Unity among those who seek to serve and please God is a laudable goal! “Unity” and “union” are not interchangeable, however; they are NOT the same thing, and they do NOT produce the same results!
Long ago, David proclaimed, “Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!” (Psalm 133:1). The fellowship we enjoy as God’s children is a precious blessing, and this is true whether we are gathered for worship, or simply for the joy of associating together! We are strong because of the unity which binds our hearts together in love!
Ephesians 4:3 urges Christians to continue endeavoring (“hurrying”) to keep (“take care of”) the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. From the very beginning, the devil has tried to convince us that religious unity is only possible if we compromise fundamental truths. The bible shows that unity without compromise is not only possible (e.g., Acts 2:1; 2:46) but essential, if we want heaven as our eternal home!
Genuine unity among believers is based on unity with God, 1 John 1:7, and Jesus Christ is the only foundation for it. This is the basic point in 1 Corinthians 3:11, “For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.” Christianity is fundamentally an “exclusive” religion, though not in the way the world thinks of it! This is an idea that troubles many in the religious community (including some among our own brethren), because it means that some people who think of themselves as servants of Christ – who are sincere, well-meaning people – are actually working against Him. In Matthew 7:21, Jesus plainly said, “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.” He went on to point out in vv. 22-23 that some people who think they should be saved won’t be. The reason they won’t be saved is because they don’t share unity with the Father because they don’t “walk in the light.” Unity among believers must rest on this foundation for it to please God.
The notion that we can “agree to disagree” is fine in some things: sports, colleges, even politics – but since God sets the boundaries of fellowship, we have no right to move them! “Believers” may try to have “unity” on some basis other than fellowship with God, but He will not be part of their fellowship on those terms! (He “hated” the feasts and assemblies of Israel when they were walking in sin, Amos 5:21.) When we don’t have fellowship with the Lord, we don’t have genuine UNITY!
God’s word shows both the foundation of genuine Christian unity, and the means by which we can enter it! Any other kind of “unity” is nothing but a cheap (and hopeless!) imitation. The true issue is what God says about unity, not what people choose to think: Without unity between man and God, there is no eternal hope for man whatsoever! All the religious movements and unions we could create – no matter how well-intentioned and respected they might be – nonetheless fall short of heaven because they lack the Divine seal of approval, (Matthew 7:21-23). Let us resolve that we will always and only “build” on heaven’s foundation, Ephesians 2:20!
-Dave Rogers
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