The Importance of Unity
“Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight.”
Romans 11:16
Unity is important for the church, but it is not ultimate. Truth is. I once had a man tell me that unity is the most important thing in a church, insinuating that it was permissible to lie to keep the peace. If unity is more important than truth, then one feels justified in being deceitful or underhanded to not rock the boat or cause controversy. Yes, God wants us to be unified as a church, but that unity is based on the foundation of the truth of God found in the pages of Scripture.
This doesn’t mean that we should give up unity lightly nor does it mean that we should not pursue to maintain unity. Paul writes, “I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call— one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. (Eph 4:1-6)”
Jesus said that the unity of believers is the quintessential proof that shows the world that the Father has sent the Son. When Jesus prayed for us he said, “I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me. (John 17:20-23)”
Notice what Jesus says, when we show biblical unity it is proof to the world that Jesus is the Messiah who is Savior and it testifies that we are his disciples. This unity is not forced but it is based in love. Earlier in John’s gospel Jesus told his disciples, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another. (John 13:24-25)” The implications are that there should be very few things that are so serious or egregious that we would break fellowship with others.
In fact, the one area where the unity may be disrupted is when deep truth is on the line. A person living in open, unrepentant sin may, after being warned several times, removed from the fellowship of the church. Jesus instructs of this in Matthew 18:15-18, “If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses. If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector.”
In the church in Corinth there was a man who was sleeping with his stepmom and the church put up with it to show how tolerant and non-judgmental they were. Paul made his assessment, “For though absent in body, I am present in spirit; and as if present, I have already pronounced judgment on the one who did such a thing. When you are assembled in the name of the Lord Jesus and my spirit is present, with the power of our Lord Jesus, you are to deliver this man to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord. (1 Cor 5:3-5)” Later he adds, “But now I am writing to you not to associate with anyone who bears the name of brother if he is guilty of sexual immorality or greed, or is an idolater, reviler, drunkard, or swindler—not even to eat with such a one…purge the evil person from among you. (1 Cor 5:11, 13)”
Volunteer organizations in our culture have fallen on hard times. It is difficult to get people to commit to a group and even harder to get them to stay once they do. Not so in the church. There is a commitment and a loyalty that we are to have to our brothers and sisters in Christ. When we join a local church, we are to be “all-in”, and unity is held in high regard. We are called to buck the consumer mindset of the world that drops out on a whim. More than just attenders, we should be active members of the local church and be fully committed. As Paul reminds us in our opening verse, this equally includes every member without exception and without distinction.
