When speaking of Christianity, many ask, “What denomination do you belong to?” How do you answer such a question? Do you simply say you are a member of the church of Christ? Or do you explain the church of the Bible was non-denominational, and you are striving to simply follow the New Testament pattern? Or do you explain disunity and division was condemned in the New Testament? These and various other answers should depend upon who is asking the question, and why the inquiry is asked.
In answering the question, “Is the church of Christ a denomination,” we must understand that God has a plan for unity. In the beautiful prayer of Jesus in John 17, Jesus prayed, “And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee. Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are” (verse 11).
It was and is Jesus’ desire that His followers — Christians — be one. Since He prayed for our unity, then Jesus must expect us to strive to be one, and since He expects us to be one, then we can be sure He provided a way for us to be one. That way is the New Testament of Jesus Christ! If every person who calls himself a Christian would put away his selfish pride and man-made doctrines and simply follow the New Testament pattern, all division would be eliminated. What causes division is not the Bible, but personal opinions and doctrines of men which are elevated above the Divine plan of God.
In this light, think about the words of Paul, the apostle. In 1 Corinthians 1:10-13, Paul writes, “Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment. For it hath been declared unto me of you, my brethren, by them which are of the house of Chloe, that there are contentions among you. Now this I say, that every one of you saith, I am of Paul; and I of Apollos; and I of Cephas; and I of Christ. Is Christ divided? was Paul crucified for you? or were ye baptized in the name of Paul?”
Just two chapters later, Paul told the Corinthian Christians they were not spiritual but carnal because of the division that existed within the church (3:1-3). Thus, true unity is a sign of being spiritual minded.
What do we mean by “true unity.” True unity is not union. Many within the religious world claim they are striving for unity but in reality they are striving for union. True unity is found in the exhortation of Paul as he writes to the church at Philippi: “Fulfill ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind” (Phil. 2:2). Notice the number of ways unity is emphasized: likeminded, same love, one accord, one mind. Unlike such unity, many religionists want to agree to disagree.
There is no likemindedness within such an idea. I will think as I want, and you think as you like, but we will agree anyway. There is not the same love for God, brethren, and the lost within this self-contradicting thought. Though there is a shadow of being of one accord, the reality of such is completely and totally absent. Amos’ question is certainly fitting, “Can two walk together, except they be agreed?” (Amos 3:3).
Paul outlines for us the Divine standard of unity. In Ephesians 4:4-6, we read, “There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; One Lord, one faith, one baptism, One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.” Certainly these are not the only things that pertain to unity, but they are a good place to start.
The one body is the church (Ephesians 1:22-23). How many churches are there? There is only one which belongs to Christ, though there are numerous churches which belong to men.
The one Spirit is the Holy Spirit who inspired holy men to write words by which we can be saved (2 Peter 1:20,21; Acts 11:14).
The one hope is man’s only true hope which is in Christ Jesus and which reaches beyond the grave (1 Corinthians 15:19).
The one Lord is Jesus, the Christ, the one faith is the faith taught within the New Testament (Rom. 10:17). And the one God is God, the Father.
Besides the outline of the Divine standard of unity, when Jesus prayed, He disclosed the standard of unity. Jesus prayed, “Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth” (John 17:17). The standard of unity is the Bible—God’s word. Those who have the courage to allow God to set them apart from the world by keeping His word will enjoy true unity with God, His Son, His Spirit, and His children in the heavenly abode.
Thus, we call all men to the Bible. Read it, study it, and accept it for it alone can bring us to Jesus, “the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him” (Hebrew 5:9).This item originally appeared in Gospel Preceptor, January 2002
