- Unity means to dwell together without differences. Union seeks a dwelling together despite differences.
- Unity comes by individuals accepting the Word of God. Union may be had by “mass agreement” to “get along” in religion.
- Unity prohibits division. Union admits division and thus encourages it.
- Unity can only be had by the removal or destruction of error. Union opens the floodgate for all manner of errors.
- Union makes conscience and sincerity the standard of authority instead of the Word of God; thus, union makes void the Word of God. Unity fulfills the Word of God.
- Union may be had by compromising convictions and disregarding differences. Unity may be had by doing the will of God, thus eliminating differences.
- Union is a puny effort to patch up the damage caused by error without removing the cause. Union would tolerate every fad and fancy that opinion is capable of producing. Unity eliminates error.
- The foundation of religious union is liberty of opinion. The foundation of Christian unity is liberty of God’s Word.
Let us be alert to the difference between union as it presents itself in modern movements and the unity taught in God’s Word. Let us settle for nothing less than the oneness for which our Lord prayed in the shadow of the Cross (Jn. 1:7)
—Joe Gilmore
“Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you: but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment”
—1 Corinthians 1:10
