Unity

Introduction

Especially in recent years, the call for unity among the churches seems to be getting louder and louder. The fact that the Church is made up of more than 30,000 denominations worldwide is increasingly viewed as a mockery, and our witness as the Church of Jesus Christ would be seriously weakened. We then quote scripture to reinforce this point. John 17:23 says

₂₃I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me. 

Therefore, if we as a church really want to strengthen our witness to the world, we will have to work more than ever for unity so that the world may come to faith in Jesus Christ.

The question that arises for me is whether these representations are really true, or whether we are not chasing a kind of idea-fix that perhaps is not being asked of us at all. Biblically speaking, what is true unity, and how should we within the various churches shape it? Should we just accept each other unconditionally and ignore all mutual differences?

What unites us and what separates us from the world? Who are we able to accept as brothers and sisters in Christ, and who are we not allowed to accept?

The Bible says;

₂₀But ye have not so learned Christ;
(Ephesians 4:20).
(₂₀ But you are quite different: you have come to know Christ.
(^{_{Translated from dutch NBG)}})

It seems that we are called not only to be one, but also to be different. So where should we draw the line between being one and being different, or is it not important?

In this article I will try to provide a good balance based on the Bible as a whole, rather than just looking at a few isolated verses which, if not read in the context of the whole Bible, can lead us astray.

God is one

To get a proper biblical picture of unity we will have to start with God Himself. In the Torah, the law of God, the ‘constitution’ that Israel is supposed to keep, we find in Deuteronomy 6 one of the most basic statements that is also quoted by Jesus in the gospels as the great commandment.

₄Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD: ₅and thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.
(Deuteronomy 6:4-5).

Hier wordt God zelf bij name genoemd en verklaard één te zijn. Het woord wat hier gebruikt is voor één is het Hebreeuwse woord אחד (echad) (Strongcode H0259)

H259 אחד ‘echâd
BDB Definition:
1) one (number)
1a) one (number)
1b) each, every
1c) a certain
1d) an (indefinite article)
1e) only, once, once for all
1f) one…another, the one…the other, one after another, one by one
1g) first
1h) eleven (in combination), eleventh (ordinal)
Part of Speech: adjective
A Related Word by BDB/Strong’s Number: a numeral from H258

The main characteristic of the number one is that it is un-dividable. So God is indivisible and unique, He is the only one:

₅I am the LORD, and there is none else, there is no God beside me: I girded thee, though thou hast not known me:
(Isaiah 45:5)

In the Ten Commandments, God also declares that HE is a jealous God, i.e. He will not tolerate another beside Him.

₄Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: ₅thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me;
(Exodus 20: 4-5)

So when we look at God and His unity, it has much more to do with holiness and separation than with love and acceptance. God’s Word states:

 ₄₅For I am the LORD that bringeth you up out of the land of Egypt, to be your God: ye shall therefore be holy, for I am holy. 
(Leviticus 11:45, (cf. Leviticus 11 :44 and 20:7; 1 Peter 1:16))

The word holy means ‘set apart, exclusive’

Strong H6918 שׁודק qadowsh  of  שׁדק qadosh,  
1) sacred, holy, Holy One, saint, set apart

We find these biblical passages in many different shapes and forms throughout the Bible, testifying consistently to the fact that God is primarily concerned with exclusivity rather than inclusiveness. It is through these lenses that we must seek unity among ourselves within the Church of Jesus Christ.

Jesus is one with the Father

Reading the Gospels, it is clear that Jesus does not act in his own right, nor does he put Himself in the forefront. A few verses:

₁₉Then answered Jesus and said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise. ₂₀For the Father loveth the Son, and sheweth him all things that himself doeth: and he will shew him greater works than these, that ye may marvel. ₂₁For as the Father raiseth up the dead, and quickeneth them; even so the Son quickeneth whom he will. ₂₂For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son:
(John 5:19-22)

 ₃₀I and my Father are one.. (John 10: 30)

₂₂And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one:
(John 17: 22)

 It is clear from the above verses that Jesus is one with His Father, both in nature and in action..

Unity with Him and in ourselves

Unity is not only with God and with each other, but above all within ourselves. We too are called to be one. We are called to communion with God and with Jesus Christ, which means we are called to unity with Him and in Him.

John 15:1-8

₁I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. ₂Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit. ₃Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you. ₄Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. ₅I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. ₆If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned. ₇If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you. ₈Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.

This is one of the most important scriptures that deals with the unity that is in Him.

Why do I come to the concept of unity here? Well, because in the high priestly prayer in John 17, Jesus associates unity with ‘You in Me as I in You’:

₂₁that they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me. 
(John 17:21)

This means that if we are in Him and He in us, we are one. James goes a little further by pointing out potential inward divisions:

 ₈Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.
(James 4:8 (cf. James 1:8))

So the unity we can have is a unity in Him and a unity in ourselves.

Moreover, as we read earlier, we are personally called to holiness:

₁₆because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy(1 Peter 1:16)

Our unity, then, cannot be separated from being set apart for God, meaning that we belong exclusively to Jesus Christ. There is no true unity without holiness. God is still jealous. That is why I give myself to Him 100%, that is, without compromise.

Unity within marriage

The Hebrew word אחד (echad) first appears in Genesis 2 and is associated with marriage.

₂₄Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh. (Genesis 2: 24)

It should be clear that the mutual union between a man and his wife in marriage is of an exclusive nature, you cannot let anyone in. The seventh commandment, ‘Thou shalt not commit adultery’, is of course related to this. In Ephesians 5:22-33, the relationship between the Church and Jesus Christ is compared to marriage:

₂₂Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord. ₂₃For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body. ₂₄Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing. ₂₅Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; ₂₆that he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, ₂₇that he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish. ₂₈So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself. ₂₉For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church: ₃₀for we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones. ₃₁For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh. ₃₂This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church. ₃₃Nevertheless, let every one of you in particular so love his wife even as himself; and the wife see that she reverence her husband.

Unity in the Church

It is only now that we can really get to grips with the subject. Without the foregoing, deception lurks in this area. First of all, let’s go through the whole of John 17:1-26, highlighting some of the verses in bold:

₁These words spake Jesus, and lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, Father, the hour is come; glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify thee: ₂as thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him. ₃And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent. ₄I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do. ₅And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was. ₆I have manifested thy name unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world: thine they were, and thou gavest them me; and they have kept thy word. ₇Now they have known that all things whatsoever thou hast given me are of thee. ₈For I have given unto them the words which thou gavest me; and they have received them, and have known surely that I came out from thee, and they have believed that thou didst send me. ₉I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine. ₁₀And all mine are thine, and thine are mine; and I am glorified in them. ₁₁And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee. Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are. ₁₂While I was with them in the world, I kept them in thy name: those that thou gavest me I have kept, and none of them is lost, but the son of perdition; that the scripture might be fulfilled. ₁₃And now come I to thee; and these things I speak in the world, that they might have my joy fulfilled in themselves. ₁₄I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. ₁₅I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil. ₁₆They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. ₁₇Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth. ₁₈As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world. ₁₉And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth. ₂₀Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word; ₂₁that they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me. ₂₂And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one: ₂₃I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me. ₂₄Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me: for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world. ₂₅O righteous Father, the world hath not known thee: but I have known thee, and these have known that thou hast sent me. ₂₆And I have declared unto them thy name, and will declare it: that the love wherewith thou hast loved me may be in them, and I in them

If you put all the bold parts together, you can see that there is a connection between unity in Him, unity in the Godhead, truth of the Word and sanctification in the truth. If you pull these aspects apart, then you can go in many directions with the concept of unity, but if you keep them together, then unity is clearly bound by conditions. So we cannot have unity with people who do not fulfil all the criteria. So just being one because we are members of a Church is not sufficient. We cannot have fellowship with people who hold unbiblical views.

De tekst geeft duidelijk aan dat eenheid alleen gevonden wordt binnen de eenheid van de Vader en de Zoon, dat betekent dat iedereen die deel uit maakt van de onderlinge eenheid deel moet hebben aan de eenheid van, met en in Hem. Mensen die niet aan deze criteria voldoen moeten wij ons van afzijdig houden, dus eenheid kan dus nooit een doel op zich zijn.

Here are just a few pictures:

The top picture represents unity based on compromise; the bottom picture is unity as intended in the Bible. The red areas are things we have adopted from the world or from tradition and are not based on the Word of God. Unity according to the top picture thus becomes a hodgepodge that is incapable of being a true reflection of who God really is, which is a poor testimony. Only uncompromising unity is a good testimony to God and to Jesus Christ.

Paul also talks about unity in his first Epistle to the Corinthians. The Church had been divided into different camps, supposedly under different leadership. Some only recognised Paul’s leadership, others preferred the eloquence of an Apollos, others liked Peter. These texts are often cited as a motivator for unity, but the question is whether the unity Paul is talking about is what we often mean by it.

1 Corinthians 1:10-13

₁₀Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment. ₁₁For it hath been declared unto me of you, my brethren, by them which are of the house of Chloe, that there are contentions among you. ₁₂Now this I say, that every one of you saith, I am of Paul; and I of Apollos; and I of Cephas; and I of Christ. ₁₃Is Christ divided? was Paul crucified for you? or were ye baptized in the name of Paul? 

However, if we go deeper into the text and read it in the broader context of the first four chapters of the Epistle, there are a number of observations to be made that are often overlooked if we concentrate only on the particular pericope, which then focuses only on being one. Paul then shifts to talking about worldly wisdom versus the foolishness of the gospel, to return to the subject of divisions in chapter three. Looking at the whole of the passage, we have to conclude that the divisions are a symptom of a much deeper problem, namely an over-emphasis on human leadership and a consequent loss of the essence of the gospel. The solution, then, is not so much the restoration of unity but the restoration of the simple foundation of the gospel and the restoration of a biblical vision of leadership.

₁And I, brethren, when I came to you, came not with excellency of speech or of wisdom, declaring unto you the testimony of God. ₂For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified.
(1 Corinthians 2:1-2)

This means that we are once again under the sole authority of the Word of God. Later in the letter, in chapter 11, Paul revisits the relationship of authority in the Church.

1 Corinthians 11: 1-3

₁Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ. ₂Now I praise you, brethren, that ye remember me in all things, and keep the ordinances, as I delivered them to you. ₃But I would have you know, that the head of every man is Christ; and the head of the woman is the man; and the head of Christ is God.

In this passage you see Paul explaining his role as a leader, being an example to follow, but not a head. The head of the man is Christ. So the man must not put human leadership between himself and Christ. So unity was not the problem, but the wrong view of leadership. So restoring unity is not the priority here, but only a secondary issue.

Throughout the Epistles, we are regularly confronted with false doctrines from which we should refrain. These teachings can come from various sources:

₈Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.(Colossians 2:8)

Philosophy is Greco-Hellenistic culture, human traditions are often associated with Jewish traditions in the Bible, and the rudiments of the world, could be seen as the spirit of the time. Those kind of thing should be kept from entering the door, which means that we should not be in unity with the followers of such teachings. John gives another clear example in his second Epistle:

₉Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son. ₁₀If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither bid him God speed: ₁₁for he that biddeth him God speed is partaker of his evil deeds.
(2 John 1: 9-11)

Both Paul and Judas speak of false brethren creeping in or infiltrating. Paul is referring to a group of Pharisees who argue that Gentiles should be circumcised; so Jewish tradition is being presented here. Jude also speaks of wicked people who teach that grace is a licence to sin, a licence to transgress the commandments.

…₄and that because of false brethren unawares brought in, who came in privily to spy out our liberty which we have in Christ Jesus, that they might bring us into bondage
(Galatians 2: 4)

₄For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ.
(Jude 1:4)

It should be clear that there is no unity to be formed with either group, at least not on biblical bases. It does not matter whether it is on the basis of praying together, or whether we have the same gifts of the Spirit, or whether we are part of the same congregation; being part of such people is detrimental to the unity of the Church. This means that both in our personal lives and in the church we must be very careful about this, otherwise we lose spiritual authority and actually discredit the testimony of Jesus Christ.

Ecumenism

Looking at modern developments, there is clearly a movement afoot to seek maximum unity in the ecclesial sphere. A common ground is therefore being sought on which this unity can then be built.

Initiatives like the World Council of Churches, often combined with national and local councils of churches and other kinds of platforms of which we are all participants, are the best examples.

Alongside these developments, we see the call for unity being extended even further in so-called interfaith initiatives. Here, too, the first step is to find common ground, based on similarities in doctrine and practice, in order to grow towards greater unity. The ultimate goal is then the formation of a global religion into which everyone in the world would fit.

Albert Pike, the leader of Freemasonry in the 19th century, in his correspondence with Mazinni in 1871, made the world event culminate in the fact that both atheism and Christianity would come to an end and be replaced by this world religion.

(Cor Hendriks, Albert Pike & Three World Wars (Info-file PDF March 2016)

Many of the initiatives for unity should be seen in this context. It should be clear to a true student of the Bible that these developments have more to do with the coming of the Antichrist or the man of lawlessness (2 Thessalonians 2:1-4) than with true unity in Christ. What may no longer have a place in such a development is the proclamation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, after all we supposedly believe in the same God? You can hear the voices becoming louder and louder that we should no longer bother Jews or lost Catholics, to name but a few, with the Gospel. The biblical statement that Jesus Christ is the Way, the Truth and the Life, and that apart from Him there is no way to God (John 14:6 (cf. Acts 4:12)) should no longer be proclaimed. The Catholic and Jewish doctrine of justification by works is no longer to be addressed. The Reformation doctrines of ‘sola vide’ and ‘sola scriptura’ are no longer to be regarded as fundamental truths of the Christian faith.

Clearly, developments in these directions should be resisted rather than encouraged, and should not be seen as a biblical pursuit of unity.

The sword that causes separation

In fact, we find a statement of Jesus that points to division rather than unity in Matthew 10:34-39:

₃₄Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword. ₃₅For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law. ₃₆And a man’s foes shall be they of his own household. ₃₇He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. ₃₈And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me. ₃₉He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it.

There is a clear indication here that the Gospel brings discord rather than peace, there is a disruption in family relationships. This is also evident throughout the world when born Muslims or Orthodox Jews come to faith in Jesus Christ. At best they are thrown out of the family, but often the consequences are more serious.

The above passage refers to a sword that brings separation, a theme that is also found in other places in the Bible. In Hebrews 4:12-13 we find the following passage:

 ₁₂For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. ₁₃Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do.

Again we see that the Word of God divides. The search for unity must therefore be tested against passages like this.

Conclusion

It is important to understand that when it comes to the fundamental truths of the gospel, separation should not be seen as undesirable, but rather as a biblical imperative. Therefore, the quest for unity that we often encounter in different churches should be seen as undesirable when the truth of the Word of God is at stake.

Of course, mutual love and respect leads to an increase in unity and should be pursued as such. We must not allow ourselves to be divided on the basis of trivial matters. There is a clear call for unity in the Bible, as can be seen in some of the passages quoted earlier.
However, the first priority is not unity but truth, not compromise but holiness, even in our relationships with one another. We should therefore not be afraid of being different from other people.

With this article I hope to have made a meaningful contribution to the growing discussion about the call for unity that I seem to encounter more and more often in our Churches.