Christian Unity

Philippians 2:1-2 (ESV)
¹  So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, ²  complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind.

Philippians we should be of the same mind, same love, and in full accord.  There are two facets to this.  The first is how do we differentiate between the ones who are of the same mind and love and those who aren’t?  The second is the fact many in the church will have nothing to do with brothers and sisters with differing views.

How do we know who is “of the same mind?”  In my current series of blog posts, we’re looking at some of the basic Christian doctrines we can use to test if someone or some organization is Christian or not.  Things like accepting Jesus Christ as Lord of your life and His bodily resurrection are good tests for an individual to gauge if they are a believer.  According to Romans 10:9, those are the required qualifications.

To tell if an organization is Christian we can add two more tests, does the group believe in the trinity as accepted by the church as a whole, and do they believe salvation comes through grace alone?  Those four doctrines are primary tests for an organization that presents itself as Christian.

But, what about all the other teachings in the Bible besides Jesus’ deity and resurrection?  It’s true the Bible teaches lots of things, hell, water baptism, Jesus’ virgin birth, the inspiration of the Bible.  What about those? 

While those are important, they are not essential for salvation.  As I mentioned earlier, a Christian is someone holding a belief in the Lordship of Christ in their life and in His bodily resurrection.   

A quote that’s been attributed to almost every church leader since Luther goes like this: “In essentials, unity.  In non-essentials, liberty, and in all things charity.”  I think that’s a great rule to live by in our discussions with other Christians and even with non-believers.

When I talk with people with whom I disagree, I have to admit I get a little hot under the collar at times.  The flesh grabs ne, and I have to pause and regain my composure.  Self-control, after all, is one of the fruit of the spirit.  I often put that fruit to the test. Thinking of what Paul said in 2 Timothy helps:

2 Timothy 2:24-26 (ESV)
 And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil, correcting his opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth, and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, after being captured by him to do his will.

Why is this important?

We need to keep our composure when discussing our faith no matter with whom.  Years ago my wife and I visited the Los Angeles County Fair.  The International Bible Students,  had a booth there to recruit folks into their organization.  They’re a spin off group of Jehovah’s Witnesses that left when their founder died and new leadership took over.

I stopped to talk with them and share the gospel.  While we deeply disagreed on essential doctrines, God kept me calm and reasonable to the point that the person I was speaking with asked others in the booth to join us.  “He’s not yelling at us!” she said which made me ashamed this had been their experience with other Christians.  My demeanor made it possible to hold their attention, and we had a wonderful time.  Most importantly, I was given the opportunity to share the gospel.  Peace often can open doors.

I belonged to a Baptist church that stopped supporting a missionary when they learned she spoke in tongues.  Was the missionary a Christian?  Most definitely!  Was she doing God’s work?  Of course she was.  Stopping her support was the wrong thing to do. Brotherhood and sisterhood aren’t just words.  They’re important in the church.  We’re a family.  I sometimes think the Holy Spirit’s most difficult task is not to bring non-believers out of darkness but to bring us Christians. 

1 John 2:9-11 (ESV)
Whoever says he is in the light and hates his brother is still in darkness.  Whoever loves his brother abides in the light, and in him there is no cause for stumbling.  But whoever hates his brother is in the darkness and walks in the darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes.