Or, Is it possible they could be godly too?

A couple questions to start with…

Question #1 may seem like a weird question, but do you believe that there are genuine, Born-Again Christians who identify with a different denomination than your own? I said it might sound like a weird question, but the reality is, that some Christians truly do think that the only real believers are the ones in their own tradition – or even that the only true believers are to be found in their own local congregation! Some believe this wholeheartedly and will come right out and say it. Others may not actually verbalize it, but in their heart and mind, the salvation of another is at least highly suspect, if they do not identify with their particular denomination. I hope you do not fit into this category.    

Now that you have taken a deep breath, and feel content that you do not fall into the first category we just mentioned, here’s the second question: Do you believe that there are godly, Born-Again Christians (or churches) who identify with a different denomination than your own? In other words, Do you think it is possible, for believers (or churches) different from your own, who are just as holy, wise, humble and mature; just as zealous for the Gospel; just as surrendered to Christ; just as important to the kingdom of God; and just as beloved and precious to the Father? Or, even another to put it: Is it a possibility that the most Christ-like, Spirit-filled person in the world, identifies with a denomination different than your own??? 

I hope there are some people who read this who are immediately convicted, and long for their hearts and minds to be changed about how they view and treat God’s precious people. I know believers personally, who immediately doubt the genuine character of another brother, sister or church on the simple hearing of their affiliation with a different denomination. This doubting, or we could say ‘judging,’ is not on the basis of examined fruit from another’s life (or, life of a church), but upon the mere mention of denominational affiliation. “My brethren, these things ought not so to be.” (James 3:10)

Who is on the Lord’s side? 

One day the disciples of Jesus encountered a man who was casting out devils in the name of Jesus. John reported to Jesus (and it seems from the context in a sort of proud spirit), “We forbade him, because he followeth not with us.” (Luke 9:49) Apparently the loving disciple John came to the presumptuous conclusion that the only worthy ministers of Christ were to be found in his group. Did Jesus praise him for sticking up for “the team?” No, Jesus rebuked him, “Forbid him not: for he that is not against us, is for us.” (Luke 9:50) Mark’s account adds Jesus saying, “There is no man which shall do a miracle in my name, that can lightly speak evil of me. For he that is not against us is on our part. For whosoever shall give you a cup of water to drink in my name, because ye belong to Christ, verily I say unto you, he shall not lose his reward.” (Mark 9:39-41) Jesus here makes a blanket statement that we should really give heed to: “He that is not against us, is for us.” This means that if someone from another denomination is a Christian, then you are on the same team. The prerequisite for the team is not having every jot and tittle lined up with your own. Those who make the cut for the team, according to Jesus, are those who “belong to Christ.” If you want to be right with God, and do right by yourself, then you need to begin thinking of other believers in these terms. 

Jesus has one team, one family, one bride, one house, one vineyard, etc. “There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; One Lord, one faith, one baptism, One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.” (Ephesians 4:4-6) There is only one Holy Spirit who washes and regenerates sinners who trust in Christ, regardless of which denomination they are a part of. There is only one Jesus who saves them all. There is only Father in heaven whom all Born-Again believers pray to. There is only one Heaven that all Christians look forward to, and no, there will not be separate divisions of Heaven for the various Christian communities. Those other believers in your area from other churches are your family members, and they will be for all eternity. 

A main point I am trying to make is, that there are believers different than yourself, who are not merely sneaking into Christ by the skin of their teeth, but are rather first-string, special forces, champions in the faith. In every Bible-Believing denomination there are people you will find that are weak in the faith, and strong in the faith. In each tradition you will find people strongly committed to the authority of the Bible and some not; you will find zealous, passionate witnesses and you’ll find believers doing very little for Christ; you will find mature, holy, strong character and you will find carnality and worldliness; you will find strong, loving biblical home life as well as weak, hurting dysfunctional family life. You will find vibrant, Spirit-filled churches, and you will find dead and dying churches. 

So, what is the common denominator? Why are there strong and weak representatives from each tradition? It is clear that the difference is not the fine points that make the groups distinct. Godliness is not the result of loyalty to denominational distinctives, but rather loyalty to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. Spiritual strength is produced from obedience to the Spirit of God and the Word of God. I hope you realize that Spirit and the Word of God is not only in the possession of your church, or kind of church.

Another thing to consider: If it is true that there are mature believers in other denominations (and there are), then that must mean that the grace of God is abundant in places where you might not feel personally comfortable. Does that make you happy or angry? Do you want the grace of God reserved for you and your own, or lavished all over? Do you have sins of your own and weaknesses? Is your church perfect, with bright clear vision in every area of doctrine and practice- or is it possible that it may have some weaknesses or blind spots? If Jesus is in their midst, why would you be ashamed to be associated with them? 

Men and brethren, what shall we do?

Repent. If you have looked down on, written off, or been partial in your judgments towards other believers and churches purely on the basis of names, that is sinful (Read 1 Corinthians). If you think that your kind are automatically the greatest in the kingdom simply because they are in your group, there is some pride that needs to be exposed and put to death. I know that with some people this mindset is in large part a result of ignorance – they have never been exposed to the ministries of other believers, or have never met a godly person from another tradition. But sins of ignorance are still sins, and as soon as you are aware of them, you should humbly repent of them. 

Receive them. Romans 15:7 says, “Wherefore receive ye one another, as Christ also received us to the glory of God.” How has Christ received you, since you have placed your faith in him? Has he received you part way? Like a step-brother or something? No. Absolutely not! He has received you fully! So, receive your brother as Christ also received you!  This instruction in Romans 14 & 15 is the conclusion of Paul’s discussion about Christian Liberty. Paul lays out the fact that it is to be expected that there will be differences of opinions (in minor issues) among believers. These differences are not supposed to divide the believers. Those who desire to be mature in Christ will follow the instructions, “Let not him that eateth despise (have a low opinion of, reject, disdain) him that eateth not; and let not him which eateth not judge (prefer, separate, pass an unfavorable judgment on) him that eateth: for God hath received him.” (Romans 14:3) There are believers different from you. Don’t despise them; don’t think little of them or write them off; don’t automatically have low opinions of them; don’t judge them – don’t consign them the Hell, or to being perpetually second class citizen-saints just because of some differences of opinion.

Remind yourself that there are some crazy characters in your own circle- Immature, carnal brothers. Are they that way because of your mutual convictions? No. It is because of a lack of obedience to Christ and his Word, not a lack of obedience or adherence to your particular denominational emphasizes.

Be open to meeting believers from other stripes. Come to admire their godliness, zeal, and faithfulness to Christ. What accounts for this? It is not the particular fine points of their denomination, but rather the result of a humble submission to Christ, the Spirit of God and the Word of God. You don’t have to approve of everything they teach and practice to be their friends, or even to work together at certain levels. Unity is possible without uniformity.

Check your fears. Who do you fear more – God or Man? Are you afraid of what people in your group might think about you if you befriended Chrisitians from other persuasions? If Jesus has received them, then why would you stand back from them? If Jesus came to your town, do you think he would visit churches other than your own? Do you think he would be friends and laugh with those other Christians down the road? You say – “I think Jesus would visit those churches, but I also think he would be carrying a whip!” So he wouldn’t have any reproofs or warnings for your church if he visited there? It seems to me, that there are some of us, who would rather keep our distance from Jesus if it meant being close enough to other Christians and possibly being associated with them. “The fear of man bringeth a snare: but whoso putteth his trust in the LORD shall be safe.” (Proverbs 29:25)

Think carefully about what is your actual standard of orthodoxy. What do I mean by this? Ask yourself what are the doctrinal and lifestyle guidelines by which someone could potentially be classified in your mind as a “good brother,” or “sound, or mature in the faith.” Actually write them down. Then ask yourself this all important question: “Are these standards the same as God’s?” Do I know for sure, that this particular standard comes from Scripture or is it derived from my own opinion; is it from the doctrinal standing of my local church; is it from non-spoken standards of my circle of believers? An example of what I mean would be this – If a church has a different form of church government than yours, what category do you place them into in your mind? Can they still potentially be on the starting team for Jesus? If not, then where does it say in Scripture that you should demote a believer based on their form of church government? Soon I would like to post another article expanding on this topic. 

Yeah, BUT…

There are many, many objections I can hear coming from people who read this. This article has a specific purpose and is not meant to cover the entire field of discussion as it relates to how believers from various persuasions should interact with each other. Doctrine is important – there are cardinal beliefs that other “Christians” do nothold that should cause us to separate fellowship from them. There are also lifestyle issues, sin issues, that should cause us to rightly separate from other believers. Also, just because another denomination is “Christian” does not mean that they are actually Christian. I am not suggesting in the least bit that we should abandon all our convictions and just be all one church (ecumenicism). I hope to address some of these details in future writings. The point here is to strive for understanding and unity where God is striving for unity; for us to seek to know and understand other believers instead of just judging them from far away.  

Psalms 133:1 “Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!”