unity in Christ

[bobnsandy]

While I am in no way asking anyone to fellowship with false Christians, here is what a friend of mine wrote:
I Corinthians 1:10b "But that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment."

Driven by the Truth
Let me ask you a question: Is there anybody that God loves that you don't? Is there anybody that loves God that doesn't love you? Truthfully, one or both may be the case this morning, and the reason more than likely boils down to personality.

The Apostle Paul was trying to deal with the problem of disunity in the Corinthian church. Is baptism right for a believer? Yes, it is. Is baptism a good thing? Yes, it is. But these Corinthian believers were divided, angry, and bothered; and this contention stemmed from the fact that some claimed, "I am of Paul," while others were "of Apollos" or "Cephas"-and the very pious-sounding crowd claimed, "I am of Christ." (verse 12)

Paul's aim in verse 10 is unity. He says by inspiration, "Now I beseech you, brethren . . . that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment." The same call is ringing for us today: those of us who are "brethren"-who are part of God's family through Jesus Christ-should be of one mind and pulling together in the same direction.
These brethren in Corinth were allowing personalites (specifically, the personalities of Paul, Apollos, and Peter) to divide their church. It's still true that the cause of Christ will suffer if you allow personalities to divide and sow discord. The appeal of I Corinthians chapter 1 is for unity-"perfectly joined together."

Where do most problems come from? So often, conflicts and divisions are personality-driven, whether it is your personality or the one who greatly influenced you. However, our unity should be driven by the truth. Variety is God's idea, and that includes personalities. But whether personalities are a weakness or strength depends on your flesh or God's Spirit.

Christ is not divided. Paul did not die for your sins-God's Only Son did. Let unity this morning be driven by the truth, and may God help us to be on the lookout for ways to be "perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment."

 

[DrRay777]

Nice post and I agree wholeheartedly. It will happen some day, but unfortunately it will take much tribulation to hone the church into what God has set it forth to be.

Be blessed,

Dr. Ray

 

[Chaplain]

bobnsandy,
First I wish to say welcome to the board on behalf of Chaplains Rose and myself.
Second, I like your Bonnie Blue Flag as an icon. Do you know the history and the uses of this Flag? If so PM me or if not PM me and I can give you that info if you wish.

Now to your post.
Speaking on behalf of my self and I believe for others as well, Unity in Spirit, understanding Gods word and Unity in support for each other are things I believe we strive to have here at BF. Yes, we all come from various denominational backgrounds ( Rose and I are Baptist, Southern Baptist that is :lol: ) and we all have our own personal understanding of scripture....... BUT........that does not prevent us from having friendly discussions of same for there are none here who are perfect and there are none here who knows all as Christ did / does. Thus we have our discussions and share with each other in order for us ALL to grow in our knowledge and understanding of Gods word. By doing so, we individually can and should grow in our own personal relationship with the Father. We also strive to be of help in various ways to bring better understanding of what the Word has to say about Biblical marriage, thus giving us a better understanding so that we may go forth and share with others as opportunity presents it's self and as a means to better our own marriages / relationships and to prepare those of us who are living or who are seeking to live in a plural family. Yes, at times, our personalities do get the best of us here and thankfully there are those who step in and request that we take a "time out" on an issue so that there is NO disunity in the Spirit.

 

[Tlaloc]

Amen.

The poly perspective (at least my prospective) takes a leaf out of observations on interwife jealousy. Every wife should have a special and unique relationship with her husband just like every believer should have a special and unique relationship with Christ. When one women wants a better relationship than another and rivalry ensues the whole family suffers, the husband most of all. When Christian churches want to say they have the one true picture and relationship with Christ to the exclusion of the others then there is no room for harmony (Of course I'm talking about true denominations, there are many harlots that want to claim to be part of Christ when he has nothing to do with them, like you said, no one is talking about fellowship with false Christians).

Of course we should all work at better relationships with Christ, but to want more than someone else per se is covetous, and that is sin. We want more for ourselves and more for others, not more for ourselves than others.