“May God, who gives this patience and encouragement, help you live in complete harmony with each other, as is fitting for followers of Christ Jesus. Then all of you can join together with one voice, giving praise and glory to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Romans 15:5-6 NLT
Oh Paul! How could you be so naïve! To think that Christians could ever live “in complete harmony” or “join together with one voice”. But Paul was communicating what the Holy Spirit told him to write. If it was up to our natural abilities, there would be no chance at all of any form of unity between Christians, no matter how limited. But there is a chance that with God encouraging us, we might get there. After all, there will come a time when all Christians will be in total togetherness.
In terms of what unifies us believers, we have the Bible giving us guidance. So we could be forgiven for thinking that the issues clearly delineated in Scripture, such as Christ dying for our sins, must be something all Christians can agree on. This is a fundamental pillar of our faith. But then we get to other issues written in the Bible, such as what God has said about sexuality, and our unity very quickly falls apart. There is the liberal faction that chooses to impose modern societal thinking on Biblical doctrine, or cherry pick the bits that they want to believe in, discarding the rest. And then the traditionalists choose to believe 100% of everything that is written in the Bible, no matter if the truths there are inconvenient in the light of our “enlightened” age. Within some denominations this dichotomy can never be reconciled. And then, added to all this, there are areas in the Bible that seem open to interpretation, such as the Genesis story. Some believe in the literal 7-day creation event, whereas others suggest that a “day” might mean an “age”, of indeterminate time length. So faced with such a plethora of views and beliefs within the Christian faith, how can we be in complete harmony?
For me, the very inviolable essence of Christianity starts with the life and work of Jesus Christ. And that can only be found in the Bible, not in liturgies that have emerged over the past two thousand years or so. His status as the Son of God, His incarnation, sinless life, death and resurrection, and forgiveness of sins through Him, are all fundamental beliefs and any Christian who claims otherwise by emphasis or creed is walking a path away from the unity in the Spirit.
Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 1:10, “I appeal to you, dear brothers and sisters, by the authority of our Lord Jesus Christ, to live in harmony with each other. Let there be no divisions in the church. Rather, be of one mind, united in thought and purpose“. Ephesians 4:3-6, “Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace. For there is one body and one Spirit, just as you have been called to one glorious hope for the future. There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all, in all, and living through all“. And Colossians 3:17, “And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him“.
Romans 15:5-6 in the NKJV gives us a clue. “Now may the God of patience and comfort grant you to be like-minded toward one another, according to Christ Jesus, that you may with one mind and one mouth glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ” (emphasis mine). The Christian movement of which I am a part publishes a Statement of Beliefs, towards which I am a passionate adherent. It is soundly Biblically based and completely sums up the pillars of our faith. There are other movements that believe the same. And so between us we are “like-minded” and living in harmony. We may worship in different churches but at any time we can come together in unity of faith and purpose. Can we be “like-minded” with those in denominations that believe differently? Possibly, but it depends. In my community there is a Christian family who believe that the works of the Holy Spirit died out with the first Apostles. But we both believe in God’s saving grace and all that He did through Jesus. We’re not in “complete harmony” but we can pray together and perhaps God working through His Spirit will square the circle one day.
Father God. Your church is being built and refined as a Bride for Your Son Jesus. It is exciting to be a part of it, and I pray for Your Spirit to lead and guide us in Your ways. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Being a Pilgrim 