Reconciliation

In 2006, a concerted effort was made by many members of Christian Churches and Churches of Christ to re-establish the cooperation that had existed among us in the 19th century. From the North American Christian Convention to the International Soul Winning Workshop, we were encouraged to pursue unity.

I support the reconciliation of Churches of Christ and Christian Churches. Both groups have a high degree of respect for the Bible, accepting it as inspired and accurate. We have a common desire to understand and follow its teachings. We accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. We acknowledge our need to learn from him and to follow him. We know that we can be saved only by God's grace through trusting in Christ and what he has done for us in his death and resurrection. Both groups teach that the proper responses to God's grace are faith, repentance, and baptism (immersion) in the name of Christ for the forgiveness of our sins. Both networks of churches are evangelical in that we want the whole world to know what Jesus Christ has done to save us from the punishment that we deserve. The basics are in place for a high level of cooperation among us.

For the sake of Christ, we should reconcile whenever and wherever possible.

The apostle Paul wrote, "As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. 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" (Ephesians 4:1-6, NIV).

Common Christianity

"There is one body and one Spirit, just as also you were called in one hope of your calling; 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, NASB).

I had been thinking about what all Christians share in common when the apostle Paul's words came to my mind.

One Body--A people who have been changed by the message of Jesus Christ. We share the following...

One Spirit--The Holy Spirit lives within each member of the body of Christ, prompting us to express greater levels of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. He has provided us with the Scriptures to assist us in knowing Christ and to guide us in following him.

One Hope---We live with the anticipation of seeing the return of Jesus Christ, the one we admire and respect and love above all other people.

One Lord---The body of Christ responds to the directions of our one Lord, Jesus Christ. He has earned our obedience in becoming a man and suffering the punishment that we deserve for our sins. When he returned to life, Jesus demonstrated that he was worth following.

One Faith---We trust in Jesus rather than our own good works, our own good intentions, or our own good ideas. Our one faith is placed in the one who has proven himself to be completely trustworthy, the Lord who is accurately revealed in the Bible.

One Baptism---Followers of Christ have been motivated by faith in Jesus and by repentance to be immersed in water as Jesus taught. In a way that symbolizes burial and resurrection, our immersion marks the end of our lives without God and the beginning of our lives of following Jesus Christ.

One God and Father---Each member of the body of Christ enjoys a father/child relationship with the Creator of the universe. We have the honor of being in the family of the most honorable of all.

While every Christian is unique, we have some powerful bonds holding us together and making us one.