Christian Religion (C.R.E) Form 3 Notes : THE UNITY OF BELIEVERS

THE UNITY OF BELIEVERS

Teachings of the Unity of Believers in Selected New Testament Texts

Unity of believers refers to the oneness of those who have faith in Jesus Christ.

a. Early Christians

The early Christians in Jerusalem demonstrated their unity by:

• Holding joint prayer sessions
• Sharing the Lord’s Supper, that is, the Eucharist
• Sharing their possessions with the poor

They showed oneness and unity as believers. They expressed their oneness using various terms, images, metaphors, and symbols. They regarded themselves as the people of God, the church, and an Assembly of God. When they celebrated the Last Supper, eating bread was a symbol of the body of Christ. They saw themselves as belonging to one tree with the vine and branches. As followers of Christ, the early Church saw itself as the Bride of Christ.

b. Discussion of Symbolic Expressions

i. The People of God

Read 1 Peter 2:9-10. Peter outlines the characteristics of the people of God. He says that the people of God are:

• Believers in God through faith in Jesus Christ.
• The “chosen race,” “a royal priesthood,” “a holy nation,” “a chosen people.”
• Those who stand out from the rest because they live a holy and righteous life.
• Form a holy nation chosen to proclaim the works of God.
• Not just the descendants of Abraham but people who follow Jesus Christ and His teachings.

ii. The Body of Christ

Read 1 Corinthians 12:12-27 and Ephesians 4:1-12.

The Holy Spirit is the one who brings Christians together as one body of Christ to serve the church. Christians are given gifts for the purpose of sharing the body of Christ. Jesus Christ is the head of the church. Just as the body has many parts playing different roles, so has the Church. Every member of the church plays a vital role because different members have different spiritual gifts and callings. Some are apostles, teachers, prophets, evangelists, pastors, miracle performers, administrators, and those who show mercy to others and encourage (exhort) others.

All church activities should be directed to the welfare of the church, just as the function of each part of the body is necessary for the well-being of the whole body. To have a united body, members should be meek and patient in order to bear the fruit of the Holy Spirit. For a church to be united, or to be considered as one body, Christians should have faith in God the Father, one Lord Jesus Christ, and one Holy Spirit and have faith in God through Jesus Christ.

iii. The Vine and the Branches

Read John 15:1-10

The vine represents Jesus. The vine tree was a tree that bore grapes and was a symbol of prosperity and peace. Jesus is the vine and the Father is the vinedresser. Christians/believers are the branches. They are expected to produce good fruits by remaining faithful and united in Christ. Faithful branches bear fruit like good Christians, while unfruitful branches are like unfruitful Christians.

Christians should remain united to Christ, who is the vine, so as to bear fruits. The teachings of Jesus purify the Christians. The dead branches of the vine trees are cut off and the living ones are trimmed or pruned. This is done so that the vines may produce high yields. Likewise, unfaithful Christians, believers, are rebuked and corrected so as to bear high yields.

iv. The Church or Assembly of God

Read Ephesians 5:21–32

Church is a Greek word “ekklesia,” which means people who belong to the Lord. Assembly of God is the coming together of people of diverse social and cultural backgrounds who recognize the lordship of Jesus. The church is likened to the relationship between a husband and a wife. Christians (the church) are expected to be united with Christ just as a husband and wife are united in marriage. Just as husbands and wives are expected to love one another, so too are Christians called upon to express love to one another and to love God.

A husband is the head of a family; Jesus is also the head of the church.

v. The Bride

Read 2 Corinthians 11:2 and Revelation 21:1–12

In the Old Testament, God calls Israel a bride. In the New Testament, Christians are referred to as “a bride” in the New Jerusalem. God or Jesus Christ is the bridegroom. Christians are reminded that life on earth is a temporary home. Their real home is in heaven, the Holy City of God. Just as a bride is expected to be faithful to her husband, so are Christians expected to be faithful to God by observing the covenant way of life. Deviation from the covenant was portrayed as adultery.

John, who wrote the book of Revelation, sees a vision of a new heaven and a new earth in which faithful Christians will be rewarded. Christ will come to take His bride to eternity to live there forever. The relationship between Christians and Jesus/God is like a marriage. It is a covenant. It is a relationship where the church (bride) is expected to submit to God. Jesus died for the church, a show of His or God’s love. Likewise, Christians should be committed in their relationship to God.

Questions

1. Discuss in twos who is a bride and what takes place in a wedding.
2. Discuss the significance of the symbols used to express the unity of the believers. These are “The people of God,” “The body of Christ,” “The vine and the branches,” “The church or assembly of God,” and “The bride.”

CAUSES OF DISUNITY IN THE EARLY CHURCH

The early church experienced some challenges, which led to divisions among the early disciples and Christians.

a. Causes of Disunity in the Early Church

After Jesus ascended to His Father and left the Holy Spirit to look after His followers, the disciples established congregations or communities to spread the Word of God. As believers of Christ met and prayed together, there were disagreements and divisions brought about by several factors and issues.

These were:

• Disputes among early Christians concerning leadership of the Church. Christians wanted different leaders: Paul, Apollos, Cephas, or Christ. Paul told them that Christ couldn’t be divided (1 Corinthians 1:10-21).
• Sexual immorality was another cause of disunity in the early church. Some Christians were engaging in irresponsible sexual behaviors such as incest, fornication, and prostitution. Paul condemned such behaviors and told Christians to stop sinning and honor God with their bodies. The body of a Christian is the temple of the Holy Ghost (1 Corinthians 5:1-13, 6:12–20).
• Christians settling disputes in civil courts. Paul advised they ought to talk over issues among themselves and agree to solve problems on their own (1 Corinthians 6).
• Dispute over marriage and divorce. Some Christians were opposed to marriage, while others encouraged divorce. Paul addressed these issues in 1 Corinthians 7:1-16. Paul advised Christians that it was okay to marry or not to marry, but marriage was needed to stop immorality.
• Eating of meat offered to idols. Some Christians were eating meat offered to idols while others were against it. Paul advised Christians not to eat anything that will cause their faith to weaken or fail (1 Corinthians 8 and 10:14–20).
• Disputes about dressing during worship. Should women cover their heads during worship? Should women shave their hair? Should men wear long hair? (1 Corinthians 11:1-16).
• Some Christians were overeating and overdrinking during the Holy Communion – misuse of the Lord’s Supper (1 Corinthians 11:17–33).
• Misuse of spiritual gifts, especially the gift of speaking in tongues. Paul taught that all gifts are equal (1 Corinthians 12).
• There was a misunderstanding about the resurrection of the body and the dead. Some were saying there is no resurrection. Paul preached that if there is no resurrection, then their preaching was in vain as they were witnesses to the resurrection of Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 15).

b. Causes of Disunity among Believers and Church in Kenya Today

• Leadership differences. Some Christians are struggling for power. This has led to formation of splinter groups, divisions, and enmity between these groups.
• Cultural differences. Christians are divided by their African cultural beliefs from their backgrounds. This culture is merged with Christianity and Western cultural practices, forming a unique mixture of beliefs.
• Some Christians are permissive, while others are conservative. This has led to disunity, for example, in the areas of dressing.
• Discrimination. There is inequality within the church between the rich and the poor, the whites and blacks. Some Christians are viewed as more spiritual than others on the basis of tribe, gender, wealth, and social status among others.
• Misuse of freedom of worship. Christians are starting splinter churches, probably because they want to control church finances without supervision by the wider church. To justify their departure, they spread propaganda against the ‘mother’ church and other churches in order to attract followers. The more followers a church has, the more tithe it collects.
• Misuse of church funds. Some church leaders and followers misuse church funds.
• Differences in the practice of baptism.
• Arrogance and pride by some Christians.
• Sins: sexual immorality in the church, divorce, and marriage issues.
• Some Christian denominations reject the human nature of the person of Jesus Christ; that Christ had both a human and divine nature, e.g., Nomiya church.

Question

Can you think of factors that led to disunity among Christians in the early church that you have noted in the Kenyan church?

c. Reasons Why Christians Should Work in Unity

Christians face many problems and therefore need to work together in unity to:

• Promote oneness of Christians in Jesus Christ.
• Promote the teachings of Jesus Christ.
• Achieve effective evangelism or ministry.
• Adopt a common attitude to the integration of African culture in worship.
• Prevent the formation of splinter groups and cults.
• Reduce internal wrangling.
• Have a common stand in dealing with issues affecting society.

d. Possible Solutions to Disunity

The church should settle issues that divide its members by Christians:

• Learning to appreciate and respect the practices and beliefs of other Christian denominations.
• Having or forming a common goal.
• Striving to be guided by the principle of love in solving problems facing them.
• Observing the teachings of disciples, prophets, apostles, God, laws of Moses, Jesus, and the Bible.
• Avoiding doing anything to their fellow Christians that would cause suffering and disharmony.

Activities that the early church did in order to remain united were that they:

• Ate bread together.
• Held fellowships together.
• Shared with the needy.
• Prayed together for each other.

In the current worldwide Church, there is disunity amongst believers or Christians. The most common ones are due to:

• Leadership differences and wrangles for power.
• Cultural differences amongst Christians.
• Some Christians are permissive while others are conservative.
• Differences in the interpretation of the Bible.
• Misuse of church funds.
• Pride and arrogance.

Revision Questions

1. Write down terms used in the New Testament to refer to believers in Christ.
2. Identify five causes of disunity in the church today.
3. Identify factors which cause disunity among Christians today.
4. Discuss reasons why members of Christian families in Kenya find it difficult to live harmoniously together.
5. Explain how the church strengthens family relationships today.