The Relationship between Truth and Unity pt. 5

            Sometimes, I hear Christians argue. “Well, the Bible says this.” “No, no, no – that’s your opinion. The Bible actually says this.” “See, now you’re taking that completely out of context. If you turn to this other scripture…”

What happens when we argue like that?

1. Outsiders see the divisions and wonder “why would I ever want to be a part of that? They can’t even agree.”
2. Other Christians see the divisions and take sides in what amounts to a spiritual family feud.

And, possibly the most important…

3. The way we look at the Bible is changed during the course of the disagreement. People on both sides of the issue no longer look at the Bible as the ultimate source of truth and unity, but they look at it is a weapon – to use on other Christians! To the people arguing, Christianity is no longer about truth, unity, and reconciling everyone who believes; it’s about proving a point of view or trying to change the Bible to fit an incompatible world-view.

Can you think of some issues which have divided the church over the last 2,000 years?

When we think about a specific issue which has divided the church, I assume that most of us see one side as right and one side as wrong. Take the Protestant Reformation, for example. If you’re Protestant, you probably consider the Catholic church to be not-quite-as-good as the Protestant church where you attend. If you’re Catholic, you probably think the same thing about the Protestants.

The question is: who’s right?

When an issue divides the Lord’s church, it moves from the realm of “interpretation” to something much more. In 1 Cor. 1:10-13, Christians were claiming to follow different people.

I appeal to you, brothers, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same judgment. For it has been reported to me by Chloe’s people that there is quarreling among you, my brothers. What I mean is that each one of you says, “I follow the teachings of Charles Wesley,” or “I follow the teachings of the Pope,” or “I follow the teachings of this council/convention,” or “I follow Christ.” Is Christ divided? Was John Calvin crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of the Pope?

Wait, that’s not how those verses read…

I know. I changed the names to make a point: when we wear different names, go to different churches that teach different things, and argue about scripture and doctrine to the extent that new types of churches are formed based on the disagreement, we have created division. Ideally, every believer in a town would gather at the same building to worship the same way, leaving all opinions and disagreements outside, uniting to worship Christ in spirit and truth with the Bible as the foundation for love and unity.

But that’s not what happens. And that’s our fault.
We don’t know how to compromise.
I don’t mean compromise on truth. I mean compromise on opinion. We should be more than willing to compromise on the things that are considered “differences in interpretation” in the name of truth.

Look at it like this: if something we do causes another Christian to think we’re sinning, we should go to the Bible first. If what we are doing is scripturally correct (i.e. the Bible, specifically condones it), then we should take the opportunity to teach the other person. If we are the ones being taught, we should be willing to listen and learn, taking into consideration everything that is being told to us instead of thumping the Bible the first time someone ruffles our feathers.

If the Bible directly says “do this” or “don’t do this,” we have no choice but to follow it. However, we should be willing to change whatever we can for the sake of unity, even if it means never eating meat again. If something isn’t specifically denoted as being wrong in and of itself and also isn’t a command or unquestionable implication, but yet it still bothers a fellow Christian, we’ve got to ask ourselves who we’re putting first if we continue in our practices. If it bothers his or her conscience, to them…what we are doing is sin. (Rom. 4:21-23)

            As an example, I’ll use something like baptism. Is baptism necessary for salvation? Yes. Every conversion in the New Testament involves baptism, and several scriptures even state that baptism saves us. Regardless of what anyone believes about the subject, the Bible says to believe and be baptized in order to be saved (Mk. 16:16); therefore, we must do it to be saved.

Yet, we still can’t all unite on that.

The thing is, that’s a fact. That’s an undebatable command. Google “verses on baptism” and just see the vast number of scriptures that talk about baptism. 1 Pet. 3:21 even goes far enough as to say “baptism now saves us.”

That should be the end of the discussion, but it’s not. Just wait until you talk about something like using instruments in the worship service or whether or not it’s scriptural to have a gymnasium. If we can’t agree on the blatant commands – the basic foundation for our salvation – you’d better believe we won’t be able to compromise and agree on matters that require a bit of “reading between the lines.”

When we try to force others to accept a specific point of view, with little to no compromise on our part, it’s no wonder that we aren’t united. If we do something that isn’t specifically stated as being wrong, but it offends someone else (like eating meat sacrificed to idols or a modern-day equivalent), we should be more than willing to compromise in the name of truth and unity. As much as we’d like to think otherwise, it’s not about “me” and what “I” think or believe. It’s about following the Bible and being united. Read 1 Cor. 8. We cause others to sin if we force them to violate their consciences over something that’s not a matter of doctrinal correctness. Imagine the topic of eating meat sacrificed to idols if it were debated nowadays…

“I have the right to eat meat sacrificed to idols. The Bible doesn’t say it’s wrong, plus Paul sometimes ate meat sacrificed to idols so your argument is invalid. I’m sorry but you’re confused. I’m going to eat meat sacrificed to idols because I’m supposed to provide for my family and that’s the meat that’s the most affordable…” etc.

Let’s do our best to make sure that we’re keeping God first in our minds and putting others’ needs ahead of our own. The time is now, my brothers and sisters. It’s time for us to come together and change the world! There are millions of souls to be saved, and we need to work together to save them. We need unity.

Thank you for reading!
With Christian love,
- Ethan