How Unity in the Church Happens

July 8, 2026/Le Ann Trees/
Photo Credit: Pedro Dias on Unsplash

Photo Credit: Pedro Dias on Unsplash

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I appeal to you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and create obstacles contrary to the doctrine that you have been taught; avoid them. For such persons do not serve our Lord Christ, but their own appetites, and by smooth talk and flattery they deceive the hearts of the naive. (Rom. 16:17-18)

The Bible says that Christians are to “be united in the same mind and the same judgment” (1 Cor. 1:10-13) and “love one another” (John 13:34). Yet, why is there so much division in Christ’s church?

We love our way of thinking more than God’s truth.

Much division in the church is caused by differences in doctrine: What is the Trinity? What are the attributes of God? Why did God make people? What did Jesus do to save us? How are we saved? Can we lose our salvation? What does it actually mean to be a Christian? How do we rightly apply biblical teachings both in the church and in daily life? We have only to look at all the different Protestant denominations to realize there is great disagreement in the body of Christ regarding how God’s word answers the above questions and more.

So how do we know what is biblical truth and what isn’t? The first step is to read our Bibles. The second step is to engage with the statements of faith of the historic church, such as the Apostles’ Creed, the Nicene Creed, the Heidelberg Catechism, the Canons of Dordt, the Belgic Confession, and the Westminster Standards. God has given us faithful believers throughout church history who defended the truth of God’s word and wrote helpful summaries of the Christian faith. While these statements of faith are always subordinate to Scripture, which is God-breathed, they are still helpful guideposts for avoiding doctrinal error and heresy.

We need to love the truth of God’s word more than our preconceived ideas and opinions of what God’s word should say or what we want God’s word to say, always seeking to understand what the Bible is actually teaching us. With this knowledge we can better seek out a local church that faithfully preaches God’s word without division or strife.

We don’t love one another as Christ has loved us.

Much division in the church is caused by a lack of humility. Christ humbled himself to love and serve us, even to the point of death on a cross (Phil. 2:5–8). We are called to reflect that same humility and self-giving love toward one another.

We often think we know best how the church should be ordered or how someone else should be living his or her life. We may be right, but we must recognize that we could be wrong. Too often we are quick to criticize, assume the worst, insist on having our own way, or elevate our personal preferences above the good of Christ’s body.

Even when we are defending biblical truth, we must do so with patience, gentleness, and genuine concern for our brothers and sisters in Christ. As finite creatures, our knowledge and wisdom are limited. We need to recognize that our efforts to love are not always as wise or loving as we imagine. As we let go of our own wants and desires and put God’s will for his church first, we are better able to love others well.

We love the approval of the world more than Christ and his church.

Much division in the church is caused by our love of self and our desire for the world’s approval. We want to be admired by the world, and we don’t consider how we may be harming other believers and Christ’s body as a whole by our actions. Some of this harm is caused by professing Christians who claim they are making the church more relevant and appealing to the world so that more people will come to Christ. Yet, as Paul writes, it is possible that “such persons do not serve our Lord Christ, but their own appetites, and by smooth talk and flattery they deceive the hearts of the naive” (Rom. 16:18).

We need to be wary of those in the church who claim to love Christ yet are conforming to the world’s standards instead of God’s standards. Such people may be sincere believers who are deceived or they may be wolves in sheep’s clothing. We must therefore guard the purity of Christ’s church by testing every teaching against Scripture and refusing to exchange faithfulness to Christ for the approval of the world.

Unity in the church grows as we love God’s truth above our own ideas, our brothers and sisters above ourselves, and Christ above the world.

This article is adapted from “How Unity in the Church Happens” in BCL’s October 2021 Newsletter.

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