Comments on: My Concern for Unity in the Body of Christ http://thesealed.com/blog/my-concern-for-unity-in-the-body-of-christ/ The Lord Is Coming Soon, It's Not Time To Waste Sun, 28 Sep 2008 05:11:25 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1.2 By: nick http://thesealed.com/blog/my-concern-for-unity-in-the-body-of-christ/#comment-211 nick Sun, 28 Sep 2008 05:11:25 +0000 http://thesealed.com/blog/?p=69#comment-211 All in all, well said. Unity is The Lord's will for his church. Factions and a party-spirit (seditions, variance, strife etc) (Galatians 5:19) are works of the flesh. This comes naturally to man. Just observe children on the playground. Add to that all the theological disagreements in 2000 years of church history and you have the mess that were in today. Unity has to be a supernatural work. When a Christian walks by the Spirit he desires to be at one with his brothers in Christ. "How good it is for the brethren to dwell together in unity." (Psalm 133:1) With maturity comes the understanding necessary to see yourself as part of the universal body of the Christ. The "fathers" are they that have come to "know him who is from the beginning." (1 John 2:13) Unity has to be a choice. Christ wills it: we must therefore will it. We must choose to put aside doctrinal differences, even some rather significant ones, nevermind the "doubtful disputations" (Romans 14:1) that have profited no one. Since "as many as receive him gave he power to become sons of God" (John 1:12), who am I to break fellowship with any one who names the name of Jesus as Savior? Divisions have arisen out of different interpretations of Scripture. It is amazing enough that Christians nearly universally agree on the Bible, which books are canonical, its inspiration, etc. The Bible, its existence and acceptance, are evidence of the work of the Holy Spirit. There are however divisions that Christ ordained to be. Out of the seed that falls upon the good ground, fruit comes forth "thirty, sixty, or a hundredfold" (Mark 4:8). We are unified in that we are of the good ground, but we are divided in that there are three different levels of maturity and productivity. Ist John speaks of the "little children, " 'the young men" and "the fathers." This three-fold division is found in many scriptures in the New Testament. Consider Romans 12:2: "the good, the acceptable, and the perfect" will of God. Likewise the pattern of tabernacle and the temple in the Old Testament display a three part division--the outer court, the middle (the holy place), and the holy of holies. There are three feasts required to be celebrated at Jerusalem--Passover, Pentecost, and Tabernacles. Though there is "one Lord, one faith, one baptism" (Ephesians 4:5), John the Baptist spoke of three "baptisms," saying: "I baptize you with water, but one is coming after me who... will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire." (Luke 3:16) God Himself is three in one. It is possible that God allows or even wills some of the divisions in the body that we see today. One denomination or another may be zealous for truths that others ignore. Nevertheless, the overarching umbrella of faith covers all who believe in Jesus Christ, however simple or developed their individual faith may be. All in all, well said. Unity is The Lord’s will for his church. Factions and a party-spirit (seditions, variance, strife etc) (Galatians 5:19) are works of the flesh. This comes naturally to man. Just observe children on the playground. Add to that all the theological disagreements in 2000 years of church history and you have the mess that were in today.

Unity has to be a supernatural work. When a Christian walks by the Spirit he desires to be at one with his brothers in Christ. “How good it is for the brethren to dwell together in unity.” (Psalm 133:1)

With maturity comes the understanding necessary to see yourself as part of the universal body of the Christ. The “fathers” are they that have come to “know him who is from the beginning.” (1 John 2:13)

Unity has to be a choice. Christ wills it: we must therefore will it. We must choose to put aside doctrinal differences, even some rather significant ones, nevermind the “doubtful disputations” (Romans 14:1) that have profited no one.

Since “as many as receive him gave he power to become sons of God” (John 1:12), who am I to break fellowship with any one who names the name of Jesus as Savior?

Divisions have arisen out of different interpretations of Scripture. It is amazing enough that Christians nearly universally agree on the Bible, which books are canonical, its inspiration, etc. The Bible, its existence and acceptance, are evidence of the work of the Holy Spirit.

There are however divisions that Christ ordained to be. Out of the seed that falls upon the good ground, fruit comes forth “thirty, sixty, or a hundredfold” (Mark 4:8). We are unified in that we are of the good ground, but we are divided in that there are three different levels of maturity and productivity. Ist John speaks of the “little children, ” ‘the young men” and “the fathers.” This three-fold division is found in many scriptures in the New Testament. Consider Romans 12:2: “the good, the acceptable, and the perfect” will of God. Likewise the pattern of tabernacle and the temple in the Old Testament display a three part division–the outer court, the middle (the holy place), and the holy of holies. There are three feasts required to be celebrated at Jerusalem–Passover, Pentecost, and Tabernacles.

Though there is “one Lord, one faith, one baptism” (Ephesians 4:5), John the Baptist spoke of three “baptisms,” saying: “I baptize you with water, but one is coming after me who… will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.” (Luke 3:16)

God Himself is three in one. It is possible that God allows or even wills some of the divisions in the body that we see today. One denomination or another may be zealous for truths that others ignore. Nevertheless, the overarching umbrella of faith covers all who believe in Jesus Christ, however simple or developed their individual faith may be.

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