One

As I drove past the campus yesterday, I noticed that our college had paid to put flags on each one of the light poles on the trail that wraps around the circumference of our campus. Even though our university is pretty small, we still have a large percentage of students that come from outside Texas and the United States. Each students comes with his/her own set of cultural beliefs, goals, and ideas, but the awesome thing about Christianity is that no matter where we are from, we still serve the same God and believe the same Gospel.

In Ephesians 4:4-6, Paul writes, "There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to one hope when you were called— one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all." There is a growing trend today that accepts multiplicity. It is ok to be wishy-washy in some situations. You can believe what you want as long as you let me believe what I want. This post-modern idea that there is no absolute truth makes it very difficult to understand what Paul wrote to the 1st Century Church in Ephesus.

Back when I was young and fat, I would but at least one donut at church every Sunday. For many years, there was no option - plain glazed or plain glazed? But then something magical happened. What's this? Chocolate icing?!?! It was a fourth grader's dream come true. I love chocolate...but I also love plain glazed. I was at a fork in the road, and both paths were very delicious.

Similar situations are found in other places, too, where we are forced to make a decision between two, three, or several options. McCain or Obama. Cheese or pepperoni. Organic or regular. Paper or plastic. Diet or regular. God or no God. Whenever a person makes a decision, he or she typically weighs the options before making a choice. A mental "pro/con" list is made, and an action is taken. There are usually benefits to both options, but each choice also has its weaknesses, and sometimes we simply take the easy path - right down the middle. In my case, I got one plain glazed and one chocolate iced. Did I mention I was the fat kid?

As Christians, we have to make choices everyday about our faith, but we see in Paul's writing that there isn't much room for debate. One. One. One. So, ultimately, we have two options. Do I believe what Paul wrote - YES or NO? No matter what flag flies over our homeland, the same holds true for all of us. There is one God over us all, and by making the choice to believe in Him and follow Him, we are united. As one.