It is pretty safe to say that Christianity is under attack in the world today. Atheism is spreading, and atheists are becoming louder. One would think that Christians would ban together and fight back. This isn't the time to turn the other cheek, this is the time to overthrow some tables (Matt 21:12), but that's not what's happening. Instead, Christians are not fighting back. We're not even banning together.
I can't even begin to name all of the different denominations and divisions among Christians today. It seems like anytime there is a tiny disagreement between two Christians, there is a new church established. In America today, only 60% of people claim to go to church on Sundays. That 60% should be doing everything that it could to be reaching out to the other 40%, but it's not. Instead, that 60% is too busy fighting amongst one another.
Is this what Jesus had in mind when he established his church? Certainly not. The bible only tells us of ONE church. Ephesians 3:21 says, "To him be the glory in the church by Christ Jesus." In Matthew 16:18 Jesus says, referring to Peter, "Upon this rock I will build MY CHURCH." Ephesians 4:4 says "There is one body, and one Spirit, even as also you were called in one hope of your calling." What does the writer mean by "one body"? Well, let's take a look at Ephesians 1:21-22 which says, "And He put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church, which is his body". His body is the church. So if there is only one body, there can only be one church.
So if the bible states that there is only one church, why are there so many different churches? Why is there so much disagreement? Why can nobody agree about what the bible says? It's because so many people aren't reading their bibles! The Gallup polling organization surveyed many U.S. citizens and asked them some basic bible questions. Six out of ten did not know who gave the Sermon on the Mount. Fifty percent could not name the four gospels. Less than fifty percent could name Genesis as the first book of the bible. Eighty percent believed that the bible says, "God helps those who help themselves." And twelve percent of those polled thought Joan of Arc was Noah's wife. (Kyle Butt, A Matter of Fact). Is there really any wonder why there is such disagreement about the bible? It's like were all arguing over the rules to a board game instead of just reading the rule book.
The bible makes it very clear that there is only one church. Obviously that church should be the one of the bible. So what do we do now? We need to come together as one. Paul told the Philippians to be of the same mind, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind (Phi 2:2). And who should we look to as our leader? Jesus Christ. Ephesians 5:23 says, "Christ is the head of the church, and he is the savior of the body." When asked about the most important matter of the law, Jesus said that we were to love our God with all of heart, and treat our neighbor as we would like to be treated. I'm afraid that as we sit here and bicker back and forth with one another, we're missing the whole point.
-Colton Scott
I hear where you are coming from, but Eph 2 says that the "one" body is made up of Jews and Gentiles. The one body in Ephesians 4 is that same body mentioned in Ephesians 2. Paul is not saying in Ephesians that there are multiple groups out there claiming to be churches and that you have to some how figure out out which one is the right one. He is not saying there is one true church among a bunch of false ones. It is not an exclusive statement. Actually, Paul is saying to the Ephesians, a group of Jews and Gentiles, that you are acting like there are two bodies, as in Jew and Gentile, and that there is in reality only "one". You think there are two bodies, but in reality there is only one body. The one church are those who have access to God by Jesus through the Spirit, according to Ephesians 2. It is not a plea to be exclusive, it actually just the opposite. It is a plea to be inclusive. This is a big difference. So maybe you should read your Bible a bit more instead of accusing other folks of not reading theirs?
ReplyDeleteThank you very much for the comment. Although, I have to say, I don't know exactly what point you are trying to make. Are you saying that we should be divided? That Jesus meant for his church to be split up in all kinds of groups? What verse in the bible brings you to that conclusion? Where do we find denominations in the bible? My only point was that we should all be of one mind, just like Paul tells us in Philippians. I also believe that we should do everything we do according to what the bible says. And I don't mean to accuse or judge anyone of not reading their bibles, but when 60% of Americans can't name who gave the Sermon on the Mount, well I think that kind of speaks for itself. But I could be wrong. It wouldn't be the first time, nor the last. So if you have any verses that would contradict anything I said, please post them on here so I can check them out. And you're absolutely right about one thing. I do need to read my bible a bit more. I think it's safe to assume that we all do. Thank you very much for taking the time to read our article. I hope you have a blessed day.
ReplyDeleteIn His Love, Colton