Grace be unto you all and peace from God our Father, and from our Lord Jesus Christ. We write to you this epistle to lay the foundation for true Christian fellowship among believers, and how to avoid as much as possible division among saints. In these last days where church denomination has built barriers of fellowship among Christians, there is need to teach the believer what is the right way of fellowship with other saints that claim to belong to another denomination where some things are done differently. Our Lord Jesus Christ who also is the foundation of the church does not want division within His church, for His church is one with Him, the head. By reason of denomination, many churches do things different from other churches and have set rules that guide conduct and sometimes appearance within the church. Rules are good if they are in the perfect will of God as revealed in His Word, but when they are not, they become rules of men and such are more likely to foster divisions among saints. We also know that some of these divisions arise from lack of true understanding of God's Word, which has made some to term the preaching of others as heretical. It is true that every believer cannot have the same level of understanding of the Bible, and what some might receive as true, some may reject as false. Nevertheless, there are ways by which the learned and the babes in Christ can still fellowship without allowing the gap in the levels of their understanding to cause divisions among them. There are also ways by which saints that claim to belong to different denominations can fellowship without any form of seclusion. Know this for a certainty: the true body of Christ will be in unity at His coming, for He is coming for a glorious church without any spot or wrinkle, but blameless (Eph 5:27).
We have written below some instructions which if followed can bring down the walls of divisions between churches and saints and bring the body of Christ into unity. But to those churches that practice lawlessness whose God is their belly, and those that have respect of persons courting the rich and despising the poor, and those that teach lies saying salvation cannot be lost even if a Christian continues to practice sin, and those that have become like the world imitating the ways of the world while they have been commanded by the Lord to come out from among the world, and those that cover up sins and iniquity in their midst, and those that deny the catching away of the saints as prophesied in the scriptures, and those that deny holiness without which no man shall see God, and those that do not believe in the infallibility of the Bible but seeks to add to it or take away from it having no faith, woe unto you! For you cause divisions and offenses contrary to the doctrine of Christ and the apostles. Except you repent of your haughtiness and sinful pleasures, you and your doctrines are to be marked and avoided by all saints of Christ (Rom 16:17) for you are not part of His body. But to the broken and ignorant among you, the Lord be merciful.
Saints are to do the following:
Fellowship with each other in spite of personal differences of opinion on certain matters (Rom 14:1). These matters must not be unto the salvation of the soul. Welcome the weak into your fellowship but let all controversies on doubtful practices be avoided. For denominations that are strict on ornaments of beauty, let them bear with others that use these things, and those that are strict on style of clothing, let them bear with others that dress differently but yet in moderation.
Do not judge each other's motives except it is known and written plainly in the word of God (Rom 14:3-13). In that case, the Word of God is the judge. Actions can be judged if they are in transgression of the Word. They must be judged only by the scripture and not by words of men.
Do not judge another according to the Sabbath he keeps (Rom 14:5-6; Gal 4:9-11; Col 2:14-17). Sabbath is for man and man not for Sabbath.
Do not set each other at nought (Rom 14:3-4, 10; Gal 5:14-15; Eph 4:31-32) by turning a believer against another through gossiping and tale bearing.
Do not cause any believer to stumble (Rom 14:13). Demonstrate love by giving up those things that destroy others (Rom 14:15; 1 Corinth 8:8-13; 10:23-31). Do not bring reproach upon Christ by your Christian liberty (Rom 14:16-18; 1 Corinth 8:8-13; 10:23-31). If there is something that is been done by a believer that could be misleading to another believer who is weak in the faith, then such should not be done at all.
Follow the things that make peace and edify others instead of making a hobby of outward religion- things, which in themselves do not destroy the work of God, and concerning which all men will never perfectly agree (Rom 14:19-20; 1 Corinth 8:4-13; 10:13-31).
Do not condemn yourself or another over anything not specifically forbidden in the Scripture by plain command. Do not permit your conscience to be swayed by wrong religious background or constant religious turmoil over doubtful things (Rom 14:22). Do not do anything that is doubtful. If you are not clear on a matter, proceed no further (Rom 14:23; 1 Corinth 8:7).
Bear the weakness of others. Tolerate their peculiar and sometimes ridiculous scruples until they become strong (Rom 14:15:1-3; 1 Corinth 8:7-13; 10:23-31). Love all saints and pray for them that they may mature in Christ, understand and do the will of God and become Disciples of Christ.
Avoid asking questions that foster church denomination. If you will ask and discuss spiritual things, speak from the Bible only. Not from your pastor or your church. This will encourage all believers to personally grow and understand the Bible as written, and not from the perspective of any man but of the Holy Spirit who is the teacher of all saints.
If every believer will do all these things as written, particularly the last command above, and will also obey the Lord as He speaks to the heart, the church will grow and all divisions, envying, and strife will eventually come to an end, and the Lord will be glorified. Therefore practice these things and the Lord give you grace to do them. Peace be to you all. Maranatha.
