The Big Deal of Unity

Last week eleven Bryan College students who are Christian Ministry majors and I attended a simulcast event of The Elephant Room 2. It seems that a firestorm has erupted among evangelical Christianity because of this event – from related issues prior to the event as well as after the event. The purpose of this blog is not to bring up names or to take sides, but instead to look at the really big elephant in the room in my opinion – the issue of UNITY in the body of Christ. Unity – what is the big deal anyway? Should it be a really big deal?

I think I would be safe to assume that all of the persons involved in this “firestorm” would share the desire that a world in need of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ is a big deal – as a matter of fact THE big deal. Let us look at some key words that Jesus Christ himself spoke about this issue. In what is known as his high priestly prayer, Jesus stated “I do not ask on behalf of these alone, but for those also who believe in Me through their word; that they may all be one; even 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 sent me.” (John 17:20-21) The point that Jesus was making here is pretty clear: one of the key ways that those in need of a Savior are going to come to that point is when they see His covenant people living like they are ONE covenant people – not multiple “Jesus-camps” people.

So the issue at hand really leads to the question, “Who are the New Testament covenant people of God?” The covenant people of God are those who, by the grace of God and through a faith response, have responded to the gospel message. This leads to another question, “What is the gospel message?”. Paul, in Galatians 1, scolded the church at Galatia for deserting the true gospel for a “different gospel” or a gospel that had been “distorted”. What did Paul mean by a different gospel or a distorted gospel? So, there must be a true gospel – one true gospel message.

Actually, Paul clearly made reference to this one true gospel in his letter to the church at Corinth. Here are his words: “Now I make known to you, brethren, the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received, in which also you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast the word which I preached to you, unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that He appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. After that he appeared to more than five hundred brethren at one time, most of whom remain until now, but some have fallen asleep; then He appeared to James, then to all the apostles; and last of all, as to one untimely born, He appeared to me also.” (1 Corinthians 15:1-8)

So what is this true gospel that Paul declared? The gospel that leads to a covenant relationship with God is simply this – Jesus Christ died for our sins; Jesus was buried after his death; He was resurrected on the third day. What does it mean to “receive and believe” in this gospel message? One key verse that speaks to this question is found in Romans 10:13 – “If you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.” This verse is straightforward about what it takes to be saved. First, you have to “believe” in the true gospel message – the one that Paul proclaimed in 1 Corinthians 15. Second, you must repent of your sins; that is what the first part of this verse is about – repentance. Repentance is acknowledging that something other than Jesus has been Lord of your life; you must assent to your need to turn from “that false lord” to the one true Lord – Jesus Christ. Thus, if you “believe and confess” – which is a picture of radical commitment – in Jesus Christ, it is at that point you enter into covenant relationship with God.

That is the gospel message – nothing more, nothing less. Many, if not all, of the different “Jesus camps” hold to this gospel message. However, the difference between these camps typically arise in non-gospel issues. What is a non-gospel issue? A non-gospel issue is any issue that is not directly related to the true gospel found in 1 Corinthians 15. Many times, however, people in different “Jesus camps” begin to point fingers and make accusations about people in other “Jesus camps” about these non-gospel issues. The problem occurs when these issues are turned into “gospel issues”; people begin to declare that we are not going to have any part to do with these other “Jesus camps” because they are teaching a false gospel.

The problem with that line of logic is that I have found that many, if not most, of the “Jesus camps” actually preach and teach a false gospel - if that is what a false gospel is. Some groups couple a “word of faith” message to the gospel message. Other groups couple a “health and wealth” message to the gospel message. Still other groups couple a “get your ticket out of hell and into heaven” message to the gospel message. Some groups event couple a “have a correct orthodoxy” message to the gospel message. Even other groups couple a “social justice” message to the gospel message. I could go on and on with such examples, but here is my point. Many “Jesus groups” point fingers and accuse and condemn other “Jesus groups” because of issues that are “post-gospel” issues – issues that come in to play after one has entered into covenant relationship with God. This reality is one of the reasons that we have the different denominations and “Jesus groups” that we have today in American evangelical Christianity.

I am not here to condemn the reality of the abundance of differing denominations or even the differing belief systems of such denominations. What I am wanting to call out on the carpet is the reality of the lack of unity between those who are covenant people of God over these non-gospel issues. If we desire to truly take the gospel to a world in desperate need of a covenant relationship with God, then we must come together in unity with the task of sharing the one true gospel message. We can and should come together in unity in the mission that we have been given by Jesus Christ (Matthew 28:18-20).

We can see the need to understand this lesson from at least the following two passages. In Mark 9 we see many amazing kingdom-advancing events taking place. One such event happened to be someone not part of “the twelve apostles” of Jesus actually casting out demons in the name of Jesus. The twelve did not like this someone doing what he was doing because he was not part of their “Jesus group”. How did Jesus respond to their displeasure? He gave them a thorough response (verses 39-50), but the central focus of his response is found in verse 40, “For he who is not against us is for us.” Jesus was teaching the twelve a lesson on the importance of unity. Another key passage comes in chapter one of Paul’s letter to the church at Philippi. Paul was in prison at time of this writing “for the greater progress of the gospel” (v. 12). In the midst of these circumstances, Paul addressed the reality that there were certain teachers who were preaching Christ “out of selfish ambition” instead of “from pure motives”. Apparently, these others were not part of Paul’s “Jesus camp”. So, how did Paul respond? Condemnation? Rejection? No – listen to his words, “What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed; and in this I rejoice, yes, and I will rejoice.” Did he say “rejoice”? Yes he did – rejoice that Christ is proclaimed!

When Christ is proclaimed, whether it is by people in our “Jesus group” or by people in other “Jesus groups”, what should our attitude be – condemn or rejoice? I believe it is pretty clear from both Jesus and Paul that we should rejoice when others are proclaiming the one true gospel message that is found in 1 Corinthians 15! That is what it means to be in unity. To be in unity does not mean that we are always going to agree on the non-gospel issues. We will not! But let us not allow these issues to cause disunity within the covenant community of God! I am not saying that nothing else matters in our belief system – that is absolutely not the case.

As a matter of fact, listen to the words of Paul about this, “Until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ. As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves, and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming; but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him, who is the head, even Christ, from whom the whole body being fitted and held together by that which every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love.” (Ephesians 4:13-16) In this passage we see that both unity and proper doctrine are important in the life of person in covenant relationship with God. Proper doctrine is a significant issue for the sanctification of the person in covenant relationship with God – it is such doctrine that helps us to grow and mature in our faith. And yes, there will be teachers who proclaim tricky and deceitful doctrine. What is our response to those who teach such doctrine? Condemn? Reject? No – “speak the truth in love” to them. We are to stand for truth – yes! But we are to do so in a loving way! And that is what will lead to this unity that is so important (John 17:20-21).

In his book You Lost Me, David Kinnaman reports how that a large part of a generation of young Americans are turning from the church and even from the gospel of Jesus Christ. I would argue that we, those who are part of the evangelical church in America, are not simply losing one generation but instead multiple generations. My argument would continue with one of the main reasons for this loss is because of the lack of unity within the evangelical church in America. If we would do a better job of being in unity for the sake of the one true gospel message, don’t you really believe that others will better understand and believe that Jesus Christ was truly sent by God the Father – so that they could enter into covenant relationship with Him.

Isn’t that what is really most important? Don’t you want to be part of that “Jesus camp” – the camp that is consumed by proclaiming the one true gospel message that we see in 1 Corinthians 15? A camp that demonstrates our unity in the same manner as the unity between the Father and the Son. I can say without a doubt that is the camp that I want to be part of – that is the camp that I want to give my life to. Sign me up to be a member of the “Jesus camp of unity” that both Jesus and Paul proclaimed! Any other takers?