“This will continue until we all come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God’s Son that we will be mature in the Lord, measuring up to the full and complete standard of Christ. (Ephesians 6:14 NLT)
What do you believe about God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit, the Bible, the Church, the world, sin, and on and on it goes. Do you realize that with very few exceptions, foundationally, our belief system is rooted in the beliefs held by our families of origin. That’s true about religion, politics, health care, personal habits, cleanliness, and much more.
Do you floss your teeth? Do you have a rug by the door for people to wipe their feet? Do you ask people to take off their shoes when they enter your house? How do you vote? Do you attend church? Where? What brand of car do you drive? Do you drink coffee? These and hundreds of other similar questions can be asked about the person you are today.
From where are the answers to most of these questions derived? Usually from our families of origin. And the irony is, we rarely, if ever, question them unless and until they’re challenged. What do you believe about end times? Eternal security? The Rapture? The Millennium? The Holy Spirit? Speaking in Tongues? Again, the list is long of the things we fight about in the Church.
Most of the foundational principles upon which we build our lives aren’t taught, they’re “caught.” We’re not taught what to believe, we’re indoctrinated into the belief systems of our family and close friends. And the tragedy is, we rarely question them, we simply continue to live in environments that support “our” views.
Even as believers we go to schools and read books that reinforce what we “believe” is right. And that’s all well and good if you’re in a Bible-based, genuinely Christian home structure. But what if you’re not? What if you grow up believing things that aren’t even Biblical, but are actually anti-Biblical? What if you come to Christ late in life and you’re ignorant of what the Bible teaches? What if there isn’t a “brand” of Christian church in the area where you now live?
What’s my point? Unity, regardless of what area of life, living, or belief you’re seeking to unify, must be based on common beliefs, whether it’s unifying teachers in a school, agencies in a government, or people in a church or denomination. And historically, we’d rather fight than unite, or ignore the whole subject.
Cole Brown wrote: “The basis of unity is not similarity. The basis of unity is Christ.” The word translated “unity” in the verse above means “agreement.” And honestly, it’s hard to get agreement even, perhaps especially, about Jesus. So, what’s the answer?
In this season of my life, the most important measure of unity I seek is with Jesus, my wife, and my own heart. To me, it’s vitally important that I know what I believe about Jesus, because thereon is built the life I now live. And where do I get the instructions about Jesus that will unify my heart and life? My blog articles, of course! NO! I’m joking! Careful study of the Bible is the basis of my conclusions about Jesus.
Who He is, what He came to do, what He taught and didn’t teach, how He lived and how He desires me to live? Do I have to believe exactly like everyone in my spiritual family? Not in every detail, but I believe it’s important that we have consensus on the major points of doctrine, leading to the major thrusts of the church of which I’m a part.
Let’s look at this from a little different angle in tomorrow’s post.
Blessings, Ed 😊
Walking With Jesus 