This Sunday is celebrated throughout the Protestant Church as Reformation Sunday. It was on October 31st, 1517 that Martin Luther nailed his 95 Theses on the church door at Wittenberg. To celebrate the Reformation is to give God thanks for dividing his people. We are glorying in the faithfulness of Martin Luther, John Calvin, John Huss, John Wyclif, William Tyndale, Martin Bucer, and many other countless thousands. We are grateful that God took out his sledge hammer on the gross idolatries and wickedness that had crept into the Christian Church. We stand today among one of those shards. Of course we must insist that in an important sense the unity of the Christian church is not dependent on letterhead or popes or denominational affiliation. The unity of the body of Christ is centered on the fact that there is one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of us all, and one Holy Spirit who is our bond of peace. This means that there is really only one bride, one church, and one body of Christ. At the same time, we are not Gnostics, and history has told a messy story of conflict within the church where brothers and sisters have divided and gone separate ways. But if we know our Bibles well, we know that division is how God always works to bring new and glorious blessing to his people. God divided a rib from Adam, and created Eve to be his bride and glory. God divided Joseph from his brothers and father and raised him to glory in Egypt to provide food for the world. God divided the northern and southern kingdoms of Israel in order that they might be scattered to the nations, forcing Israel to be a witness to the God of Abraham in exile. And finally, God took Jesus up into heaven, separating him from our sight, so that he might give us his Spirit to grow us up and lead us into all truth. Unless God divides we are not grown up, matured, or strengthened. Some people romantically think that the church is supposed to be a single piece of glass or pottery, all smooth and shiny and neat. But the church is a beautiful mosaic, a glorious work of art, pieced together over centuries with the lives of broken people, broken families, and even divided congregations. It is right to mourn over sin and all its ugliness, but today is a day of rejoicing in the goodness of God. “Come, and let us return to the LORD; for He has torn, but He will heal us; He has stricken, but He will bind us up. After two days He will revive us; on the third day He will raise us up, that we may live in His sight. (Hos. 6:1-2)
elrj says
But what about the exhortation not to say “I am of Paul, I am of Appolos” or dare I say “I am of Rome, I am of Luther, I am of the Presbytery, I am reformed” but that we all ought to say “I am of Christ”.
Together.
in Unity?
“Behold, how pleasant it is when the brethren live together in unity…”
What of that?
Toby says
Right. So the challenge is learning to do all of the above. Biblically, we’re called to work for unity, be like-minded, and shun all sectarianism. And at the same time, Scripture calls us to recognize that God sometimes divides families and churches, and he does that in order to purify his bride, iron out her wrinkles, etc. And that’s certainly worthy of our praise and thanksgiving.
Cheers!