I have done a lot of thinking recently about the desire of Jesus Christ for us to be one with Him as He is one with the Father. In John 17:11, 21 - 23 He says:
11 And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee. Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are.
21 That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.
22 And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one:
23 I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me.
An essential part of this oneness is the love that Jesus Christ said His disciples should have one for another, even for their enemies. In John 13:34 - 35 He says:
34 A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.
35 By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.
43 ¶ Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy.44 But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;45 That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.46 For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same?47 And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so?48 Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.
The second thought is how anyone who reads these words of the Saviour can think that Jesus Christ was not quite clear in His mind regarding His being the Son of God, that He was one with His Father, but that His Father was not one entity with Him other than as a perfectly harmonious team of two individuals - exactly what He challenged us the be with each other. As I express this thought, I realise that the second thought is really one thought with the first thought...
Despite His commandment to love, and His prayer for oneness, Christians are terribly divided, even at war with each other. As we read in the 1820s, there were divisions, they were contending with each other, resulting in "a scene of great confusion" and "bad feeling ensued—priest contending against priest, and convert against convert; so that all their good feelings one for another, if they ever had any, were entirely lost in a strife of words and a contest about opinions." I grew up hearing about the war in Ireland where Catholics and Protestants were fully at war, killing each other. Although this may have been a political rather than a religious conflict, there was distinct division between people that was fueled by religious belief.
As I drive around Cape Town where I live, I see so many different churches, not just the normal denominations mentioned above - Methodists, Presbyterians, Baptist, Catholics, Protestants, but all sorts of names of what almost seem to be franchises, almost commercialising Christianity. In about the 1960s I heard mention of about 3500 Christian denominations, and this number has multiplied greatly since then.
It appears that there are in excess of 2.5 billion Christians in 2019, comprising the world's largest religious group. This source also mentions that there are approximately 41 thousand Christian denominations and organisations. They also mention that, although there are many Denominations, there should be One Body of Christ
There are many denominations, but one body of Christ. Ideally, the church on earth — the body of Christ — would be universally united in doctrine and organization. However, departures from Scripture in doctrine, revivals, reformations, and various spiritual movements have forced believers to form distinct and separate bodies.
Every believer today would benefit from reflecting on this sentiment found in Foundations of Pentecostal Theology: "Denominations may have been God's way of preserving revival and missionary fervor. The members of denominational churches, however, must keep in mind that the Church which is the Body of Christ is composed of all true believers, and that true believers must be united in spirit to carry forward the Gospel of Christ in the world, for all will be caught up together at the Coming of the Lord. That local churches should band together for fellowship and missions is certainly a Bible truth."
And yet, I do not see one body in Christ, but what seems to me to be competition and argument. I have experienced this from many people who have contended hotly with me when I quote what Jesus Christ teaches and it does not agree with their beliefs, for example, what I have cited above about the Father and the Son being distinct from each other although perfectly united in heart and mind.
I got to thinking about the Jews and Muslims who also follow the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob - the people of the book - and I researched these religions and do not find as much divisiveness among them.
There are about 14.7 million Jews around the world, and it seems as though there are less than 100 movements, denominations, varieties, traditions, groupings, streams, branches, trends and such among the Jews.
There are apparently over 2 billion Muslims worldwide and there are less than about 60 sects or branches among Muslims.
Why would it be that the Christians who have such a direct command to love one another and to be one should be comparatively more divided than the Jews or Muslims? I have not compared the other religions, basically one of which is monotheist, and the others polytheist. There may be divisions among them, but it seems to me that Christianity exemplifies the opposite of unity rather than the epitome of unity. This saddens me - and I am sure that it saddens Heavenly Father. I very much doubt that it saddens Lucifer who I am confident is the one who sows the seeds of disunity. I remember something that my parents very often quoted - I suppose that, just maybe, they thought that their children demonstrated too much contention...
29 For verily, verily I say unto you, he that hath the spirit of contention is not of me, but is of the devil, who is the father of contention, and he stirreth up the hearts of men to contend with anger, one with another.
30 Behold, this is not my doctrine, to stir up the hearts of men with anger, one against another; but this is my doctrine, that such things should be done away.
Christ then proceeds to define His doctrine that hinges on the prefect unity between the Father, His son Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost, and describes how they are one. He explains that we should build on that doctrine and repent and become as little children and enter and continue on the covenant path.
This brings me back to the 17th chapter of John where Christ Himself says that "this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent". I believe that a lot of the disunity and contention arises from disagreement about the nature of the Godhead - certainly that has been where a lot of people have attacked my beliefs.
I am very grateful for the witness that I have received from the Spirit that has affirmed my belief in God the Eternal Father, and in His Son, Jesus Christ, and in the Holy Ghost. I have come to love all men, regardless of the differences that there may be between us, I love them, appreciate them, and respect them. Those differences, as distinct as they may be, contribute to the strength of what we can accomplish as we work in synergy rather than in competition. Those differences do not necessarily imply right or wrong, superior or inferior, good or bad. A friend of mine said that Heaven would be very boring if we were all the same! I happily reassured her that 'equal' does not mean 'the same'... We are different with different talents, interests, passions, types and temperaments. I love that I saw on coins growing up in South Africa the motto Unity Is Strength, as on our previous Coat of Arms "Ex Unitate Vire" and on our current Coat of Arms "!ke e: /xarra //ke" that means "diverse people unite".
My humble prayer is that I might help to bring unity rather than division within my own life, family, community, and wherever I can within the circle of my influence. I pray that I may have "a godly walk and conversation", with "works and faith agreeable to the holy scriptures - walking in holiness before the Lord" - as is the duty of members after they are received by baptism.
I thought that I would share this on YouTube as well...
