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Our Lord Jesus Christ... Who is Theirs and Ours Christians are supposed to be one. Jesus prayed for this before going to the cross (John 17:11, 20-23), and nearly every New Testament book touches this point in one way or another. Yet the situation today is quite the opposite. Christians are terribly divided. Can We Agree? When I was a young Christian, I learned about the Ecumenical Movement. Religious leaders tried to come to common agreements so that they could be one. I laughed. I knew it would never work. The only way that all Christians would be one in this way would be if everyone decided to agree with me, because I would not compromise my correct teaching for anyone. As it turns out, there were many others who felt the same way, even though their correct teaching was different from mine. Oneness based on agreement was doomed to fail. Oneness is Based On Christ Then I learned that oneness was based on Christ. In fact, oneness is Christ. How spiritual! How hopeful! I am of Christ and you are of Christ, so let us be one! It seems so simple. And yet I have seen over time that even this is not so easily worked out. What does it mean to be "of Christ?" How can I tell if you are "of Christ?" Are you "of Christ" enough? Which of us is more "of Christ?" These questions are not new. They were asked very early in Christian history. We read in the New Testament how the church in Corinth developed factions which each claimed "I am of Paul, and I of Apollos, and I of Cephas, and I of Christ." (1 Cor. 1:12) Because of this, Paul diagnosed that they had strifes among them (v. 11). Those who claimed to be of Paul, Apollos, or Cephas were no doubt short of vision. They overly appreciated those from whom they had received help. It is proper to appreciate those who are our spiritual fathers. But, as we all recognize by the Apostle Paul's help, our spiritual father in no way makes us special, and does not set us above those who came in through some other source. I Am Of Christ! It is those who claimed to be "of Christ" that are the most troubling, because it was true: they were of Christ. But in this we begin to see what it really means to be one. Is it possible for some believers to be more "of Christ" than others? If someone claims to be "of Paul," is he therefore less "of Christ?" Are there degrees of being "of Christ?" Paul asks the same questions this way: "Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized into the name of Paul?" (v. 13) The answer to all these questions is emphatically NO! Just because a confused man wrongly claims to be a dog, he is no less a man than someone who realizes his humanity. And just because another knows he is a man, he is not more of a man than the first. By life, they are both men. There are not degrees on man-ness, and there are not degrees of being "of Christ." A Oneness Scale? There is a great danger that we will start to measure others using some kind of "oneness scale." How one must someone be before we receive him? How can we prove our oneness? Should we warn others about someone who is not "one enough?" Eventually, if we are not vigilant, we will redefine oneness to be agreement with us about whatever we feel to be important. Oneness will then mean "one with us," because we will have made ourselves the embodiment of being "of Christ." We will then have returned to the doomed Ecumenical Movement. How strange it is that Christians can divide over oneness. We need our minds renewed that we may not think more highly of ourselves than we ought to think. We need to be sober minded, realizing that God has apportioned to each a measure of faith. (Romans 12:2-3) The Proper Attitude The proper attitude that we should all have was expressed by Paul in 1 Corinthians 1:2 where he says, "Our Lord Jesus Christ. . . Who is theirs and ours." If some seem to take a different way, claiming to be "of" something or someone else, our attitude must remain, "Our Lord Jesus Christ. . . Who is theirs and ours." When it comes to oneness, we must be most concerned about ourselves. Rather than ask if my brother is one with me, I must ask if I am one with my brother. What Would This Look Like? Many Christians hold doctrinal views different from mine. Some enjoy practices I have either given up or am reluctant to try. Others have clear consciences concerning activities that trouble me. No one is exactly like me. Rather than hold any of these differences as a litmus test for fellowship, I must be generous. This person is my brother! As long as there is no heresy or sin involved, there is still plenty of room for open fellowship and the mutual experience of Christ. Does this mean that I give up what the Lord has shown me? Not at all. I still hold dearly every truth and practice that I feel is from God and can help my growth in life. I may even fellowship these matters with others hoping to give them the same blessing I have received. But I must allow my brothers in Christ the same freedom. I do not insist, and I never let these differences become barriers to fellowship nor let them lessen the brotherly love between us. I of course hope my brothers in Christ will be equally generous with me. No Test There is no oneness test that I can apply to another believer. There is only one that I can apply to myself. We are already one because of the common life we each received at the moment of our regeneration. We are one not because we agree, but because we are each joined to the same Lord. At least with me, that must be enough.
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