God's Church Has Always Been Unified

No doubt there have to be differences among you to show which of you have God’s approval. - 1 Corinthians 11:19

God's heart is for the unity of the body of Christ. There is a greek word for "differences" or "factions" in this verse is where we get the word for heresies. Though these factions will exist, rending and hurting the body of Christ, God will still have a unified Church of believers who hold to the faith. Just as God expressed though the Apostle Paul that grace will be upon all those who truly love the Lord Jesus (Ephesians 6:24) and are holding to this true faith (Jude 1:3). Though the early Church was more unified then our day there still were divisions and sects growing. There were heresies right in the beginning that started. Nicolas one of the seven Deacons apostatized starting teaching errors known as Nicolaitanism (Acts 6:5, Revelation 2:6). Some early Jewish believers were teaching commands of the Law to be obeyed known as Circumcisers (Acts 15:1, Galatians 1:7). Gnosticism was a teaching that carried over into different heresies denying ultimately that Jesus came in the flesh, as matter was seen as evil (Colossians 2:8, 1 John 4:2). And there were simply those like Diotrephes who will not agree with others and only themselves creating division (3 John 1:9).

The way of greatness in the Church is servitude, Diotrephes, on the other hand had a different attitude. Where Jesus declares, “I will build My church” (Matthew 16:18) Diotrephes declares, “I will build my ministry.” No matter how small or large a Church group is, unity will be impossible unless humility exists in the believers and especially the leaders. We can be encouraged that though many heresies and great individualism prevails today, we are still are very much unified as true believers in the Lord. Let us seek as never before to be more unified with brothers and sisters in the Lord and realize being alone we can be greatly deceived. All wrong teachers and teachings came from those who started off believing what was true. This should bring great sobriety upon us to realize we are all prone to deceived and in the end work against what God is doing in the earth. Yes differences and divisions have happened, will happen yet we can be a part of the solution to stay free from errors that will least us astray. There has never been a perfect Church on earth and there never will be. We must be a part of what is imperfect that in the end God will resurrect us, spirit and body, to live everlasting where his Bride will be perfect in all ways.