Message by Larry Thacker Jr from June 21: With One Voice
One survey has identified as many as 50,000 distinct Christian groups who in some way distinguish themselves from others. This number is disheartening to those who feel that we should all be one. That is after all what Jesus Himself prayed (John 17:11.) That particular study named even small congregations of people, and accepted their self-identification as Christian, so the number of groups with significantly divergent theology is probably only in the hundreds. But isn’t two to many? Paul points out in 1 Corinthians 11:18-19 that divisions will exist, differentiating faithful from the fake. He was speaking to a single congregation, but the principle holds. Heresies began developing even as the church was in its infancy.
But not every issue is worth fighting over. Truth remains truth whatever we believe about it, but some things matter more than others. Much of what has divided us across the centuries should be set aside in favor of working together for the glory of God. Jesus said that we would be known as His disciples by our love for each other (John 13:35.) What would happen if we did that? What would happen if we also loved even our enemies in the way that Jesus did?
In Romans Chapter 14, Paul addresses some specific issues that were points of contention between the Jewish and gentile believers to which he was writing. He speaks particularly to those who have come to an understanding that their freedom in Christ meant they didn’t need to observe the dietary restrictions found in the Jewish law or observe the various feasts. He admonishes them to be respectful of those who had not yet come to that understanding. He says to all that we have only one judge, one master, and each of us is accountable to Him for our own faith. If we use our freedom in a way that causes weaker members to stumble, we are not acting out of love but out of selfishness.
In Chapter 15, he concludes this admonition with a call to unity and a reminder that we all find our hope in Jesus. For this episode we will consider Romans 15:1-6.
