Receiving One Another
by Brian Brodersen
In the seventh verse of the fifteenth chapter of Romans, Paul says, “Receive [or accept or welcome] one another … to the glory of God.” Christian unity glorifies God! Remember the prayer of Jesus in John 17:20–21? “I pray … for those who will believe in Me … that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent me.”
Since Christian unity glorifies God, and Christian unity testifies to the truth of the gospel, Satan is always looking to cause division; and Christians seem to go along with his efforts more often than not. My church is better than your church; my denomination is better than your denomination; my pastor is better than your pastor; my Bible version is better than your Bible version; our doctrine is purer than your doctrine, etc. These are sadly the sentiments of many believers toward their fellow Christians. The long history of the church has been filled with infighting and division, mostly over non-essential doctrinal issues and varying methodologies of ministry.
There have been divisions over baptizing methods; those who believe in dunking can have no fellowship with those who sprinkle. There have been divisions over methods of evangelism. Some say that giving an invitation to come forward is manipulation and gives a false sense of hope to people who might not really be saved; therefore, we cannot work with those who give that type of invitation. Some say the “sinner’s prayer” isn’t found in the Bible, so it’s wrong to lead people in that prayer, and we will not participate in such a thing. Some say that a particular evangelist doesn’t really preach the gospel because he doesn’t emphasize sin enough, so we won’t support his outreaches. There seems to be no end to the things that we Christians can come up with over which to divide. Then there are the hot topics like speaking in tongues, the rapture of the church, God’s sovereignty and man’s responsibility, and on it goes, with believers dividing against one another depending on one’s view of these non-essential issues.
There are also opinions about ministry methods that often divide Christian leaders. We warn people from our pulpits to beware of this or that church down the street, creating suspicion in people’s minds about the legitimacy of a particular ministry and teaching them to be suspect of Christians who don’t do things the way we do at our church. This is reality, it’s tragic, and it’s wrong. We are judging God’s servants, yet we justify it by claiming that we are being discerning. How do I know this is happening? Because I have been guilty of it on numerous occasions in the past and have had to repent of it, as the Lord has not only convicted me but also proven me wrong in my evaluation many times over. How did that happen, you might ask? Well, I started meeting good, godly, solidly converted people who got saved and were members of some of those congregations. Whoops. Sorry, Lord, for dissing Your people!
Now, I’m not one of those who is crying for unity at all costs, nor am I minimizing the importance of sound doctrine or suggesting that we seek unity at the expense of truth. But what I am saying is that too many times we are overemphasizing minor, non-essential doctrinal issues rather than looking to come together with other brothers and sisters around the major and essential doctrines of the faith.
When evaluating other ministries and church leaders, we should not be questioning whether they are Baptist or Pentecostal or Presbyterian or Anglican or Charismatic or Methodist or Calvary Chapel or Purpose-Driven or Seeker Sensitive or whatever other network or category there might be.
Here are the issues we should be concerned about: Do they believe in One God who is Triune in nature: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit? Do they believe that God the Son was born of a virgin and took upon Himself human nature for the primary purpose of dying in the place of sinners, that He did die in our stead and through that death provided our redemption, that He then bodily rose again from the dead the third day?
Do they believe that He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father and He will come again in glory to establish God’s everlasting kingdom? Do they teach that no one can be saved apart from personal faith in Him, that the Bible is the inspired, infallible, eternal Word of God, without error in all that it teaches and the final authority for faith and practice among Christians? Anyone who believes these things is your brother or sister and a member of God’s family and beloved by the Father, regardless of whatever other banner he or she might rally under. So to criticize, judge, and slander them is to grieve the Holy Spirit, promote division (which God hates, see Proverbs 6:19), and detract from the witness of the church. This kind of behavior blinds people to the love of God and the power of the gospel.
Will we ever get beyond this? Let’s hope so. We cannot change the past, but we can determine to have a different future, and it begins with taking the Word of God to heart and no longer judging one another. For after all, “Who are you to judge another’s servant? To his own master he stands or falls. Indeed, he will be made to stand, for God is able to make him stand” (Romans 14:4).
