Biblical Unity & Biblical Truth
(A Necessary Tension)

Unity -- beautiful word, a powerful ideal, a biblical concept. Regrettably, through the years, confusion has developed in the Church over it, and what was meant to be a glorious reality has become an elusive, fleeting, and divisive dream. On one extreme stand those determined to achieve unity at any cost; on the other, those who claim that any pursuit of unity comes at the expense of truth. Truth and unity have come to be viewed by many as antithetical -- you can align with one or the other, but not with both. Our congregation believes Scripture teaches that this is a false dichotomy, and that the Word of God commands us, and the love of God compels us, to pursue both (Ps. 119:9,160; Ps. 133; Jn. 4:24 ;10:16 ;17:17-23; Acts 2:1, 42; 20:29-31; Rom. 12:4-5; 15:4-7; I Cor. 1:10; 12:12-13; II Cor. 13:11; Gal. 3:26-28; Eph. 2:14-18 ;4:1-16; Phil. 1:27; 2:1-5; II Tim. 2:15; 3:16 ; Pet. 3:8; I Jn. 4)

While regional splits have always existed within it, from its founding and for the first one thousand years, there was but one recognized Church. When errors of teaching were discovered, they were addressed and various church councils were called to deal with doctrinal disputes over important issues such as the nature of God and the deity of Christ. The first major division took place in 1054 A.D., resulting in the Eastern Orthodox and the Roman Catholic Churches. A little over 500 years later, another fracture occurred leading to the creation of the Protestant Church. Protestantism, in turn, has experienced the formation of a myriad of denominations and sects, each intending in its own way to maintain the purity of the Gospel and to uphold biblical Christianity.

Since its inception, with varying degrees of intensity, the issue of unity has been an ongoing matter of discussion within the Church. In the late 1800's and early 1900's the controversy began to focus upon what has been called the Ecumenical Movement. Intending a broad-based reunification, the movement was plagued by one major difficulty: the idea that Church unity should be achieved "at any cost" - to the extent of sacrificing the essential truths of the Word of God. Opposition arose from individuals, churches, and denominations committed to the defense and proclamation of the truth, generally dividing the Church into what have come to be known as "liberal" and "conservative" camps. This division persists in our day, with those on one side of the issue perceived as willing to pursue love apart from truth, compromising the integrity of the Gospel message, and those on the other viewed as defending the truth of God's Word at the expense of love, often leading to coldness, arrogance, and pride.

In view of this history, and in spite of the difficulties involved, we believe the Lord is calling Christians to denominational reconciliation in our day. Our congregation has, therefore, sought to find a common ground upon which all Christians can unite - one it believes to be entirely biblical and consistent with the will of Christ for His Church. Simply stated, our congregation believes:

We must be committed to truth, and we must
also be committed to unity.

Theologians call it an antinomy - two truths which at times seem to be in conflict, but which nonetheless are equally true. In obedience to God and His Word, we do not believe one should be sacrificed for the other. Each is vital to accomplish God's purposes. We believe He calls us to pursue both. Therefore, while we desire to be a catalyst for unity among believers in all Christian denominations, that unity must be based on the historically essential truths of Christianity.

Doctrine, right belief - it is the core and essence of Christ's Church. Everything we do is guided and informed by biblical doctrine. Realizing that any doctrinal stand has the potential to divide, our congregation nonetheless believes that such a stand is not inconsistent with the love of Christ. Indeed, our congregation seeks to reflect Christ as He embodies the truth and love of God. While recognizing that our ultimate unity has been accomplished by our Lord through his death on the cross, we believe the sectarianism that characterizes the Church is hurting the cause of Christ. We feel compelled, therefore, to call believers together according to our highest common denominators - faith in Christ and the truth of God's Word. Our pursuit of unity, then, is based on a core theology of historic doctrines of the Church, which is represented by our Statement of Faith.

We believe these core beliefs provide a firm biblical foundation upon which Christians can join together and live out the unity called for in John 17:17-23, where Jesus prayed to the Father, "I have given them the glory that You gave Me, that they may be one as We are one...May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that You sent Me and have loved them even as You have loved Me."

With the apostle Paul, we implore all believers who share a common faith in the biblical Jesus to "live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace." (Ephesians 4:1-3) For too long now, the Church has allowed its differences to divide it, preventing it from ministering effectively and from displaying the glory God intended for it. As a consequence, the Church has lost its "saltiness."

Is it not terrible to realize that by over-emphasizing our differences, we have actually served to hinder the Father's answer to our Lord's prayer for oneness in the Church, as well as our witness to the lost? If, after all, Christians can't love and embrace one another, expreessing the oneness that is already ours in Christ, the world will rightfully question the validity - and the value - of faith. "By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you love one another," Jesus proclaimed (John 13:35). Furthermore, as Jesus' prayer in John 17 indicates, while division and divisiveness are "natural" in this life, there is something supernatural about unity that even the ungodly can recognize. When Christians merely display the love of Christ to each other, the world knows that God sent Jesus, and that He receives the glory due His name. Biblical unity, then, is one of the most powerful testimonies that validates the reality of God.

"How good and pleasant it is when brothers live
together in unity." Psalm 133:1

At Christ's Church, we are not preoccupied with a man's denominational label, nor do we wish to see all Church distinctives disappear. Rather, we are committed to calling Christian men and women to reach beyond labels and to enter into vital relationship with each other based on our common faith in Jesus Christ. Through loving relationship, we can demonstrate to a hopelessly divisive world, that, by God's grace, believers can live peacefully together in spite of their differences. This way, we can also know if a believer holds to the core doctrines of God's Word. If he/she does, we are brothers/sisters in Christ. If not, we may be used by God to lead them to the knowledge of the Truth. As it has been said, "In essentials, unity. In non-essentials, liberty. In all things, love."

Many are grateful for and committed to their denominational affiliation and heritage - and rightfully so. But, while it is vital to fight for the truth, the day has come when we must not allow ourselves to be separated by sectarian labels and secondary issues. At a time when only approximately 10% of the world's five billion people are professing Christians and when Christianity is under attack on virtually every side, it is imperative for us to reach out to one another in love and unity. While respecting our differences, we must come together in relationship, ensuring that each person is trusting in the finished the work of Christ for their salvation, thereby receiving God's gift of eternal life and becoming a fellow member of God's family. To continue down the road (or roads) we have been traveling is to court further divisiveness, disunity, loss of witness, and disaster.

Finally, it is truth - the truth of Christ - to which we call all men and women, and it is in this truth where we can find biblical unity - unity in truth. When we stand before Jesus on that Day, we believe those who strive for this ideal will hear the words, "Well done, good and faithful servant." For our Savior's sake, for His glory, and that the world will know that God sent Him, we can do no less.

As fellow members of His church we need each other. . .

"...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 fulness of Christ." (Ephesians 4:12-13)

The above article has been adapted from a Promise Keepers brochure