Sincerely Deluded

Sincerely Deluded
Brad Reiches
Aug 4 2006 11:41AM

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Friday, August 4, 2006
GodThoughts Wired!

"Sincerely Deluded"

I in them and Thou in Me, that they may
be perfected in unity.

John 17:23

There has been much talk in recent years about "unity" in the body of Christ.  "We need to be unified,"  the preacher will declare.  "We need to come together in unity," the author writes.  And tragically, many have compromised the integrity of the word of God under the guise of "the pursuit of unity."

While I certainly agree that unity in the body of Christ is important, the following must be understood:

Unity is a bi-product.

Unity cannot be taught.  It doesn't happen because someone writes a book or brochure about it.  It isn't the result of an influencers plea.  Rather, unity is the result of like-mindedness.  It is as A.W. Tozer declared in his magnificent treatise on "The Pursuit of God:" 

One hundred pianos all tuned to the same fork

are automatically tuned to each other.  They are

of one accord by being tuned, not to each other, but

to another standard to which each one must individually

bow.  So one hundred worshippers meeting together,

each one looking away to Christ, are in heart nearer

to each other than they could possibly be were they

to become "unity" conscious and turn their eyes away

from God to strive for closer fellowship.  Social religion

is perfected when private religion is purified.

"Social religion is perfected when private religion is purified."  The unity that Jesus prayed for in John 17 does not require a compromise of the truth, but rather a mutual acknowledgement of, and submission to the truth. 

Truth, by its very nature, divides.  No, I didn't say it was divisive.  Divisiveness happens as result of choice.  People CHOOSE to be divisive.  Truth, however, is a divider.  A divider of what is true and what is false.  People who come together in mutual submission to the truth will naturally be unified.

Christians who water down the immutable truth of God's word in pursuit of "unity" will never achieve what they seek.  They are sincere, no doubt.

Sincerely deluded.

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