![]() But there they made a startling discovery: the churches they left behind were now predominantly Gentile in their membership. Five years later, after Claudius died, many Jewish Christians returned to the city and to their home churches. AD 49, Emperor Claudius evicted all Jews from the city of Rome, likely because Jews and Jewish Christians clashed over the identity of the Messiah (see Acts 18:2). So, what was all the fuss about? History provides a few important clues. The primary purpose of Romans was to foster church unity among Jewish and Gentile Christians. With his letter to the Romans, Paul crafted a pastoral response to the discord and conflict that was brewing in the house churches of Rome. ![]() Scripture provides us with a better template for pursuing church unity. This approach makes unity and cooperation across diverse groups of Christians from different traditions and cultures difficult, if not impossible. They might insist that “other people who don’t agree with me about my view of x cannot possibly be true Christians,” even if their belief in x is not explicitly taught or even implied by Scripture. In this approach, every potential area for disagreement becomes a “gospel issue” with eternal stakes. Other Christians make the opposite error by insisting that church unity cannot be established apart from uniformity of thought in doctrinal and practical matters. Without the gospel or our biblical convictions, there is nothing to bring us together! When Jesus prayed for his followers to “be one,” he also prayed that God would “sanctify them by the truth” (John 17:17). Though the desire to keep or make peace between brothers and sisters in Christ is close to God’s own heart (Matt 5:9), true unity can never be achieved by sacrificing the essentials of the Christian faith. This approach, embodied by many modern ecumenical movements, tends to downplay or reject biblical truth in the name of compromise and tolerance. The first mistake is a “unity-above-all” approach to church conflict. 2 flawed, unbiblical approaches to church unityĪs I have detailed in my book, When Doctrine Divides the People of God, those who profess Christ will often make one of two mirroring errors when it comes to unity and conflict in the church. But our primary focus will be on a biblical plan for church unity modeled by the apostle Paul in the book of Romans. How should believers pursue unity? When should they go their separate ways? Here we will note two flawed and unbiblical approaches to church unity that reap destructive consequences for the church. 1 Peter urged believers in a persecuted church “to be like-minded and sympathetic, love one another, and be compassionate and humble” (1 Pet 3:8). Paul pled with the Corinthians “that there be no divisions among you, and that you be united with the same understanding and the same conviction” (1 Cor 1:10). Jesus prayed for the church to be one on the night before he was crucified (John 17:20–23). Scripture repeatedly emphasizes God’s desire for unity and peace among God’s people. It should, however, shock and concern us when those who profess belief in Christ do the same. ![]() In this fallen and broken world, it comes as no surprise when unbelievers devour and consume one another with hostility and bitterness. Open your social media feed or turn on the news, and you will quickly recognize that we live in a fractured society, one that is deeply divided by competing worldviews and ideologies. Facebook Twitter Reddit Pinterest Email LinkedIn ![]()
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