MAY162026

An ecumenical meeting several years ago developed a motto: “Doctrine  divides, service unites.” While there is a certain truth to that — caring for those who are in need transcends any denominational difference — the motto hides a basic truth: that what we believe matters. The church knew this from the beginning. Apollos was preaching the gospel but had missed a chapter or two so they took him aside and explained to him the Way of God more accurately. What can seem to us like semantic distinctions actually shape our understanding of what life is all about. For example, one of the early struggles among believers (which has echoes to this day) was the nature of Jesus. Was he the Son of God or was he a wonderful teacher with a divine message? Defining who Jesus was with clarity and accuracy had the effect of helping us understand human nature. If one of us could, in fact, be the Son of God, that means that humanity  has a divine significance, that every human being is, as the Bible says, the image and likeness of God.