L8 - Unity In Faith
16 Oct 2018
If you have ever moved to a new city you will remember feeling alone in its strangeness. As you try to build a new life, you naturally gravitate to people with whom you have something in common whether it is a place of birth, a job, a religious background, or a hobby. The things you have in common provide bridges upon which new relationships can be built.
As Seventh-day Adventist Christians we have a core set of beliefs which act as bridges to relationship. Even though we may be very diverse in other ways, we share in a common faith. At its core is an understanding of Jesus Christ as Saviour and mediator. Together believers share an experience of salvation made possible through Christ. Together we wait in hope for his promised second coming. And together we celebrate the Sabbath which as a memorial to creation reminds us of our common heritage.
But we should not be content with simply agreeing to a list of core doctrines. While this might provide bridges on which initial relationships can be built, it is not enough to foster unity in our midst. We must live out truth or, in the words of Ellen White, practice “truth as it is in Jesus.” We are called to love and respect others who have also been purchased by the blood of Christ. When we merely assent to a list of truths without internalizing them and letting them shape our actions towards others, we have misunderstood the role of truth in our lives and fail to experience the unity that might be ours.
This week I invite you to think carefully about the doctrines you hold dear, and examine how they are shaping your relationships.
