Well some would say it is at least baptism, that is the breaking point. But then it turns into a debate about what type of baptism is valid. Immersion, infusion, or aspersion? What to do?
Others will say it has to do with more than just the mode of baptism. It is our view on the Trinity and our belief system based on the form of Atonement we believe in.
Still others will go so far as to debate the style of clothing we wear, or the vehicle we drive. In the days of the Church long ago they split the Church over things like whether or not coffee was evil, whether to celebrate Christmas or Epiphany, or what type of hymnbook to use.
Some of the debates of the Church long ago seem foolish to us now. But what about our debates in the modern world? Are they equally foolish? In the perspective of an Eternal God, is our 'church-splitting issue' really that important?
This leads me to the question of today. When is it important to work in unity even if we disagree, and when is it time to remove a brother from our presence, or even excommunicate a brother? Church discipline in our era is incredibly lax. I am sometimes appalled at the issues that churches have considered heretical in the past, and at the extreme measures used to eliminate these things. But in our world we seem to not care what the implication of a doctrine is so long as we don't offend people. Where do we draw the fine line between unity in the body and a member who no longer can be part of the body?
I believe that the first issue we should address in these situations is the attitude of the person in question. Paul tells both Timothy and Titus (his spiritual children or heirs) that those with a quarrelsome attitude should not be tolerated in church. (Titus 3:9-11, I Timothy 6:3-5 & II Timothy 2:16) Paul goes on to give more details about people who will not heed sound teaching (II Timothy chapters 3 & 4) He goes on to tell us that people will willfully ignore the truth they know.
But where is that line in our modern world? Maybe a better question to ask ourselves is this. Are we the ones Paul is talking about in these verses? Could we have become those who are puffed up and proud and understand nothing? Let us turn to God in humility and let Him teach us His way first and then we may carry out His will.
After we have indeed checked ourselves and corrected what needs to be corrected, we are still accountable for our own church and fellowship with believers. It may not be up to us to handle the discipline of the church but we are indeed responsible for our own actions.
A man of too many friends comes to ruin,
But there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother. -Prov. 18:24
Here we see that having too many friends can cause problems. This I do believe is directly related to our unity in the Brotherhood. Being part of the Church of Christ is more than having a membership at a church building. We should be careful of the company we keep.
So do I mean that we should not associate with non-believers? No, not at all. I think that is the most foolish aspect of the groups of believers that separate themselves so far from this world. They have no one to actually interact and witness to. We cannot remove ourselves from the responsibility of the Great Commission.
Conclusion
So what am I saying then? Well, mainly this: we are to be very careful of the close Christian company we keep. We all have both acquaintances and friends, and to know who is a close friend and to keep watch on our friendships is important. This is most important in the Brotherhood. We need to be an encouragement to our fellow brothers, not a distraction. And we need to make sure that those who claim to be followers of the Way that we name our friends are also walking in unity with God, not just with us. If we find that a brother is not walking as he should, we need to help him if possible. If he refuses help we need to make sure that we do what we can to walk in whatever path God has given us. Sometimes this will even mean that God will ask us to no longer fellowship with that person. But make sure to spend time with God in prayer before making such an important decision.
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