Eternity Daily Bible Study No. 241

[The Life In Christ series – Ephesians 1-3 is now available to download as a single zip file at:
http://www.aibi.ph/eternity/  Download link near top of page.  Filename: Life_in_Christ.zip (92KB) ]

Living In Christ – 2

THE BASIS OF CHRISTIAN UNITY

( To subscribe just send a blank email to: eternity-dbs-subscribe@strategicnetwork.org )

Ephesians 4:4-6
(4)  There is one body and one Spirit, even as you are called in one hope of your calling,
(5)  one Lord, one faith, one baptism,
(6)  one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in you all.

All born-again Christians share a basic existential unity in the Spirit. The foundations of our life in Christ are the same for all - and are invariant through time and culture.

Though we may belong to different churches, denominations and organizations we are a part of “one body” the body of Christ.

Even though we may express ourselves in a hundred different ways - we are indwelt by the one Holy Spirit. 

Even though we may have different tasks - we all have one common hope in the return of the Lord Jesus Christ and one common calling - to be like Christ.

Even though we may have diverse teachers and leaders we only have one Lord – Jesus Christ.

Even though we may believe differently about certain non-essential matters there is only one faith – in the crucified, risen, ascended and soon returning Lord Jesus Christ.

While our theology may vary, there is only one God that we are trying to describe and know, and He is the God and Father of us all.

And all born-again Christians relate to God in the same three basic ways – He is above us all, through us all and in us all - binding us together as one in Himself.

So outwardly and organizationally we are diverse, but in the Spirit and in Christ, we are one.

The spiritual unity manifests itself in times of persecution, then we do not care so much whether someone is a Baptist or a Pentecostal or an Anglican but only that they are a true believer in the Lord. 

Now we tend to sing the same songs and study the same theological text-books and visit the same Internet sites and work for the same inter-denominational missions. In fact I used to lecture at both a Baptist and an Assemblies of God seminary. I took similar teaching in both, taught out of the same texts and the Baptists thought I was a great Baptist and the Pentecostals thought I was one of them! But both thought each other’s seminary was plain wrong! While in fact they were getting much the same lessons!

We are much closer than we think!  Both Baptists and Pentecostals believe in being Spirit-filled in the sense of Ephesians 5:18, both believe in spiritual warfare, both believe in the Trinity, the necessity of conversion, believer’s baptism - and so forth. There is much more that unites us than that which divides us.

Since this is so, then we ought to put differences aside and forbear one another in love. 

Lets do some “maths”: If each of us has 85% of our theology “correct” that still leaves 15% each that is debatable or a maximum of 30% difference where two parties are involved. They can be 85% right and we can be 85% right and still there be substantial differences. Now we have to learn to live with those differences - as long as they do not affect the core doctrines about Christ.

No-one can deny fundamental doctrines such as the incarnation, the divinity of Jesus, the crucifixion, the resurrection and the physical return of Christ without stepping outside of the Christian faith and fellowship. 

There can be no spiritual unity with false teachers, cults or other religions. 

But there can be great spiritual unity between born-again, bible-believing Christians whether they are Baptist, Methodist, Presbyterian, Anglican, Pentecostal or Charismatic. In fact there is more unity between born-again people of different denominations than between born-again and unsaved people within a single denomination. 

We all have unsaved people in our pews, and some of those have been there a long time, while they may be part of our local church, they are not part of the body of Christ.

The body of Christ is made up of those who have Christ in their hearts through faith and it transcends denominational and organizational boundaries.

There are born-again, bible-believing Catholics, Orthodox, Protestant and Charismatic Christians. These are all part of the body of Christ. Thus no single church can claim ownership of the gospel or to be the sole dispenser of the grace of God.

Thus we should seek unity with and develop tolerance and acceptance of other born-again, bible-believing Christians - and enter into a gracious dialogue with them over areas of difference. 

On the other hand heretics, liberal theologians, false teachers and other religions are not “brethren” and their rituals and  teaching may in fact be demonic (1 Corinthians 10:20,21, 1 Timothy 4:1) in their teaching. They are to be firmly corrected in all meekness, once or twice, then left alone. (1 Timothy 6:5,  2 Timothy 2:25).

We should be in the unity that builds up the body of Christ and yet separated from all lies and wickedness so that we may walk in righteousness and truth.

This balance between unity and separation is captured in the epistle to the Hebrews: Hebrews 12:14 (14)  Follow after peace with all men, and the sanctification without which no man shall see the Lord:

We are to pursue peace with all men, Buddhists, Hindus and Muslims, yet in this pursuit of peace and unity we are never to compromise our essential holiness, without which we cannot see God.

Blessings,

John Edmiston <johned@aibi.ph>

Were you blessed by Eternity Daily Bible Study?  To subscribe just send 
a blank email to: eternity-dbs-subscribe@strategicnetwork.org

Visit the Eternity Daily Bible Study Archives - 
http://www.aibi.ph/eternity/ 

Study at the Asian Internet Bible Institute- Free online non-formal, 
in-service, bible and ministry training: http://www.aibi.ph 

This ministry is supported by donations from those who have been blessed. To donate online go to: http://www.aibi.ph/aibi/donate.htm