Nearly every religious person agrees that Christians should be united.
Jesus prayed for unity.
The apostles taught unity.
Division among believers is repeatedly condemned in the New Testament.
Yet Christianity today contains thousands of religious groups teaching contradictory doctrines.
One group teaches one thing about salvation.
Another teaches something different.
One worships one way.
Another worships another way.
One teaches that a practice is sinful.
Another teaches that the same practice is acceptable.
Then we sometimes hear:
“WE CAN DISAGREE ABOUT DOCTRINE AND STILL HAVE BIBLICAL UNITY.”
But that raises an important question:
WHAT KIND OF UNITY DID JESUS AND THE APOSTLES ACTUALLY TEACH?
JESUS PRAYED FOR UNITY
Before His crucifixion, Jesus prayed for those who would believe through the apostles’ word:
“Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word;”
(John 17:20, KJV)
Then He prayed:
“That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee…”
(John 17:21, KJV)
Notice:
BELIEVE THROUGH THE APOSTLES’ WORD
↓
THAT THEY ALL MAY BE ONE
The unity Jesus prayed for was connected to revealed truth.
Earlier in the same prayer Jesus said:
“Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.”
(John 17:17, KJV)
Therefore:
GOD’S WORD
↓
TRUTH
↓
BELIEF THROUGH THE APOSTOLIC WORD
↓
ONE
Biblical unity is not created by ignoring truth.
Biblical unity is produced by submitting together to truth.
PAUL CONDEMNED RELIGIOUS DIVISION
The church at Corinth had begun dividing around men.
Some said:
“I am of Paul”
Others:
“I of Apollos”
Others:
“I of Cephas”
Others:
“I of Christ”
(1 Corinthians 1:12)
Paul responded:
“Is Christ divided? was Paul crucified for you? or were ye baptized in the name of Paul?”
(1 Corinthians 1:13, KJV)
Those questions expose the problem.
CHRIST IS NOT DIVIDED.
Paul had already commanded:
“Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing…”
(1 Corinthians 1:10, KJV)
Continue reading:
“…and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.”
(1 Corinthians 1:10, KJV)
Notice what Paul did NOT say:
“Maintain your different doctrines and simply agree to disagree.”
He said:
SPEAK THE SAME THING
↓
NO DIVISIONS
↓
PERFECTLY JOINED TOGETHER
↓
SAME MIND
↓
SAME JUDGMENT
That is a much stronger definition of unity than merely occupying the same room while teaching contradictory doctrines.
THERE IS ONE BODY
Paul wrote:
“There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling;”
(Ephesians 4:4, KJV)
Then:
“One Lord, one faith, one baptism,”
(Ephesians 4:5, KJV)
And:
“One God and Father of all…”
(Ephesians 4:6, KJV)
Notice the repeated word:
ONE.
ONE BODY
↓
ONE SPIRIT
↓
ONE HOPE
↓
ONE LORD
↓
ONE FAITH
↓
ONE BAPTISM
↓
ONE GOD AND FATHER
Paul did not present denominational division as the goal of Christianity.
He presented:
UNITY.
WHAT IS THE ONE BODY?
Paul identifies it:
“And he is the head of the body, the church…”
(Colossians 1:18, KJV)
Again:
“…for his body’s sake, which is the church:”
(Colossians 1:24, KJV)
Therefore:
ONE BODY
Ephesians 4:4
↓
THE BODY IS THE CHURCH
Colossians 1:18, 24
↓
CHRIST IS THE HEAD
↓
THE CHURCH SUBMITS TO CHRIST
If Christ is the one Head, the body should follow the teaching of its Head.
UNITY REQUIRES A COMMON STANDARD
Imagine several people attempting to measure the same object while each uses a different standard.
One uses inches.
Another invents his own measurement.
Another says measurements do not matter.
Agreement becomes impossible.
Religiously, unity cannot be achieved when every person or organization creates its own standard.
We need one standard.
Jesus said:
“If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed;”
(John 8:31, KJV)
The apostles continued teaching Christ’s Word.
The first Christians:
“…continued stedfastly in the apostles’ doctrine…”
(Acts 2:42, KJV)
Therefore:
CHRIST’S WORD
↓
THE APOSTLES’ DOCTRINE
↓
ONE STANDARD
↓
BELIEVERS SUBMIT TO THAT STANDARD
↓
UNITY BECOMES POSSIBLE
UNITY CANNOT BE BUILT BY SACRIFICING TRUTH
Sometimes unity is pursued by avoiding difficult doctrinal questions.
But Scripture does not tell Christians to abandon truth in order to create unity.
Paul wrote:
“Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.”
(Ephesians 4:3, KJV)
Notice:
THE UNITY OF THE SPIRIT.
The Spirit revealed truth through the apostles.
Therefore, unity of the Spirit cannot contradict what the Spirit revealed.
Paul also wrote:
“Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God…”
(Ephesians 4:13, KJV)
Biblical unity involves:
THE FAITH
and:
THE KNOWLEDGE OF THE SON OF GOD.
UNITY DOES NOT MEAN FOLLOWING MEN
Paul warned the Corinthians against identifying themselves religiously around human teachers.
He asked:
“Is Christ divided?”
(1 Corinthians 1:13, KJV)
That question deserves consideration today.
If Paul objected when Christians said:
“I AM OF PAUL”
“I AM OF APOLLOS”
“I AM OF CEPHAS”
what would he think about Christians dividing themselves under religious names, movements, founders, creeds, and organizations unknown to the New Testament?
The goal should not be:
EVERYONE JOIN MY DENOMINATION.
The goal should be:
EVERYONE RETURN TO CHRIST.
BACK TO CHRIST
↓
BACK TO HIS WORD
↓
BACK TO THE APOSTLES’ DOCTRINE
↓
BACK TO THE ONE FAITH
↓
BACK TO THE ONE BODY
↓
BIBLICAL UNITY
THE BIBLICAL PATTERN
JESUS REVEALS THE TRUTH
↓
THE APOSTLES TEACH HIS WORD
↓
PEOPLE BELIEVE THROUGH THEIR WORD
John 17:20
↓
BELIEVERS CONTINUE IN THE APOSTLES’ DOCTRINE
Acts 2:42
↓
CHRIST IS THE HEAD
Colossians 1:18
↓
THERE IS ONE BODY
Ephesians 4:4
↓
THERE IS ONE FAITH
Ephesians 4:5
↓
THERE ARE NO DIVISIONS
1 Corinthians 1:10
↓
BELIEVERS ARE JOINED TOGETHER IN THE SAME MIND AND JUDGMENT
↓
BIBLICAL UNITY
THAT IS THE PATTERN.
Unity does not mean:
“YOU KEEP YOUR TRUTH AND I WILL KEEP MINE.”
Truth does not belong to either of us.
Jesus said:
“…thy word is truth.”
(John 17:17, KJV)
Therefore, the question should not be:
“HOW CAN OUR DENOMINATIONS LEARN TO GET ALONG?”
A more fundamental question is:
“WHY ARE WE DIVIDED IN THE FIRST PLACE?”
And then:
“WHAT WOULD HAPPEN IF WE ALL ABANDONED EVERY HUMAN creed, human name, human tradition, and unauthorized religious practice and simply returned to the teaching of Christ and His apostles?”
The goal is not unity at any price.
The goal is:
UNITY IN TRUTH.
Don’t accept that conclusion merely because it is written here.
Open your Bible.
Read John 17.
Read Acts 2.
Read 1 Corinthians 1.
Read Ephesians 4.
Read Colossians 1.
Compare Scripture with Scripture.
Then ask:
IS THE RELIGIOUS UNITY I SEEK THE SAME UNITY JESUS PRAYED FOR?
And:
AM I WILLING TO GIVE UP ANY HUMAN TEACHING NECESSARY IN ORDER TO STAND SIMPLY UPON THE WORD OF CHRIST?
Jesus prayed:
“That they all may be one…”
(John 17:21, KJV)
That prayer still matters.
ALLOW SCRIPTURE TO INTERPRET SCRIPTURE.
The Biblical Pattern
Biblical Studies & Books by Kevin L. Walker
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The Biblical Pattern 