“Let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in your brother’s way” (Romans 14:11).
Unless a brother denies Christ, has a factious attitude, is immoral, perverts the gospel, practices idolatry, eats things strangled and blood, is greedy, slanders, swindles or refuses to work—if I am unaware of any of these, why can’t I extend to him the courtesy of full fellowship in Jesus?
Where does scripture teach me I must refuse to fellowship a disciple of Jesus if he disagrees with me over what we can do in the church house, or whether we even have authority for a church house, or whether to use multiple cups for the Lord’s Supper, or whether we can hire a full time parson, or whether we can have separate classes, or whether to baptize in running water, or if we should baptize in the name of Jesus only, or whether women praying in the presence of men somehow robs males of their headship via usurpation, or if some one is pre-mil or post-mil or ahhh-mil? Yawn!
At what time in our history as a movement did we assume nobody could hold personal opinions concerning various doctrinal matters without getting the approval of the authoritative powers that be? When did the false notion arise among us that fellowship in Jesus somehow equated with total endorsement of what another Christian thinks or supposes? The penchant for some of us to find something over which to divide—anything it seems will do—is offered somehow as superior to uniting in Jesus.
There is no record of Paul or Peter of John or James ever telling any disciple to split and form a sound/faithful fellowship by withdrawing from others redeemed by the blood of Christ. How could a unity movement such as ours, that encouraged the denominational sects to unite, have become so guilty of the very sectarianism (my way-ism) it abhorred so stridently?
Satan must relish a heated church fuss over trivialities. In a few simple words Romans 14 gives us a holy prescription for getting along with others who love the Lord as much as we do, yet individuals among us have published volumes on why we can’t extend the right hand of fellowship to a brother in Christ who holds a personal opinion concerning some nuance of scripture that differs in some way with ours. When did such thinking become standard operating procedure among us?
Every soul who even begins to think of one more excuse for one more splintering of the body of Christ should fall on their knees in tears and read Jesus’ poignant prayer for harmony in John 17. Our movement is dying.
Is this the legacy we want to leave in our wake? The kingdom of God has weathered all religious movements over the centuries. The church was alive before the Lutherans and Campbells were conceived. It will be here when all of us are awaiting the resurrection. I would like to think that our vision to bring all Christians back to the cross was a noble intent. That we have done a sorry job of carrying out our ideal is no reason to give it up. One way we can salvage the desire of the Restoration pioneers is to practice what we claim to believe, namely, the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
“Lord, teach us to love each other more than we love to fight. Give us the spirit of one accord the early disciples cherished so devotedly.”