“What kind of Christian are you?” is a question I have been asked countless times. I’m a big fan of the response, “Hopefully a good one.” However, this question is asked for a very good reason. The name “Christian” has become an umbrella term to encompass a wide variety of religious groups and doctrines all claiming to follow the same Jesus.
According to an article by Donavyn Coffey at Livescience.com, “Estimations show there are more than 200 Christian denominations in the U.S and… 45,000 globally.” Is this what Jesus wanted? In Matthew 16:18, Jesus told Peter after his confession, “I will build My church.” Notice that He did not say “churches.” The Lord came to establish one church. Jesus called for a unified, single body of believers. This is the furthest thing from it.
Jesus prayed in the garden before His betrayal that those who believe in Him “be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me” (John 17:23). Jesus says that the oneness of the church is itself evidence that Christ was sent by God. Would the Son of God come to sow division among His followers? Of course not. A divided church would stand as evidence against Jesus’ ministry.
The apostle Paul said, “I plead with you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you” (1 Cor. 1:10). The church must be one because Christ is one. Paul continues, “Each of you says, ‘I am of Paul,’ or ‘I am of Apollos,’ or ‘I am of Cephas,’ or ‘I am of Christ.’ Is Christ divided?” (1 Cor. 1:12-13). By its nature, the church cannot be divided because Christ is not divided.
So, which church is Christ’s church? The church is the body of His disciples, who observe the pattern demonstrated by Christ and His apostles. In Matthew 28:19-20, Jesus told His apostles exactly how to build His church. “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you.” The true church of Christ is found in the Bible. It is not found in any manmade dogma, creed or denomination. The one church that Jesus shed His blood for is the church that is described in the New Testament.
What kind of Christian am I? According to the Bible, there is only one kind of Christian. “For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free—and have all been made to drink into one Spirit.” (1 Cor. 12:13). I am a Christian of the one true faith.