From Strangers Into Family

From childhood, we are primed to always pick a side based on our preferences. One of the most common dividing lines, very early on in life, is an individual’s favorite color. As someone who has never been artistically inclined, I would always answer that my favorite color is blue and leave it at that.

Then I met my wife, who is very artistic, and the answer of “blue” was not sufficient; she needed to know the exact type of blue…cerulean, phthalo, ultramarine. Not knowing what any of those were, we had a whole conversation in which I argued that, while they might look slightly different, blue is blue, no matter what else you call it.

The collective body of Christ, the Church, can similarly be compared to a color range: it has a base color (core biblical beliefs), and from that base, various versions of that one color (denominations). Admittedly, some denominations may fall so far on the spectrum that it's hard to tell whether the base color is the same, but most denominations hold true to the base color.

In accepting Jesus, you have chosen a base color to define your life, but given how things are today, simply choosing Christianity is generally not enough; you need to choose an expression of that color. We are no longer just Christian; we are a specific type of Christian, whether that be Pentecostal, Baptist, Reformed, Presbyterian, etc…

Superior and Lesser Colors

With all of these labels being attached to us, we can easily start developing an “us” versus “them” mentality, where not only are non-Christians seen as outsiders, but also Christians in other denominations start being portrayed as “unsaved” or “less than.” As this happens, we begin to separate ourselves from those who may prefer a different shade of the same base color, and we become “a house divided.”

This division is not what God intended. As the body of Christ, we are supposed to be working together to further the works of God here on earth. We are meant to be a light, pointing others to the one who can save them. Yet the world does not see a unified group, but rather a people divided by disagreements over secondary or tertiary issues (think gifts of the spirit or worship styles).

In Ephesians 2:11-22, Paul discusses the importance of reconciliation between Jews and Gentiles. In these verses, Paul reminds them that, despite their differences, they have been united through Christ. That we were all at one point lost, but through the grace of Jesus Christ, he saved us and brought us into the one body of Christ.

In these verses, Paul offers insight I think we can use to adopt a posture of unity rather than division.

First, remember that you were brought close to God through the blood of Christ and reconciled through the work on the Cross (Ephesians 2: 13-16). It’s not the worship style that a church uses, the way communion is done, or which version of the Bible we read that brings us close to God, but rather it’s all by his blood, death, and resurrection. How much do we cheapen Christ’s death on the cross when we start dividing what he suffered to unite?

Second, remember that Jesus is our Cornerstone (Ephesians 2:19-20). A cornerstone is considered the most important stone in a structure; it’s the stone on which the stability of the whole building is dependent. If we truly see Jesus as the cornerstone, or base color, of our Christian walk, then our focus is always on the foundation. With that point of view, we can look at Christians in other denominations and appreciate that, although some things may look different, the base color is still there… Jesus is still being glorified and honored.

Appreciating Different Shades

Practically speaking, if you struggle to engage with Christians of other denominations, I would encourage you to try the following:

• Visit another denomination. I’m not telling you to switch denominations or leave what you know, but simply allow yourself to experience something different. Go with the purpose of finding similarities versus differences. Focus on how God is glorified and the positives in how they do things.
• Engage with people of other denominations. Learn how they view things and again, focus on what you do agree with rather than highlighting the differences. Also, if you don’t have access to others from different denominations to speak to directly, there are endless Christian content creators on YouTube who explain the views of their denomination.
• Pray for the local churches in your community. As with colors, different people may prefer different expressions of the same base color. So, even if it’s a different denomination, another church may have the opportunity to appeal to people that your church might not reach. Because of this, we should pray for other local churches that are also doing Kingdom work.

If we are to be united in Christ, we have to begin emphasizing our shared identity in Christ and core biblical values and stop focusing on the things that divide us.

As Christians, we are called to love and show kindness to those in the world; how much more should we be reconciled and unified in love with our brothers and sisters who make up the body of Christ?

So, although we may all have our preferred shades, tones, or tints, let us not forget the base color that unites us!