United in ChristНамуна

Salvation in Christ

Joseph Tosini

As a young adult in the late 1960s, I landed in what is known as ground zero of the free speech movement: Berkeley, California. During that time, there was a deep unrest within the hearts of my generation seeking a new path. Love, at least a minimal understanding of it, was the core message of the day. But that desire to love drew me to a place of despair—I discovered I did not have the capacity to love unselfishly, nor did anyone around me. But in that place of hopelessness, Jesus changed my life forever. 

In 1974 I had just taken the position of associate pastor at a small church in a Midwest college town. One of my responsibilities was to register our campus ministry with the university. The day I went to campus to get the application, something quite dramatic happened. 

It was the beginning of the school year, and there were a number of groups sitting at tables recruiting students to their particular organizations. As I walked past the many stands, I noticed a number of different Christian organizations—seven, to be exact. 

I stopped walking and just looked at those seven different groups. It was as if I was paralyzed, just staring, when I heard a voice, only audible to me. “Think back to a time not many years ago when I had no place of significance in your life. What would be the first thought that would come to your mind on seeing these seven tables?” Without hesitation, I found myself saying in a soft voice, “Seven different Jesuses.” 

We all have seminal moments that change our direction or start paradigm shifts in our thinking; this was one of mine. All of my theological training on the distinctive features of my particular denomination suddenly and without warning collided with this one thought: “Jesus isn’t a polygamist.” The result of that encounter transformed my understanding of the Church. It was a transition of seeing the Church through God’s lens rather than my own. Our uniqueness isn’t in what separates Christians into different silos, labeled Protestant, Catholic, or Orthodox. Our uniqueness is what unites us. Jesus only has one spouse, and He affectionately named her Church. 

Reflect

How do we become part of God’s family? What does the Bible tell us about this?

Consider

We are first and foremost brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus. God has one family. Each one of us—those who confess with their mouth that Jesus Christ is the Lord and believe with all our hearts that God raised Him from death—are a part of that one family. 

Prayer

Beloved Father, as I read today’s Scripture, I pray that your Holy Spirit will open my eyes to see that Jesus is the Savior of all those who confess that He is Lord and that you raised Him from death. Those who confess and believe are part of your family, the Church of Jesus Christ.