what God revealed in Scripture.
Including about the local church and your place in it.
Jesus instituted the Church. The Church is the bride of Christ. You are set apart by him for him and Scripture is clear. Jesus is the head of the Church and we are the body. We are one. We live as one together as those in the church. The invisible universal church, and the local visible congregation. You are to be a member of a Christian church. Avoiding it actually means a lot of things, one of which is avoiding accountability (you are trying to hide; God's people dont hide), and in general it is rebellion to purposely be avoiding Church. It is idolatry to go your own way when God has been clear. Someone going their own way means theyre not following Christ. It is a key indicator of a false convert and an idolator. You dont want to be that, right?
So yes you need to be an active member of a local bible church.
Don't be confused by denominations. There are denominations because when true Christianity was reclaimed at the reformation they had just got access to a Bible, and were spending their lives figuring out the rest of what Scripture taught (after they understood what it taught about salvation). Many reformers didnt get far (in that effort) since Roman Catholic religion murder mytrered them, (and burned the Bibles so regular people couldnt read it themselves). So it took time. The reformation spanned across many european countries and so many men (who began a Christian church in those countries) [usually one man per country] had an understanding of what they thought the Bible taught on those other topics.
Those people and congregants moved to other countries and so churches based on those mens teaching were formed (in those various places). Eventually those chyrches spread by missionaries sent from them. Had the earlier reformers all lived, and were able to convene together to settle each matter of secondary view, then Christianity [aka protestantism] would have one teaching across every church on secondary matters.
Today we have come far since then and right biblical understanding on those matters are known. But many many churches never continued to look into these things and just simply believe what those old grpups taught. Many believers never grow in their faith, andthe pastors [who went to colleges that taught old views] never grow further in their understanding either. They never actually deep dive into Scripture on those topics they just "assume" their church is right only because the church seems to teach the Bible, so they never "move on". But you can loook into these things and you should keep studying Scripture. For others they are at that church because it's the only bible church available to them in the area. This is possible in small towns and areas today (as it was long ago with less people living there). So some options are limited, and the cycle repeats.
So you (and others) are likely misunderstanding the reason Denominations exist; it is because of secondary teaching. So essentials are the basic essentials of what Scripture teaches about salvation. We can fellowship with any church or believer who holds to the truth of what God said on salvation.
Secondary are issues like what is baptism for (salvation or symbolic testimony of what happened to you when you got saved), and end times views (will God save believers from judgment coming to the unsaved on earth, since they are redeemed, or would God who saved his people make them go through that earthly judgment; was the Bible [Revelation] written for illiterate simple people [even back then] to understand it simply, or is it hidden from believers and you have to be super intelligent to grasp it. Would God who wrote the Scriptures so we can understand it all of a sudden write hard to understand things to keep truth from us?).
So a believer needs to start with a belief [some kind of understanding] and grow to a clearer more accurate view [on each secondary matter]. So you start at a church somewhere that teaches the essentials, and move to a diff denom once you grow in understanding Scripture, you find a church that holds to that view....and keep doing that until you have found the view you "hold to" having studied well and landed at - for all those secondary & tertiary views. There you land in that final denomination church.
But Christianity isnt a solo life. It is to be in the community of local believers. So you need to be in a bible church, under their care and guidance, and participate in serving as well as in the commanded ordinances from God (including as a group together partaking of the Lord's Supper).
The below resources will help you understand this better, clearer and deeper, with examples, but note that there are many links in those pages to further help. So... make sure to go back to that original page (link below) and to this page to continue the examination of this topic. To help you return to this page bookmark it now, so you can get back here.
It is important to have a firm grasp on this so you have a way to move forward as you find a solid church and are growing in faith.
*includes a church search section so you can save time avoiding those churches with older inaccurate views on secondary matters.
God bless
