Quote:
Originally Posted by Koinonia
No, they are a part of the church in that city.
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Only if they give themselves a name. That's why they say the church in X is not their name but their description.
Allow me to point something out to you.
The word denominate means "to call" or "to name". Look it up:
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/denominate
A denomination, is a group of people who have named themselves as something other than just Christian, and a group of Christians (a church), which does the same. On this basis, we do not fit that category, we are not a denomination.
Paul, was against what Christians said, not who they followed. 1 Corinthians 3:4 says "when one says.." 1 Corinthians 1:12 says "one of you says...". Paul is writing to all the believers in the city of Corinth and telling them not to say they follow him, and not even to say "I follow Christ". In Paul's mind, the church was in unity despite everyone following different ministers, as long as they did not call themselves by their favorite minister's names. He never said stop following me and follow Silas instead, or stop following Silas and start following me. He cared about what they said and what names they took, that is why we care about that as well.