clcgh.org Building The Capacity Of Christian Leaders, Equipping The Saints For The Work Of Ministry, Redirecting Straying Christians To The Sound Knowledge Of Christ
God has one Church on earth called the body of Christ. It is not called the bodies of Christ. The Lord Jesus purposed to build one united Church (Matthew 16:18).
The earliest apostles of Christ were not ignorant about the concept of the oneness and unity of the Church of Christ. Paul and other ministers desired that disciples of Jesus everywhere in the world would be united and be one, drawing attention to the oneness of nearly everything about the faith.
“There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call— one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all” (Ephesians 4:4-6).
You see, the disciples of Christ are expected to be united in one body, one Spirit, one hope, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, and above all one God and Father.
It is said that people stand and achieve a common purpose when they are together, but they fall and fail when they are divided. The Christian denominational churches around the world today appear to be united when viewed from afar, but they are divided when viewed closely.
God does not want His Church which can be said to be a colony of His Kingdom on earth to suffer the consequences of schism. Several passages of Scripture emphasize the need for unity of the Church.
In His High Priestly prayer for His chosen disciples, Jesus said: “...Holy Father, keep them in your name, which you have given me, that they may be one, even as we are one. (John 17:11).
It appears Christ foresaw that divisions would creep into His Church, resulting from various factors, including doctrinal conflicts, disagreements, socio-cultural and political differences and introduction of extra-biblical traditions.
Christ desired and prayed that His disciples might be one, yet divisions characterized the Church, especially an earliest local church in Corinth. Unhappy about the disunity, Paul wrote to the church in an attempt to address it.
“I appeal to you, brothers, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same judgment…What I mean is that each one of you says, “I follow Paul,” or “I follow Apollos,” or “I follow Cephas,” or “I follow Christ.” Is Christ divided?” (1 Corinthians 1:10-12).
Disunity resulting from favouritism, conflicting interest, disagreement and other factors is unhealthy for the advancement of the gospel of Christ. Unity is the way. It is what identifies a true maturing Church of Christ.
Such was the story of the members of the earliest Church who “were of one heart and soul, and no one said that any of the things that belonged to him was his own, but they had everything in common” (Acts 4:32).
In the next articles, we will focus on understanding Christian denomination and the causes of denominational divisions in the Christian Church, highlighting both historical and current factors.
By James Quansah
