Who has been a member of the Lord’s church for very long and does not know of Jesus’ plea for unity in John 17:20-21? Who does not know of Paul’s rebuke to the Corinthians for being divided over personalities (1 Cor. 1:10-13)? How often have we recognized that Paul called those Corinthians carnal-minded (1 Cor. 3:1-4)? Virtually all brethren know these truths, yet unity does not exist. Furthermore, all agree with these principles, yet unity does not exist. Why not?
In February, the Gospel Advocate published some articles on the subject of unity. The first of these says that humility is the first essential ingredient, which is one of the key reasons behind division. If brethren would practice humility, almost any matter could be cleared up—because many of them involve past mistakes. Pride prevents brethren from saying, “I’m sorry” or “I made a mistake.” No, rather than do that, a situation remains unresolved for days, months, and years. Of course, if a difficulty between two individuals were confined to them, at least, it would only involve two parties. But how often does that ever happen? Pretty soon others are dragged into the fray, thus establishing a barrier that will unlikely be torn down any time soon. Escalation usually results.
Other qualities frequently absent in conflicts are gentleness, patience, and love (pages 12-14). People become so outraged in a personal dispute that the civility we all know ought to exist immediately flies out the window, taking with it any chance of reconciliation. We would all be appalled if a brother became so angry that he struck a fellow Christian. Why are we not equally distressed when a brother (or sister) becomes so angry that a grudge develops that lasts for years? Neither one is right, yet we condemn the former and say nothing about the latter.
Another article correctly states that unity could be achieved if we all listened to Jesus. The fact is that we do not, nor will that willingness change. This precept is obviously for other people to keep. If I do not abide by it, I have justifiable reasons. Oh, sure, we all quickly criticize denominational folks who deny the authority of Christ, but if we do so, it’s all right. What’s that unflattering term for people who do that? Oh, that’s right— hypocrites. Is that designation a bit strong? Hang on.
There’s no shortage of proof.
“Unity is possible when brethren devote themselves more to the teaching of the biblical text than they do to their opinions, traditions, or desires” (20). That is exactly correct, but again it is not followed. If our first priority was to God and His Word, and we committed ourselves to unity, a number of the divisions we currently have would have long since been resolved. Is this a harsh indictment of brethren? If we know the truth and the importance of unity, then, yes, it is— because we fail to take our responsibility seriously.
Pride has done so much damage to the kingdom of heaven that only error surpasses it. In fact, pride prevents many doctrinal errors from being changed, also. For example, someone may have taught a particular thing that he had not quite thought through. When challenged somewhat, rather than admit he may have overstated the case, he digs in his heels and goes even further than he had originally. He ends up defending what he would have condemned only a short time previously. The more resistance he meets with, the more certain he becomes that his false doctrine (and now all of its applications as well) are correct.
The process occurs something like this. I cannot admit to having taught or practiced error because I am Brother Highly Regarded, and it will damage my reputation if I back away from anything I have ever taught. Rather than admit having misstated something or making a correction, which brethren would have welcomed, the choice is made to entrench oneself even further. Sadly, some never emerge from the quagmire they have created.
But even worse than situations involving error are those where none exists. Both sides are Christians who otherwise adhere to Biblical teaching. “Aunt Matilda said she would fix a blueberry pie to take to the potluck.” “No, she never said that. She only said she would think about it.” “But she was seen buying blueberries at the grocery store.” “So what? It’s a free country. Maybe she was going to use them later in the week for a family get-together.” “Now, look. Everybody expected her to bring the pie to the church supper, and Cousin Murgatroid was greatly offended that he didn’t get his usual piece—especially since he had given her $5.00 to purchase the ingredients.” ”She never understood that the money was to be used for blueberries. Anyway, he didn’t have to be so vocal about it at the dinner.” “Well, I don’t know. He gave her the money and expected just one piece. And it wasn’t there!”
Pretty soon there are allegations that Aunt Matilda probably had used the money to buy something else and that she refused to make the pie to get even for a practical joke Cousin Murgatroid had played on her favorite niece. “He didn’t know that the Jack-in-the-box would actually explode.” “Well, what else did he think gunpowder would do when ignited by a spark?” On and on the silliness goes. So there have been two churches in the town of Harmony (population 300) for nearly 40 years now. Aunt Matilda and Cousin Murgatroid are long gone, but the feud continues. Would it have been so hard for the woman to have apologized for not making the pie and offer to fix one he could have all to himself? As sad as such a situation might be, it could be worse. Brethren from other congregations could have chosen sides, also.
So, people are offended and refuse to be placated. Defensiveness sets in, and people begin assigning motives to others which were never even thought of. Humility, gentleness, patience, and love cannot be found in evidence. An “Us Versus Them” mentality forms, and unity falls by the wayside. What is more important—someone’s feelings, or the church of the Lord? Division loudly proclaims the wrong answer.
Lack of Communication (obviously) keeps brethren from resolving problems. William Shakespeare died 400 years ago—on April 23, 1616, which is the reason Google had his picture (along with scenes from some of his famous plays) on their Website that day. Othello, one of his famous tragedies, involves a trusted friend getting the title character to believe something that was not true. He contrived situations and information to make it look as though Othello’s innocent wife, Desdemona, was cheating on him with one of his military men, Cassio. So inflamed does he become with jealousy and rage that he kills her. Only too late does he discover that she had always been faithful to him and that he had been “played.”
Logically, the tragedy could have been avoided if he had taken the time to talk with her. She never had a chance to explain anything and did not even know that she had been accused of wrongdoing. Likewise, how many times do brethren fail to sit down with each other to discuss a problem in a non-hostile environment? One brother had a lot of animosity toward an eldership but was asked to sit down and talk with them. He clearly had some anger issues, but to his credit he controlled himself. The meeting got off to a bumpy start, but after some questions were asked and answered, it became clear that someone had been feeding him misinformation. Communication resolved the problem. Unfortunately, these circumstances are all too rare. Often, it is the case that someone or some group has done a hatchet job on a preacher, an eldership, or a congregation, and they may not even be aware of what has been alleged. Brethren can make no attempt to solve a problem when they do not know it exists.
When some brethren are asked why they have not tried to effect unity with others, they shrug their shoulders and say, “It will not do any good.” One wonders how they know that when they have not tried. Preconceived ideas, suspicions, and rumors (apparently accepted) will not suffice as reasons to make no effort to achieve unity with our brethren for whom Christ died.
If one church knows that a sister congregation has departed from the truth, then we are not dealing with the same thing. If they have announced publicly that they will have women serve as deaconesses or that they are adding instruments of music to the worship (any worship), then they have clearly rejected the authority of the Scriptures. But many things that occur are not nearly this drastic, and perhaps loving communication might help. We should not make the mistake of assuming that brethren delight in practicing error; oftentimes they lack knowledge..
Intentionally rejecting what the Scriptures teach leads to division. How incongruous is it for Christians to extol, “how good and pleasant it is for brethren to dwell in unity!” (Ps. 133:1)—but then do nothing to make it happen! As already discussed, pride is a compelling factor in propagating division, as is the failure to communicate. This third barrier overlaps with the second, but it involves a direct violation of what Jesus said to do.
Jesus taught: “Moreover if your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. If he hears you, you have gained your brother” (Matt. 18:15). How often does a wounded brother or sister tell almost everyone BUT that individual? By this time, the difficulty has already spread, and chances of resolution have diminished. Some may have already chosen “sides” based on partiality rather than on evidence. Or the offended soul may keep the problem to himself, saying nothing at the time, but allowing his feelings of anger to fester. Later they may express themselves in a way totally unrelated to this initial situation. Someone may ask him, “Why are you so vehement against this brother?” “Well, he has done other things before this,” comes the response, but since he never discussed it, he does not know if the original problem may have only been a misunderstanding. Jesus was wise to insist on communication because most things between brethren of good will can be mended.
An offended brother has an obligation to communicate. “Go” sounds a lot like a command. On the other hand, what if a person knows that a fellow Christian has something against him? Jesus covered that, too:
“Therefore if you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift” (Matt. 5:23-24).
Unity is so important that Jesus does not want anything to get in the way of it. Did someone indicate that he was offended by something a Christian said or did? He should then go to him—make the time to sort out what happened—find out what it is that is troubling another. Jesus wants problems resolved so that unity would exist in His church and so that nothing would hinder the work.
Yet brethren will not apply these principles. On a few occasions concerned brethren have telephoned or written to protest something they deemed offensive only to be greeted with a huge yawn and an “I really don’t care” attitude. How is that fulfilling Matthew 18:15? Or Matthew 5:23-24? Some just refuse to communicate, period. On the other hand, conscientious brethren have never refused to meet with or discuss an issue with a brother. What some apparently fail to realize is that neglecting to do these two things is being disobedient to the Lord. Surely, the Lord, Who gave His life for the church, cannot be happy that some are not nearly so interested in unity as they profess.