DIVISION AND UNITY
By Pastor Jim May
We live in an age when there are great divisions within the church. I have no doubt that I am considered too liberal by some standards, but then there are others, even more liberal than I, who consider me to be too strict and legalistic. Where do we draw the line, and who is right? That’s a question that no one but God can answer.
I can give you a simple example of how the divisions work.
As you drive along the highway of your city, there are people driving the same speed as your are, there are those who are traveling slower than you are and there are those who are traveling faster than you.
First of all, believe it or not, it is a natural assumption that I am the only one who is right. Of course I am right, after all, I pay my taxes to keep the roads up, my trip is important and I must reach my destination safely and in a timely manner. I have a good driving record. I pay the note on my vehicle and keep it well maintained and I do my best to be a courteous and good driver. Most importantly, I know the laws of the land pertaining to safe operation of a motor vehicle and I do my best to obey all of them most of the time. Because of all of these factors in my favor, I must therefore, be the one who is driving correctly.
Now that I have made this first assumption that I am the only one who is driving in the right manner, then there are two immutable conclusions that I must make.
1)All drivers on the highway that are driving slower than I am are idiots who should speed up or get out of the way because they are causing everyone to have to go too slow. They should be traveling at the same speed as me. After all, I am the only one right.
2)All drivers on the highway that are driving faster than I am are crazy and should slow down. They are obviously speeding and creating dangerous situations for me, the only good driver. Where’s a police officer when you need them? That speeder needs driving lessons so that he can learn to drive right, like me. In fact, everyone should take lessons from me.
Now there is no doubt in your mind, if you are following me, or passing me on the highway, that I fall into one of those two categories that I just named. But what you must realize is that I am the only one right, so by default, that makes you wrong.
That may all seem funny, but if you think about it, that’s exactly how all of us react. Everything and everyone around us is judged in some manner by our own set of rules and personal convictions. All of us tend to build our own set of values based upon personal experiences, training background and the circumstances that we have all through life.
The problem with our value system is that every one of us has different personal experiences, different levels of education and training, and certainly our own personal set of circumstances in life. Because of those differences then, it is easy to see that all of us will have our own personal set of values, but those values can often be based upon incorrect training or wrong decisions.
I said all of that to make this simple point. Not one of us is perfect, and not one of us has all the right answers, no matter how much might assume that we do.
It is this same type of thinking process that brings about the divisions in the church. Those divisions are often referred to as denominations. We are known by our denominational name. If you say that you are Baptist – people will have an understanding of what you believe. If you say that you are a Pentecostal Church of God – people will know what you believe. If you say that you are Apostolic – people will know what you believe. If you say that you are Catholic or Protestant – there will be a basic understanding of your differences in belief. There are a lot of people who don’t want to be associated with any denomination, so they call themselves non-denominational, or inter-denominational, but even then, we know what they stand for so you can’t get away from being judged by your chosen affiliation in the church.
Now I don’t want to say that we should all become one faith, one church, or one inter-denominational religious order. That’s what the devil is attempting to bring about right now and the Bible definitely speaks against such things.
Some “faiths”, if you can call them that, have glaring errors that force anyone who studies and understands the Word of God at all, to place those denominations, and the doctrines they teach, into the category of being heretics and creating false religions. The doctrines they teach are damaging and dangerous. Many souls have gone into eternity without God because man convinced them that they were all right when they never knew the truth of what salvation through the blood of the Jesus Christ meant.
Any faith that denies the Lord Jesus Christ as the Son of God and the Savior of the World is not a part of the church. Any religion that places any other person, place or thing, above the worship of Jesus Christ as God, is a false religion and based upon idolatry. Any religion that denies or takes away from the power of the Blood of Jesus to completely wash away sin without any form of penance, other than repentance for sin and acceptance of forgiveness by faith alone, is a false religion.
These are the very basic doctrines that will make all the difference in whether we can truly be called Christian, and the teachings of those doctrines will have the power to determine where we will spend eternity.
The number one doctrine of the Bible pertaining to being is a Christian is this.
There is only one way to Heaven; one way to be saved; one way to obtain eternal life; and that’s through the Blood of Jesus Christ, in repentance for sin, and then accepting Jesus as the Lord of your life forever. We all know, or at least we should know, that this is the only way, and there is no other.
Paul made this pretty clear in his letter to the church at Ephesus. Ephesians 4:1-7, "I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called, with all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love; Endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. 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. But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ."
Were there differences in the church at Ephesus, Pergamos, Thyatira, Laodicea, Smyrna, Sardis, Philadelphia, Rome, Jerusalem and countless other cities of the early church? Of course there were. If you read chapters 2 and 3 of the Book of the Revelation, you will hear Jesus addressing these very differences. But, they were all a part of the church and inside each of those churches there was error and truth, those who served the Lord and those who did not. Inside each one of those churches, there were true Christians, under whatever name they chose to affiliate themselves, and it was those true Christians, from every church and city who made up what the Bible calls, “The True Church”, or the “Body of Christ”, or the “Bride of Christ”.
I am convinced that there will be some people of all Christian denominations that will be in Heaven. Paul said that unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ. That grace is given in differing amounts to each of us according to our ability to receive it and understand it.
I cannot therefore, say that if a man is a Catholic that he won’t go to Heaven just for being a Catholic. There are some who say that the Catholic faith isn’t even Christian. But I don’t necessarily agree with that because they do teach of the crucifixion and resurrection power of Christ. Sure there are other teachings that I think are wrong, and certainly there will be many who may be led astray because of errors in doctrine, but that doesn’t automatically erase the fact that there are still true Christians within the Catholic church. What grace has Jesus been extended to those who seek the truth and will worship Jesus in spirit and in truth in spite of the erroneous doctrine? Who am I to judge the heart of a man? Who am I to say that Jesus’ love, mercy and grace cannot reach into the heart of a man or woman, no matter what their denominational affiliation. The same would hold true for all denominations that preach that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and the Savior of the World.
I know that not all Catholics will go to Heaven. Neither will all the Pentecostals, nor all Baptists, or Presbyterians, or another other group. None of us has a monopoly on Salvation. Salvation is through faith in Jesus Christ and by His grace, not by our set of doctrinal believes.
I have been in Oneness Pentecostal churches, I have been in Trinitarian Pentecostal churches like our own, and I have been in many other churches as well. Most of them teach a basic doctrine of salvation through the Lord Jesus Christ and that’s where they are all alike. But then there comes the division.
Each of us has developed our own convictions and beliefs concerning the Laws that must be obeyed to live a holy and sanctified life before God. It is in that development of our system of laws pertaining to this “holiness” that we begin to disagree and form division.
Since we believe that salvation comes only through repentance for sin, accepting and believing in Jesus Christ and His blood to save us, then why are we so concerned about a few fine points of the law?
Is salvation based upon receiving the Baptism in the Holy Ghost, as important as it is to receive it? No, it’s not. Nowhere does the scripture say that you must speak in tongues to get to Heaven. You will have an easier time and a more victorious life if you do, but you can go to Heaven without the Baptism in the Holy Ghost with the evidence of speaking in other tongues. You should seek it and you should receive it because He is there for you if you want all that God will give, but not having the Holy Ghost baptism won’t condemn you do hell. There’s one big point of division within the church. Some believe you have to have that in addition to salvation through Jesus’ blood and others don’t. Legalism steps in to cause a division based on what we believe is necessary to be made holy.
Is baptism in water, as given through the example of Jesus himself, necessary for salvation? No, it’s not. Baptism is an outward sign of an inward decision and an inward change. But for baptism to mean anything, salvation must already have come. If you are saved already, then how can baptism save you? Water has no power to cleanse sin and being baptized without repentance for sin, and the cleansing power of the blood of Jesus, is nothing more than good works and the Bible plainly states that we are not saved by works. Baptism in water is very important, as an act of obedience and a way to identify to the world that we have accepted Christ, but it isn’t a part of salvation. There’s a second great division in the church. But doesn’t that division determine who is saved and who is not? No, it only serves to divide the church, because there are true Christians on both sides of this issue who don’t feel comfortable worshipping together because of a legalistic point of doctrine.
There are many doctrinal differences, based upon personal conviction and training of the church, that are dividing factors. Foot washing is something that the church did when I was younger, and some still do it today as an ordinance of their denomination. We don’t do it much anymore. Does that mean we won’t go to Heaven? Some have communion, or the Lord’s Supper at every service while others only observe it a few times a year. Does that make one right and the other wrong? Some believe that once you are saved, you can never lose that salvation no matter how you live, while we believe that you can be saved forever once you accept Christ, but that you can lose your salvation by choosing to disobey God and refusing to live for him.
While believing that you can live any way you want to and still go to Heaven can be a dangerous thing for your eternal soul, does the teaching of that doctrine negate the power of the blood of Jesus to save those who I believe are teaching error? Surely God will bring all of that into judgment and many people will have a lot to answer for, but I cannot condemn every one of them to hell because they teach or believe that doctrine. Only God knows their heart and only He can judge whether they are teaching out of ignorance or willful disobedience. There are many times when I wished I could believe in unconditional eternal security, but I cannot based upon my personal convictions and what I know of God’s Word.
The point is, that all of these denominations, faiths, churches, or whatever you want to call them, still teach and preach and believe that salvation comes through the cleansing power of the Blood of Jesus and repentance for sin. It’s the doctrines that are added to this central point, that bring the differences.
Isn’t it amazing how the devil can take the very Word of God, and use that unchanging, perfect, and absolutely infallible Word of God, through the personal beliefs, personal interpretations, and personal convictions of an imperfect man, and cause God’s own word to bring divisions within the very church that the Word of God is attempting to create and keep until the coming of the Lord!
We should not be surprised at this. After all, that’s the same trick, and the same method, that Satan used to cause man to fall in the Garden from the very beginning. He has found a method that works, so he continues to use it, and we keep on falling into that same trap over and over again.
Do not misinterpret what I am trying to say this morning. I do not believe that we can accept every wind of doctrine that comes across the airwaves. Neither do I believe that we should accept every one who claims to be a Christian upon their word alone.
But we must learn to discern the spirits. We must allow the Holy Spirit inside of each of God’s children to bring us together in unity.
While the church is still strong and still moving on, how much more could we accomplish in winning souls to Jesus if we could just learn to love one another and work together to see God’s Kingdom go forward.
I am convinced that God is not pleased with the divisions and factions within the church. I believe that the church is sick today. It’s sick with a cancer that eats away at its power, life and victory. That cancer is based upon doctrinal differences that really don’t mean anything when it comes to salvation, and salvation is what Jesus is really all about. He came that all men could be saved.
In the beginning of this message I used an illustration concerning driving. I made this statement: I know the laws of the land pertaining to safe operation of a motor vehicle and I do my best to obey all of them most of the time.
Do you see a problem with that? I know the laws, but even with my best efforts I don’t obey them all the time. What does that make me? A law-breaker and fit only to be judged and sentenced by that law that I managed to break.
Let’s remember that when it comes to denominations and divisions within the true church as well.
All of us teach and know the central truth of the gospel. Then we all add our own interpretations, understanding and personal convictions to that central truth to form our own set of doctrinal beliefs. But we can’t all be right can we? For any one of us to say that we have all the right answers and we know more than anyone else is just as foolish as I was to say that I’m the only driver on the highway who is driving right.
If only one denomination is right – the church is very small indeed. I am convinced that God looks down on his church with tears in His eyes sometimes because of our judgmental attitudes toward one another. God is trying to build a “Bride” that He can be proud of, but His “Bride” is constantly engaged in fighting within itself.
Be careful of accepting everything and everyone who names the name of Jesus, but “don’t throw out the baby with the bathwater”. Let the Holy Spirit lead you and learn to accept and work with anyone who is a true Believer, born again by the Holy Spirit, regardless of what denomination they might be associated with.
God’s church will come from all around the world, not just our little corner here in Gonzales. God takes into consideration all of our differences in background, teaching, education, societal mannerism, color, race and creed, and out of all of those differences, He chooses a people for His own. God’s people will come together under one central point – salvation through the Blood of Jesus Christ – to form one Bride and one Body of Christ.
I’m glad I’m a part of that Bride today. I hope and pray to meet many of my brothers and sisters in Christ, from every nation, every Christian denomination, and every corner of the world, at that meeting in the air when Jesus comes to take His church away.
Until that day, let us work together to bring the message of the gospel to a lost and dying world, and let’s not get caught up in spreading division within the Body of Christ.
The final point is this. Are you a part of the Body of Christ right now? Have you repented of your sin, accepted Jesus Christ as the Son of God and the Lord of your life, and allowed the Blood of Jesus to cleanse your sin, by faith? If not, then let this be your personal invitation. Salvation of souls is what we are all about.
