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John 17, NASB
If our objective from this point forward is Christian unity on a board where just a small portion of the world's 40,000 denominations are represented, then we need to agree, I believe, on what Christian unity actually is, according to the Bible.
Jesus spoke of it four times in just three verses, during His High Priestly Prayer in the Upper Room the night before His crucifixion. To provide context, I've quoted the two verses leading up to them as well.
Quite simply, I don't believe Christian unity is organizational, nor is it external. What it is, is the shared life we have in Jesus Christ. We are not going to look alike or sound alike. At my church, we wear shorts and tee-shirts in the summer. The church down the street wouldn't dream of showing up dressed so casually. But that has nothing to do with unity in Christ. Anyone besides me remember the Jesus Movement of the 60s? All the "hippies" cut off their beards and put on starched white shirts and narrow ties, emulating Witness Lee, their inspirational leader. They even gestured and talked like him. Bizarre? Yes, abit, and it still having nothing to do with Christian unity.
Denominationally, we will never be unified because we have differing worship styles. Among brothers and sisters in Christ, we will see those who follow differing important but non-salvic, or non-essential doctrines. I do believe all of us should agree on the essentials: The inspiration and authority of Scripture; the Trinity; the full deity and humanity of Jesus Christ; His substitutionary death on the cross; His bodily resurrection; His bodily second coming; and, salvation by grace through faith alone, apart from works.
The important doctrines upon which we can differ, I believe, would include end-times prophecy, Calvin vs. Arminius, baptism, roles of men and women in the church and home, church governance, acceptance or rejection of psychology, creation, and (this is going to floor a lot of you) charismatic gifts. There is a lot of room for disagreement but we can still accept each other as brothers and sisters despite those disagreements.
What I would classify as "interesting but non-essential matters" -- they wouldn't even rise to the doctrinal level -- would be interpretive issues with difficult passages, the preferred Bible version, and discussions of specific biblical passages such as: "Who are the sons of God in Genesis 6?" "When does/did the Ezekiel 38 battle take place?" "Did Christ descend into hell?"
It is important for us to know what level of teaching we are discussing before throwing ourselves into battle. In fact, nothing should become "a battle." Arguing is a monumental waste of time. On a lot of these issues, people simply aren't going to budge, and why should they, unless it is an essential salvation issue? And even in that, arguing is counterproductive.
All we can do is, with the grace of God Almighty and His strength granting us gentleness and humility, present our beliefs. From this point forward, I fully intend to do just that. If others engage in lower and base behaviors in getting their point across, I will disengage with them. It just isn't worth it to create division anymore. Never was. I won't be an agent of it from now on.
God bless you all.
If our objective from this point forward is Christian unity on a board where just a small portion of the world's 40,000 denominations are represented, then we need to agree, I believe, on what Christian unity actually is, according to the Bible.
Jesus spoke of it four times in just three verses, during His High Priestly Prayer in the Upper Room the night before His crucifixion. To provide context, I've quoted the two verses leading up to them as well.
19 "For their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they themselves also may be sanctified in truth.
20 "I do not ask on behalf of these alone, but for those also who believe in Me through their word;
21 that they may all be one; even as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be in Us, so that the world may believe that You sent Me.
22 "The glory which You have given Me I have given to them, that they may be one, just as We are one;
23 I in them and You in Me, that they may be perfected in unity, so that the world may know that You sent Me, and loved them, even as You have loved Me."
20 "I do not ask on behalf of these alone, but for those also who believe in Me through their word;
21 that they may all be one; even as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be in Us, so that the world may believe that You sent Me.
22 "The glory which You have given Me I have given to them, that they may be one, just as We are one;
23 I in them and You in Me, that they may be perfected in unity, so that the world may know that You sent Me, and loved them, even as You have loved Me."
Quite simply, I don't believe Christian unity is organizational, nor is it external. What it is, is the shared life we have in Jesus Christ. We are not going to look alike or sound alike. At my church, we wear shorts and tee-shirts in the summer. The church down the street wouldn't dream of showing up dressed so casually. But that has nothing to do with unity in Christ. Anyone besides me remember the Jesus Movement of the 60s? All the "hippies" cut off their beards and put on starched white shirts and narrow ties, emulating Witness Lee, their inspirational leader. They even gestured and talked like him. Bizarre? Yes, abit, and it still having nothing to do with Christian unity.
Denominationally, we will never be unified because we have differing worship styles. Among brothers and sisters in Christ, we will see those who follow differing important but non-salvic, or non-essential doctrines. I do believe all of us should agree on the essentials: The inspiration and authority of Scripture; the Trinity; the full deity and humanity of Jesus Christ; His substitutionary death on the cross; His bodily resurrection; His bodily second coming; and, salvation by grace through faith alone, apart from works.
The important doctrines upon which we can differ, I believe, would include end-times prophecy, Calvin vs. Arminius, baptism, roles of men and women in the church and home, church governance, acceptance or rejection of psychology, creation, and (this is going to floor a lot of you) charismatic gifts. There is a lot of room for disagreement but we can still accept each other as brothers and sisters despite those disagreements.
What I would classify as "interesting but non-essential matters" -- they wouldn't even rise to the doctrinal level -- would be interpretive issues with difficult passages, the preferred Bible version, and discussions of specific biblical passages such as: "Who are the sons of God in Genesis 6?" "When does/did the Ezekiel 38 battle take place?" "Did Christ descend into hell?"
It is important for us to know what level of teaching we are discussing before throwing ourselves into battle. In fact, nothing should become "a battle." Arguing is a monumental waste of time. On a lot of these issues, people simply aren't going to budge, and why should they, unless it is an essential salvation issue? And even in that, arguing is counterproductive.
All we can do is, with the grace of God Almighty and His strength granting us gentleness and humility, present our beliefs. From this point forward, I fully intend to do just that. If others engage in lower and base behaviors in getting their point across, I will disengage with them. It just isn't worth it to create division anymore. Never was. I won't be an agent of it from now on.
God bless you all.
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