Compromising the truth of God’s Word in order to achieve an illusion of unity is never the right approach. Unity among Christians of different denominations as it relates to serving Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord is beautiful. If we can agree to focus on God and His Kingdom first, this is the pivotal point to establish. This of course is especially important to recognize as it pertains to the deity of Jesus Christ. Watering down who Jesus is or what He stands for to fit the mold of other religions or cults is abominable. The point where you start to deny the deity of Jesus Christ, and use moral relativism or other faulty perspectives to try to override Biblical principles, is the moment where our foundation has nothing left to stand on.

Jews serve the same God as we do, but unless they are Messianic Jews, they simply haven’t embraced Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. Muslims don’t serve the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Neither do Buddhists, Hindus, or Mormons recognize Him as God’s Son. We can be friends and truly love people who do things we find completely unacceptable. If I don’t agree with someone’s religion or lifestyle choice, it doesn’t mean I have the green light to hate them or wish them ill. I don’t assume anyone has to become a Christian to be a friend, but I recognize that when I am with them, it’s possible they may not affirm my values or agree with me in some of the most critical components of my faith.

We also have to view the possibility of non-believers having a potentially bad influence on us. I often ask myself, “Does my positive impact on this person when I spend time with them outweigh the possibility of me lowering my moral standards?” This may sound a bit self-righteous, but if you’re serious about being a Christian in the world we live in, I think it’s vital to do this. There are non-believers I know who appreciate what I believe and where I stand who wouldn’t intentionally put me in a situation to cause me to sin. I believe these are friendships that can last a lifetime. These people are often the ones I pray would come to saving faith through Jesus Christ before it’s too late for them.

There is an important distinction to make as it relates to an extremist Muslim who adheres to “Sharia Law”. These laws are anti-Christian, anti-Israel, and anti-American. I don’t desire to cultivate a friendship with these people for my own well being. However, I do know several Muslims who don’t take this extremist stance and are fantastic friends of mine. In fact, in my experience, they are humble and courteous people. Contrast an extremist Muslim with an extremist Christian, and we’re worlds apart in regards to their intentions and ideas. An extremist Christian, or “fanatic” will love their enemies, pray for those that persecute them, and if faced with the prospect of recanting their faith or dying will choose to die as a martyr. They don’t cultivate hate they rather demonstrate the fruits of the Spirit. As a matter of a fact , I aspire to have all the qualities of what some may label a “fanatical Christian”. God owns me, His Son Jesus Christ died for me, and I now therefore live my life for His glory.

I think it’s absurd to try to align religions with one another who simply don’t agree on a fundamental level. It is equally ridiculous to hate someone for having a different viewpoint, religion, or lack thereof. If I am friends with you, I have most likely shared my faith with you at one point or another. If not, articles like these serve to inform you where I stand. In any case, it’s reasonable for me to be friends with others who I have common interests with and who don’t have reason to want anything but the best for me. Likewise, I may not support someone’s lifestyle choice (ie: homosexuality) or religion (ie: Buddhist), but will still support them as a person. I hate sin, including the sins that I commit on a regular basis. So, yes I would hate sin in general and I don’t tolerate certain sins around me because I know that bad company truly does corrupt good morals. Again, this doesn’t mean I am seeing myself as self-righteous or morally superior, I just attempt to abide by God’s standard and walk where He leads me through His Holy Spirit.

If I find unity with a non-believer, it certainly won’t be in another religion or a disbelief in God. I might have met them at a family gathering, a small party, or a poker room and we saw eye to eye on politics or hobbies for instance. Certainly, I would share the Gospel with them at some point because I love God and people, and if I believe eternity is at stake, it’s going to be a high priority to at least breach the subject at some point. It may not be right away, but suffice it to say it’s because I respect, love, and value them not because I want to mislead them. All I have to gain is the fellowship of a new Christian friend, but they have the potential to gain a Lord and Savior in Jesus Christ, one that will spare them from eternal torment.

There’s no need to try to market Christianity to people while we water it down. We have to uphold the truth we find in God’s Word. If it offends a few people along the way, nothing unexpected has come of it. We should expect some resistance, the devil and his demons clearly try to wreak havoc while they are allowed. If we focus on God, however, this is nothing to either overestimate or underestimate. Just keep a vigilant eye with the knowledge that Spiritual warfare is a reality.

In the end, I don’t need to establish some sort of false notion of unity in religion to find other worthwhile unity. God tells us to love Him and love people above all else. He didn’t say stick to your Christian fellowship group and ignore everyone else. Keep your eyes peeled for opportunities to win souls for Jesus Christ because that’s our ultimate goal in consideration of eternity. There are a lot of potential brothers and sisters in Christ out there who may still be walking around blindly in the flesh. I know even as a believer I have my moments of compromise and shame, but without a doubt, I encourage you to never minimize the message of the Gospel to suit someone. Don’t bother trying to adapt it into a feel-good package, let it convict or divide as it needs to. These things sometimes need to happen before God allows something beautiful to arise from the ashes of our former worldly passions.

If God is using someone who has sinned as many times as I have to deliver His Word, He can surely use you. I have lost count of my lost battles, but I know for certain I won the war in Jesus Christ already. I don’t spend my days in regret, wondering what I could do if I could go back in time. I invest them in future decisions with the newfound understanding I have acquired from the lessons failure has taught me. I want to encourage you to look for the gift that God has planted inside of you and run with it. It typically relates to something that comes relatively easy to you compared to most people that yields the most outstanding results. If you haven’t found it yet, there’s nothing to worry about, you are still alive and breathing. Pray for guidance, and make sure that you equip yourself with God’s Word, you will be ready to share it with the world soon.

Finally, remember that there are different levels of unity. We aren’t called to force anyone to become a Christian. We are the messengers and that should be our focus. Yes, you and I can always learn more about Christianity and its particulars in regard to theology or apologetics, but don’t complicate matters for yourself. If you aren’t comfortable sharing the Word in written or verbal communication, pass out some Gospel tracts from one of your favorite ministries. You can support their ministry and win souls for Jesus Christ at the same time. It’s a win-win scenario in my book. God bless you, I pray that you find unity in Christ when it’s real, but that you stick to other points of unity as it pertains to non-believers. No need to bend over backward to try to make the message adhere to the person, a person needs to be called to adhere to God. Plant the seed, water it, and pray for them. The rest is in the hands of God, all glory belongs to Him.

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