Unity??

Well... unity. What a twisted, maligned, and perverted concept. I don't dislike unity, but we must look at this concept through the scripture as with all issues. There is this huge cry for unity. People have put unscriptural and wrong understandings regarding unity out there for so long that it seems as if that which is wrong is now accepted as what should be right. We can not be united with evil. We must not unite ourselves with error. Lets look at some verses regarding unity:

Psa 86:11 Teach me thy way, O LORD; I will walk in thy truth: unite my heart to fear thy name.

Gen 49:6 O my soul, come not thou into their secret; unto their assembly, mine honour, be not thou united: for in their anger they slew a man, and in their selfwill they digged down a wall. (this was a father speaking of two of his sons)

Eph 4:13 Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ

We need to be united in the faith and knowledge of the Son of God to become a perfect man. Our hearts need to be united to fear God. We are not to be united with anger or selfwill or any evil, wickedness, rebellion against God. There is this ridicules notion that we must put aside all of our differences and "unite" as God's people. First let me say that not all people that claim to be "God's people" are God's people. Second if I have a brother that is in error God help me to not unite with him in it, but rather to encourage him to unite with the truth found in scripture. There is a call for all denominations to stop squabbling over petty things and just come together in unity. Are you kidding me? Unite with people that hold to the errors of works salvation... loss of salvation... the scriptures not being the absolute and final authority... so on and so forth... God forbid. It is killing me how everyone wants to be united and thinks that I need to unite with them in a "universal" sense, but if you tell them to get to a scriptural church and submit themselves to the Lord in that church its... "Jesus is my pastor"... "I am a christian and that is all I have to be"... "I am the church"... wow.
If there is this "universal church" then they are right. I need to just abandon what the scriptures teach and join in with men and their opinions... and if they change I need to be ok with that. The church is local and visible. So many of these same people who cry for unity in their wrong way REFUSE to be in unity with the local church. Why? I believe that the answer is simple... there is no "universal church" in scripture so they can make up the rules to fit their desires and wants. But to be part of the local church the scriptures are the authority and we must unite ourselves with God's word not with our own taste and opinion. Look to the scriptures to see this truth:

1Co 1:10 Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.

That is to the church at Corinth. It is not to the "universal church". Is it applicable in every local church. YES. Why then do we abandon unity in the local church as given in scripture for some false idea to unite with anything and everything under the sun?

May God bless,

John Lane