3. Where did denominations come from
In order to understand the origins of the denominations we'll briefly review the history of the church. Christ stated he would build his church in Matthew 16.18 and we see that taking place on the day of Pentecost fifty days after Jesus crucifixion in the first century. On the day of Pentecost the remission of sins in the name of Christ was preached for the first time in Acts 2.
The church experienced a golden period at the beginning but in Acts 7 & 8 we see opposition and persecution rising. Christians left Jerusalem during this time in Acts 8.5 spreading the Gospel and establishing congregations of the Lord's people in other areas. Samaria is the first of these recorded in Acts 8. Acts 13-28 records the spread of the Gospel and establishment of a number of congregations in the gentile world largely as a result of the work of the apostle Paul.
Later in the first century we see error being taught and spreading through the church. Paul mentions forged letters claiming to come from him (2 Thess 2.2). Paul, refuting false teachings about the second coming of Christ, told the Thessalonians that the Lord would not return until there was a "falling away" (2 Thess 2.3). In his second letter to the Thessalonians Paul details this apostasy and it's characteristics.
In the second and third century a number of errors were being accepted as doctrine. During this time the structure of the church was undergoing a change as well. Individual congregations were to be autonomous and overseen by a plurality of bishops, or elders. One of the first changes reduced the number of elders, or bishops in each congregation, and later appointed a single bishop to oversee congregations in a geographical region, establishing the framework for what later became known as a diocese.
In 325 A.D. Constantine, seeking to harness the relative stability of the Christian church to strengthen the Roman empire, called for the bishops to convene a meeting at Nicea to resolve their internal differences. The result of that meeting was the Nicene Creed, the first extrabiblical statement of belief or doctrine. Although the content of the Nicene Creed isn't necessarily unscriptural it set a precedent for church leaders to meet and issue opinions as doctrine that were adopted for the church. Eventually in 606 A.D. Boniface III was accepted as the universal bishop over the church, a position we recognize today as that of the Pope.
The church leaders were intertwined with the Roman government being declared as the official religion of the Roman Empire. After the collapse of the Roman empire proper, the Holy Roman empire, around 800 A.D, consisting of a number of allied states in Europe, continued to control society giving precedence to the Roman church and the office and authority of the Pope.
Unscriptural practices and modifications of doctrine were prevalent in the church as it transformed into the apostate body Paul had spoken of. In 1517, following representatives of the Pope's arrival in Germany to promote the sale of indulgences, or licenses to sin, for the repair of Saint Peter's Basilica, Martin Luther, a German priest, published a list of items he believed should be debated and reformed as being unscriptural. In 152 Pope Leo X responded to these and declared that Luther was teaching heretical ideas. In 1521 the Edict of Worms was issued that condemned Luther, who had been excommunicated earlier that same year, and also condemned anyone that supported him calling for such things as the forfeiture of their property.
In 1529, in Spire, Germany, a meeting was convened to discuss the issues presented in the Edict of Worms. During that gathering a number of individuals met secretly and wrote a letter to the gathered council protesting the attitudes toward Luther and those influenced by him. Pope Leo X opposed the idea of open debate in the church with the statement that people should not think for themselves in matters of religion. The letter was publicized and the term Protestor or Protestant was adopted to describe what was happening. Luther hadn't wanted to abandon the teachings of the church. He only called on church leaders to engage in open debate for the sake of reforming the church. As time went on his followers became identified as Reformers and the existence of the formal protest was added to the term so they became known as the Protestant Reformers.
Although Luther hadn't planned on breaking away from the church, and instructed his followers not to call themselves by his name, his excommunication and subsequent actions by the church made this inevitable. In the end the Lutheran church was established and in 153 published the Augsburg Confession which detailed 28 articles defining their beliefs.
These events opened the door for others to step forward and promote their views and ideas on Christianity. Over the next 150 years a number of churches were established and while not being directly linked to Luther, or the original protestors, were included under the title of the Protestant Reformation movement. Today these bodies are well known in the world of what is regarded as Christian faith and practice. Their history however is one of conflict between the groups marked by persecution and bloodshed. Most of these conflicts were over interpretations of scripture and conflicting ideas of theologians.
Amidst this religious turmoil in the late 1700's and early 1800's individuals in the United States and other countries began to call for unity by abandoning ideas of men that couldn't be supported by scripture. It was proposed that the only source of authority is the New Testament and the work, worship and structure of the church should follow the pattern found in the scriptures. This movement became known as the Restoration Movement which unlike Luther's idea of reforming the existing church, was to restore adherence to New Testament doctrine.