Diversity and the Church

“The person who loves their dream of community will destroy community, but the person who loves those around them will create community.” - Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Life Together

The Church is unlike any other group of people.

Followers of Jesus are a diverse group of people who have been given grace that we might live as One. (John 17:20-21) We are not united by shared background, demographics, or common interest, but by the Spirit of God who lives inside of us. (Ephesians 4:3)

But here’s the problem: The Church can be like any other group of people.

It’s our human tendency to seek connection with those who are “like us.” And while fostering relationships with people similar to ourselves is certainly not counter to scripture in itself limiting our relationships to those with whom we readily identify and prioritizing those who are similar to us above others who are not, are dangers that followers of Jesus must acknowledge and avoid. 

If you’re a follower of Jesus, can you see this tendency in yourself? I see it in myself... 

Like Bonhoeffer warns of, I sometimes find myself seeking a self-focused, false dream of community and miss out on experiencing the real thing. 

To be candid, I need to repent of this tendency in my heart and return to the gospel continually! 

In his letter to the Ephesians, the Apostle Paul writes to a diverse church, made up of believers from both Jewish and non-Jewish backgrounds, and he shares with them how God’s grace in Jesus brings new life to any person who will believe. 

“Because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved…this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” - Ephesians 2:4-5, 8-10 

This message has enormous, eternal implications for any one of us who will look to Christ in faith. Through Him, we are blessed with every spiritual blessing! (Ephesians 1:3) 

However, Paul continues, the gospel not only unites believers once and for all with God, it also unites us with one another: 

“For he himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility…His purpose was to create in himself one new humanity out of the two, thus making peace, and in one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility…Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.” - Ephesians 2:14, 16, 19-21 

Paul tells this church: On the cross, Christ brought down the barriers between all who believe. What we have in common through Him supersedes any of our differences. 

So, if you’re a follower of Jesus, you and I must always remember: The gospel is deeply personal to each one of us, but it is not just about us! 

God’s good plan is to gather a people together by His grace through faith in Christ and form us into a temple building in which He will dwell by His Spirit. He has done this in order to show the world his glory, the beauty of His Kingdom, and His power to save and unite. 

What we actually find when we live in light of this truth and proactively seek relationships with others in the church who are different from us is that some of our most valuable relationships will be with people of whom we could honestly say: “If we weren’t both Christians, I don’t know that we would ever interact! But I thank God for our friendship because knowing YOU has led me to a deeper knowledge of HIM!” 

When we live this truth out our differences will present challenges at times, but navigating these challenges is worth it. Our differences teach us to love one another as Christ has loved us, and they allow us to shed light on God’s grace in unique and meaningful ways according to how He has made us and worked in our lives. 

Let’s not miss out on what life together in Christ can be. Let’s create authentic Christian community by proactively seeking the glory of God and a deeper experience of His grace by cultivating relationships and the kind of community that reflects the vastness of God’s kingdom and the power of the gospel to unite.