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For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves[a] or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit. - 1 Corinthians 12:12-13 (ESV)
The words of Paul penned to the saints at Corinth speak with authority and relevance to the church of the twenty-first century. It is a clarion call to oneness as a people of faith and as a part of the larger fabric of humanity. The word of God to the people of God is one of inclusion, instruction and invitation. God's people though fallible have been called to be faithful both to the Word and to the Christian Witness.
In juxtaposition to a chaotic and reckless culture, the church, as a called out people, must strive to pursue an uncommon unity. Our society has become so divisive, antagonistic and competitive. Producing violence, war, and partisanship at its pinnacle. Our political, social and religious climate indicate a dangerous division that may threaten civilization if left unchecked and unchanged.
The text urgently reminds us that the Body of Christ is One. Denominationalism and Institutionalism often misdirects the people of God into irreconcilable differences grounded in liturgy, linguistics, and dogma. The Bible declares that we were all made to drink of one Spirit.
May the Church of Jesus Christ regain its true identity and come to the recognition that division and disharmony are the destructive tools of the devil, designed to disarm and disable God's people.
The Church is One . Let us strive for Oneness.