Maintaining Unity without Losing Integrity
Chapter 6 of Freed Together
In the first chapter, I talked about two key women in my life — my wife and my mom. Now, I want to mention a third important woman in my life — my sister, Tammy. My sister and I both had the privilege of being adopted by our parents. We love each other deeply, but we are very different people. We have different likes and preferences. We have different life experiences. We have different perspectives on the world. But we are also part of one family.
We faced our greatest relationship challenge when our mother died a few years ago. We had seen how so many families had fallen apart at the death of a parent, so we made a commitment that this would not happen to us. We knew that the greatest way to honour our mother would be for us to work through all the arrangements and the grieving process in unity.
I am pleased to report that we succeeded. But we also learned something important along the way. To maintain our unity as a family we also had to make allowances for our personal differences. My task-oriented nature made me want to take care of mom's belongings as quickly as possible. My sister’s relational-oriented nature wanted to take time to look through mom's belongings to preserve memories and celebrate love. Although it was difficult for me, I chose to allow my sister to do it her way.
Because of our commitment to unity, we also learned how our differences complemented each other. My skills allowed us to resolve some issues regarding a bank. My sister’s skills were instrumental in preparing my mom's house for sale. Together, we were able to resolve mom's affairs quickly and efficiently while preserving our love and healthy relationship.
In our time of personal crisis, my sister and I experienced something that is essential for healthy churches — maintaining unity without losing integrity. Without unity, our churches cannot function as God intends. Without integrity, what we think of as "unity" is nothing more than a sentimental sense of togetherness that has no durability. It is in unity that we discover and develop our integrity. It is also in unity that we discover the fullness of God's love.
THE BLESSING OF UNITY
One of the great promises of the Bible is that God commands a blessing where brothers and sisters dwell together in unity (Psalm 133). In addition, David tells us that it is good and pleasant — beneficial and enjoyable — when we remain in unity. The biblical word here translated “dwell” suggests people who are hanging out together, choosing to spend time together. When we hang out in unity God brings a blessing.
As the family of God in Christ Jesus, we instinctively seem to know that unity is incredibly valuable. At the same time, I find that very few Christians really understand what unity is about according to the Bible. We often have unrealistic notions or idealistic distortions regarding unity simply not found in the Bible. Ironically, holding onto these non-biblical notions of unity actually hinders true unity. What are some of these unrealistic notions of unity?
One non-biblical notion of unity is that unity is an emotional connection. Some people think that if we have unity then we will feel good about one another, we will feel love for one another, and we will have a deep emotional engagement with one another. Biblically, unity does not always lead to good feelings. Sometimes it can even lead to conflict and hurt feelings as we work through issues together.
Another non-biblical notion of unity is that unity is something we must work for. Some people think that we must strive for unity, that we must do everything possible to get unity. Often this leads people to put unfair or unrealistic pressure on others to sacrifice their integrity for some perceived feeling of “unity” which is little more than forced consensus. At other times, this leads people to give up on the notion of unity entirely as some fantasy. Both approaches reveal how people have succumbed to the lie that we must struggle for unity. Biblically, unity is a gift; it is not something that we work for.
A third non-biblical notion of unity is that achieving unity is a prerequisite for something else. For example, some people think that we cannot have revival unless we first have unity. This is neither biblically nor historically accurate. Other people think that we must have unity before we can have effective ministry, such as evangelism. Sometimes a deeper sense of unity follows effective ministry, instead of preceding it.
A fourth non-biblical notion is that unity requires we all believe precisely the same things or practise our faith in precisely the same ways. But in 1 Corinthians 11.19, Paul suggests that we must have some differences to determine what is genuine. In Romans 14, Paul instructs the church about how to reconcile differing practices in their midst, suggesting the presence of differences among them. Even the very first Christians had a diversity of beliefs and practices.
Believing that unity must be a visible, structural (organisational) unity is a fifth non-biblical notion about unity. Some people think that unity will only occur when all churches are united in one denomination. Other people suggest that all churches must have the same kind of church governance structure. Still others believe that unity must be expressed visibly by Christians and churches working together in exactly the same way. Defining unity by the visible, structural unity of the churches always detracts us from genuine unity. It never actually promotes unity. What is more, it will never be achieved.
A sixth non-biblical notion of unity is that unity means that I need to lose myself – my identity, my dreams, my desires, my uniqueness – for the sake of unity. Unity does not demand the loss of our individuality and identity. Biblical unity will help us discover our individuality and identity. Biblical unity never forces us to sacrifice our integrity. In fact, integrity is essential to live in biblical unity.
A final non-biblical notion of unity is that unity is something that will only happen sometime in the future. Some people seem to think that we have no hope of unity now, but that God will bring unity to the church in the future. Yet, when Jesus prayed for our unity in John 17, he was not praying for unity as a future reality, but as an ongoing reality that would continue to manifest in the future.
FOR CONSIDERATION AND DISCUSSION
What does “unity” mean to you?
Which unbiblical notions of unity have you heard or believed?
When have you experienced “unity”? What was it like?
BIBLICAL UNITY
To understand unity biblically, we must consider what Jesus was praying for in John 17:
“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 [be] perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me.” (John. 17:20–23 ESV)
We often misunderstand Jesus’ prayer. We assume that Jesus is praying for our success as Christians in our ongoing struggle for unity. We assume that Jesus is praying for some future, realised unity to counter our present disunity. We assume that some notion of unity is a prerequisite for the world believing the Gospel. These are well-meaning but incorrect assumptions.
When Jesus prays that “they may all be one", Jesus is not praying that we might "become" one. Jesus is praying that we might remain in unity, the unity brought in Jesus Christ. The Greek suggests a present, ongoing "oneness" that continues from the present into the future. This ongoing oneness might lead to certain outcomes, if certain conditions are met. In essence, Jesus is praying that we might continue to be one so that through our unity the world might believe in Jesus and experience the love of Jesus.
Jesus’ prayer tells us a lot about unity. First, we learn that our unity flows from the unity of the Trinity. The Bible reveals that there is only one God but that this one God exists as three distinct persons in perfect love and perfect community. Each person of the Godhead has integrity, yet existing as one God. God has a unity of divine nature and divine will within an eternal relationship of love among three persons — Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Our unity of persons within a Christian community flows from this reality of God.
Second, we learn that we have unity with those who believe in Jesus through the Bible, the faithful record of what Jesus’ disciples taught about him. Believing in Jesus Christ as our Lord and our Saviour is the starting point for our unity. We cannot be truly united with anyone who does not affirm the biblical revelation about Jesus Christ and who does not become a follower of Jesus.
Third, we learn that our unity as believers is based on our union with Jesus Christ. When we become Christians, the Bible reveals that we are united with Christ – Christ in us and we in Christ (see John 14:20). When we become one with Jesus, we become one with one another. We cannot have oneness with Jesus without having oneness with the church – the people of God. Such oneness is not a visible oneness, but it is nevertheless real and valid.
The fourth thing we learn is that our unity comes from the glory of Jesus which Jesus has given to us as well. To understand what this is, we need to look at the testimony of John in chapter 1:14 – “We have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father”. Jesus had glory as the Son of God. Through faith in Jesus Christ, both women and men become "sons of God" (Galatians 3:26), heirs with Christ. As Christians together, we are all “sons” of God, part of one great divine family in union with God through Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit. As “sons of God”, we share in the glory of Jesus who was the only begotten Son of God. Women and men have unity and equality as “sons” of God in Jesus Christ.
Fifth, Jesus's prayer suggests that our unity is dynamic. It is not static. Jesus prays that we might be “perfectly” one, which indicates a movement toward completion. Oneness is ongoing, but it is also growing – or not. In a sense, it is similar to what happened when we became a Christian. We are saved by grace through faith (Ephesians 2:8), but we also work out our salvation with fear and trembling (Philippians 2:12). Unity is active, not passive. Biblical unity leads to biblical actions.
Sixth, we learn from Jesus’ prayer that our unity is spiritual. Jesus was not praying that we all would be in the same “tribe”, network or denomination. He was not praying that we would all do the same things or act in the same way. In the mind of Christ, our unity was a spiritual reality that superseded all other earthly realities, but one certainly that would be evident on the earth.
Finally, Jesus's prayer shows us the two-fold purpose of our unity. The first purpose of our unity is that people will believe in Jesus. Our unity has an evangelistic character about it. Our unity proclaims Christ. The second purpose of our unity is that people will get to know Jesus and the love of the Father that flows through Jesus. People grow in their relationship with God because of our ongoing unity. This purpose of unity will lead to people’s transformation in the love of God in Jesus Christ.
We need to note in Jesus’ prayer here that the world is not responding to Jesus because of what they see, as if they witness a bunch of Christians holding hands and singing “Kum ba yah” and then decide to follow Jesus. There is no sense in the passage that if we would only become structurally or observably united then people would believe in Jesus. The world does not believe in Jesus because they see our unity. Instead, the world responds to Jesus because we already have an ongoing and growing unity in Jesus as a dynamic reality. In other words, the world may not see our unity in Christ, but the ongoing reality of our unity in Christ becomes a factor that draws the world to respond to Jesus. The stronger our unity grows, the greater the power of that unity to let the whole world know about Jesus.
UNITY DEFINED AND EXPRESSED
Now that we've considered Jesus's prayer for our unity, perhaps we can offer a definition of unity. Unity is our corporate oneness with other Christians in Spirit and in truth that proceeds from our individual union with Jesus Christ by grace through faith. We receive union with Christ and unity with God’s household as a gift when we are born again. We only see and understand unity from the standpoint of Jesus Christ. We only experience unity through the power of the Holy Spirit. We enter and remain in unity by God’s grace in Jesus Christ through faith in Jesus Christ.
Unity may have many visible expressions, but all flow from this definition. We can have relational unity, which is our interpersonal connectedness. We can have missional unity, where we share in activities like outreach or ministry to the poor. We can have doxological unity, which is our united worship of God. We can have pastoral unity, which is being of the same mind in how we do ministry together. We can have essentials unity, which is our agreement on the core essentials of what Christians believe and do. These are all visible expressions of our unity in Jesus, but they are not our unity itself.
Unity is not expressed by how we organise ourselves. The governing document of a local church is not an expression of unity. The structure of a denomination is not an expression of unity. Being subject to a bishop or similar central leader is not an expression of unity. Unity cannot be required or forced. Unity cannot be mandated or maintained by force of law. Unity is not a matter of who owns the property. Whole groups of churches and denominations have deceived themselves into false expressions of unity, seeking to maintain these at all costs.
MAINTAINING UNITY
Other than John 17, perhaps the most important passage in the Bible regarding unity is Ephesians 4:1-16. In verse three, Paul tells us zealously to guard and preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. The bond of peace is the connection created by the Holy Spirit and nourished as we actively and intentionally seek God’s best for each other. We have received unity as a gift through the Holy Spirit, but we must do everything possible to maintain this gift together. It is only as we passionately protect our unity that our unity will fulfil its God-given purpose.
Considering this passage, I would suggest several ways that we might "maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace".
First, we need to relate to one another in a way that is worthy of our calling as followers of Jesus. This means showing humility and gentleness toward one another in our words, attitudes and actions. We must show patience as we put up with each other’s quirks and foibles. Many Christians have a tendency to idealise how the church should be. But these encouragements imply a context in which we often irritate and annoy one another. After all, we do not need to be “patient” with someone who is blessing us!
Second, we need to affirm the basic aspects of our unity. There is one Body of Christ, and we are all part of that one Body. There is one Holy Spirit who unites us, fills us, and empowers us to live for Jesus. We all have one hope of our calling, that is eternal life in Jesus Christ. We all have one leader, Jesus Christ himself. There is one Christian faith and one initiation into that Christian faith. Most of all, we have one God, who is our heavenly Father. Our Father is transcendent, yet he is also with us continually and personally.
It is important for us to note some of the things Paul did not list here. Paul did not say we all must use one language or have one cultural background. He did not say that there was only one style of worship. He did not say that there was only one type of church. Paul's language of unity leaves room for a lot of legitimate diversity within the body of Christ.
Third, we need to respect and encourage one another's authenticity. Paul points out that Jesus has measured out grace to each one of us. Each of us is a unique person, with our own sense of identity and our own personality. We each have a tailor-made role to play in God's kingdom. God has prepared good works for each of us to do. Maintaining unity requires that we acknowledge and embrace our godly distinctiveness.
Fourth, to maintain unity we must cooperate fully with leaders. Paul lists five[1] types of leaders that Jesus gives to the church. The purpose of these leaders is to equip Christians so that they can do ministry and build up the church as the Body of Christ. Having unity does not require that we agree with our leaders all the time. It certainly does not mean that we acquiesce to our leaders’ sins, whims or personal preferences. But we must choose to cooperate fully with our leaders as they fulfil their God-given purpose. This cooperation includes our active participation in serving one another as we build up the church.
Next, to maintain unity we also must cooperate with one another. Although each person has different functions in the body of Christ, each person in the body of Christ must be working together. We all have interconnected roles in God’s Kingdom. Each one of us has a vital role to play in the health and vitality of us all together as the church. Our mutual cooperation is essential for healthy functioning together.
Finally, I think it is helpful for us to understand how unity benefits each of us personally. It is only in unity with other believers that we have any hope to achieve maturity in Christ Jesus. Unity helps us come to the truth. Maintaining corporate unity enables us personally to grow up in every way into Jesus. In addition, unity provides us with security and stability so that we are not tossed about by the waves of life and we are not carried about by every wind of doctrine. Unity protects us from deception as it enables us to become like Jesus.
FOR CONSIDERATION AND DISCUSSION
Do you think of unity as something we have already or something we must work for?
What strikes you most about Jesus’ prayer for our unity?
How has what you heard in this session differed from what you’ve heard in the past?
What ways might you seek to maintain unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace?
COUNTERFEIT UNITY
So far, we’ve talked about the blessings of unity. However, "unity" can also have a dark side. By "unity" in this sense, I mean certain things that seem to take on the form of biblical unity but are not what the Bible means by unity. These are counterfeit forms of unity. These counterfeit forms of unity are inherently dangerous. Cults often use these to promote adherence to the cult above all else.
One counterfeit form of unity is the push for uniformity or unanimity. Unity does not mean that we all do the same things, say the same things or act in the same way. Unity does not mean that we all agree on everything. The Bible allows for diversity within unity. Biblical unity prizes the integrity of each person within the unity of believers.
Another counterfeit form of unity is coercive togetherness. In coercive togetherness, people demand peace and harmony at all costs. Churches insist that everyone follow their legalistic standards or be exposed and humiliated. Leaders refuse to challenge difficult or immature behaviour, and do not allow others to do so either, for the sake of cohesion. Such behaviour coerces people to acquiesce to the drive for togetherness, even against their better judgment. Biblical unity is never coercive.
A third counterfeit form of unity is a misguided tolerance of sinful behaviour or unbiblical teaching. We show unsanctified mercy to people wrestling with sin, suggesting that God accepts them in their behaviour without repentance. We may even allow people to take pride in their sin, almost as a God-given mandate for them. People who know instinctively that certain attitudes and behaviours are sinful think they must put up with almost anything because they do not want to be accused of judging someone. Such tolerance is not unity. Biblical unity has clear limits and boundaries set by God in the Bible.
A fourth counterfeit form of unity is what's called "groupthink". This happens when groups compel and cajole people toward a consensus that overwhelms an individual’s ability to use common sense and consider alternative perspectives. Groupthink often occurs when people want harmony without conflict. Sometimes, in the name of unity, these groups actively suppress dissenting ideas and perspectives. Groupthink can lead to an "us and them" mentality that excludes anyone who disagrees with the group. Such false unity is always unhealthy and limiting. Biblical unity allows freedom of conscience and thought within biblical parameters.
Perhaps the darkest counterfeit unity happens when the drive for consensus and acquiescence leads to manipulation and control. Cults use counterfeit unity to exploit their followers. But I have seen seemingly “normal” churches – and even denominations – manipulate their members to get everyone to acquiesce to whatever the leaders or the majority desires. Where the Spirit of the Lord is in unity, there is freedom (2 Corinthians 3:17).
UNITY AND INTEGRITY
In our desire to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace, we need to guard against counterfeit forms of unity. Perhaps the best way to do this is to maintain unity while promoting integrity. People who have strong, healthy integrity will find that they can experience biblical unity more quickly and more fruitfully. People with integrity can also resist counterfeit forms of unity.
For Christians, “integrity” means anchoring and maintaining our personal identity in Christ combined with the wholeness that comes from having consistency between our values, beliefs and motives and our attitudes, words and behaviours. Integrity involves developing maturity, shown by our willingness and ability to take responsibility for our spirit, soul and body so that we are conformed to the image of Jesus in the power of the Spirit. People with integrity have healthy personal boundaries that allow them to distinguish themselves from others while maintaining healthy connections and relationships.
Promoting Christian integrity has several requirements. First, promoting Christian integrity requires a focus on Jesus Christ as our only Saviour and Lord. We must surrender ourselves fully to the leadership of Jesus Christ in our lives. We must keep our lives centred on Jesus. We must remain committed to follow Jesus fully as his disciples. Jesus is the primary cornerstone of our lives as Christians.
Second, promoting Christian integrity requires that we learn who we are in Christ and discover the person God has created us to be. People with integrity learn how to be themselves. They embrace their own uniqueness and gifting. They resist the urge to live up to someone else’s standards or expectations. They seek faithfulness to Jesus along with personal authenticity.
Third, promoting Christian integrity requires other centredness instead of self-centredness. Christian integrity demands that we renounce selfishness in all its forms. We must continually resist the world and the flesh. Instead, we choose to orient our lives toward the well-being of others for the sake of Christ.
Fourth, promoting Christian integrity requires genuine Christian love. Love is a zealous, self-giving commitment to others for their benefit. Genuine love always leads us away from ourselves and toward God and others. The love we give is the love that we receive from Jesus in our relationship with him. Genuine Christian love keeps the commands of Jesus in all things (cf. John 15:10).
Living with genuine Christian love is one of the greatest challenges of the age. Many people, including people in churches, have sought to redefine love in terms of tolerance and affirmation. In this definition of love, people are only “loving” when they tolerate and affirm the attitudes and behaviours of others, even when those attitudes and behaviours violate the teaching of the Bible. In this definition of love, people are not loving if they disagree with you or refuse to affirm what you say or do. This definition of love is not the Biblical definition of love. As John writes, genuine Christian love involves loving God and obeying what God says: “By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and obey his commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome” (1 John 5:2–3 ESV).
Fifth, promoting Christian integrity requires that we develop a Kingdom orientation. So often we tend only to focus on our individual lives or our individual churches. We do not really consider how we or our church fit into God's greater plans and purposes. It is so easy for us to concentrate so much on our own details that we miss the bigger picture. We must look for what God is doing in the world around us and seek to participate in God’s activity. The strength of our integrity will grow as we learn how to see the bigger Kingdom picture and how God is leading us to share in the creation of that picture.
Next, promoting Christian integrity requires that we respect the integrity of others — especially when we might not agree with them. When God calls us and unites us with one another in the church, he does not blend us together like a soup or purée. We cannot expect that others will be mostly like us because each of us has been uniquely created and gifted by God. Even when maintaining our integrity might lead us to separate from others — as happened with Barnabas and Paul (see Acts 15:36ff) – we can still respect the integrity of others.
Finally, promoting Christian integrity requires that we actively seek out visible expressions of unity – while understanding that such visible expressions of unity are neither sufficient for unity nor the essence of unity. Such visible expressions of unity might include coming together with other Christians for special projects or activities, intergenerational activities, men’s or women’s groups – anywhere Christians might show they are one in Jesus.
Christians who deny the importance of unity or who refuse to live out their unity with other believers in the church demonstrate that they lack Christian integrity. Maintaining the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace actually helps us preserve and strengthen our personal Christian integrity. When we maintain the unity of the Spirit, we tend to build one another up so that we become stronger and more Christlike. We also tend to help one another serve more effectively.
UNITY WITHOUT COMPROMISE
Before leaving the issue of integrity, we need to note one more issue that people often raise in connection with unity. Many people resist the idea of unity because they are afraid of sinful compromise. Or, they might resist unity with Christians who have different perspectives on theology or different church practices because they are concerned with error. These are genuine concerns – increasingly so – therefore we must not simply dismiss them. How can we experience unity without compromising with sin, error, and unbelief?
First, we need to remember that as Christians we are already united with one another in union with Christ Jesus. Our unity comes from Jesus in the Holy Spirit. To resist or refuse biblical unity is to resist or refuse Jesus himself. Our ongoing unity is his prayer being fulfilled in our lives. Being already united with other Christians in Jesus Christ also means that, by definition, we are not united with those who are not Christians, even if they claim to be so. Our unity is determined and guarded by Jesus in the Holy Spirit. Knowing this brings confidence as we interact with others.
Second, we need to remember that there was only one errorless teacher in history, and that was Jesus Christ himself. Although we believe that the Scripture is without error, we know that the Bible itself shows us that some of the biblical writers had error in their lives. Think David or the Apostle Peter. We all have some degree of error in our lives, which is why we need the Bible, the Holy Spirit, and grace from one another. Accepting this requires humility and grace.
Third, we need to have more faith in God and his ability to preserve us than we do in the errors — or even the sins — of others to lead us away from God. Although it is true that “bad company corrupts good morals” (1 Corinthians 15:33), the key is not to participate in the sins of others (1 Timothy 5:22b). We believe that the God who saved us is more than able to keep us until the day we stand before him. Although I am not so foolish to think that others cannot influence me away from God, I am also not fearful because I trust in Jesus.
Fourth, we need to consider carefully ways we might cooperate with one another in unity without sinfully compromising our integrity, our beliefs or our morals. We can take a clear stand on certain issues without having to condemn others because they disagree with us. We can choose to differ with other people without dividing from them. We can learn how to exalt Jesus and build up his church despite our differences.
Of course, such cooperating without sinfully compromising does have limits. Each Christian and each church needs to understand where and how they set the boundaries beyond which they would sacrifice their integrity. For me personally, I find historic Christian creeds (such as the Apostles’ Creed and the Nicene Creed) and historic statements of faith (such as the Heidelberg Catechism and the Westminster Confession of Faith) helpful for setting healthy boundaries. Some churches adopt “statements of faith”. Other churches have “codes of conduct”. Such standards are always subject to the Bible as God’s Word, but they can be helpful for fostering and maintaining unity without compromise.
Finally, we need to remember that maintaining unity is not the same as being yoked with unbelievers. Many Christians readily quote this verse when they are referring to other Christians and Christian churches. This itself is sinful. We are not advocating being yoked with unbelievers. Instead, we are suggesting that we should maintain the yoke with one another as Christians that Jesus himself has already created.
THE ABOMINATION OF DISCORD
To fully understand the importance of unity for God, we need to consider how God feels about disunity, especially those who create disunity:
There are six things that the LORD hates, seven that are an abomination to him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that make haste to run to evil, a false witness who breathes out lies, and one who sows discord among brothers. (Prov. 6:16–19 ESV)
In more than thirty years of ministry, I have often heard Christians refer to many sins as “abominations” to God, usually sexual sins. However, I have never heard a Christian refer to the abomination of sowing discord among those who dwell in unity – that is, creating disunity. Yet, the Bible shows that God considers sowing discord (creating disunity) an abomination.
Sowing discord in this passage refers to anything that causes separation or dispersal for people who would normally be united. This would include causing friends to separate from one another, driving a wedge between people who might otherwise be friends, destroying friendships through poor attitudes and behaviours, and inhibiting normal sociability among people. In other words, sowing discord refers to anything that interferes with unity, especially biblical unity, as discussed in this chapter.
The Bible mentions many things that cause discord and disunity, things which are an abomination to God. A few of them are mentioned in the Proverbs passage. “Haughty eyes” refers to being proud, vain, arrogant, or self-important, which inhibits healthy relationships. “A lying tongue” tells anything that is false or not fully true, being deceptive in any way. In the world of social media, “hands that shed innocent blood” might refer to those who personally attack, slander and “murder” the standing, reputation and character of others. The “heart that devises wicked plans” represents people who act out of their sinful brokenness to poison other relationships, such as the person who interferes with another person’s relationships out of jealousy or envy. A “false witness that breathes out lies” represents people who intentionally say something they know is not true or is deceptive about someone else, especially when it harms another person. All these behaviours inhibit biblical unity and create disunity, discord, among people.
In the New Testament, Paul seems to summarise these behaviours that cause discord and disunity when addressing the Corinthians: “quarrelling, jealousy, anger, hostility, slander, gossip, conceit, and disorder” (2 Cor. 12:20 ESV). These behaviours were damaging the unity and the relationships of the Christians at Corinth. These behaviours would also fall under the rubric of sowing discord, abominations to God.
We do not take unity seriously unless we take things that harm unity seriously. It begins with our own repentance. We must confess these behaviours as sin, take full responsibility for them in our lives, renounce them decisively, and replace them with godly behaviours and attitudes. It continues as we ask the Holy Spirit to keep our hearts tender toward unity and hard against that which hinders biblical unity.
Once we are repenting and resolving these issues in ourselves personally, then we may begin to help others become and remain sensitive to that which hinders or harms unity. We must gently but firmly encourage one another when we witness any of these unity-harming abominations. One way to do this is not to share or listen to secrets and gossip about others, especially without attribution to the source. For example, if someone approaches me and says “people are saying” regarding anything, I immediately stop that person and ask “what people?”. If the person is unwilling to share, then I am unwilling to listen. Furthermore, I will caution them that by sharing this with anyone else they may be sinning.[2] By encouraging one another in this way, we help protect our church from disunity and discord, building a more united church.
Alongside personal repentance and mutual encouragement comes the responsibility of church leadership to encourage and discipline when necessary. As a church leader, I consider sowing discord and fostering disunity the abomination that God says it is. I have seen how sowing discord has harmed churches, destroyed ministries, and led many to fall away from their faith. However, we must remember that we cannot overcome sowing discord by using the tools of sowing discord – anger, slander, gossip, quarrelling, etc. If we react in anger, we lose our ability to address that which harms unity. As leaders, we must respond carefully in love, gentleness, firmness and decisiveness to those sowing discord. The hope of discipline is always to redeem back to the fellowship, but when that is not possible then leaders must act to protect the flock as Paul instructs (cf. Acts 20.28ff.).
Unity is a precious gift from Jesus to his people. As such, we must guard unity against that which sows discord and creates disunity. We must do this by God’s grace in the Holy Spirit. Once we see how precious unity really is, we will do whatever God requires to protect and nourish unity. As the Psalmist says, “How good and pleasant it is when brothers [and sisters] dwell in unity” (Psalm 133:1).
UNITY AMONG CHURCHES
What we have said so far in this session primarily applies to the unity of Christians within the local church. We are the body of Christ together in union with one another. However, most of what we have said also applies to the unity among churches. In Jesus, we not only have unity with one another within our local church, but we also have unity with one another across the many churches in our cities, nations and world. Around the world today, the Holy Spirit is connecting churches across cities and nations in relationships that transcend the boundaries of denomination, theological conviction, church style and cultural identity. The Holy Spirit is doing this to reveal the greater unity that we have in Jesus Christ as the Body of Christ, the Bride of Christ and the household of God.
God is fulfilling the prayer that Jesus prayed in John 17, and God will continue to do so until Jesus returns. God is doing this so that people around the world will believe in Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour. God is doing this so that he might reach the world with his love in Jesus Christ. God wants all people to experience his love in Jesus, bringing healing and wholeness. God also wants the Church to become mature to the full measure of Jesus Christ.
We can cooperate with what God is doing regarding unity amongst churches in several ways. We begin by promoting the integrity and the unique gifting of each local church. Just as individuals need integrity to maintain unity, so individual churches need integrity to maintain the unity of the larger Body of Christ. In part, this means that we respect the great diversity among churches. This also means that we make it our goal to promote health in all churches, irrespective of our differences.
Next, we can affirm our equality of standing before God even when we do not have an equality of outcomes. Peter addressed his second letter to "those who have obtained a faith of equal standing with ours by the righteousness of our God and Saviour Jesus Christ". Peter recognised that, although these Christians were not "apostles" like him and although they did not share his time with Jesus, their faith had an equal standing with his because of Jesus.
Local churches in Christ Jesus have an equal standing with one another irrespective of things like the number of people attending the church, the wealth and resources of the church, or the denomination of the church. Mature leaders recognise that the fruitfulness and outcomes of individual churches depend on many things outside their control, such as times and seasons, levels of grace and faith given by Jesus, local opportunities, and God's sovereignty. To experience unity with other churches we must recognise each church’s dignity and value as a church of Jesus Christ.
Third, we must resist and expose the unbiblical notions of unity that hinder our experience of true unity in Christ Jesus. So often churches seem to think that to be in unity with other churches means that we must promote structural unity, ignore our differences, or sacrifice our uniqueness and integrity as a local church. These things generally inhibit unity. They never foster biblical unity.
Finally, we can remember that our full experience of unity in Christ Jesus will not occur until Jesus comes again. In the meantime, we can maintain and grow in our unity with other churches wherever possible. Such expressions of unity might include churches relating to one another in various church networks, or churches having conferences or special events regarding matters of shared concern. We might have fellowship activities with other churches where we gather and build relationships. We might share in worship and prayer with other churches, discovering our unique styles and commitments. We might also work together with other churches around a particular objective to benefit our communities, such as evangelism or ministry to the homeless.
As the people of God, we must remember that our unity is a blessing from God in Jesus Christ. Not only is our unity a blessing, but it also brings a blessing, something that is truly good and pleasant. Jesus prayed that we might have an ongoing oneness, a unity, that would let the whole world know that Jesus is alive. Let us maintain the unity that Jesus has given us, for the glory and honour of Jesus, our Lord and Saviour.
FOR CONSIDERATION AND DISCUSSION
Have you ever experienced counterfeit unity? What happened?
How would you rate yourself on the strength of your integrity? How might you grow in your integrity?
How can we distinguish between unity and sinful compromise?
How might we express our unity with other churches? What does it mean for churches to have integrity?
[1] Some people see only four types of leaders here, with pastors and teachers representing one type. The point remains valid whether one sees four or five types of leaders in Paul.
[2] Of course, there are pastoral reasons to listen to people confidentially talking about personal issues, but these conversations invariably focus on the person with whom I am speaking, not some other person and not a group of unnamed people.