Tuesday, April 27

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. – Ephesians 4:4-6


Have you ever wondered why there are so many different Christian denominations? Why so many different kinds of churches?

The British journalist and author Malcom Muggeridge once said that we should view these differences as the different branches of the same tree or different regiments of the same army.

On one hand, there is a sense in which it can be a good thing that we have a variety of traditions, styles of worship and expressions of our faith. But on the other hand, there has certainly been an awful lot of conflict, bitterness, tension and even violence between those claiming to follow Christ throughout the history of the church. I sometimes wonder if God isn’t looking down at all of these silly divisions and infighting and shaking His head thinking “what a mess?” But of course God is bigger than all of our petty squabbles and He is able to build His church and advance His kingdom despite the failures of His people.

This is precisely Paul’s point here in Ephesians 4. He is saying that there is oneness that transcends all of the surface level differences. Catholic - Protestant, conservative - liberal, traditional - contemporary, pipe organ – electric guitar, King James Bible – New Living Bible, stained glass – stained jeans … the list goes on and on. Of course there are some things that we cannot and should not overlook, some things that actually should cause us to divide. There are some beliefs and some behaviors that simply do not belong in the church. The trick is to know the difference! We need the wisdom and grace of the Holy Spirit for this, and even when we disagree or divide, we must remain “completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.” (Eph. 4:1)

The simple truth is that none of us has it all perfectly right when it comes to God. There is no single church or denomination that has a monopoly on the truth (even though some of them say they do). We are all, at best, incomplete and imperfect reflections of who God is and what He wants His people to be.

Paul sums it all up for us in verse 6 when he says that there is “one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.” All the rest is, as Peter puts it, "in order to bring us to God," (1 Peter 3:18). He is the goal and the aim! As Paul puts it here in Ephesians 4, He is above all, and through all, and in all. He is the end and the beginning; He is the beginning and the end. All things exist because of Him, all things are trending toward Him, all things originated from Him. The mark that we have found him is that we recognize Him as Father, we call Him father. Paul puts it this way in Romans 8, “…but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, ‘Abba, Father’”. (Romans 8:15).


The next time you drive by a church, any Christian church, take a moment to pray for the Christians who worship there and thank God that He is bigger than all of our differences and divisions.

Jeff Frazier