Unity of the Faith

"Doctrine divides. We just love people and follow Jesus." I understand the sentiment. "Can't we all just get along?" etc. Unity. That's what Christians need. And I agree. So does the Scripture. The fourth chapter of Ephesians deals with church unity and urges God's people to "keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace." Paul then goes on to list the grounds of our unity. There is one body, one Spirit, one hope, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, and one God and Father. That's a lot to be united over. We can disagree about a great many things that don't amount to much in the grand scheme, but I can walk a long way with a kindred Spirit who shares these pillars of unity with me.

But is doctrine the cause of disunity? Doctrine is teaching, and in Ephesians 4:7-12, just after the call to unity, Paul tells us the risen Christ has given gifts to the church, which he urged unity. For us, it's the pastor and teacher. Christ blesses His church with men who can know, understand, and teach doctrine. This doctrine aims to build up the church to the point where we come together in "the unity of faith, and the knowledge of the Son of God." Unity in the faith and unity in the knowledge of Christ.

Unless everyone in the world believes precisely the same thing, then doctrine will unite and divide. It has to. When a pastor or teacher teaches doctrine, you define it according to Scripture. That, in turn, will unite those who believe what the Scripture says and draw a dividing line for those who don't. You will also have men who willingly deceive and preach a dangerous doctrine. Wrong doctrine is hazardous to your soul, so it's essential to learn sound doctrine (Ephesians 4:14). The unity of the faith is the doctrines of Scripture, and to put a finer point on it, it's the knowledge of Christ. If you get the gospel wrong, what you believe about the church doesn't matter to me. If you get the gospel wrong, what you think about baptism doesn't matter.

Doctrine does divide, but the answer is not to shun doctrine but to learn and teach the truth. For example, to say we will unite around love, what do we mean by love? Biblically speaking, to love God and neighbor is a law. There are specific ways we must love and ways we cannot love, so even to say the grounds of our unity revolve around loving God requires some understanding both of love and God. How can we stand together if we have different interpretations of love and different views of God? Much disunity comes not from doctrine but preferences, or even worse, preferences in doctrinal disguise. Standing for "the truth" is much easier when the truth is defined by what you like and dislike. Unity is pleasant when faithfulness is measured by friendships rather than a commitment to Christ.