The Unity of the Church

Matthew 16:16-18 tells us how Jesus prophesied to establish His Church and how this Church would be indestructible by the forces of evil.  Even before I became a student of the Word of God, I knew that there was something awkwardly strange about all the religious division found in this nation today.  There are hundreds of religious bodies, with all different decrees and all claim to use the same Bible as their personal standard of worship and belief. My thoughts on this subject became even more comprehensible when I applied everyday logic to this equation.  As a veteran, I recalled the standard for Drill and Ceremonies in the Army to be Field Manual 22-5.   This book was the standard of all movement in the entire Army.  Now, I realize that as you read this article you may be wondering what does this have to do with anything. 

Well, here is the point.  If you wanted to know how to accurately lead a squad of soldiers into a unison column of movement, you would need to research Field Manual 22-5 and in this manual you would learn that in order to get this squad into unison, column movement, you would have to say “forward, march!”  What makes this even more compelling is the wide and absolute gamut this directive carries.  You see, I don’t care where you are: Fort Bragg, NC, Fort Hood, TX, Fort Campbell, KY, Fort Drum, NY, Fort Polk, LA, or any other location occupied by the United States Army, if you want to get a squad of soldiers into a unison column of movement, you MUST say, “forward, march!”  And the reason why this is the case, is because there is only one manual that teaches this movement, and if all heed to the one book, they will all perform in the same manner!    Therefore, common evaluation leads us to believe that all of the division in the religious world, demands that there has to be a deviation from the book. 

Paul told the Corinthians in 1 Corinthians 1:10, “I appeal to you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another so that there may be no divisions among you and that you may be perfectly united in mind and thought.”(NIV)  This unity of mind demanded that there be integrity in Biblical interpretation and teaching (cf. 2 Timothy 2:15).  And if not, Paul says in Galatians 1:6-8, “(6) I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you by the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel—(7) which is really no gospel at all. Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ. (8) But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let him be eternally condemned!”(NIV)  Therefore, we affirm that religious division is not only a production of religious perversion, but it’s also condemned by God (cf. Galatians 5:19-21; “factions”).  God’s desire is for His Body to be One, the way He intended (cf. Ephesians 4:4-6).

Kevin D. Jones, Sr.
Minister
Eastland Church of Christ