No Private Interpretation IV. The role of unity in the Community of believers

The unity of believers in both heart and mind, is important in the New Testament. Paul tells us that “There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism!”. This just after telling us to “be diligent to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace” (Ephesians 4:3-5). Furthermore, we are to “be of the same mind one toward another”, and we are “with one mind and one mouth (to) glorify God” (Romans 12:16, 15:6). We are to “be of one mind, and live in peace" (2 Corinthians 13:11), we are to “stand fast in one spirit, with one mind” and be “likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind (Philippians 1:27; 2:2). Well you get the point.

Unity, oneness, peace, love, harmony etc. are qualities that are high on God's agenda for His Church. God has made known to us “the mystery of his will" ... that "in the fullness of time" .... He would "bring all things in heaven and on earth together under one head, even Christ" (Ephesians 1:9,10). Jesus Himself is “our peace, who has made us both one, and has broken down every wall of separation” so that “He might reconcile them (us) both (all) to God in one body through the cross” (Ephesians 1:14,16). He gives the World the right to judge that we are His disciples by the love we have one for another (John 13:35).

You don't have to look far, to see that the Western Church is seriously out of sink with this ideal to which God is calling us. I am told that there are over 10,000 registered Christian denominations, most of which are saying “We do things Biblically”. I don't doubt there is great sincerity in what is being said, but when you see this through the eyes of the unbeliever, you want to shake your head. It has to grieve the heart of God.

If we are to advance the Kingdom, if we want the Lord to come and heal this desperately wicked and hurting land, then we need collectively to repent of our disunity, arrogance in effect claiming that we, or our group, or denomination is the way the truth and the life. We joke “You don't have to agree with me, you have every right to be wrong”. The problem is half the times, we are not really joking! It is Jesus who is the Way the Truth and the Life (John 14:6), it is not me or my group, and it is not you or yours.

Christianity is exclusive certainly, for “there is no other name under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved” (Acts 4:12). However the “One Faith” mentioned above, is much bigger and much much richer than that expressed by any single group or denomination. Here once again reflecting our God, it is unity in diversity that gives the best expression of His body (the Church) here on earth. The history of the Church is of reaction and overreaction to the truths we hold or neglect. The denominational distinctive are important many times, but being a reaction to real and perceived error, we go too far in the opposite direction, and we go there at the speed of light. This results in false dichotomies. Perhaps the biggest such divide in the last centenary was between those who stressed the Word, and those who stressed the Spirit. Those who stressed the Word cited certain excesses of those who stressed the Spirit. Those who stressed the Spirit pointed out the legalism that attended many who stressed the Word pointing out that the letter kills, but the spirit makes alive (2 Corinthians 3:6). Well which is it? None of the above, for if we take the Word without the Spirit we dry up, and if we take the Spirit without the Word we blow up. But if we take the Word and the Spirit progressing towards the unity intended in the Church, we grow up (Ephesians 4:14-16).

It is easy to dismiss and/or vilify others, when we isolate ourselves, keeping those who differ at arms length. The Scriptures tell us that “The first one to plead his cause seems right, Until his neighbour comes and examines him” (Proverbs 18:17). But what if the neighbour is prevented from coming and examining him? This is one of the main problems with “Political correctness”, we are shouted down and disbarred from the court of public opinion. We should not follow this same tactic in the Church!

Debate is healthy when it is handled Biblically. What else does it mean that “As iron sharpens iron, so man sharpens man” (Proverbs 27:17). We are told that we do need to contend for the faith (Jude 3). Truth is important. But but we need to be eager to maintain unity (Ephesians 4:3). We need to realize that we can have all intellectual knowledge and faith that can move mountains, but if we do not operate in love we are nothing, zilch, a big fat zero! (1 Cor 13:2). So we are to contend for the faith, but we are not to be contentious (Titus 3:10). We are to speak the truth in love (Ephesians 4:15). We must not quarrel, but be gentle to all and apt to teach (2 Timothy 2:24). We must also be slow to speak and quick to hear (James 1:19). Sounds impossible? We need to grow into this. This is Paul's vision for a mature Church growing up into the Unity to which we are called. It should be our goal too.

In fact this is the purpose and goal of what has been called the five fold ministry (Ephesians 4:11). The goal is that “we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming. Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ” (Ephesians 4:15). You may have noticed in the natural that young siblings fight. But if those who surround them are mature and love one another through their differences seeking to put these Scriptures into practice, then the children will likely grow up that way too. It needs to start with us, it needs to start with me, being diligent to maintain the unity of believers.

So what has this to do with interpretation of the Scriptures? Well to coin a Biblical phrase, much in every way. What I am saying is that fullness of truth can be found only in the furnace of loving interaction and debate within the the community of believers down through history, and across the globe. I want to take this up again next day.