IS UNITY MORE IMPORTANT THAN TRUTH?

There is an interesting article in a recent issue of Guardian of Truth by Robert E. Waldron of Hanceville, Alabama in which he raises the provocative question Is unity and fellowship more important than truth? While he answers this with a resounding no, he is persuaded that unity and fellowship have been made more important than truth by the leaders of our Movement from the beginning, particularly by Thomas Campbell in his Declaration and Address. He also accuses Alexander Campbell of making truth subservient to unity, especially in his latter years.

He also states: “This influence can be seen in the thinking of nearly all of us but particularly of those who have drunk deeply of the philosophies of Carl Ketcherside and Leroy Garrett.”

This judgment from our brother in Alabama leads me to ask myself: Do I believe that unity is more important than truth? Or to put it another way, In order to achieve unity and enjoy fellowship are we to compromise what we believe to be truth?

I both agree and disagree with the proposition that unity is more important than truth. Or I would answer the brother’s question with both yes and no. It depends on what truth is made to mean. He does not seem to consider the fact that some truths are more important than others. Some truths are crucial, absolutely necessary to unity. Other truths are vitally important but not necessary for unity and fellowship to prevail. Some truths are subordinate and of less consequence, and have little to do with fellowship. So in dealing with this question we must distinguish between truth as essential, vital, and subordinate.

The truth that Peter confessed at Caesarea Philippi, that Jesus is the Christ the son of God, is essential for Christian fellowship, as would be the gospel facts of his death, burial, and resurrection.

There are other truths, such as the teaching on grace as set forth in Romans or “the blessed hope” as taught in Tit. 2:13, that are vital in enhancing fellowship between believers and strengthening their oneness, but are not necessary to fellowship and unity. I have sisters and brothers who are insecure about their future, knowing little about the grace of God, and who have not even heard of the blessed hope. But still they are God’s children and my brethren and in the fellowship. Some of us are more mature, perhaps because we have “seen” the grace of God and we “abound in hope,” as Rom. 15:13 teaches. Others of us are “babes in Christ” who need milk, not solid food. Some of us are spiritual, while others of us are inclined toward carnality. But we are all united in Christ and in the fellowship, even when we are far from what we ought to be.

Then there are truths subordinate to these, important to be sure but hardly in the category of “In essentials, unity.” I have brothers in the faith who do not believe in elders, those who believe that women should minister to the church in all ways that men do, and those who insist that worship consists of five ordained acts that take place Sunday morning in the church building. I disagree on all three points, and I am convinced that the Scriptures address these questions—there is truth here somewhere on all three issues—but whatever conclusions one may reach they cannot be made essential or vital truths. We can still be the Body of Christ and not have the truth on these matters. They are therefore subordinate to the larger issues, and for the sake of unity and fellowship we can be patient and forbearing and give others time to grow.

Another way to put it is that some truths are desirable and edifying, and we wish that others could enjoy them as we do, but they are not essential for brotherhood. Or to put it still another way, some truths are necessary for being (in Christ), while other truths are for well-being (in Christ).

I realize that we will not fully agree on which truths fall into what categories, but it will greatly help if we will recognize that while all truths are truths they are not all equally important. A sister may hold to a thousand errors and yet be very close to the heart of Jesus. A brother may now be blinded to a lot of truths he will know down the road, but today, in spite of his ignorance, he is a victorious Christian. Unity and fellowship can be real and precious with both of these in that they believe and know Jesus Christ as Lord, the essentials of the faith. They may not yet know some vital truths and many subordinate ones, but we do not have to wait for them to grow (to be as mature as we are!) before we accept them as sister and brother.

If our Alabama brother has a problem with the distinctions I have drawn, I would remind him that they are grounded in Scripture, in the very principle of spiritual growth. Otherwise the apostle would never have written “Welcome the person who is weak in faith, but do not argue with him about his opinions” (Rom. 14:1). Some are weak and some are strong (in reference to scruples); some are “right” and some are “wrong,” he is saying, but they are to accept each other. And he says “Each one should firmly make up his own mind” regarding days and diet, which is different from the mandates of our time where each one is required to accept the interpretation of some preacher or the elders.

Paul was certain he had the truth about his freedom to eat meats, and yet he said “If food is a cause of my brother’s falling, I will never eat meat, lest I cause my brother to fall” (1 Cor. 8:13). Is that not placing fellowship before truth, a subordinate truth? And yet in a different circumstance, with those who would compromise the gospel, he says, “To them we did not yield submission even for a moment, that the truth of the gospel might be preserved for you” (Gal. 2:5). Here truth came before fellowship because the issue was essential to the faith.

We must all pray for such discernment, lest we make the issue of instrumental music as important as the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, or whether we can have cooperative missionary enterprises like Herald of Truth as important as the lordship of Jesus. When we learn to make differences we will treat each other differently, realizing that we are a diverse lot and that in that diversity there can be unity.

So, yes, unity is to be placed before truth when that truth is of lesser importance than unity itself, which, you must remember, is the very nature of the Body of Christ. Then again, no, truth must come before unity when the gospel itself is challenged. In such instances we will stand with the apostle and not compromise or submit, not even for a moment.—the Editor