“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.” But, this question is asked for a very good reason.
According to 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.” Clearly, the Lord only had one church in mind.
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). He is saying that the oneness of the church is itself evidence that Christ was sent by God. So, would the Son of God come to sow division among His followers? Of course not.
Then, 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?” (v. 12-13). By its nature, the church cannot be divided because Christ is not divided.
So, which church then 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 His church was to be built. He said, “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.” So, if we want to find the church of Christ, then we need to find the church that looks to Christ for authority, baptizes according to Christ, and relies on the doctrines of Christ.
The true church of Christ is found in the Bible. Paul said in Galatians 1:8-9, “But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed.” We cannot look to any other source. Therefore, Christ’s church cannot be found in any manmade dogma, creed, or denomination.
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.