Real Christians never disagree … right? God desires us to walk in unity, but does this mean we need to agree on everything to do so? In this article, I want to explore what Christian unity looks like and how we can be one but not the same.
Unity: The Real and the Ideal
Jesus prayed that we would have a perfect unity that is modelled on the oneness of the Father-Son relationship; ‘that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you’ (John 17:21, ESV). Paul, possibly having Jesus’ words in mind, urges the Philippians – who seem to have conflict and disagreements among them – to pursue unity. He tells them to be “like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind” (Philippians 2:2, NIV).
If this is the prayer of Jesus and the vision of Paul, why hasn’t this ideal, deep-seated unity come about? It is because we are not yet mature as Christ wants us to be. We have cultural bents and sinful tendencies, and theological pet doctrines. As we mature, these diminish. In fact, full maturity and unity will only be realised when the Lord returns. Only then shall we truly become like Him and fully unified (Ephesians 4:13). This doesn’t mean we should settle for a lazy ‘agree to disagree’ attitude, but it does mean honestly owning that we have limitations, while pursuing unity now.
‘In essentials, unity; in non-essentials, liberty; in all things, charity.’
As we grow into what Jesus wants for us, there is an old Christian quote that can help us in our journey into unity. It says, ‘In essentials, unity; in non-essentials, liberty; in all things, charity.’
In Essentials, Unity
There are certain essential truths that must hold us together. These are things to which the majority of Christians in the majority of places have always held. Truths such as:
- the deity of Christ
- the Trinity
- salvation by grace through faith, and
- the infallibility of Scripture.
These are the supporting pillars that must hold up our unity with all Christians everywhere. They are what make us Christian. As Four12, we hold to these (and other) orthodox truths, but as a movement, we also hold to some essential values. Essentials such as:
- a passion to see the church restored to authentic New Testament roots, with the emergence of genuine apostles and five-fold gifts
- eldership-led churches
- a culture of mutual submission and honour
- and seeing every believer ministering in the power of the Spirit.
It is these values, among others, that are our essentials, which help bring us together in unity.
In Non-Essentials, Liberty
So, is there a place for us to disagree on certain issues yet be in real unity? Yes, I believe there is. In the non-essentials (truths that are still very important but not essential for us to be united on), our aim must be to show liberty towards each other.
For example, among us are Calvinists (those who believe they can never lose their salvation) and Arminians (those who believe that it is possible to have known Christ and to fall away). We have leaders who differ on the manner of Jesus’ return and the understanding of the tribulation. We have Tricotomists (those who believe we are body, soul and spirit) and Dicotomists (those who believe we are body and soul/spirit) … and the list goes on!
The reason we can walk together is that we respect those who find their convictions rooted in Scripture. We understand that these are issues that authentic, Bible-believing Christians have differed on throughout church history. So, we admit that we ‘know in part’ (1 Corinthians 13:12) and therefore we want to show grace to one another. This doesn’t mean we have an ‘anything goes’ attitude, of course – our liberty has boundaries.
We understand that these are issues that authentic, Bible-believing Christians have differed on throughout church history
In the New Testament, Paul allowed Christians liberty to differ on some issues. There were issues that arose that threatened to divide them, yet he wisely counselled these Christians to allow each other the freedom to differ, while respecting each other’s conscience on some matters. It seemed to Paul that if we keep the important truths as central (see 1 Corinthians 15:1–5), it is enough to keep us one in purpose and heart.
In All Things, Charity
Charity is the old English word meaning love. The world will know we are His disciples by our love for each other, rather than our zeal for doctrinal purity. Our common ground is a passionate love for the person of Jesus, who embodies the truth and is always full of grace.
This apostolic ‘field’ called Four12 does have theological boundaries, but we want to make sure that we never get so caught up in the detail of controversial texts that we miss the big picture: the command of Jesus to go and to make disciples of all nations. We are concerned about truth, but we want to make sure it is truth that places Jesus at the centre.
So you will find that in our resources, each author or preacher will express their view on some subject. This doesn’t mean we all hold to those views within Four12, but because Jesus is our centre, we give each other grace to hold to different views, without sacrificing truth or core values.
Growing into Maturity
Jesus’ prayer for the church to have a deep-seated unity is something we treasure and for which we long. Until we reach perfection, we will have differences, but as long as we hold to the dictum: ‘In essentials, unity; in non-essentials, liberty; in all things, charity’, we can partner together for His fame!
This article was first published in 2018 and has since been revised and republished on 4 May 2026.
