Lesson 2: Christian Unity

The church on earth has not been organized into one institution for many centuries. Instead, there are many distinct groups of churches. A group of churches that forms one organization is called a denomination.

In A.D. 451, Oriental Orthodoxy separated from Roman Catholicism because of doctrinal disagreement. Today there are regional church organizations in Oriental Orthodoxy: Coptic, Ethiopian, Eritrean, Malankara Syrian, Syriac, and Armenian Apostolic.

In A.D. 1054, Eastern Orthodoxy separated from Roman Catholicism. Today there are 15 regional church organizations in Eastern Orthodoxy, including the Russian Orthodox Church, the Serbian Orthodox Church, and the Church of Cyprus.

Besides those large divisions, other groups of churches separated from the Roman church during those centuries.

The Protestant Reformation occurred in the 1500s. Many churches separated from Roman Catholicism because they believed the Roman church no longer preached the true gospel clearly. There were many other issues, including political ones, but doctrine was the most important.

Many denominations formed from the Reformation. The Church of England was composed of churches in the country of England. When they established churches in other countries, they were called the Episcopal Church.

Presbyterian churches came from the influence of the reformers: John Calvin in Switzerland, John Knox in Scotland, and others. There are several Presbyterian denominations today.

The Lutheran Church started in Germany from the ministry of Martin Luther. There are Lutheran churches in many other countries also.

The Anabaptists believed that the Reformation had not completely restored the scriptural gospel. They believed that worship should be without unscriptural ceremonies and that baptism was only for converts and not for babies. From them have come denominations of Baptists in many countries.

The Pentecostal churches started from a revival in Los Angeles in 1906. A great variety of Pentecostal and Charismatic denominations exist in many countries of the world. They have great variety of doctrines.

There are now thousands of denominations that claim to be Christian. There are thousands of independent churches that are part of no denomination.

Denominations often begin with a group of people who believe that an important truth is denied or neglected by the church they are in. They start a new denomination with the intention of being doctrinally correct. Over time, they continue to develop their doctrines, and become different from other denominations. They also develop different traditions about the proper form of worship and details of Christian living.

Sometimes denominations begin with evangelism. If there are many converts in a region and no denomination to take care of them, a new denomination may form. A denomination may begin from the work of a mission organization in a particular country.

Most Christian denominations do not claim to be the only real Christians. If an organization claims to be the entire church of God on earth, it should not be trusted.

► How many different names of churches and denominations do you know?

Unbelievers object to Christianity because of its divisions and variety. Many unbelievers think that the various sects of Christianity all contradict one another. Many people of the world think there is no type of unity among Christians.

► What are some behaviors that seem to deny any unity among churches?

Churches tend to emphasize the things that make them different from other churches, even if those things are not foundational doctrines of the faith. Sometimes churches are quick to accuse other churches of hypocrisy, compromise, or other sins, without really understanding. Some churches say that other churches are not Christian, even though they believe in the foundational Christian doctrines.

Churches do not appear to be united in carrying out the Great Commission. Churches seem to compete like businesses. Many leaders consider labor and resources to be wasted if they help a ministry that does not have their organization’s name.

Perhaps all Christians would agree that all Christians should be in unity, but many do not know what form that unity should take. First, we will talk about the unity of the universal church; then, we will talk about the unity of the local church.

Some people think that all churches should unite into one organization. They think that the existence of many separate organizations means that the church is not in unity. They make no distinction between the essence of the church and the institutions of the church; therefore, unity for them means the uniting of institutions.

► What would you say to a person who thinks that all Christian organizations and churches should unite in one organization?

Institutions cannot connect without deciding that their doctrinal differences do not matter. To unite, they must agree on some foundational doctrines and decide that many of their other doctrines are not important enough to separate them from those who disagree.

The whole attempt to unite all churches into one organization is based on the idea that Christian unity is institutional unity. Jesus himself did not demand that all his followers be in the same organization during his earthly ministry, as shown by this incident:

John answered, “Master, we saw someone casting out demons in your name, and we tried to stop him, because he does not follow with us.” But Jesus said to him, “Do not stop him, for the one who is not against you is for you.” (Luke 9:49-50).

Jesus' words show that even if someone is not part of our organization, they may still be doing God’s work, just as we are. Obviously, there is a Christian unity that does not consist of being in one institution.

Through the centuries since Jesus’ earthly ministry there have been organizations that claimed to be the whole church, saying that no separate organizations were Christian. Jesus did not claim that his group of disciples was the whole church even while he was physically present to lead it.

Sometimes people use the term invisible church. The term invisible church refers to the fact that there is not a visible organization with a membership list that contains all Christians. Also, Christian organizations have members that are not truly Christians. Therefore, we cannot point to any particular organization and say that it is the universal church.

Even though the universal church is not a single organization, the unity among all Christians is supposed to be visible. Jesus prayed that believers would be in unity and said that a result would be that the world would believe on him (John 17:21). That means that Christian unity must be somehow visible to Christians and the world.

► When you meet a person who says he is a Christian, what is necessary for you to be able to share Christian unity with him?

The unity of the local church is based on biblical doctrine, the experience of grace, and the life of the Spirit. Unity of Christians beyond the local church has the same basis, though with less detail.

Another way to state the basis of unity is this: if a person testifies that he is saved, seems to have spiritual life, and seems to believe in basic Christian truth, then Christian fellowship is possible. Fellowship can continue as long as the person seems to live in relationship with God and in obedience to the Bible.

Christian unity does not depend on agreement on every detail of doctrine. It is not possible for the church in all places to agree on all details of doctrine. Even the apostles had disagreements (Galatians 2:11-14).

Groups of believers study the Bible and discuss what they believe, trying to make sure they are right. They realize that they do not agree with the doctrines of some other groups of Christians.

There are some doctrines that are foundational, essential to the Christian faith. If a person does not believe those doctrines, he cannot understand and believe the gospel.

Then there is the longer list of doctrines that a particular church believes. Most churches understand that not all Christians everywhere agree on all doctrines. Even if a doctrine is implied in the Bible, not everyone will understand the Bible the same way.

[1]► What are some examples of foundational doctrines? What are some other doctrines that are not foundational?

Some foundational doctrines are about the nature of God, the deity of Christ and the Holy Spirit, the atonement of Christ, and salvation by grace through faith.

Some doctrines that are not foundational are beliefs about forms of worship and details about the Christian life. It is important for us to try to be biblical in all that we do, but we must realize that not all true Christians will agree in these details.

An ancient concept of the signs of the true church was held by both the Roman Catholic Church and the reformers. Christians for centuries have believed that the four signs of the true church are unity, holiness, catholicity, and apostolicity. Those terms have been defined different ways.

Here are some simple definitions. Unity means that the church includes all true Christians, though not necessarily in a formal list. Holiness means that the church stands against sin and believes in salvation from sin. Catholicity means that the church can take a relevant form in any culture anywhere, while holding to essential truth. Apostolicity means that the church holds the original faith established by the apostles.

Sometimes the churches in an area are close enough together that people can choose which one they want to attend. The people of a church may try to show people of the community that their church is better than the other churches. They compete with the other churches, trying to make their own church more attractive. They think their church is successful if their number of people is increasing.

Competition between churches is based on a misunderstanding of the church. Many people seem to think that the church is like a business that should attract customers. Or they think it is like a showplace that needs to attract an audience. These are wrong concepts of the church.

The church is a spiritual family. The members of a good family try to take care of each other. They work together to provide the needs of the family. They spend time together because of their relationship.

The church is a family of faith, based on relationship with God and each other. They want new members who are attracted by the gospel and the family life of the church. The church should focus on communicating the gospel and demonstrating the life of the church. Then they will attract the right people, people who are interested in being part of the family.

► If a church tries to compete with the other churches in the area, how will the competition change the church?

► Why must believers in a local church mutually agree on more doctrines than just those found in the early Christian creeds?

A Christian may accept the testimony of other Christians who do not hold all of his doctrines, as long as they hold the foundational Christian doctrines and demonstrate a Christian life. However, because a Christian must personally practice what he believes is right, he cannot partner in ministry with all Christians. For example, if a pastor believes that the Bible tells him to baptize converts, he cannot pastor a group of people who teach that converts should not be baptized.

Another example: If a person believes that the gift of tongues is not evidence of being filled with the Spirit, it would be difficult for him to partner in ministry with people who believe that a person who does not speak in tongues does not have the Holy Spirit. There would be problems for their fellowship because they would not accept his testimony. There would be problems in ministry cooperation because they would try to lead new converts into the experience of speaking in tongues.

If a person does something he believes is biblically wrong, he violates his own conscience. He comes under condemnation from God because he chose to do something even though he believes the Bible forbids it (see Romans 14:22-23).

A Christian may believe that people with various doctrines are real Christians, but he must fellowship and do ministry in a group of people who agree on most doctrines. That means that a local church must have a statement of doctrine that goes beyond the foundational doctrines of the universal church.

► Why would it be a mistake for a person to try to agree with every church’s doctrines?

A Christian must keep a balance in his attitude toward others. He must not say that other Christians are not real Christians because they differ in doctrinal details that are not foundational. However, he must have a close fellowship with a local church that holds doctrines together that let them fellowship and do ministry together.

1. The Bible emphasizes Christian unity.

2. The early church believed in the unity of the church as an essential doctrine.

3. The church cannot accomplish unity by getting all Christians into one organization.

4. Christian unity is based on biblical doctrine, the experience of grace, and the life of the Spirit.

5. Christians everywhere agree on certain foundational doctrines of Christianity.

6. Christians in various churches will not agree on details of doctrines.

7. A local church must agree on a detailed statement of doctrines.

1. Memorize the Seven Summary Statements for Lesson 2. Write one paragraph explaining the meaning and importance of each of the Seven Summary Statements (seven paragraphs) to someone who is not in this class. Turn this in to the class leader before the next class. Be ready to share a paragraph with the group if the class leader asks you to during discussion time. Write the statements from memory at the beginning of the next class session.

2. During this course, you will need to teach a lesson, or part of a lesson, to an individual or group that is not part of the class. You can choose which material to teach. You must do this three times, with different material. Schedule your own teaching opportunities and report to the class leader when you have taught.

3. Interview Assignment: Talk to members of three different churches and ask them how they view other churches. What unity do they think exists among all Christians? Write a paragraph from each of the three conversations.