Greetings, you who are loved by God,
Today, let’s take a look at Jesus’ teaching to His disciples concerning the importance of unity among believers.
John said to Him, “Teacher, we saw someone casting out demons in Your name, and we tried to hinder him because he was not following us.”
— Mark 9:38
This incident is first highlighted by the apostle John, the youngest of the disciples. He brings to Jesus’ attention that there were some unnamed people casting out demons in His name. These individuals were not part of the immediate circle of the twelve disciples. It also seems that the disciples believed they had exclusive authority to perform exorcisms—a power Jesus had previously given them. Because of this, they tried to stop others from casting out demons simply because those people were not part of the twelve.
This scenario is not foreign to us today. Many times, we claim some kind of exclusive authority over the gospel of Jesus Christ because of factors such as our denomination, geography, ethnicity, culture, or language. As a result, when we see others proclaiming Christ and preaching the gospel, we dismiss it because it does not come from within our circles. This often happens across denominational lines.
Instead of Jesus investigating who these unknown people were, He immediately addresses the pride in the disciples’ hearts:
But Jesus said, “Do not hinder him, for there is no one who will perform a miracle in My name, and be able soon afterward to speak evil of Me.”
— Mark 9:39
Mark uses the word but to show that Jesus was not in agreement with His disciples. Where they saw exclusivity as a noble and prideful thing, Jesus saw it as an act of pride and self-exaltation.
Jesus tells them not to hinder those who perform miracles in His name. He assures them that if the works are truly done in His name, then they are on the same side.
This is the same with denominational differences today. Undoubtedly, some differences are harmful to the gospel—distorting it into something Paul described as “a different gospel, which is no gospel at all.” But often, our divisions are less about the gospel itself and more about pride—our flesh wanting to exalt our group as the exclusive bearers of the truth.
And so Jesus makes a stern statement:
For he who is not against us is for us.
— Mark 9:40
At the core of doctrinal, theological, and denominational differences, we must be clear about what it means to be for Christ, and therefore able to discern what it means to be against Christ.
We should understand that while there are many doctrines in the Christian faith, some are of greater importance. Paul calls these “matters of first importance”:
For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures.
— 1 Corinthians 15:3-4
To Paul, the doctrines of Christ’s life, death, and resurrection are of crucial importance because they are the very center of the Christian faith. As Charles Spurgeon summarized, “The gospel can be summarized in four words: He died for me.”
Other doctrines, such as the Trinity, the nature of God, the doctrine of sin, and the doctrine of man, also carry central importance for grounding our Christian faith.
However, not every doctrinal difference should divide us. Elevating secondary issues above the matters of first importance causes unnecessary harm. This does not mean secondary doctrines are unimportant—everything in Scripture is important—but we must use wisdom and discernment to know which differences should not break fellowship. As one author said, before looking at our differences, we should first focus on the truths we hold in common.
In the same way, when differences arose between the disciples and those outside their circle, Jesus focused on what truly mattered: whether their actions showed they were for Him or against Him.
Furthermore, Jesus commended the work being done in His name:
For whoever gives you a cup of water to drink in My name because you are of Christ, truly I say to you, he will not lose his reward.
— Mark 9:41
In a general sense, Jesus assures that anyone who does good works in His name will not lose their reward. Before we demonize other denominations that may not be part of our own tradition, we should examine whether we share the essentials of the faith and are truly on the side of Christ.
Even if we cannot always worship under the same roof, we can still work together in fellowship to build the universal Church of Jesus Christ.
Instead of seeking division, let us strive for unity:
There is one body and one Spirit, just as also you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all.
— Ephesians 4:4-6
May grace and peace abound to you.
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