Unity in Diversity?

CATHEDRAL NEWSLETTER 10 August 2023

Friends in Christ, unity is of great importance to Christians. Jesus famously prayed for all who would believe in him through the preaching of his apostles of God's word of truth that he delivered to them. Here's what Jesus said:

'My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one I in them and you in me so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.' (John 17:20-23)

Image courtesy: http://www.heartlight.org

Likewise the Apostle Paul instructed Christians to, "Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace" (Ephesians 4:3).

There is great unity found in being loved by God, as perfectly demonstrated in his Son's self-giving love at the cross. 

Recently, while I was away, I was sharing openly with other church leaders my profound grief at the breach of unity represented by those of them who had publicly abandoned the teaching of Christ on marriage. I explained that in my view, such actions represented a denial of the authority of Scripture as our ultimate rule and standard of faith, and, in the particular Anglican context, also departed from the Book of Common Prayer as our standard of public worship.

One key response was to say that we'd always lived with such breaches in our fellowship. Another response was to say that we needed to hang on to "unity in diversity". In both cases the implication seemed to be that so long as we all kept turning up together, belonging to the same institution, then we were united in our diversity. 

This seemed to play down repeated reminders in the New Testament to church leaders and members to correct and avoid false teaching and conduct when it arises in our churches (e.g. Matthew 7:15-27, Galatians 1:6-9, 2:11-16, 2 Peter 2:1-3).

But it was the appeal to diversity that focused my mind.

Diversity is an important topic in our world today, and in the Bible.

We can think of the amazing diversity of creation (e.g. Job 39, and also the diversity of cultures and nations, with people from every tribe and tongue eventually expected to worship Jesus (e.g. Revelation 7:9-10). Indeed the urging in Ephesisans 4;3 to guard our Spirit-given unity comes in the context of Paul's mission for Gentile nationalities to be included alongside Jews, among the one single people of God, through trusting the reconciling work of Christ on the cross (see Ephesians 2:11-3:13).  

As I reflected further, I realised we also can celebrate diversity in the various gifts and ministries seen at work in the one body of Christ. Paul famously writes about this in 1 Corinthians 12, for example:

There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work. (1 Cor 12:4-6)

And so there is not just 'up front' gifts of prophets and teachers, and spectacular gifts of miracles and healings, but also 'behind-the-scenes' gifts of helping and administration and interpreting tongues. All must be valued. As the Apostle Peter writes:

Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of Gods grace in its various forms. If anyone speaks, they should do so as one who speaks the very words of God. If anyone serves, they should do so with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen. (1 Peter 4:10-11)

But do note that whatever diversity there is in speaking and teaching gifts, those who speak in God's church must always and only speak consistently with "the very words of God".

There is, of course, a concept of "disputable matters" about which Christians do disagree. These disputes should not ultimately breach Christian fellowship. Key passages include Romans 14:1-15:7, 1 Corinthians 8 & 10:23-33, and one might also observe Colossians 2:16-23.)

The examples given in the New Testament include whether or not to observe various food laws, whether or not to drink alcohol (in moderation, never for drunkenness), whether or not to observe sabbath or other festival days, whether to eat meat, especially if it may have been sacrified to idols.

Christians may make different judgments on such matters ... just so long as we can all agree that we are not required to one answer in order to be saved, since salvation comes only through trusting Christ and Lord and Saviour and not through our works, of the law or otherwise. 

Over church history, Christians have also put the details over baptism (what age and how much water) and church government (bishops, elders, congregational rule) into this category, since the Bible does not seem to supply enough information to be totally sure one way or the other, and it does not affect our salvation.

There may be diversity of local or denominational practice on such matters. 

But can basic Christian doctrine or morality fall into this category, for example on the full divinity and humanity of Jesus and his bodily resurrection, or the sanctity of life, or marriage and human sexuality?

I cannot find any example in the Bible that indicates we can tolerate diversity of doctrine on such basic matters, especially on matters where the Lord Jesus and his apostolic delegates speak so clearly. 

So for example, in a context which includes exhortation to honour marriage and warns that God will judge all the sexually immoral (Heb 13:4), the author of Hebrews warns: 

Do not be carried away by all kinds of strange [other translations say 'diverse'] teachings. It is good for our hearts to be strengthened by grace, not by eating ceremonial foods, which is of no benefit to those who do so. (Heb 13:9)

Our preacher this Sunday, Canon Dr Mark Thompson, Principal of Moore College, also wrote a very helpful article on this topic over a decade ago, called "Matters of Indifference?" Here is a small part of what he said:

At no point does Paul make biblical doctrine a matter of Christian freedom. He did not see gospel truth as a smorgasbord from which you can choose your perspective and I can choose mine. God has made his mind known, and it is our delight to have our minds transformed so that we think his thoughts after him...

Or as former Dean, Phillip Jensen put it in his recent book on the Holy Spirit:

"To love Jesus is to love and keep his word." (p61)

That is true spirituality. And that is what must continue to unify us: respecting Jesus as Lord, and trusting his word in all things.

Warmly in Christ,

Sandy Grant
Dean of Sydney