The unity of God’s People is the single most important ingredient in spiritual awakening and revival but what do we mean by unity?
First up, I’d like to look at what I don’t consider to be unity – since there are a lot of people today calling for unity. Having a cross on the top of a building, around your neck or in your hand does not mean you have correct theology and are part of God’s true Church. Unfortunately, there are many so-called ‘churches’ and people who attend them who claim to be Christians who will one day hear, “I never knew you. Depart from Me.” (Matthew 7:23).
Jesus never tolerated false teachers or false teaching. He called the Scribes and Pharisees ‘serpents, a brood of vipers, fools, hypocrites and blind guides’ (Matthew 23). He spoke quite differently about true believers. He said, “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me” (John 10:27).
God has spoken to us in His Son (Hebrews 1:1-2) and we know Jesus is the Word (John 1:1-5, 14). Christians are sealed with the Holy Spirit and God’s children cannot be consistently errant in their theology because “No one who is born of God practices sin, because His seed abides in him; and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.” (1 John 3:9). False doctrine is sin.
US Federal agents are trained to spot counterfeit dollar bills by only studying the REAL thing. When a counterfeit bill crosses their path, they immediately spot it. The same must be true of Christians.
Is there anything more important in life than spending time with God? I think not. “Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it.” (Matthew 7:13-14)
We all go through a gate. The question is, are you going to enter through the wide or narrow? The following is a list of seven non-negotiable doctrines of Biblical theology. If we miss the target on any one of these the result is a lost eternity.
- We must accept the deity of Christ Jesus – Christ was not, as the Mormons teach, born a man who evolved into God. Jesus is fully man and fully God. He is, has always been and will always be the eternal God. Case closed.
- We must repent of our sin. “I tell you, no, but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.” (Luke 13:3)
- We must be born again through the atoning blood of Jesus Christ. (John 3:1-21)
- We must accept the Virgin Birth of Jesus. If He is not virgin born He is neither God’s Son nor our Savior. (Matthew 1:18-25)
- We must accept that Jesus died for our sins, was buried and was bodily raised from the dead (1 Corinthians 15:1-8)
- We must understand that salvation is by grace alone through faith alone in Jesus Christ alone (Ephesians 2:8-9)
- We have to accept the sufficiency of Scripture. The Bible is the closed revelation of God. What God had to say, He said in the Man, Jesus Christ (Hebrews 1:1-2). The Old Testament is the history of man. The New Testament is the story of God in human form. It shows us what Jesus did and how He guides, impresses, leads, and directs us through His Word. However the scriptures are complete and God is is not adding more chapters to the Bible.
We can disagree about sprinkling or immersion in baptism, or whether you attend church Saturday night or Sunday morning or have a harp or bongo drums playing as you worship. These things are not the issue. But what does matter are the essentials, the fundamental doctrines taught in Scripture and anyone who rejects these is not following the Christ of Scripture (1 Corinthians 3:11).
So, if you’re all in on the basics listed above, let’s get ready for revival. Unity in the true church is essential for revival. Again, that doesn’t mean unity around non-Biblical theology, but agreement with the basic fundamental doctrines of the Word of God.
