http://apologeticspress.org/APContent.aspx?category=11&article=1189
Unity, Division, Doctrine, and Jesus' Prayer
Who would question the importance of
unity in the body of
Christ? God wants every Christian to be united and at peace with every
other Christian (Philippians 2:1-4). He wants us to be knit together
cohesively in love and fellowship (Ephesians 4:1-3,16; 1 John 1:5-7). He
wants us working together harmoniously to accomplish the same
objectives (1 Corinthians 12:12-26). Far too many congregations of the
Lord’s people have been racked by division and discord due to petty
jealousy, immaturity, prideful self-assertiveness, and unjustified
disagreement over matters of opinion.
In addition to the division that sometimes exists within individual
congregations, churches of Christ currently are experiencing a
significant cleavage brotherhoodwide. Such division has occurred in the
past over a variety of issues, including instrumental music, multiple
communion containers, support of orphan homes, located preachers, and
cooperation among congregations in mission work.
Beyond the division that exists within churches of Christ is the
widespread division that exists within “Christendom.” Look at the
multiplicity of religious groups, churches, and movements that claim
affinity and affiliation with Christ and Christianity: the Protestant
denominational world, Catholicism, the so-called “cults” (a term
historically applied to Mormonism, Seventh Day Adventism, Christian
Science, and Jehovah’s Witnesses), and the prolific spawning of
“nondenominational” community churches. Beyond the division that exists
within “Christendom,” look at the religious smorgasbord that exists
among the world religions, including Hinduism, Buddhism, and
Islam—involving
billions of people.
What is the solution to division? Can division be eliminated? How does
God want us to achieve unity? Perhaps the premiere proposal being
advanced to solve the matter of division today is—
de-emphasize doctrine!
This relaxation of doctrinal stance manifests itself in at least two
ways. Some reduce the fervency with which they hold to doctrinal
positions. Doctrinal viewpoints that previously were unquestioned—and
for which compromise would have been considered intolerable—now are
being softened and held as mere opinion. Those who continue to affirm
the importance of those same doctrinal viewpoints are labeled
“legalists” or “radicals.”
Other brethren cope with division by attempting to reduce the number of
doctrinal viewpoints that one must firmly hold. This maneuver has given
rise to the notion of “unity in diversity,” and a so-called “core
doctrine” classification scheme. Those who travel this route insist that
many of our past doctrines (like the exclusion of instrumental music,
the use of choirs, and female leadership in worship) should not be
considered matters of
fellowship. They say that, ultimately, the
only doctrinal belief that matters is Jesus. If a person acknowledges
God as Father and Jesus as Lord, he or she should be considered a saved
believer, and in full fellowship with every other Christian (see Miller,
1996, pp. 282-331 for a more complete discussion of this concept).
Several writers and speakers appeal to Jesus’ prayer for unity in John
chapter seventeen as evidence of this alleged need to override doctrinal
concerns for the sake of unity. One well-known writer and speaker has
stressed that, when Jesus got ready to depart the planet, His final
remarks—His parting words—did not pertain to instrumental music or
doctrinal soundness, but to unity: the need for believers to be one
(John 17:21).
Appealing to Jesus’ prayer for unity as justification for replacing
unity based on truth with unity based on undiscriminating acceptance,
and an emotional sense of togetherness, is both unfortunate and
unscriptural. If the reader will take the time to read John 17, one will
see that the unity for which Jesus called was unity based on
correct doctrine.
Notice His repetitious reference to the “truth,” the “word,” and the
need for “keeping” and “receiving” that word (John 17:6,8,14,17,19).
Clearly,
obedience to a body of doctrinal truth must precede unity.
Jesus also identified how unity is to be achieved among believers:
“through their word” (John 17:20). In other words, people must hear the
word that the apostles preached which, in addition to the Lordship of
Christ, includes the gospel plan of salvation (faith, repentance,
confession, and baptism for the remission of sins), as well as faithful
Christian living. The compliance that occurs as a result of “their word”
automatically brings unity and fellowship with Christ and each other (1
John 1:3,6-7).
Further, those of whom Jesus spoke in His prayer were clearly those who
would become New Testament Christians. He was speaking with reference
to the church of Christ—not the world with its denominationalism (John
17:9,16). Until one obeys the gospel plan of salvation, one is not a
genuine believer in Christ. It is possible to be a “believer”—in the
sense that one recognizes Who Jesus is, acknowledges that fact, and even
offers a measure of commitment—and still not be acceptable to God (John
8:30,31,44; 12:42; Acts 8:13,20-23). The believers for whom Jesus
prayed were members of the church of Christ—not members of denominations
that
profess faith in Christ. Jesus was praying for unity in His
church. To identify adherents of denominationalism as “believers” is to
redefine the term in an unscriptural sense.
How ironic that the very passage, to which agents of change frequently
appeal in order to advance their agenda of change, finds its most
pertinent application today
in them! They are tampering with the
foundational principles of Christianity in order to broaden the borders
of the kingdom. In so doing, they are guilty of creating division, and
are wreaking havoc on the body of Christ! Jesus prayed that such damage
might not happen.
To understand Jesus’ prayer in John 17 as a call to make unity top
priority—even over truth and doctrine—is to misconstrue the entire book
of John. The purpose of John’s gospel account was to prove the deity of
Christ in order to elicit an obedient belief. He selected seven
signs as evidence to verify Christ’s claim. Belief is based on
truth (forms of which are used some 40 times), and
knowing (used 87 times). John made it clear that it is not enough to acknowledge the deity of Christ. One must listen to Christ’s
words,
and then comply with them (e.g., John 6:63,68; 8:31; 12:48; 14:24).
Contextually, unity among believers is possible only when the believers
commit themselves to the
doctrine that Christ imparted.
If one desires to be sensitive to context, and engage in genuine
exposition of the Word, the prominent passage in the New Testament that
addresses division within the body of Christ is 1 Corinthians. The
entire letter constitutes Paul’s plea for Christians to be united. The
theme is stated in 1:10: “Now I plead with you, brethren, by the name of
our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing, and that
there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly joined
together in the same mind and in the same judgment” (
NKJV).
The rest of the book delineates one doctrinal item after another in
order to correct divisive Corinthian conduct. These items include their
sexual behavior (chs. 5-7), their use of food in relation to idolatry
(chs. 8-10), disorders in the worship assembly [including female
leadership (11:1-16), Lord’s Supper (11:17-34) and the use of miraculous
gifts (chs. 12-14)], misconceptions about the resurrection (ch. 15),
and the collection (16:1-4).
Their aberrant (i.e.,
divisive) behavior was directly due to their
doctrinal error. Consequently, the solution was not to
de-emphasize doctrine!
The solution was not to lessen or downplay doctrinal commitment. The
solution was not to relegate all but one or two doctrines to an optional
status. The solution is clearly stated:
speak the same thing! Be joined together in the same mind and judgment!
Christians have the divine obligation to study their Bibles, and to
arrive at the truth on every matter that God sets forth as essential.
God’s doctrine concerning salvation, worship, the church, and Christian
living is critical, and every believer
must come to knowledge of that doctrine, and submit to it.
Ironically, those who push for unity at the expense of truth and
doctrine are now compromising even on the essentiality of water baptism
for the remission of sins.
Yet in the very context where division within the body of Christ is
discussed, Paul advanced an argument that showed the necessity of
baptism. In rebuking the factious Corinthians, he asked: “Is Christ
divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of
Paul?” (1:13). Notice that Paul gave two
prerequisites to salvation. Before an individual can say “I am of ” another person, first, the person would have to have been
crucified for that individual, and second, the individual would have to be
baptized in the name of the person. Christ was crucified for all of us. But you and I cannot legitimately say we are “of Christ” until we have been
baptized in His name! Unity and fellowship cannot be extended to anyone who has not been baptized to be saved!
Countless sermons have been preached in recent years recounting the
division that has plagued churches of Christ. The preacher inevitably
insists that our factions are due to our over-emphasis upon doctrinal
purity, and our insistence upon being doctrinally correct on every point
possible. He then affirms that if we will cease our concern for
doctrinal accuracy, or focus upon a few commonalities that we share with
the denominational world, we can achieve the unity God demands. It
never seems to dawn on such agents of change that the denominational
world (which they want us to emulate, embrace, and fellowship) are
hopelessly divided and are splintered into as many factions as we—maybe
more! Frank S. Mead documented many years ago in his
Handbook of Denominations
that all of the mainline denominations (Baptists, Lutherans,
Methodists, Presbyterians) are divided into multiple groups, as are
virtually
all other religious groups—Catholics, Pentecostals, and
Mormons, as well as the Moslems, Buddhists, and Hindus. Neither unity
nor division proves that a group possesses God’s truth (cf. Mead, 1979).
The pathway to unity is simple. God’s truth can be ascertained and
known (John 7:17; 8:32). All who truly submit themselves to the Word of
God can and will be united. Those who do not conform to the parameters
of truth will automatically be separated from the obedient. But
they will be held responsible for the disunity that results.
Cain was responsible for the break between himself and his brother—
not Abel—because
of his own departure from the instructions of God! (cf. Genesis 4:3-8;
Hebrews 11:4; 1 John 3:12). Those who remain faithful to God’s words
will continue to enjoy the unity that Jesus said was possible. Doctrine,
and compliance with that doctrine, take precedence over unity. No
wonder Jesus declared: “Do you suppose that I came to give peace on
earth? I tell you, not at all, but rather division” (Luke 12:51).
REFERENCES
Mead, Frank S. (1979),
Handbook of Denominations (Nashville, TN: Abingdon).
Miller, Dave (1996),
Piloting the Strait: A Guidebook for Assessing Change in Churches of Christ (Pulaski, TN: Sain Publications).
