(As always happens, you’ll want to listen to this as I don’t stick to the following as a “script”)
One of the most powerful bits of parenting advice I ever heard…is really good advice about today’s topic – unity in the church. What is it, why is it important outside the church, and importantly, how do we do it?
Hey, Happy Saturday to you and welcome to the Saturday Edition of For The Hope. Sorry I’m a few hours late with this…I have some dental work going south and have some significant, constant pain giving me fits. But hey, this is a keepin-it-real-kinda place because I think there is nothing more keepin-it-real than the Christian worldview.
So let’s get to it. I’m going to use a commentary, and then a blog post as the basis for our time together today. Oh, and if you want the Scripture references, use the search function to search for “Christian unity” at forthehope.org and you’ll find this.
Christian Unity
Christian unity is founded on each Christian’s commitment to the one God. Common submission to His person and will should result in a church united in worship, fellowship, and service. Both this fact, and the conflicting fact of churches frequently fractured, is the testimony of the NT.
The Gospel of John reminds the church that oneness was the Lord’s design for His followers (John 17:20–23). Jesus’ prayer for every generation of believers was that “all of them may be one” (John 17:21). This unity with one another stems from a shared oneness with the Father and Son. The stated intent is that “the world may believe” in Jesus through the united testimony of His disciples.
John made a similar point to a church in turmoil. Those in fellowship with God (those who “walk in the light”) share a resultant fellowship of love (1 John 1:5–7). The absence of this Christlike love, which should characterize the “light,” is no small matter. A loveless, divisive Christianity is not Christianity at all. It is a type of heresy (1 John 2:9–11, 15, 19).
Paul also prayed for unity in the church and often exhorted believers to maintain oneness. His prayers identify the basis of unity as the one Father, the work of the one Spirit, and believers’ common bond to Christ (Rom 15:5–6; Eph 4:3–6; Phil 2:1–2). Frequent references to unity reveal both its importance and the challenge of maintaining it in the church.
It is important because it glorifies the Father and the Son. Thus it is appropriate for believers, and it provides a witness to unbelievers (Rom 5:6–7). Paul’s actions illustrate how crucial this was to him. His conflict with Peter (Gal 2:11–14), the Jerusalem Council (Acts 15), and the offering for the saints in Jerusalem (2 Cor 8–9) were all attempts both to defend the truth of the gospel and to maintain the unity of the church.
Yet the church experienced divisions. Selfishness, immaturity, conceit, and an unforgiving attitude are identified as common, root causes (Rom 15:7; 1 Cor 3:1–4; Phil 2:1–4; Jas 4:1–12). Even apparently mature Christians could place personal feelings or interests ahead of the good of the gospel and thus generate divisions. Individuals in conflict could also gather into warring factions and endanger the life and witness of the church (Acts 6:1–4; Gal 2:11–13; Phil 4:2–3; 3 John 9–10).
Believers were exhorted to recognize these pitfalls and avoid them. They were to emphasize the church’s common purpose rather than focus on the ambitions of individuals (John 17:21; Phil 2:2). They were to accept others (forgiving faults and accepting differences) as Christ had accepted them (Rom 15:7; Col 3:13–14). Also, like Christ, they were to promote the well-being of others, not narrowly pursue their own goals (Phil 2:3–4). The true “yokefellow” was exhorted not only to govern his own actions but also to promote unity where there was conflict (Phil 4:2–4).
The NT makes clear the basis for unity in the body of Christ. Jesus, Paul, John, and others frequently emphasized its importance and its rewards. The church, therefore, in every generation bears the responsibility of making unity a reality.(1)
So what, according to Jesus, is the basis of unity? It’s found in the very nature and character of God…relationship in the Trinity: There’s One Father, the work of the one Spirit, and believers’ common bond to Christ. Shared oneness. Just as God is one essence expressed in three persons, so Christians should reflect that same, simple essence in a plurality of persons. Why? To give God glory in how our lives are witness to the world.
Now what do we do about legitimate differences? When is it okay for one church to differ with another church and when is it not.
I recall something theologian and seminary professor Gerry Breshears once wrote, but for the sake of time I’m going to share a summary from a blog post written by a pastor, Peter Ko.
NOTE: Here I both read and comment during Peter’s Ko’s review of Vintage Church: Timeless Truths and Timely Methods. https://pastorpeterko.wordpress.com/2009/05/29/decide-debate-divide-or-die-for/
So let’s summarize:
Why unity? Why important to non-believers? God’s glory in our witness. Remember that God’s heart is that none would be lost, so anything we do that hinders them from seeing Jesus clearly is a big fat “shame on us” dunce cap.
How do we do it?
A few final thoughts:
One, remember that it’s not just what we know, it’s how we show. We’re to give a defense or answer or apologetic or apologia with gentleness and respect. And friends, this is not just to non-believers, we need this inside the church, too.
Two, be careful what you post or repost or retweet. People respond to stuff differently when it’s in writing, and you’re not there to read their tone or body language and ask follow up questions.
Three, consider switching media. If possible, take the conversation from social media to the telephone or a coffee shop.
Four, pray about being discerning – there’s a time to confront and a time to walk away.
Finally, consider all of this in the context of asking questions rather than making statements. I can’t dive in here, but there are times when the brain is in defense mode and people don’t hear truth even when it’s true. Sometimes a well-phrased question will lead them to the truth, and sometimes that’s after you’re done speaking with them.
We are called to be ministers of reconciliation. Outside the church that means there’s one message – you need to be reconciled with God. And inside the church, too – it’s pursuit of or reconciliation of unity.
And remembering that there’s a time for everything under the sun, empowered by the Spirit, and all for the hope.
Whoah! Turn the microphone back on (I literally did). I forgot to mention how this relates to a piece of parenting advice I once heard.
That advice was about how and when you intervene versus guide or let your child make mistakes: “You let your child skin their knee, but you don’t let them break their leg.”
I like that. It’s a good reminder that we will sometimes deal with people in the church by letting them grow and discover on their own, perhaps developing relationship and waiting to be invited into discussion. There are times, however, to confront falsity and save someone from breaking their leg.
ForTheHope is a daily audio Bible + apologetics podcast and blog. We’ve got a passion for just keepin’ it real, having conversations like normal people, and living out the love of Jesus better every single day.
Roger Courville, CSP is a globally-recognized expert in digitally-extended communication and connection, an award-winning speaker, award-winning author, and a passionately bad guitarist. Follow him on Twitter -- @RogerCourville and @JoinForTheHope – or his blog: www.forthehope.org.
Sources and resources:
(1) David S. Dockery, ed., Holman Bible Handbook (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 1992), 716.