“There is one body and one Spirit – just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call – one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.” Ephesians 4:4-6
In my thirty-one years, I have been a part of or attended countless denominations within the Christian church, each distinct in its own way. Some differ in their expressions of worship, some in their style of teaching, and some in their theology and interpretation of Scripture. A great divide exists within the body of Christ today, for reasons as large as whom Jesus Christ is defined to be and for reasons as small as the preferring of pews over chairs in the worship center. This vastly unbelieving world takes one look at Protestantism and by and large shakes their heads in disbelief. How is it that we have strayed so far from unity? How is it that the church has created more divides than built bridges? When we find ourselves scratching our own heads in wonder and disbelief over the current state of the church, our default and our first stop must be God’s Word. It is the lamp unto our feet and the light to our paths. And it speaks to even this.
Again, the backdrop for Paul’s letter to the Ephesians is the reality of false teachers in their midsts. Therefore, he spent the first half of the letter reminding them of solid, theological truths that would propel them into obedient living. The point he emphasized for them two thousands years ago and for us today is this: Unity. It is absolutely essential for us to believe that even though we live in a very conflicted world when it comes to faith, unity within the body of Christ is not only possible, but it is our mandate.
The essential problem that is the common denominator in all of our sin is pride. Pride creeps into the hearts of even the most devout believers and lies to us repeatedly, causing us to believe that we have the authority to redefine unity. In so doing, we have stepped out from under the authority of God’s Word on the matter because Scripture has already shown us how to live unified within the church. Here in Ephesians 4:4-6, Paul outlines this for us by using the Trinity as our model for unity: The Holy Spirit in verse four, the Son in verse five, and God the Father in verse six. Although each person of the Trinity is unique in their role, they stand completely unified in every area: one body, one hope, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God. Likewise, we should follow suit.
The church at large has different functions as well. Without straying from the message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ in any way, each church should seek to meet the needs of their demographic and reach their community. There will always be non-negotiables when it comes to faith in Jesus Christ (for example: one way, one truth, one life), but I believe we err when we throw stones at those whose expression of their beliefs differ from our own. If we, as the body of Christ, stopped looking at the church down the street as our competition but rather as our teammate, perhaps unity would begin to define us more. If we began to pray for an outpouring of the Holy Spirit, the same Spirit that dwells in every believer upon conversion, to fall on every church in our community, state, country, and world, perhaps unity would begin to define us more. If we began to preach with our lives that there is one God and only one way to Him instead of bowing down to tolerance and the need to be politically correct, perhaps unity would begin to define us more. And if we, as the body of Christ, stopped looking to the things of this world to provide us with hope and security and rather remembered that we have been given One Hope in Christ which is all that we need, perhaps unity would begin to define us more.
To the believers who find themselves conflicted over the constant divides within the body of Christ, remember this: Our final authority on all matters in this life should always come from God’s Word and not man’s. Strive for unity. Look to the Father, the Son, and the Spirit as your model for unity. And remember this: If we are in Christ, we are one in Him.
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