I was visiting a church that had a different doctrinal slant than mine. I enjoyed the service tremendously and felt God’s Spirit at work in the congregation, which led me to wonder how God viewed all the theological and denominational divisions within his church. 

As I pondered the matter more deeply, a picture came to my mind. I saw a cake being prepared. Different bowls were on the counter containing the dry ingredients, the milk and eggs, and I’m not sure what else. Then it hit me: this was a picture of the church. After all, don’t we stick together with those who are most similar to us? 

The problem is that the cake that I saw wasn’t edible. All the ingredients had to be first combined and then baked before it could be consumed. I believe God gave me insight into how he sees the church in its present divided state: separated into different “bowls,” but the body of Christ is composed of all the “bowls” mixed together. 

Keeping the various parts separate isn’t necessarily bad–there’s a reason we do this when baking. God must also have his purposes for allowing it. But what would happen if, let’s say, the dry ingredients started to think that they were the only authentic cake and wanted nothing to do with the wet ingredients. Meanwhile, the icing didn’t want anything to do with the batter (I know people who only acknowledge the icing, but I digress). We would have one big mess and no cake. Does this remind you of anything? 

On the night before he was crucified, Jesus made clear that unity among believers was one of his highest priorities. He defined unity as “being one,” just like he and the Father were “one.” In other words, we accept one another as part of one body, and we love one another even when we don’t agree about everything. Oneness isn’t based on having identical doctrines but on an awareness that we are united into God’s family (“we are one cake”). And when this happens, the doors to the lost are opened.