Unity Then and Now, Part 1: A divine movement founded on the Word

This is part 1 of a two-part series on church unity. Part 2 of “Unity: Then and Now” will be printed in the April issue of Adventist World.—Editors.

The unity of the church lies at the very heart of the gospel and matters greatly to God. Without unity the church is powerless to proclaim the gospel in its fullness to the world; worse yet, it becomes a contradiction to the true nature of the gospel.

Jesus revealed the importance of unity in His final intercessory prayer: “I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me” (John 17:23).

One of the greatest evidences of the power of the gospel is the unity of the church. When people of different backgrounds, cultures, languages, and dispositions are united by the Holy Spirit in Christ, the world notices.

Writing with divine insight, Ellen White put it this way: “Only as they were united with Christ could the disciples hope to have the accompanying power of the Holy Spirit and the cooperation of angels of heaven. With the help of these divine agencies they would present before the world a united front and would be victorious in the conflict they were compelled to wage unceasingly against the powers of darkness. As they should continue to labor unitedly, heavenly messengers would go before them, opening the way; hearts would be prepared for the reception of truth, and many would be won to Christ.”1

The Acts Model: A United Church

One of the most striking New Testament examples of a unified church is in the book of Acts. Although there were differences of background and culture and at times heated debates, at its very core the New Testament church exhibited unity. This unity was not some vague, undefinable, pluralistic “oneness” in which each tolerated the others’ personal views to accomplish some larger ethereal goal; instead, it was a unity of faith rooted in the person, message, and mission of Jesus Christ.

United in the Centrality of Christ’s Love

The disciples were united in their love for Christ. Committed to Christ, their bond of union was forged in Him. Charmed by His love, redeemed by His grace, and empowered by His Spirit, they were—in spite of their differences—united in one body. Ellen White used an interesting expression to describe this: “Christ’s name was to be their watchword, their badge of distinction, their bond of union, the authority for their course of action, and the source of their success. Nothing was to be recognized in His kingdom that did not bear His name and superscription.”2

Christ’s name was their “bond of union.” In other words, they were one in an indissoluble union with Christ. Revivalist A. W. Tozer put it this way:

“Has it ever occurred to you that one hundred pianos all tuned to the same fork are automatically tuned to each other? They are of one accord by being tuned, not to each other, but to another standard to which each one must individually bow. So one hundred worshipers [meeting] together, each one looking away to Christ, are in heart nearer to each other than they could possibly be were they to become ‘unity’ conscious and turn their eyes away from God to strive for closer fellowship.”3

Tuned to Christ, the disciples were tuned to one another. Christ is the great unifier. Speaking of Christ bridging the divide between Jews and Gentiles, the apostle Paul emphatically declared, “For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation” (Eph. 2:14). The apostle adds that in Christ “the whole body [is] joined and knit together” (Eph. 4:16), and pleads with the church at Corinth that there “be no schism in the body” (1 Cor. 12:25). When hearts are one in Christ, they cannot be far apart.

United in the Centrality of Christ’s Message

It is often overlooked that when Jesus prayed for the unity of His church, He prayed that His Father would “sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth” (John 17:17). The unity of the New Testament church was based on a common commitment to Jesus’ revealed truth.

New Testament believers accepted the truth about such central teachings as the authoritative revelation of Scripture; salvation by faith; the ministry of the Holy Spirit; the second coming of Christ; the Sabbath; and Christ’s death, resurrection, and priestly ministry. They were brought together through His prophetic Word, bonded in truth and committed to the divine revelation of His will.

Luke described the union of New Testament believers in Acts 2:41, 42: “Then those who gladly received his word were baptized; and that day about three thousand souls were added to them. And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers.”

Notice two significant expressions: (1) “those who gladly received his word” and (2) “they continued steadfastly in the apostle’s doctrine.” Both imply an acceptance of and commitment to the unchanging, eternal truths of Scripture. The unity of the New Testament believers was based on their common commitment to the teachings of Jesus.

Charles Spurgeon spoke of unity in the truth in these straightforward words:

“A chorus of ecumenical voices keep harping the unity tune. What they are saying is, ‘Christians of all doctrinal shades and beliefs must come together in one visible organization, regardless. . . . Unite, unite!’ Such teaching is false, reckless and dangerous. Truth alone must determine our alignments. Truth comes before unity. Unity without truth is hazardous. Our Lord’s Prayer in John 17 must be read in its full context. Look at verse 17: ‘Sanctify them through thy truth; thy word is truth.’ Only those sanctified through the Word can be one in Christ. To teach otherwise is to betray the gospel.”4

Ellen White would agree with Spurgeon. Commenting on Jesus’ prayer for unity in John 17, she wrote, “We cannot surrender the truth in order to accomplish this union; for the very means by which it is to be gained is sanctification through the truth. Human wisdom would change all this, thinking this basis of union too narrow. Men would effect a union through conformity to popular opinions, through a compromise with the world. But truth is God’s basis for the unity of His people.”5

The New Testament church was united through a prophetic, present-truth message. Peter’s masterful presentation in Acts 2 clearly revealed Jesus as the promised Messiah. In Acts 8 Philip’s prophetic Bible study on Jesus as the messianic fulfillment of Isaiah 53 led the Ethiopian to a decision for Christ, and Paul’s prophetic preaching in Acts 17 in Thessalonica for three consecutive Sabbaths touched Jewish hearts.

The truth as it is in Jesus, prophetically proclaimed, unified the church in a common mission. Truth unites. There is something larger, greater, and grander than our personal opinions, or even our individual convictions. The truth of the Word revealed by the Spirit supersedes everything else.

When the people of God are united in Christ to proclaim the prophetic Word of God in the power of the Holy Spirit, the earth will be lightened with the glory of God. Once again, in this generation, God has entrusted His people with a prophetic, present-truth message.

God has given divine insight on what is coming upon God’s end-time people. Subtle errors and falsehoods in the name of truth will gradually enter in among God’s people.

Ellen White wrote, “The enemy of souls has sought to bring in the supposition that a great reformation was to take place among Seventh-day Adventists, and that this reformation would consist in giving up the doctrines which stand as the pillars of our faith, and engaging in a process of reorganization. Were this reformation to take place, what would result? The principles of truth that God in His wisdom has given to the remnant church would be discarded. Our religion would be changed. The fundamental principles that have sustained the work for the last fifty years would be accounted as error. . . . Books of a new order would be written. A system of intellectual philosophy would be introduced.”6

It is the Bible-based message of Christ our righteousness in light of the three angels’ messages of Revelation 14:6-12 that will unite His people in one final end-time proclamation of truth.

United in the Centrality of Christ’s Mission

The New Testament church was united in a single-minded passion of sharing Christ and the message of the gospel with the world. Personal preferences and opinions were secondary to the proclamation of the message of the cross. The one thing that overshadowed everything else was a world in need of Christ’s saving grace and the certainty of the life-changing Word.

Two classic statements in the book The Acts of the Apostles powerfully portray the focus of the early church:

“The church is God’s appointed agency for the salvation of [men and women]. It was organized for service, and its mission is to carry the gospel to the world.”7

“Putting away all differences, all desire for the supremacy, they came close together in Christian fellowship. They drew nearer and nearer to God, and as they did this they realized what a privilege had been theirs in being permitted to associate so closely with Christ. . . . The disciples felt their spiritual need and cried to the Lord for the holy unction that was to fit them for the work of soul saving. They did not ask for a blessing for themselves merely. They were weighted with the burden of the salvation of souls. They realized that the gospel was to be carried to the world, and they claimed the power that Christ had promised.”8

The overriding purpose of the first-century church was winning the lost to Christ. This one thing triumphed over personal ambition and human strivings for position or power. They were willing to sacrifice their cherished ambitions to maintain a unified focus on soul winning. The New Testament church was united in Christ with a passion for His passion—saving lost people. Church organization stimulated this unity by providing a structure to grow in the truth of His Word and foster the proclamation of the Word.

United in the Centrality of His Church

Throughout the New Testament, Jesus emphasized the divine nature of the church. When Peter confessed that Jesus was the divine Son of God, our Savior replied, “On this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it” (Matt. 16:18).

The church is not some human-made bureaucratic institution. It is a divine movement raised up by God. Its purpose is to nurture and foster the spiritual life of each believer and equip each one to use their gifts in the proclamation of the gospel through self-sacrificial service to others.

The church is the “body of Christ” (1 Cor. 12:27), “the flock of God” (1 Peter 5:2), the “pillar and ground of the truth,”9 and “a holy temple.”10 It is “God’s appointed agency for the salvation of [men and women]. It was organized for service, and its mission is to carry the gospel to the world.”11 n

¹ Ellen G. White, The Acts of the Apostles (Mountain View, Calif.: Pacific Press Pub. Assn., 1911), pp. 90, 91.

² Ibid., p. 28.

³ A.W. Tozer, The Pursuit of God, p. 90.

⁴ Charles H. Spurgeon, “The Essence of Separation,” quoted in The Berean Call, July 1, 1992, p. 4.

⁵ Ellen G. White, Gospel Workers (Battle Creek, Mich.: Review and Herald Pub. Assn., 1892), p. 391.

⁶ Ellen G. White, Selected Messages (Washington, D.C.: Review and Herald Pub. Assn., 1958, 1980), book 1, p. 204.

⁷ E. G. White, The Acts of the Apostles, p. 9.

⁸ Ibid., p. 37.

⁹ Ellen G. White, Christ’s Object Lessons (Washington, D.C.: Review and Herald Pub. Assn., 1900), p. 54.

¹⁰ E. G. White, The Acts of the Apostles, p. 275.

¹¹ Ibid., p. 9.

Mark A. Finley retired in 2010 as a general vice president of the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists following nearly 40 years as a pastor, evangelist, and media ministry leader. He now serves as an assistant to the General Conference president.