Four12 article image for 'Real Christians Never Disagree' about holding to unity on the essentials while creating room for other differences.

Real Christians Never Disagree

Real Christians never disagree… right? God desires us to walk in unity but does this mean we need to agree on everything to do so? In this article, I want to explore what Christian unity looks like and how we can be one but not the same.

Unity: The Real and the Ideal

In John 17, Jesus prayed that we would have a radical kind of unity, ‘that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you’ (John 17:21). Here Jesus shows us the ideal picture of unity – Himself and the Father.

If this is the prayer of Jesus, why hasn’t this ideal, agree-on-all-things unity come about? It is because we are not yet mature as Christ wants us to be. Full maturity and ‘perfection’ will only come when Christ returns. Only then shall we truly become like him, ‘knowing fully’ (1 Cor 13:12) and being in complete agreement.

‘In essentials, unity; in non-essentials, liberty; in all things, charity.’

As we grow into what Jesus wants for us, I’ve found this ancient Christian quote to be very helpful for our journey into unity. It says, ‘In essentials, unity; in non-essentials, liberty; in all things, charity.’

_MG_1975

In Essentials, Unity

There are certain essential truths that must hold us together. These are things to which the majority of Christians in the majority of places have always held. Truths such as:

  • the deity of Christ,
  • the Trinity,
  • salvation by grace through faith, and
  • the infallibility of Scripture.

These are the supporting pillars that must hold up our unity with all Christians everywhere. They are what make us Christian.

As Four12, we hold to these (and other) orthodox truths, but as a movement, we also hold to some essential values. Essentials such as:

  • a passion to see the church restored to authentic New Testament roots, with the emergence of genuine apostles and five-fold gifts,
  • eldership-led churches,
  • a culture of mutual submission and honour,
  • and seeing every believer ministering in the power of the Spirit.

It is these values, among others, that are our essentials which help bring us together in unity.

In Non-Essentials, Liberty

So is there a place for us to disagree on certain issues yet be in a deep unity? Yes, I believe there is. In the non-essentials (truths that are still very important but not essential for us to be united on), our aim must to show liberty towards each other.

For example, among us are Calvinists (those who believe they can never lose their salvation) and Arminians (those who believe that it is possible to have known Christ and to fall away). We have leaders who differ on the manner of Jesus’ return and the understanding of the tribulation. We have Tricotomists (those who believe we are body, soul and spirit) and Dicotomists (those who believe we are body and soul/spirit) …and the list goes on!

We understand that these are issues that authentic, Bible-believing Christians have differed on throughout church history.

The reason we can walk together is that we respect those who find their convictions rooted in Scripture. We understand that these are issues that authentic, Bible-believing Christians have differed on throughout church history. So we admit that we ‘know in part’ (1 Cor 13:12) and therefore we want to show grace to one another. This doesn’t mean we have an ‘anything goes’ attitude, of course – our liberty has boundaries.

In the New Testament, Paul allowed Christians liberty to differ on some issues. There were issues that arose that threatened to divide them, yet he wisely counselled these Christians to allow each other the freedom to differ yet respect each other’s conscience on some matters. It seemed to Paul that if we keep the important truths as central (see 1 Cor 15:1-5), it is enough to keep us one in purpose and heart.

In All Things, Charity

Charity is the old English word meaning love. The world will know we are His disciples by our love for each other, rather than our zeal for doctrinal purity. Our common ground is a passionate love for the person of Jesus who embodies the truth and is always full of grace.

This apostolic ‘field’ called Four12 does have theological boundaries, but we want to make sure that we never get so caught up in the detail of controversial texts that we miss the big picture: the command of Jesus to go and to make disciples of all nations. We are concerned about truth, but we want to make sure it is truth that places Jesus at the centre.

..but because Jesus is our centre, we give each other grace to hold to different views, without sacrificing truth or core values.

So you will find that in our resources, each author or preacher will express their view on some subject. This doesn’t mean we all hold to those views within Four12, but because Jesus is our centre, we give each other grace to hold to different views, without sacrificing truth or core values.

Growing into Maturity

Jesus’ prayer for the church to have a deep-seated unity is something we treasure and for which we long. Until we reach perfection, we will have differences, but as long as we hold to the dictum: ‘In essentials, unity; in non-essentials, liberty; in all things, charity’, we can partner together for His fame!

Michael serves on the eldership team in Joshua Generation Church and is the Dean of Leap Discipleship Year(formerly known as Timothy Ministry Training). He is married to Adrienne, and they have three children. Michael loves to teach, write, train up future leaders and play tennis. Follow him on Facebook and Instagram for more.

SHARE THIS ARTICLE

Facebook
(Twitter)
WhatsApp
Telegram
Email

Related Articles

PRIVACY POLICY

We respect your privacy and freedom to choose, so if you continue to use our Website then you agree to be bound by the terms set out in this legal notice & Privacy Policy