Lesson 8-16 Christian Unity! Is it Possible? Part 1 Divisions

Our number one desire for these Bible lessons are for them to be understandable, defendable, and for the Holy Spirit to bear witness that the conclusions are the true and correct interpretation of the Holy Scriptures.

Guidelines for our Bible studies on this website:

1. We treat the living words of the living God as spoken by the Lord Jesus and given to the Apostle Paul for the Body of Christ the same importance, as the words of the Lord Jesus recorded in red letters in the books of Matthew – Acts Chp. 8, as what should be known as the instructions to the nation Israel.   
2. We will not be wresting the scriptures against each other, we will look at the verses in their context, and will not try to make the scriptures say anything, but what they say.
3. We will be using the verses out of the Authorized Version, commonly known as the KJV. It is fine if you want to look the verses up in other translations if you like, but we will consider the Authorized Version as our final written authority.
4. We do not and will not use the Greek, Hebrew, Aramaic, or Latin languages to prove any points, or give any indication that the Authorized Version has been incorrectly translated.

I would like to start this study with a quote I found which I believe fairly states the problem of today’s divided Christian faith. 

“The Downside of Christian Denominations:”

“There seems to be at least two major problems with denominationalism. First, nowhere in Scripture is there a mandate for denominationalism; to the contrary the mandate is for union and connectivity. Thus, the second problem is that history tells us that denominationalism is the result of, or caused by, conflict and confrontation which leads to division and separation.”

Jesus told us that a house divided against itself cannot stand. This general principle can and should be applied to the church.

Mark.3 [24] And if a kingdom be divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. [25] And if a house be divided against itself, that house cannot stand. [26] And if Satan rise up against himself, and be divided, he cannot stand, but hath an end.

According to Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, there were roughly 43,000 Christian denominations worldwide in 2012. That is up from 500 in 1800 and 39,000 in 2008 and this number is expected to grow to 55,000 by 2025.

As you can see from the numbers Christians are doing a poor job of keeping unity or being unified as taught by Paul, the apostle to the Gentiles.

Any honest Christian should be able to see what is going on in the Christian faith and understand what Satan is doing! He has never changed his modus operandi (a usual way of doing something; especially: the usual way that a particular criminal performs a crime) in the garden of Eden, Satan twisted and added to the words of God. He deceived Eve and then conquered Adam putting them both under the curse of Death!

2Cor.2 [11] Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices. (devices: plans, schemes, or tricks with a particular aim) Satan’s plan is the destruction of God’s people and God’s plan, it’s that simple!

We will continue to use the principle (a fundamental truth or proposition that serves as the foundation for a system of belief or behavior or for a chain of reasoning) that we learned in previous lessons of the Bible, and that is believers in every dispensation are to memorize, study and search the scriptures daily to discern truth from error.

As we look at the subject “Christian Unity! Is It Possible?” notice where we go to find the answers to the questions in our studies, we go to God’s Holy Word. For the instructions to the Body of Christ we go to Paul’s epistles, who is the Apostle commissioned by the Lord Jesus to go the Gentiles.

Eph.4 [3] Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. [13] Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:

Rom.12 [4] For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office: [5] So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another.

1Cor.10 [17] For we being many are one bread, and one body: for we are all partakers of that one bread.

Eph.4 [2] With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love; [4] There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; [5] One Lord, one faith, one baptism, [6] One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.

The word unity is only use three times in the entire Bible, once in the Old Testament and twice in the New Testament by Paul. (unity: the state of being in full agreement: the quality or state of being made one:   unification)

Paul also used the word “one” (one: constituting a unified entity of two or more components: being in agreement or union) a total of 195 times in his epistles when speaking to the Body of Christ. I believe this indicates how important Paul believed it was for Christians to be unified in the Body of Christ.

Rom.12 [4] For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office: [5] So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another.

1Cor.12 [12] For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ. [13] For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit. [14] For the body is not one member, but many.

Eph.3 [1] For this cause I Paul, the prisoner of Jesus Christ for you Gentiles, [2] If ye have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which is given me to youward: [3] How that by revelation he made known unto me the mystery; (as I wrote afore in few words, [4] Whereby, when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ) [5] Which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit; [6] That the Gentiles should be fellowheirs, and of the same body, and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel: [7] Whereof I was made a minister, according to the gift of the grace of God given unto me by the effectual working of his power.

Eph.5 [23] For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body. [24] Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in everything.

Col.1 [18] And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence.

Col.1 [24] Who now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his body's sake, which is the church: [25] Whereof I am made a minister, according to the dispensation of God which is given to me for you, to fulfil the word of God; [26] Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints:

I would like define the term “the body of Christ” so that as we go forward we are all speaking the same thing. Unless otherwise noted, when I use the term the body of Christ I mean the Christian Church made up of saved believers, as used in the Pauline epistles.  In the verses above I believe this definition clearly supports that the church of this dispensation, or time period, is identified as “the body of Christ”.

Also you do not find the terms or descriptions for the body of Christ outside of the Pauline epistles because it was nonexistent prior to the conversion of the apostle Paul who considered himself to be the first person in the body of Christ.

1Tim.1 [15] This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief. [16] Howbeit for this cause I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might shew forth all longsuffering, for a pattern to them which should hereafter believe on him to life everlasting.

Now with all that being said when Paul spoke of the spiritual body of Christ, he spoke of it in the same way we speak of our physical body as being one body but having many members.

1Cor.12 [13] For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit. [14] For the body is not one member, but many.

The apostle Paul continued in 1Cor. 12 verses 15-31 to use physical parts of the human body, eyes, ears, hands, feet, and head to teach us a principle about how the spiritual body of Christ should function.

1Cor.12 [14] For the body is not one member, but many. [15] If the foot shall say, Because I am not the hand, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body? [16] And if the ear shall say, Because I am not the eye, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body? [17] If the whole body were an eye, where were the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where were the smelling? [18] But now hath God set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased him. [19] And if they were all one member, where were the body? [20] But now are they many members, yet but one body. [21] And the eye cannot say unto the hand, I have no need of thee: nor again the head to the feet, I have no need of you. [22] Nay, much more those members of the body, which seem to be more feeble, are necessary: [23] And those members of the body, which we think to be less honourable, upon these we bestow more abundant honour; and our uncomely parts have more abundant comeliness. [24] For our comely parts have no need: but God hath tempered the body together, having given more abundant honour to that part which lacked: [25] That there should be no schism in the body; but that the members should have the same care one for another. [26] And whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it; or one member be honoured, all the members rejoice with it. [27] Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular.

So what we learn from the verses above is that we as Christians have different roles, functions, and responsibilities in the body of Christ, but we are all one in Christ. Paul says there should be no schism in the body. (schism:  a division among the members of a group that occurs because they disagree on something) We will be studying the verses about the body in 1st Cor. 12 in further detail in the next lesson.

For example we just finished a seven-part series on Baptism, where we proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that the misapplication of water baptism is one of the most divisive doctrines of the Christian faith. When we know and understand truth, we can use the truth to build-up the body of Christ up and repair the divisions.

As we seek to answer the question “Is it Possible for Christian Unity” we will look at the issues that cause most of the divisions in the Body of Christ and seek to find a way to influence our readers to help unify the Christians they are in fellowship with.

All the confusion among Christianity/Christians today can be attributed to the simple fact that the church, the Body of Christ, does not recognize the separate, distinct, and unique apostleship, ministry, and message of the apostle Paul as given to him by the Lord Jesus.

If you fail to understand, or fail to learn how to rightly divide the word of truth, you can never come to the knowledge of the truth, and sound doctrine.

Romans 10 [8] But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach; [9] That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. [10] For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

The words of our Apostle Paul, the Apostle to the Gentiles!

2Tim.2 [15] Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

Come join with us as we study God’s Holy Word!

Remember most unsound Bible Doctrine, is sound Bible Doctrine misapplied to the wrong time period, or wrong group of people.

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