An Intro on Christian Unity, Denominations, and Division

All Scripture quotations are taken from the New American Standard Bible 1995 Ed. (NASB95)

For about 500 years, the question of how Christians work out their differences has been hotly debated. Before that, there was a seemingly unified “church” under the headship of a pope, or at least under the authority of “bishops”. But the Protestant Reformation changed all this by splintering Christians into different sects under different leaders. With the Reformation came the followers of Luther, Zwingli, and later Calvin. Then there was the formation of the Anglican Church under the English king. And since that time many different sects or “denominations” out of the Reformed movement have formed, with their own distinctive beliefs and practices.

We obviously see the confusing mess of denominations today. Any and every man or woman who wants to claim purity in doctrine and lifestyle can start his or her own “church”. Besides these smaller groups, there are of course a multitude of denominations, most claiming that they have the closest grasp on biblical teaching.

With this diversity, there’s obviously a pressing question of whether the body of Christ is divided. This was the question Paul posed to the Corinthian assembly in 1 Corinthians, which had proudly divided itself based on its favorite teachers. And the same happens today. This division is one of the most common arguments more monolithic “churches” level against the legitimacy of Protestant doctrine. It is largely a stain on the testimony of Christ’s body. If there’s so much division, how can these people serve the same God?

The question is not just theoretical, but intensely personal. We must ask ourselves what exactly we base our unity with other professing Christians on. Must they hold to secondary teachings we believe to partner with us in ministry? Would we be comfortable celebrating the Lord’s Supper with a believer from a vastly different tradition?

So that we can rightly discern the righteousness of our viewpoint on this matter, we obviously need to go to Scripture. The question we need to answer is what factors the first Christians based their unity and fellowship on, and how we need to apply their beliefs and example today. It’s only as we’re a united body as Christians, that we can expect to see the greatest works of the Spirit among us and through us. Our unity is essential, as one of the goals of our service on earth is to “attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man” (Eph. 4:13). But without rightly understanding what unites us as Christians in the first place, any increased unity will never be achieved. Paul prefaces this ambitious aim with one of the most succinct summaries of the realities all believers share in Scripture. It’s these realities that must control our thinking about how differing Christians relate to us in our work for the Lord.

The Seven Uniting Realities of God’s Children

The seven experiences all believers have in common provide us with a litmus test for who we can consider servants of Christ, and who we cannot. They also show us the things that we need not divide over, since we all share them through faith in Christ. This is what Paul writes about our singular commonalities:

“There is one body and one Spirit, just as also you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all.” – Eph. 4:4-6

The one thing that is essential to notice in this passage is the singular nature of each of these realities. There is one body; one Spirit; one hope; one Lord; one faith; one baptism; and one God. This shows us that if anyone, or any church, has truly put their faith in the Lord Jesus for God’s forgiveness and eternal life, then they can’t have any basic differences in these seven subjects.

Thankfully, Paul begins with the most practical and convicting reality – there is one body. What is this body? It’s the body of Christ on earth, of course. Paul is clear in several of his letters that all who are in Christ are spiritual extensions of Jesus Himself, and accomplish His will on earth. In other words, Christians on earth are living here on His behalf, as if He was living through us. But it’s not that He manifests Himself through individuals only – it’s through all believers on earth that He’s working to redeem humanity for God. And this truth from Paul means that those in Christ are ultimately and spiritually undivided. There aren’t many bodies of Christ on earth, but only one.

Applied to denominations and sects, this means that any one group of partnering believers can’t claim that it’s the true body of Christ, if there are other Christians outside them. Even more, any denomination can’t think of itself as basically separate from every other group of believers. All those who worship the Lord Jesus through faith in His blood are vitally, essentially, and dependently connected to each other on earth.

Let’s apply this principle to the historical use and practices of denominations and Christian groups who deny the legitimacy of denominations.

The One Body and the Conflict of Bodies

One of the most instructive historical events in the history of the Assembly of Christ is the formation of a Christian movement that rejected denominationalism in the 1800s. This movement happens to be the one from which my local fellowship’s distinctive traditions come. It was most prominently established and promoted in the 1830s by a former Anglican clergyman named John N. Darby.

Having been convinced that there was no biblical basis for the separation of a clergy class, and an “average” laity group in Christ, he gave up his Anglican priest position, and began meeting in believers’ homes for small “services.” They sought to directly apply 1 Corinthians 14’s description of a diverse speaking ministry, as well as the New Testament “one another” commands. This was done by celebrating communion in an intimate setting, with the preparation for it being semi-spontaneous requests for hymns, prayer, and spiritual encouragements. Any of the men could share something during the meeting that was useful for remembering and learning God’s Word, which was accompanied by the Lord’s Supper. They called this “the breaking of bread,” after Acts 2:42’s explanation of the practices to which the first Christians were devoted.

Another distinctive of this group was that they rejected the hierarchical structures and distinctions used by most denominations. They saw no biblical support for groups of believers dividing based on a specific system of doctrine and practice, and then naming themselves with non-biblical titles. Hence, these Christians insisted on calling themselves “Brethren” to distinguish themselves from other groups (from them the so-called “Plymouth Brethren” came). And this is where the rubber meets the road when we seek to live out the truth of the “one body” of Christ. How do we distinguish ourselves from Christians who have different non-essential beliefs and practices? How far do we go in distancing ourselves from them, or partnering with them? What do we think of denominations?

As we think more about Paul’s list of common realities among believers, we’ll explore what constitutes legitimate separation from other believers, and what divisions we’ve unwisely made in the body of Christ. If we understand Scripture’s teaching on these subjects clearly, then we’ll come to a greater appreciation of our oneness in Christ, and the value of appreciating and embracing all who call on the Lord from a pure heart.