There are more than 45,000 Christian denominations throughout the world (more than 60 denominations within the Baptist church alone.) And whether we are talking about your local church or the global church, Christians have our many differences. We have different gifts, wirings, preferences, understanding and interpretations of various biblical doctrines… but despite all our many differences as Christians, we are commanded to keep unity (with a few exceptions). There are times when it is necessary to divide, but it’s possible that some of us Christians have become a little comfortable dividing when we should be seeking unity. Here are three important reasons that Christians should have a bias toward unity and not division:
1. There Is One Body
- Ephesians 1:22-23 teaches that the church is the body of Christ. We are the temple of the Holy Spirit. And although the church is made up of many parts, there is only one body. A body without unity is just a bunch of limbs and useless body parts. Unity is about different parts coming together to form one body. A hand is only useful if it is connected to an arm. And an arm is only useful if connected to the shoulder. We need each other. So to be complacent with anything less than unity is at best an incomplete expression of the body of Christ. At worst, it perpetuates ineffectiveness in ministry.
- “Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. 13 For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. 14 Even so the body is not made up of one part but of many. 15 Now if the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. 16 And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. 17 If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? 18 But in fact God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. 19 If they were all one part, where would the body be? 20 As it is, there are many parts, but one body.” 1 Corinthians 12:12-20
- Unity is about wholeness, not sameness. It’s vital to be unified, but I think one of the greatest reasons that churches struggle with unity is because we confuse unity for uniformity. Uniformity is where we pursue a monolithic expression of faith. It’s striving for sameness in preferences and understanding of every secondary and tertiary issue. To pursue uniformity on everything assumes we have the right answers to every gray area in life and that everyone else is wrong unless they conform to our understanding.
- But unity, by definition, requires differences. Imagine if every body part was a nose or an ear. Instead of hands or feet, you’d be walking on your noses. This would be silly, right? We find it easy to unify with people who are like us, but we are actually called to unify with those who are not like us. This doesn’t mean we have to agree on everything. It just means we have to agree on the main things.
2. We Should Make Every Effort To Keep Christian Unity
- Because we are one body with many parts, we are to make every effort to keep unity. If there were a sliding scale between “every effort” and “no effort,” where would we fall on that scale? Do we have a bias toward unity or a bias toward dividing? I wonder how much effort is made to keep unity with other churches and believers within our own city that aren’t already attending our local church. But I’m sure this point brings up many questions: What constitutes an effort toward keeping unity? What does unity with Christians of other churches even look like, especially when we don’t agree on some key doctrines? Are we to pursue unity with other believers and churches who don’t agree with us on everything? I believe the answer to this question is “yes.” Though, there are some caveats and nuances to consider later.
- With all our many differences throughout Christianity, we might be tempted to track down the denomination that is most “right” about things. It’s easier to take a “black and white” approach by saying “this church is good and that church is bad.” Or “this one has good theology and that one has bad.” But what if dividing with the intention of having good theology is what causes us to actually have bad theology because we chose to divide when we should have united? We can be quick to draw lines even though we are supposed to make every effort to seek unity.
- Some division is essential and appropriate. (I’ll be releasing a new post next week titled, “4 Signs of False Teachers”). However, I think many divisions have happened because we have elevated some gray area issue or other non-moral issue to be greater than the value of unity. And this has resulted in mass-division. Although there are appropriate circumstances which necessitate dividing, I think we should have a bias toward unity.
- “Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. 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.” Ephesians 4:3-6
3. Our Differences Make Us Stronger
- “So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.” Ephesians 4:11-13
- Within your own church, there are people who are gifted differently than others. This is a beautiful expression of the body. We have differences, but the purpose of our differences is to bring unity. That is to say, completeness. Some people are gifted as apostles and others as shepherds. The apostles are the go-getters who want to charge hell with a water pistol while the shepherds are the people who want to focus on their own flock. Consequently, the apostle will be more focused on missions while the shepherd is focused on care. The teacher is focused on discipleship and the prophet wants to say the hard truths. The church needs all of these giftings. We can’t say one is more important than the other. That is like saying the leg is more important than the hand. I think we can all agree that missing either of those limbs would not be great.
- Churches have different mission statements, values, cultures, and strategies. Some churches are led by shepherds and others are led by apostles. And that’s a good thing for the simple fact that different churches reach different people. And if we want to reach everyone, it’s going to take more than one body part to do it. Some people prefer the old hymns and others prefer the latest song. Some want big and some small, some want high production and some prefer it to feel more like family dinner. None of these things are right or wrong. It’s a matter of preference. And our preferences should not be a higher priority than unity. This is not to say that it is wrong to attend a church based on your preferences.
- I think that the charismatic churches often have a better understanding of heart and passion, while many reformed churches might focus more on the precise details of theology. What if instead of comparing the churches, we recognized that the charismatic church might be the heart while the reformed church is the mind. It takes both to complete a healthy body. They are both necessary.
- Our differences are meant to build each other up (Ephesians 4:11-13). If we only flock with our likeminded friends, then we will always be lacking some vital part of the body. If the differences of others in our church are bothering us, maybe we could try to make more of an effort to understand each other for the sake of building up the body in unity.