Last month we looked at the essentials of our faith that unite us with Jesus Christ and all those who belong to Him. Christ’s body, His universal Church, has never been divided, of course. One day all the members of His body will be reunited around Him. But in this in-between stage that we call the Church Age, we see little evidence of our unity, and we have few opportunities to connect with Christians outside of our local church. We’re all “divided up” in our various expressions of the Christian faith, which within the Protestant tradition are called denominations. At last count, there were over 40,000 denominations across the globe!

Most often, these denominations formed around “minor” doctrine, non-essential teachings from Scripture. Sometimes the groups were started as a protest against current practices or perceived corruption (like during the Reformation). Other times, the motivation was to highlight something in Scripture the founders believed was being neglected. As humans, our tendency is to gather in groups that look and think like us, so we naturally seek out Christians who share our spiritual beliefs, values, and worship style. Such compatibility makes us feel safer and more comfortable.

But what would we do if we couldn’t find such affinity groups? In many parts of the world, Christians don’t have the choices in Christian affiliation that we in the West do. They must be willing to swallow their “preferred” way of practicing their faith to join with other believers who don’t share anything in common with them EXCEPT their loyalty and commitment to Jesus. Hopefully, for all of us, that would be enough for Christian fellowship. In Ephesians 4:4 Paul writes, “There is one body and one Spirit, one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.”

Nearly every Christian denomination will affirm this scriptural truth from Paul, but sadly some congregations don’t live it out. They get puffed up and judgmental towards other groups because they think they have a deeper understanding of Scripture, new insights about prophecy, or a better way of doing church. When this attitude develops, the Holy Spirit is grieved and our testimony to the world suffers. Paul scolded the Christians in Corinth for “following” different leaders within the church. The development of these cliques led to jealousy and quarreling, creating division within the body of Christ. Paul calls such divisive believers “infants in Christ” and reminds them where their loyalty belongs—to Christ Jesus, not His servants. For Jesus is “our righteousness, holiness and redemption. Therefore … ‘Let him who boasts boast in the Lord.’” (See 1 Corinthians 1:10-31; 3:1-9.)

Many years ago, when Tony and I were transitioning out of a church struggling with these kinds of divided loyalties, we attended a worship service in another town. Listening to the song sung that day, an old hymn entitled “The Church’s One Foundation,” I wept as I thought about how the Lord sees our divisions, carnality, and puffed-up egos. I was especially touched by the third verse of the song, which talks about the Church being ripped apart by enemies from within. Both Tony and I made a heart commitment that day, pledging that we would do everything we could from that point on to preserve the unity of the Lord’s body, to encourage understanding and dialogue between various groups of born-again Christians, and to work in any church that honors Jesus and affirms His way of life.

Since that day we’ve worked with at least 19 different denominational groups, where we’ve enjoyed fellowship with Christians who don’t always agree on minor doctrines but are united in their love for Christ. Here are the lyrics to that old hymn, which summarizes the good news of the Gospel.

1. The Church’s one foundation is Jesus Christ her Lord; she is his new creation by water and the word. From heaven He came and sought her to be His holy bride; with His own blood He bought her and for her life He died.
2. Elect from every nation, yet one o’er all the earth; her charter of salvation, one Lord, one faith, one birth; one holy Name she blesses, partakes one holy food, and to one hope she presses with every grace endued.
3. Though with a scornful wonder men see her sore oppressed, by schisms rent asunder, by heresies distressed; yet saints their watch are keeping, their cry goes up “how long?” and soon the night of weeping shall be the morn of song.
4. Mid toil and tribulation, and tumult of her war she waits the consummation of peace forevermore; till with the vision glorious her longing eyes are blessed and the great Church victorious shall be the Church at rest. (Lyrics by Samuel J. Stone, 1866)

It’s not that the biblical issues that separate one denomination from another are not worth looking into and discussing. They are just not important enough to sacrifice our unity in Christ for. They are NOT “hills to die on.”

In chapters 13 through 15 of Romans, Paul addresses some “disputable matters” that Christians in his day did not agree on. Some thought it was sinful to eat meat sacrificed to idols; others didn’t see it that way. Some regarded one day as more sacred than another; others saw all days the same. Today, we might disagree about appropriate spiritual roles for men and women, which translation of the Bible is best, what dressing “modestly” means in our current culture, how often and in what way we should take communion, whether to baptize infants, how to baptize new believers, etc. I could go on and on.

Here’s how Paul told us to handle such debatable issues. In Romans 14 he instructs Christians (who have the Holy Spirit dwelling in them for guidance) to first pray about it, and then follow their own conscience, keeping these things in mind: “Each of us will give an account of ourselves to God. Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in the way of a brother or sister.” While free to make their own choice, they needed to consider how their behavior would impact other Christians. “One person’s faith allows them to eat anything, but another … eats only vegetables. The one who eats everything must not treat with contempt the one who does not, and the one who does not eat everything must not judge the one who does, for God has accepted them” (vv. 1­-3). What was most important wasn’t their stance on the issue itself, but their attitude towards other members of Christ’s body. “Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification” (Romans 14:19).

Lord Jesus, thank you for bringing me into your diverse and worldwide body of believers who love you. While I know I must never compromise the essential truths of my faith, help me to see disputable areas as opportunities to show grace to those who disagree with me. Instill in me a desire to preserve and promote the unity of your Church. May I never be responsible for dividing it over nonessentials or treating other believers with contempt! I know that if I love YOU, I am called to also love those WHO BELONG to you (1 John 4:20). So make me a blessing in your family today, Lord. Amen.