Christian's Expositor Journal Winter 2004
Perfect agreement between brethren on a biblical topic is desirable if the conclusion reached is in accord with the Scriptures. If brethren study and think for themselves, however, disagreement is likely to occur on a few issues. While it is advisable to study with one another to come to a common understanding of the Scriptures, it is likely that even after such study we will have to learn to live in unity with brethren with whom we do not agree in all points.
There are some points on which we must agree, but God does allow us to have unity while disagreeing with one another on other points. This article will explore which issues we must agree about as well as how to respond to a brother when we do disagree with him.
Ephesians 4:3 command us to work at maintaining "the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace" (NKJV unless noted otherwise). The context of this verse gives us two necessary ingredients to having and maintaining this unity of the Spirit: (1) the proper attitudes (v. 2) and (2) the proper doctrines (vv. 4-6)
Without the attitudes expressed in verse 2, unity is impossible. Even brethren who agree completely on doctrine cannot have unity without these attitudes, which are based on sincere love for one another. We must be lowly and gentle toward one another, not demanding our own way in matters of preference.
We must not consider ourselves better than the other Christians. "Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself " (Philippians 2:3).We must realize that God gives us our level of intelligence, talents, and wealth. Therefore, we have no justification for thinking of ourselves as better than others just because we might happen to be superior to another Christian in one or more of these areas. "For who makes you differ from another? And what do you have that you did not receive? Now if you did indeed receive it, why do you boast as if you had not received it" (1 Corinthians. 4:7).
One who sincerely places others above himself will always treat his brother with respect and thus will foster unity. On the other hand, a brother with a haughty spirit who places himself above others in his own mind is destructive of unity because such arrogance manifests itself through his actions, leading to resentment in others. We must learn to tolerate each other by being long-suffering and bearing with each other, especially when we disagree. The key to tolerance is having a sincere love toward one another. We can put up with much from others when we love them, and love should be the glue that binds us together when we disagree with one another. Love will keep us from questioning the intelligence, honesty, and/or motives of those with whom we disagree. When we work closely with brethren, there are going to be times when we become frustrated by their behavior, but we must bear with them for the sake of unity.
Nevertheless, the unity of the Spirit can only be maintained if there is agreement on the basic doctrines listed in Ephesians 4:4-6. We must agree that there is only one body — the church of our Lord Jesus. We must agree that there is only one Spirit—God's Holy Spirit. We do not have to agree on everything about the Spirit, but we do have to agree that there is only one divine Spirit. We have to agree that there is one hope—the hope of the eternal home being prepared for us in heaven. We must believe that there is one Lord—Jesus Christ. We must agree that there is only one faith. That faith is the faith that saves—faith in Jesus as the Son of God. The one faith also includes the one body of faith spoken of in Jude 3, where we are told to "contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints." The faith, as used in this passage, is the body of doctrine that has been once for all times delivered—the New Testament. We must agree that there is only one authority from which we learn the truth. "Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth" (John. 17:17). This does not mean that God requires exact agreement on everything the authority teaches but that we must agree that there is only one authority. We must agree that there is only one baptism. It is immersion in water for the forgiveness of sins, which places us into the one body of Christ. We must believe there is only one God.
Unfortunately, there is another matter the church must consider today. Many of our brethren have digressed from the scriptural form of worship and assembly, making it impossible to have unity with them.
If we have in common the proper attitudes of verse 2 and the proper basic doctrines of verses 4-6, we will be able to maintain the unity of the Spirit. Ephesians 4:7-16 indicates that we are to begin from this common point in striving to grow together by teaching one another in love, so that we can become knit together in a better understanding of God's Word. "From whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love" (Ephesians 4:16). We become bound together in a common understanding of the truths of God's Word as we study with one another, and our love for one another grows, joining us in wonderful unity.
Nevertheless, in spite of our efforts to come to the truth, disagreements do occur among brethren. What do we do then? If the disagreement concerns one of the seven "ones" of Ephesians 4, we must work hard to teach the truth on these issues to the erring brother. If, however, he will not come to the truth on these matters, unity is impossible. But what do we do if we disagree on other matters? The key to maintaining unity is mutual humility, tolerance, and patience. The tendency, however, is to think less of the one with whom we disagree.
We tend to question his intelligence, his honesty in his approach to the Scriptures, and/or his motives for his position. The Scriptures teach that this attitude of looking down on a brother simply because we disagree with him is a sin. "Let not him who eats despise him who does not eat, and let not him who does not eat judge him who eats; for God has received him" (Romans. 14:3). The importance of this verse is not what issues apply to Romans 14 and what do not, but that it is a sin to "despise" (to think less of, to look down on) a brother with whom we disagree. This might be a brother we think is weak, too liberal, or too radical. If we look down on a fellow Christian, he will soon figure it out, and unity will be destroyed or damaged as a result.
It is normal to esteem some brothers above others because of their good lives, but is wrong to look down on the brother who disagrees with us simply because he disagrees with us. We should esteem this brother just as highly as the one with whom we agree if all other things are equal. Some brethren go beyond merely looking down on the brother with whom they disagree. They make the determination that as a result of the position their brother takes, he will be lost eternally if he does not change his position. Judging the condition of souls is condemned in the Scriptures. Notice what Paul said to those who were judging that he was lost:
"But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged by you or by a human court. In fact, I do not even judge myself. For I know nothing against myself, yet I am not justified by this; but He who judges me is the Lord." (1 Corinthians 4:3-4)
Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord comes, who will both bring to light the hidden things of darkness and reveal the counsels of the hearts. Then each one's praise will come from God (1 Corinthians 4:3-5). The judgment being made against Paul was whether or not he was "justified." There were two things wrong with the judgments made against Paul: (1) The wrong people were doing it. Jesus is the judge. (2) It was not the appropriate time. The time of judging souls is when "the Lord comes." We are not to be the judge of the condition of our brother's soul because we do not have the capacity to do so. In a prophecy about Jesus in Isaiah 11:3-4, the method by which Jesus will judge the world is set forth: "He shall not judge by the sight of His eyes, nor decide by the hearing of His ears; but with righteousness He shall judge the poor, and decide with equity for the meek of the earth."
Jesus will not judge souls by what He sees or hears, but our sight and hearing are all we have by which to make judgment. Jesus will do something we do not have the capacity to do—He will look into the heart of every individual and thus judge whether he is saved or lost. Jesus will judge with righteousness and equity, something we cannot possibly do and are instructed in the Scriptures against even attempting.
The unity of the Spirit can be achieved and maintained by having the proper attitudes, which are based on sincere love for our brother, and the proper doctrines, which are delineated by the "ones" of Ephesians 4:4-6. From that point of agreement, we are to strive to grow together by mutual edification, which comes from speaking the truth in love. If it turns out that through this process we do not come to total agreement on matters not found in the "ones," we must continue to employ the attitudes of Ephesians 4:2 and not succumb to the temptation to despise our brother or to judge that his soul is lost because of the matter about which we disagree. If a sufficient level of love is applied to the situation, unity will prevail in spite of disagreement.
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