New Hope Christian Church, 4/12/26
What is the difference between Christianity and all other religions? There are several differences, but at its very core, inherent in its nature, Biblical Christianity is not a religion but rather a relationship. One of the reasons Christians do not appreciate, enjoy, and give their ultimate allegiance to their faith is that we do not understand how awesome this relationship is. “One in Christ” is not just a nice phrase but rather sums up an awesome relationship that begins with God, in all three Persons, and then expands into a relationship with all other believers (disciples or followers of Jesus, that is, Biblical Christians). Christian unity as taught in Scripture reveals that awesome relationship. The apostle John, in his first letter, declares the primary message of the early church: “That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched—this we proclaim concerning the Word of life” (1:1-2). Not only did the life appear, as the apostles of Jesus had seen Him and testified to Him, but they proclaimed in Him “the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us” (1:2). The purpose of this proclamation was that we also may have fellowship with them. “And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. We write this to make our joy complete” (1:3-4).
As we examine this awesome relationship, we discover three layers described in the New Testament.
Unity in the Spirit
In the first layer of this awesome relationship every immersed (baptized), penitent, believer in Christ shares a common bond with all other such persons, in fellowship with the Holy Spirit. In 1 Corinthians 6:17 this unity is described as being united with the Lord, “one with him in spirit” (in contrast to being one in the flesh with a prostitute, 6:16). Being one in Christ is described in 1:9 as fellowship, that is, sharing a common life (koinonia) with Christ. This relationship is described as being one in the Spirit in 12:13, “For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink.” (A more correct translation in this context would be “in one Spirit” [ASV, RSV], for the Greek preposition en, following “baptism” always refers to what one is baptized in, such as water, fire, or the Spirit, never to the one doing the baptism).
This unity in the Spirit is also referred to as one in Christ: “You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3:26-28). It was the death of Christ that made this unity possible, beginning with His breaking down the barrier between Jew and Gentile (Ephesians 2:17-22):
He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit. Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God’s people and members of God’s household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.
This unity procured by the death of Christ is therefore made evident by the indwelling presence of the Spirit of Christ.
Therefore, there is only one church, as exemplified in the apostle Paul’s regret over his attempt to destroy the whole church, not the “churches”: “For you have heard of my previous way of life in Judaism, how intensely I persecuted the church of God and tried to destroy it” (Galatians 1:13).(By the way, there was no other all-out effort to destroy the whole church in the first century, although there were localized efforts by Emperors Nero and Domitian, as well as the Jewish persecutions in much smaller geographic areas.)
This first layer of unity is a given, not something to be achieved or maintained by Christians. All who have the Spirit of Christ are one in Him, even though we too often do not act like it. Unfortunately, this given unity, which cannot be broken, is not the case in the next two levels of Christian unity.
Congregational Unity
The second layer of this awesome relationship is the unity that we share together in a local congregation. These persons gather together in local churches, working together to spread the gospel in their respective geographic areas. During their first missionary journey, Paul and Barnabas led many people to Christ; but as they returned from city to city, we learn that they had not just left their converts to fend for themselves. These, who had found unity in the Spirit, had obviously been gathered together into local congregations: “Paul and Barnabas appointed elders for them in each church” (Acts 14:23). Those who had obeyed the gospel—see 1 Peter 4:17—and thus received the Spirit (5:32) were considered members of the local church, gathering each first day of the week to “break bread,” that is, to remember, as they jointly participated in the Lord’s Supper (1 Corinthians 10:16-17), what Christ had done for them, ever mindful that some day He would return (11:23-26).
Although the primary purpose of the meeting was to partake jointly of the Lord’s Supper, they also “devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer” (Acts 2:42). Human beings are not known for always getting along with one another, but for the local congregation to accomplish its purpose, it is necessary that they learn, in the Spirit of Christ, to be of one heart and mind: “All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they shared everything they had” (4:32). To the degree that this unity is genuine, any one particular congregation is “the body of Christ” in their geographical location, just as Paul regarded the church at Corinth, in spite of their many flaws: “Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it” (1 Corinthians 12:27).
Inter-congregational Unity
The third layer of this awesome relationship with God and one another is the unity that we share with believers in other congregations. These persons, sometimes through efforts of their local congregations, are partners with those in other churches as they spread the gospel and, as needed, provide material help to their brothers and sisters. Again, the foundation is the unity in the Spirit. This unity is not an organizational union but rather a unity of identity (“in Christ”) and purpose (fulfilling the Great Commission). As we reach out to work with Christians in other congregations, we are in partnership (Philippians 1:5) with one another as well as with Christ.
For example, John wrote to his friend Gaius, probably an elder, about his congregation’s support of some evangelists (missionaries, church planters) who had stopped along the way (3 John 5-8): "Dear friend, you are faithful in what you are doing for the brothers, even though they are strangers to you. They have told the church about your love. You will do well to send them on their way in a manner worthy of God. It was for the sake of the Name that they went out, receiving no help from the pagans. We ought therefore to show hospitality to such men so that we may work together for the truth." See also Paul’s thanksgiving for support from the church in Philippi (Philippians 4:15-18).
Another example, this one in regard to meeting the needs of believers in Jerusalem, is found in Acts 11:27-30: "During this time some prophets came down from Jerusalem to Antioch. One of them, named Agabus, stood up and through the Spirit predicted that a severe famine would spread over the entire Roman world. (This happened during the reign of Claudius.) The disciples, each according to his ability, decided to provide help for the brothers living in Judea. This they did, sending their gift to the elders by Barnabas and Saul." See also Romans 15:25-27: “Now, however, I am on my way to Jerusalem in the service of the saints there. For Macedonia and Achaia were pleased to make a contribution for the poor among the saints in Jerusalem. They were pleased to do it, and indeed they owe it to them. For if the Gentiles have shared in the Jews’ spiritual blessings, they owe it to the Jews to share with them their material blessings.”
This inter-congregational level of unity is a unity of spirit, not of organization. There is no room for denominations and mergers of groups of churches, for such efforts have historically resulted in factions or sects. Paul classified factions as a work of the flesh (or sinful nature) in Galatians 5:20. Beginning as early as the second century with single bishops being placed over multiple congregations, corruption in the church eventually resulted in the present divisions and the false doctrines that usually accompany divisions.
Conclusion
The essential bond in all three layers of unity is the truth of God’s word (John 17:17-20) and love for one another: “And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity” (Colossians 3:14). God’s people are all part of the heavenly family. “God is my Father, and Jesus is my brother, and the blessed Holy Spirit is my guide. The devil’s no relation, for I’m a new creation; I’m a member of the family in the sky.”