We sometimes get painted as negative when we refuse to unite with some folks. My aim in this short series has been to show that false unity occurs, God has commanded against it, and that we are to actually promote a biblical unity. As a result of ecumenical pursuits people have actually abandoned the distinctives that unite Christians and so therefore in the name of ‘unity’ undermined ‘biblical unity’. So in this post here I want to conclude positively with respect to the promotion of the unity that God promotes.
Ecumenism Answered :: biblical unity
The believer must understand that God has placed restrictions on ministry. We are simply not permitted to engage in ministry in any setting with any party. God wants believers to be faithful to rally around the gospel of his beloved Son not obscure, marginalize or eclipse it by partnering in ministry with people who do not believe his gospel.
So what do we do? There are some basic considerations that are necessary when considering whether or not to partner with someone in ministry.
The basis for Unity: Jesus Christ
We remember the Apostle Paul’s instructions in 2 Corinthians, the test for ministerial partnership is whether or not the person or group believes in Jesus Christ. This is the test. What do they do with Jesus? If they add human works or merit to his gospel then we cannot partner. If they take away from his person then we cannot partner.
We read in John 17 of the Savior’s desire for unity.
John 17:22-23 22 “The glory which You have given Me I have given to them, that they may be one, just as We are one; 23 I in them and You in Me, that they may be perfected in unity, so that the world may know that You sent Me, and loved them, even as You have loved Me.
What is the basis for this unity?
In verse 3 we read that eternal life rests completely in knowing God through Jesus Christ. The tone of this prayer by Jesus centers on the church. Even Jesus clarifies that he is not praying for everyone in the world but for those who would believe (v.9). Therefore Jesus hones in on his desire for God to be glorified through the rallying around of the truth by the church of Jesus Christ (cf. vv. 6, 10-11, 17, 22-23).
Jesus prays that his people would be unified. It is important to remember that the basis for this unity is a commitment to the revealed truth of God, specifically Jesus Christ himself:
John 17:11 11 “I am no longer in the world; and yet they themselves are in the world, and I come to You. Holy Father, keep them in Your name, the name which You have given Me, that they may be one even as We are.
The goal of Unity : the glory of Christ
John 17 also shows us the goal of biblical unity:
John 17:21-23 that they may all be one; even as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be in Us, so that the world may believe that You sent Me. 22 “The glory which You have given Me I have given to them, that they may be one, just as We are one; 23 I in them and You in Me, that they may be perfected in unity, so that the world may know that You sent Me, and loved them, even as You have loved Me.
This is such a rich passage that must inform how we approach unity. Jesus is praying (and so therefore expressing his desire) for unity in the church that is reflective of unity in the Trinity. In the Trinity there is no confusion about the eternal agenda, it is simply to amplify and enjoy the glory of God. Therefore we see in this passage the connection between the glory of God in Christ and the unity of the church. The church cannot be united with those who do not aim toward the glory of God through Jesus Christ because Jesus Christ is not united with such people. This is precisely Paul’s point in Second Corinthians:
2 Corinthians 6:14-15 14 Do not be bound together with unbelievers; for what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness? 15 Or what harmony has Christ with Belial, or what has a believer in common with an unbeliever?
The unity that Jesus desires and prays for is a unity that reflects the holy harmony of the Trinity and models the divine agenda of the glory of God through Jesus Christ. This Christ-Centered exclusive unity is clear and consistent message to the unbelieving world (v.23).
The test for Unity: the gospel of Christ
The simplest test for whether or not believers may engage in ministry with others is the gospel. We must know whether or not the biblical gospel is proclaimed and defended, for if it is not the basis of the ministry then there is no biblical basis for a spiritual partnership.
Consider church growth guru and best selling author Rick Warren’s approach to ministerial partnership:
“It really doesn’t matter what your label is. If you love Jesus, we’re on the same team….Now I don’t agree with everything in everybody’s denomination, including my own. I don’t agree with everything that Catholics do or Pentecostals do, but what binds us together is so much stronger than what divides us.”
“I really do feel that these people are brothers and sisters in God’s family. I am looking to build bridges with the Orthodox Church, looking to build bridges with the Catholic Church, with the Anglican church, and say ‘What can we do together that we have been unable to do by ourselves?’ ” (Pittsburgh Post Gazette, November 12, 2005)
Warren believes that what binds him together with Roman Catholics is a sufficient basis to partner in ministry. The Roman Catholic Church promotes a different gospel, they have a completely different message.
In this vein Warren continues, “It really doesn’t matter what your label is. If you love Jesus, we’re on the same team.”
In light of Galatians, Second Corinthians, and John 17, we simply cannot partner with those who believe and promote a different gospel. We are not on the same team. We are on opposing teams.
The Christian is commanded to be “diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace” (Eph. 4.3). This command precedes a great reminder about the exclusivity of biblical Christianity:
Ephesians 4:4-6 4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as also you were called in one hope of your calling; 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all.
Notice all of the exclusive and narrow terms, one body, one Spirit, one hope, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God. Biblical unity is connected to Christian fidelity. To partner in ministry with those who are unbelievers is to eradicate the divinely ordained boundaries that surround biblical Christianity. Ecumenical unity undermines biblical unity.
We want to get ministry done but not at the expense of the glory and pleasure of Jesus Christ. We must be ever considerate of what God thinks about our ministry as revealed in his Scripture. We understand that truth unites and error divides. The Christian is to be radically committed to unity, but this unity comes based upon the person, work and glory of Jesus Christ not at the expense of it.
