Forever Home in the Eternal Family of God

“In essentials unity, in non-essentials liberty, in all things charity.”—Rupertus Meldenius

I believe this maxim which facilitates Christian fellowship while allowing individuals and churches to maintain their distinct personalities and flavors, has basis in the New Testament writings of the Apostle Paul. In his letter to the church at Ephesus, he wrote, “Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all,who is over all and through all and in all.” For there to be Christian fellowship, believers must agree to core doctrines that are vital to our faith. One might look to the ancient creeds or even more modern ones such as the Lausanne Covenant to find common ground. The nature of God, the plan of salvation and the Bible as the Word of God are good places to start.

In non essentials or what one might call disputable matters, we need to live and let live. It is totally possible for God to place convictions in our hearts and lives that are different so that the whole world with its great diversity might be reached for the glory of Christ. We’re not all the same and that’s on purpose. Romans 14 says, “Accept the one whose faith is weak, without quarreling over disputable matters. One person’s faith allows them to eat anything, but another, whose faith is weak, eats only vegetables. The one who eats everything must not treat with contempt the one who does not, and the one who does not eat everything must not judge the one who does, for God has accepted them. Who are you to judge someone else’s servant? To their own master, servants stand or fall. And they will stand, for the Lord is able to make them stand.”

We are to agree on fundamentals of the faith, allow space for disagreement on matters that God allows for flexibility in Scriptural interpretation, but in everything we must genuinely love one another. I Corinthians 13 tells us, “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.  It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.  It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.” We must allow love to pervade everything we think, say and do. Love should be our motivation for everything. If we are truly becoming more like Jesus, our unity will only become stronger, we will experience greater liberty in the Spirit, and love will carry us to where we need to be.