Unity in the Church

A sermon that covers the question of

whether the church of Christ is a
denomination, and has application to
our human relationships.
 Introduction
• About the only unity that we find in the
denominational world is the agreement to disagree
on practice, belief, doctrine, and membership.
• As we have demonstrated from the Bible, there are
characteristics of the church as revealed in the Holy
Scriptures that describe the true church of Christ.
• We have also shown that if we plant and follow the
seed of the word of God, the result will produce
true Christians free from denominationalism.
• But for now, let us look at the subject of unity in the
church.
 Unity Is Desirable
• Before the establishment of the church, Jesus
announced, ". . . And there shall be one fold, and
one Shepherd" (John 10:16).
• The Master does not desire that some sheep find
shelter in one sectarian setup, others in another
denominational detachment.
• Neither does the Master want people to stay away
from any and all religion.
• Sure they should avoid the false ones, but they
should be seeking the one true church that Jesus
established and God desires.
• Just a few hours before going to the cross, Jesus prayed
while with the apostles,
• "Neither pray I for these alone," said the Lord, "but for
them also which shall believe on me through their word;
That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and
I in thee, that they also may be one is us: that the world
may believe that thou hast sent me" (John 17:20, 21).
• One of the proofs that the church is the true church that
is “one” with God is the unity we are to show to the
world.
• Jesus also said that the world would know the true
disciples because of their love for one another (John
13:35).
• To the Corinthians, Paul wrote, "Now I beseech you,
brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all
speak the same thing, 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).
• It is possible for Christians to be of one mind, speaking the
same thing.
• All they really need is a respect for Bible authority and a
love for God.
• The saints at Ephesus were urged to walk in a manner
worthy of their calling, "endeavoring to keep the unity of
the spirit in the bond of peace" (Ephesians 4:1-3).
• The unity of the Spirit cannot be maintained without
earnest endeavor (diligence in the NASB).
 Contrasting Examples
• The church at Jerusalem exemplified remarkable
oneness.
• The disciples in that city were "together," "had all things
common," and continued daily "with one accord" (Acts
2:44-46).
• They were "of one heart and of one soul" (Acts 4:32).
• When a murmuring arose because certain widows were
neglected in the daily ministration, the problem was
solved quickly under apostolic supervision.
• The recommendation of the apostles "pleased the
whole multitude" because the authority of the apostles
was respected.
• Today, many congregations are plagued with
discord and dissension due to lack of respect for
apostolic authority.
• Such was the case in Corinth as we see repeatedly,
the apostle Paul defending his apostleship.
• In contrast to the church at Jerusalem, God's
people at Corinth were torn with strife.
• They had a factional spirit.
• They were saying, "I am of Paul; and I of Apollos;
and I of Cephas; and I of Christ" (1 Corinthians
1:12).
• Paul charged that their envying, strife, and
divisions furnished evidence of carnality (1
Corinthians 3).
• This brand of carnality often overshadows true
spirituality among Christians.
• The Corinthian brethren were going to law with
each other before unbelievers (1 Corinthians 6:6).
• They had questions and problems with marriage
relationships; some wrong (1 Corinthians 5) some
carnal based on base desires (1 Corinthians 7).
• They had differences over whether or not it is right to
eat meat offered in sacrifice to idols (1 Corinthians 8).
• They were abusing the Lord's supper, making it a feast
for satisfying bodily hunger (1 Corinthians 11:18-34).
• They needed to learn that there should be "no schism
in the body"; all members should have "the same care
one for another" (1 Corinthians 12:25).
• Despite all of these problems, Paul corrected their
misunderstandings and in the end it became a faithful
church of God.
• Why?
• Because they obeyed what was commanded of them.
 Requirements For Unity
• We must ask ourselves:
• How can we attain the kind of oneness for which
Jesus prayed?
• On what basis can we be perfectly joined together
in the same mind and in the same judgment?
• How can we demonstrate this to the world?
• The following are some of the essentials for the
unity revealed by the Spirit:
 We must stand on God's platform
• Paul outlined the seven planks in this platform in
Ephesians 4:4-6.
• (1) There is one body.
• That body is the church (Ephesians 1:22, 23;
Colossians 1:18).
• It is not a denomination or a mystical union of
man-made religions.
• It is the only body God recognizes.
• (2) There is one Spirit.
• The Holy Spirit gives life and direction through
God's word.
• (3) There is one hope.
• The desire and expectation produced by the gospel
is eternal life (Titus 1:2).
• (4) There is one Lord.
• Jesus is both Lord and Christ (Acts 2:36).
• He is the head of the church.
• There is no human head.
• (5) There is one faith.
• That is the faith for which Christians are to earnestly
contend (Jude 3).
• It is the revealed faith.
• (6) There is one baptism.
• That baptism is in water (Acts 8:36-38; 10:47), is a
burial (Romans 6:3-5; Colossians 2:12), is in the
name of the Lord (Acts 19:5; 10:48), and is for the
remission of sins (Acts 2:38; 22:16).
• (7) There is one God.
• He is described in contrast to idols in Acts 17:24-29.
 We must walk by the same rule
• The word of God must be the standard for our faith and practice.
• Amos asked, "Can two walk together, except they be agreed?" (Amos
3:3).
• Amos was in agreement with God and walking with God.
• The people of Jeroboam's kingdom were out of step with God.
• The New Testament is the revelation of God's will for us today.
• Do people really want unity in Christ?
• "Let them all agree to walk by the same rule, the New
Testament. Could they for this be blamed by the candid of any
party? Does not every party confess that its own rules are
fallible, and that the Bible is the only infallible rule? Do they
not act wisely then, who give up the fallible for the infallible?"
(Barton W. Stone, Christian Messenger, Nov. 25, 1826, p. 16).
 We must reject all that the Bible does not
authorize
• Moses E. Lard, writing in the first issue of his Quarterly
(Sept., 1863), attempted to summarize the plea of such men
as Campbell, Stone, and others.
• ". . . The reformation consists in an effort to induce all the
truly pious in Christ to become perfectly joined together in
the same mind, and in the same judgment, by accepting as
doctrine, precisely and only what is either actually asserted
or necessarily implied in the Bible; to speak the same things
by speaking what the Bible speaks, and to speak them in the
language of the Bible; and to practice the same things by
doing simply the will of Christ.
• Spoken over 150 years ago, and we are still making the same
plea.
 We must differentiate between faith and
opinion
• But it is not as easy as that.
• We often come across people who have made
what we consider an opinion into a matter of faith.
• This causes problems.
• Faith comes by hearing the word of God (Romans
10:17).
• Nothing should be urged as a matter of faith
unless it is backed by divine testimony.
• Alexander Campbell once noted: "A person's faith
is always bounded by testimony; his knowledge by
observation and experience, and his opinions
where both these terminate, and may be
boundless as God's creation or as human
invention" (Christian Baptist, Feb. 6, 1826).
• Many times brethren form a personal judgment
about something, and that opinion is preached or
spoken as if it was law and gospel.
• Romans 14 needs to be heeded very strongly,
because many have used it to promote error and
falsehood.
• We ought to avoid preaching human opinions, and
we must never elevate them to the high level of
divine revelation.
• But what do we do when brethren demand
something they consider to be doctrine and we
consider to be opinion?
• No matter which side we are on, we have a moral
obligation to treat each other as a brother and
with respect, and we must keep the option of
further study always open.
 We must have the proper attitude
• In the business world as supervisors we are taught that we cannot
judge attitudes, as we do not know what anyone’s attitude is.
• What we can see is the behavior, and by such behavior, we may
come to a determination as to what kind of attitude this person
has.
• So we may not change a persons attitude, but we can modify their
behavior.
• We may preach loudly about the importance of walking in the old
paths, and we may guard against unscriptural practices with the
sharp perception of a good sentinel, and we may stress one Lord,
one faith, one baptism, only to fail to keep the unity of the Spirit.
• Paul mentioned lowliness and meekness, longsuffering, and
forbearance in love (Ephesians 4:2).
• Some gospel preachers have never learned to show
patience.
• Neither have some/many(?) of the members.
• There are brethren who seem to have a divisive spirit.
• At the slightest disagreement or provocation, they
are ready to draw away disciples after them.
• Humility is a missing ingredient in a lot of men.
• The desire to rule, or to have one's own way, even if
it means splitting the church, has crippled the good
cause in many localities.
• This is precisely the reason that denominations start
and exists.
 We must endeavor to keep the unity of the
Spirit
• The unity into which the Spirit leads is based on
truth, not error.
• A million people can be united in the practice of
error, but that unity does not transform their error
into truth.
• It is the unity of the Spirit that is to be preserved in
the bond of peace (Ephesians 4:3).
• Some people have the idea that if we preach the
truth unity will result automatically.
• Paul knew that more is involved.
• He wrote of "endeavoring" to keep the unity of
the Spirit.
• We must make careful and painstaking effort.
• This necessitates crushing unholy and selfish
ambitions.
• It includes keeping down strife, seditions, and
heresies.
• It involves the application of Philippians 2:3.
 Summary
• Most of us deplore division in the church.
• We plead for unity based on the Bible, but in practice a lot of
us insist on unity based on our personal whims.
• Although we dare not compromise principles of right for any
purpose, we must be willing to compromise in the realm of
human judgment.
• Many congregations that have been ripped apart with
bitterness and turmoil could have remained united if certain
people had swallowed their pride, shown willingness to
admit wrong, extended forgiveness, learned to keep their
mouths shut, tended to their own affairs, shown brotherly
love, exercised patience, and talked about staying together
instead of "starting a new work" (a pretense for leaving).
• God's word teaches that unity is desirable, and it
reveals how such unity can be attained.
• Through the ages many have caused divisions and
hindrances by teaching what is contrary to the
doctrine of Christ (Romans 16:17).
• As David Lipscomb well expressed it, "All human
teachings, inventions, and institutions are occasions
of discord, stumbling, and division . . . . The hearts
of those who add human inventions are not right in
the sight of God" (Commentary on Ephesians 4:3).
 Conclusion
• Each Christian can make his contribution to the unity
of the church by walking according to God's pattern,
teaching others to walk by the divine rule, rejecting
everything contrary to the Scriptures, maintaining the
right attitude, and humbly endeavoring to promote
and preserve the unity of the Spirit.
• It all boils down to whether we have the resolve to do
it God’s way, or demand “our” way.
• What are you doing to maintain unity in this church?
• What more can you do?