Gospel harmony is hard to find.

May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus, that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Romans 15:5-6

Unity should be such a testimony among Christians to the world that God is seen in our harmony with one another. This prayer of Paul’s for the church in Rome is still ringing as an even greater need exists for it today. Often, when I have conversations with those investigating Christianity, a common question or observation is that it is so confusing to have so many denominations. It seems that if Christ were really Savior of the world, wouldn’t He create a better brand of follower that could get along with others when He saves them? Why are there so many kinds of Christian? Why are these churches often fighting among themselves?

These are legitimate and convicting questions because they actually express a truth that Jesus pressed into His disciples the night of His betrayal. Jesus prayed in John 17 that His disciples would be one so that they could testify to the world of what was to come. He wanted an exceptional unity to mark those who followed Him. It would seem then that agreement around the gospel and in the worship of God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ should be what unites Christians everywhere all the time. These are the necessary essentials. 

And sadly, this is where it gets difficult because not all that claim Christian belief accept these essentials as necessary. Many denominations and individual Christians do not affirm the gospel... that is in the sense that it is vital to eternal salvation to believe that Jesus alone is our only salvation through His death, burial, and resurrection. This has been replaced with the belief that ANY sincere faith and desire to “do good” should be enough to redeem a soul before God and man. Some churches place social, moral, or even political commitments alongside or even above the gospel, confusing its message. Some have not preached the gospel in decades. And some churches don’t even worship God from the heart. Sacred culture is the result. But the heart is not engaged. The church is a religious museum, and little else. That is sad. Oh how we need to bring gospel-believing, God glorifying, Jesus-loving Christians together!